Hotta Masayoshi

Hotta Masayoshi (堀田 正睦) was a Japanese daimyo in the Edo period; and he was a prominent figure in the Tokugawa shogunate.

Rōjū
Hotta was the Shogun's advisor (rōjū) from 1837 to 1843, and again from 1855 to 1858. Hotta succeeded Abe Masahiro, and in his years at the post had to address the issue of the Harris Treaty.

Gaikoku-bōeki-toshirabe-gakari
Hotta formed an ad hoc committee of bakufu officials with special knowledge of foreign affairs, and headed this working group. In November 1856, he appointed the members and charged them to come up with recommendations about the terms for opening Japanese ports. The results of their deliberations would become the basis for negotiations which ultimately resulted in the Harris Treaty of 1858 (the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States).

Harris Treaty
Townsend Harris was a representative of the United States who demanded that Japan open up six ports to trade, allow Americans to travel freely in Japan, and grant extraterritoriality to them. Hotta then tried to convince the Emperor and the daimyō (feudal lords) to accept the Treaty. Based on his knowledge of the events of the Arrow War, Hotta believed he knew the violent response the United States would return with, if their request was refused. To this end, he even broke precedent and requested audience to speak to the Emperor directly; the Imperial Court refused to sign the treaty without the support of the daimyō.

Hotta attempted to ratify the treaty with the emperor and in a break with tradition it was rebuffed, as the emperor was little more than a figurehead.

Hotta resigned and was replaced by Ii Naosuke in 1858, and the treaty was signed shortly afterwards without the emperor's consent.