Dejima

This article is about the artificial island. For the sumo wrestler, seeDejima Takeharu.

Dejima(Japanese:Xuất đảo,"exit island" )orDeshima,in the 17th century also calledTsukishima( trúc đảo, "built island" ), was anartificial islandoffNagasaki,Japanthat served as atrading postfor thePortuguese(1570–1639) and subsequently theDutch(1641–1854).For 220 years, it was the central conduit for foreign trade and cultural exchange with Japan during the isolationistEdo period(1600–1869), and the only Japanese territory open to Westerners.

Dejima

Native name: Xuất đảo
An imagined bird's-eye view of Dejima's layout and structures (copied from a woodblock print by Toshimaya Bunjiemon of 1780 and published in Isaac Titsingh'sBijzonderheden over Japan(1824/25)
Geography
Location	Nagasaki
Administration
Japan

A 2017 model of Dejima in theMuseum VolkenkundeinLeiden

Dejima and Nagasaki Bay, circa 1820. Two Dutch ships and numerous Chinese trading junks are depicted.

A view of Dejima island in Nagasaki Bay (from Siebold'sNippon,1897)

Philipp Franz von Siebold (with Taki and his child Ine) watching an incoming Dutch ship at Dejima. Painting by Kawahara Keiga, between 1823 and 1829

A central part of reconstructed Dejima

Spanning 120 m × 75 m (390 ft × 250 ft) or 9,000 m²(2.2 acres), Dejima was created in 1636 by digging acanalthrough a smallpeninsulaand linking it to the mainland with a small bridge. The island was constructed by theTokugawa shogunate,whoseisolationist policiessought to preserve the existing sociopolitical order by forbidding outsiders from entering Japan while prohibiting most Japanese from leaving. Dejima housedPortuguese merchantsand separated them from Japanese society while still facilitating lucrative trade with the West.

Following arebellion by mostly Catholic converts,all Portuguese were expelled in 1639. The Dutch were moved to Dejima in 1641, albeit under stricter control: the open practice ofChristianitywas banned, and interactions between Dutch and Japanese traders were tightly regulated. Until the mid-19th century, the Dutch were the only Westerners with exclusive access to Japanese goods, and, to a lesser extent, society and culture. Dejima consequently played a key role in the Japanese movement ofrangaku( lan học, "Dutch learning" ), an organized scholarly effort to learn theDutch languagein order to understand Western science, medicine, and technology.

After theTreaty of Kanagawain 1854, which fully opened Japan to foreign trade and diplomatic relations, Dejima was abolished and later integrated into Nagasaki city throughland reclamation.In 1922, the "Dejima Dutch Trading Post" was designated aJapanese national historic site,and there are ongoing efforts in the 21st century to restore Dejima as an island.

History

In 1543, the history of direct contact between Japan and Europe began with the arrival of storm-blownPortuguesemerchants onTanegashima.Six years later the Jesuit missionaryFrancis Xavierlanded inKagoshima.At first Portuguese traders were based inHirado,but they moved in search of a better port. In 1570daimyōŌmura Sumitadaconverted to Catholicism (choosing Bartolomeu as his Christian name) and made a deal with the Portuguese to develop Nagasaki; soon the port was open for trade.

In 1580 Sumitada gave the jurisdiction of Nagasaki to the Jesuits, and the Portuguese obtained thede factomonopolyon the silk trade with China throughMacau. TheshōgunIemitsuordered the construction of the artificial island in 1634, to accommodate the Portuguese traders living in Nagasaki and prevent the propagation of their religion. This was one of the many edicts put forth by Iemitsu between 1633 and 1639 moderating contact between Japan and other countries. However, in response to theuprisingof the predominantly Christian population in theShimabara-Amakusaregion, theTokugawagovernment decided to expel the Portuguese in 1639.

Since 1609, theDutch East India Companyhad run a trading post on theisland of Hirado.The departure of the Portuguese left the Dutch employees of the "Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie"(" VOC ") as the sole Westerners with trade access to Japan. For 33 years they were allowed to trade relatively freely. At its maximum, the Hirado trading post ( bình hộ オランダ thương quán, Hirado Oranda Shōkan) covered a large area. In 1637 and 1639 stone warehouses were constructed within the ambit of this Hirado trading post. Christian-era year dates were used on the stonework of the new warehouses and these were used in 1640 as a pretext to demolish the buildings and relocate the trading post to Nagasaki.

With the expulsion of the last Portuguese in 1639, Dejima became a failed commercial post and without the annual trading with Portuguese ships from Macau, the economy of Nagasaki suffered greatly. The Dutch were forced by government officials to move from Hirado to Dejima in Nagasaki.From 1641 on, only Chinese and Dutch ships were allowed to come to Japan, and Nagasaki harbor was the only harbor they were allowed to enter.

