Part of a cannon captured at the Battle of Shimonoseki

The coat of arms of the Prince of Nagato are inlaid on this piece of cannon barrel. The Prince was one of the leaders of the group that opposed the opening up of Japan to the West. His troops therefore blockaded the Strait of Shimonoseki between Japan’s two main islands. In 1864 a punitive Western expedition brought an end to this blockade. This fragment was taken as booty by the Dutch navy.