Like a Dragon: Ishin is transporting players from the usual setting of modern-day Kamurocho back to the 1860s at the height of the political turmoil of the Bakumatsu period. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku has included a lot of details about this period in Japan's history for players to enjoy as they make their way through this fictionalized version of real-life events. A few of these small details come in the form of the bonuses players can earn by pre-ordering Like a Dragon: Ishin, including the Black Ship Cannon weapon.
This is one of three weapons players who pre-order the game can obtain, along with the Kijinmaru Kunishige and Tsuyano Usukurenai swords. With all the different, elaborate combat styles protagonist Sakamoto Ryoma can use, it's not altogether surprising that one of the potential weapons they can wield is a giant ship's cannon. However, there is a much deeper story behind this weapon's inclusion beyond the ridiculousness of fighting with a massive cannon, and it ties into this period in the real-world history of Japan and the country's relationship with foreign nations.
The Black Ship Cannon is a Reference to Japan's Relationship with the West
Like a Dragon: Ishin's late-Edo setting is characterized by the political conflict between two major factions: the Shinsengumi police force who are loyal to the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate, and the Ishin Shishi group of imperial nationalists seeking to restore the emperor of Japan to the throne. Among these two warring factions are a handful of other forces at play with their own agendas and roles in the greater conflict for control of the country. One of these forces is the United States Navy, whose Commodore Matthew Perry would play a key role in shaping the future of Japan's international relationships.
Early on in the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate took a hard isolationist stance called Sakoku in regard to foreign policy. Beginning in 1633, a series of edicts banned all foreigners from the country, except for some Chinese and Dutch traders who were allowed limited entry into trade ports. This act would see its end in 1854 when Commodore Matthew Perry successfully negotiated the reopening of Japan during the Convention of Kanagawa, just prior to the events detailed in Like a Dragon: Ishin.
This dramatic shift in foreign policy would be a major factor in motivating the Ishin Shishi against the shogun as they feared the Western influence that opening up the country to foreign trade would bring. Attacks on groups of foreigners were a common enough practice for the Ishin Shishi to earn them the reputation of terrorists. The Black Ship Cannon taken from a Western ship is therefore a fitting weapon, given that Ryoma hails from the region of Tosa where the Ishin Shishi staged a major coup against the shogunate; its inclusion as a pre-order bonus for Like a Dragon: Ishin highlights the role the United States Navy plays in the background of this conflict.
Ryu Ga Gotoku has included a lot of interesting details for historically-minded players to appreciate in Like a Dragon: Ishin, and the reference to the Sakoku policy made through the inclusion of the Black Ship Cannon is just one such example. Aside from being able to wield a ship's cannon as a weapon, the Black Ship Cannon connects the plot of Like a Dragon: Ishin to the greater real-world events that the game takes inspiration from, giving it more importance than a simple pre-order freebie. It's attention to detail like this that shows Ryu Ga Gotoku's eagerness to dive into the Bakumatsu period in Like a Dragon: Ishin.
Like a Dragon: Ishin releases February 21, 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