Organization

On the administrative level, the island of Dejima was part of the city of Nagasaki. The 25 local Japanese families who owned the land received an annual rent from the Dutch. Dejima was a small island, 120 metres (390 ft) by 75 metres (246 ft),linked to the mainland by a small bridge, guarded on both sides, and with a gate on the Dutch side. It contained houses for about twenty Dutchmen, warehouses, and accommodation for Japanese officials.

The Dutch were watched by several Japanese officials, gatekeepers, night watchmen, and a supervisor (otonaẤt danh ) with about fifty subordinates. Numerous merchants supplied goods and catering, and about 150 interpreters (tsūjiThông từ ) served. They all had to be paid by theVOC.As the city of Nagasaki, Dejima was under the direct supervision of Edo through a governor (Nagasaki bugyō).

Every ship that arrived in Dejima was inspected. Its sails were held by the Japanese until they released the ship to leave. They confiscated religious books and weapons. Christian churches were banned on the island and the Dutch were not allowed to hold any religious services.

Despite the financial burden of maintaining the isolated outpost on Dejima, the trade with Japan was very profitable for the Dutch, initially yielding profits of 50% or more. Trade declined in the 18th century, as only two ships per year were allowed to dock at Dejima. After the bankruptcy of the East-India Company in 1795, the Dutch government took over the exchange with Japan. Times were especially hard when the Netherlands, then called theBatavian Republic,was underFrench Napoleonic rule.All ties with the homeland were severed at Dejima, and for a while, it was the only place in the world where the Dutch flag was flown.

The chief VOC trading post officer in Japan was called theOpperhoofdby the Dutch, orKapitan(from Portuguesecapitão) by the Japanese. This descriptive title did not change when the VOC went bankrupt and trade with Japan was continued by the Dutch Indies government atBatavia.According to theSakokurules of theTokugawa shogunate,the VOC had to transfer and replace the opperhoofd every year with a new one. And each opperhoofd was expected to travel to Edo tooffer tribute to the shogun.

Trade

Originally, the Dutch mainly traded insilk,cotton, andmateria medicafrom China and India. Sugar became more important later.Deerpeltsandshark skinwere transported to Japan fromFormosa,as well as books, scientific instruments and many other rarities from Europe. In return, the Dutch traders bought Japanese copper, silver,camphor,porcelain, lacquer ware, and rice.

To this was added the personal trade of VOC employees on Dejima, which was an important source of income for them and their Japanese counterparts. They sold more than 10,000 foreign books on various scientific subjects to the Japanese from the end of the 18th to the early 19th century. These became the basis of knowledge and a factor in theRangakumovement, or Dutch studies.

Ships

Drawing of the VOC ship Landskroon in Dejima, 1766

In all, 606 Dutch ships arrived at Dejima during its two centuries of settlement, from 1641 to 1847.

• The first period, from 1641 to 1671, was rather free and saw an average of seven Dutch ships every year (12 sank during this period).
• From 1671 to 1715, about five Dutch ships were allowed to visit Dejima every year.
• From 1715, only two ships were permitted every year, which was reduced to one ship in 1790, and again increased to two ships in 1799.
• During theNapoleonic Wars(1803–1815), in which the Netherlands was occupied by (and a satellite of) France, Dutch ships abstained from sailing to Japan directly due to the possibility of being captured byRoyal Navyships. They relied on "neutral"AmericanandDanishships. The Netherlands wasannexedbyNapoleon Bonaparte(1810–1813), while Britain captured several Dutch colonial possessions and after the1811 invasion of Java,Dejima was the only place in the world where the Dutch flag still flew, as ordered by commissionerHendrik Doeff.
• In 1815 theDutch East Indieswas returned to the control of the Netherlands and regular Dutch trading traffic was reestablished.

Trade policy

For two hundred years, foreign merchants were generally not allowed to cross from Dejima to Nagasaki. Japanese civilians were likewise banned from entering Dejima, except interpreters, cooks, carpenters, clerks andyūjo( "women of pleasure" ) from the Maruyama teahouses. Theyūjowere handpicked from 1642 by the Japanese, often against their will. From the 18th century, there were some exceptions to this rule, especially followingTokugawa Yoshimune's doctrine of promoting European practical sciences. A fewOranda-yuki( "those who stay with the Dutch" ) were allowed to stay for longer periods, but they had to report regularly to the Japanese guard post. Once a year the Europeans were allowed to attend the festivities at the Suwa-Shrine under escort. Sometimes physicians such asEngelbert Kaempfer,Carl Peter Thunberg,andPhilipp Franz von Sieboldwere called to high-ranking Japanese patients with the permission of the authorities.Starting in the 18th century, Dejima became known throughout Japan as a center of medicine, military science, and astronomy. Manysamuraitraveled there for "Dutch studies" (Rangaku).

