The Fezzes in Japan

The Ertuğrul Frigate Incident of 1890, long considered the foundation of Japanese–Turkish friendship, has usually been studied through the accident and its aftermath. Yet the frigate and its crew spent over three months in Japan before the tragedy. Topaçoğlu examines how their arrival, stay, and departure were reported in the Japanese press, focusing on the Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun . Analysing coverage of ceremonies, illness, and disaster, it reveals how Japan represented the Ottoman Empire in its media. In doing so, it situates this first encounter within wider patterns of global diplomacy, humanitarian response, and the making of bilateral ties.