TheOpperhoofdwas treated like the representative of a tributary state, which meant that he had to pay a visit ofhomageto theshōguninEdo.The Dutch delegation traveled to Edo yearly between 1660 and 1790, and once every four years thereafter. This prerogative was denied to the Chinese traders. The lengthy travel to the shogunal court broke the boredom of the Dutch stay, but it was a costly affair. Government officials told them in advance and in detail which (expensive) gifts were expected at the court, such asastrolabes,a pair of glasses, telescopes, globes, medical instruments, medical books, or exotic animals and tropical birds.

In return, the Dutch delegation received some gifts from theshōgun.On arrival in Edo, theOpperhoofdand his retinue, usually his scribe and the factory physician, had to wait in theNagasakiya(Trường kỳ ốc), their mandatory residence, until they were summoned at the court. During the reign of the somewhat eccentricshōgunTokugawa Tsunayoshi, they were expected to perform Dutch dances and songs for the amusement of theshōgunafter their official audience, according toEngelbert Kaempfer.But they also used the opportunity of their stay of about two to three weeks in the capital to exchange knowledge with learned Japanese and, under escort, to visit the town.

Allegations published in the late 17th and early 18th century that Dutch traders were required by the Shogunate to renounce their Christian faith and undergo the test of treading on afumi-e,an image ofJesusorMary,are thought by modern scholars to be propaganda arising from theAnglo-Dutch Wars.

New introductions to Japan

A scene of residential and badminton playing in Dejima, ca. late 18th century

Dutch playing billiards in Dejima, ca. 19th century

• Photography,first lessons in photography given to Japanese in 1856 by the physician of the island, Dr. J. K. van den Broek.
• Badminton,a sport that originated in India, was introduced by the Dutch during the 18th century; it is mentioned in theSayings of the Dutch.
• Billiardswere introduced in Japan on Dejima in 1764; it is noted as "Ball striking table" ( ngọc đột の tràng ) in the paintings ofKawahara Keiga( xuyên nguyên khánh hạ ).
• Beerseems to have been introduced as imports during the period of isolation. The Dutch governorDoeffmade his own beer in Nagasaki, following the disruption of trade during theNapoleonic Wars.Local production of beer started in Japan in 1880.
• Cloverwas introduced in Japan by the Dutch as packing material for fragile cargo. The Japanese called it "White packing herb" (シロツメクサ), in reference to its white flowers.
• Coffeewas introduced in Japan by the Dutch under the nameMokaandkoffie.The latter name appears in 18th-century Japanese books. Siebold refers to Japanese coffee amateurs in Nagasaki around 1823.
• Japan's oldestpianowas introduced by Siebold in 1823, and later given to a tradesperson in the name of Kumaya ( hùng cốc ). The piano is today on display in theKumaya Art Museum( hùng cốc mỹ thuật quán ),Hagi City.
• Paint(Tar), used for ships, was introduced by the Dutch. The original Dutch name (pek) was also adopted in Japanese (Penki/ペンキ).
• Cabbageandtomatoeswere introduced in the 17th century by the Dutch.
• Chocolatewas introduced between 1789 and 1801; it is mentioned as a drink in the pleasure houses of Maruyama.
• Adiving bellwith air supply by a pump was bought from Hugh Morton & Co. at Leith Docks near Edinburgh in 1834.

Nagasaki Naval Training Center

The Nagasaki Training Center, inNagasaki,next to Dejima (in the background)

Following the forced opening of Japan by US NavyCommodore Perryin 1854, theBakufusuddenly increased its interactions with Dejima in an effort to build up knowledge of Western shipping methods. TheNagasaki Naval Training Center(Trường kỳ hải quân vân tập sở,Nagasaki Kaigun Denshūsho),a naval training institute, was established in 1855 by the government of theshōgunat the entrance of Dejima, to enable maximum interaction with Dutch naval know-how. The center was equipped with Japan's first steamship, theKankō Maru,given by the government of the Netherlands the same year. The future AdmiralEnomoto Takeakiwas one of the students of the Training Center.

Reconstruction

A photo of Dejima Island, ca. 1870

TheDutch East India Company's trading post at Dejima was abolished when Japan concluded theTreaty of Kanagawawith the United States in 1858. This ended Dejima's role as Japan's only window on the Western world during the era ofnational isolation.Since then, the island was expanded byreclaimed landand merged into Nagasaki. Extensive redesigning of Nagasaki Harbor in 1904 obscured its original location.The original footprint of Dejima Island has been marked by rivets; but as restoration progresses, theambitof the island will be easier to see at a glance.

Edo-era boundaries of Dejima island (outlined in red) within the modern city of Nagasaki

Dejima today is a work in progress. The island was designated a national historic site in 1922, but further steps were slow to follow. Restoration work was started in 1953, but that project languished.In 1996, restoration of Dejima began with plans for reconstructing 25 buildings in their early 19th-century state. To better display Dejima's fan-shaped form, the project anticipated rebuilding only parts of the surrounding embankment wall that had once enclosed the island. Buildings that remained from theMeiji periodwere to be used.

In 2000, five buildings including the Deputy Factor's Quarters were completed and opened to the public. In the spring of 2006, the finishing touches were put on the Chief Factor's Residence, the Japanese Officials' Office, the Head Clerk's Quarters, the No. 3 Warehouse, and the Sea Gate. Currently, some 10 buildings throughout the area have been restored.

In 2017, six new buildings, as well as the Omotemon Bridge (the old bridge to the mainland), were restored. The bridge was officially opened in attendance of members of the Japanese and Dutch royal families.

Long-term planning intends that Dejima will again be surrounded by water on all four sides; its characteristic fan-shaped form and all of its embankment walls will be fully restored. This long-term plan will include large-scale urban redevelopment in the area. To make Dejima an island again will require rerouting the Nakashima River and moving a part of Route 499.

Chronology

• 1550: Portuguese ships visitHirado.
• 1561: Following the murder of foreigners in the area of the Hirado clan, the Portuguese began to look for other ports to trade.
• 1570: ChristiandaimyōŌmura Sumitadamake a deal with the Portuguese to developNagasaki,six town blocks are built.
• 1571: Nagasaki Harbor is opened for trade, the first Portuguese ships enter.
• 1580:Ōmura Sumitadacedes jurisdiction over Nagasaki and Mogi to theJesuits.
• 1588:Toyotomi Hideyoshiexerts direct control over Nagasaki, Mogi, and Urakami from the Jesuits.
• 1609: TheDutch East India Companyopens a factory in Hirado. It closes in 1641 when it is moved to Dejima.
• 1612: Japan's feudal government decrees that Christian proselytizing on Bakufu lands is forbidden.
• 1616: All trade with foreigners except that with China is confined to Hirado and Nagasaki.
• 1634: The construction of Dejima begins.
• 1636: Dejima is completed; the Portuguese are interned on Dejima (Fourth National Isolation Edict).
• 1638:Shimabara Rebellionof Christian peasants is repressed with Dutch support,Christianity in Japan is repressed.
• 1639: Portuguese ships are prohibited from entering Japan. Consequently, the Portuguese are banished from Dejima.
• 1641: The Dutch East India Company Trading Post in Hirado is moved to Nagasaki.
• 1649: German surgeonCaspar Schambergercomes to Japan. Beginning of a lasting interest in Western style medicine.
• 1662: A shop is opened on Dejima to sellImari porcelain.
• 1673: The English shipReturnenters Nagasaki, but the shogunate refuses its request for trade.
• 1678: A bridge connecting Dejima with the shore is replaced with a stone bridge.
• 1690: German physicianEngelbert Kaempfercomes to Dejima.
• 1696: Warehouses for secondary cargo reach completion on Dejima.
• 1698: The Nagasaki Kaisho (trade association) is founded.
• 1699: The Sea Gate is built at Dejima.
• 1707: Water pipes are installed on Dejima.
• 1775:Carl Thunbergstarts his term as physician on Dejima.
• 1779: SurgeonIsaac Titsingharrives for his first tour of duty as"Opperhoofd".
• 1798: Many buildings, including the Chief Factor's Residence, are destroyed by the GreatKanseiFire of Dejima.
• 1804: Russian AmbassadorNikolai Rezanovvisits Nagasaki to request an exchange of trade between Japan and Imperial Russia.
• 1808: ThePhaetonIncidentoccurs.
• 1823: German physicianPhilipp Franz von Sieboldposted to Dejima.

Trading post chiefs (Opperhoofden)

Main article:VOC opperhoofden in Japan

Opperhoofdis a Dutch word (pluralopperhoofden) which literally means 'supreme head'. The Japanese used to call the trading post chiefskapitanwhich is derived fromPortuguesecapitão(cf. Latincaput,head). In its historical usage, the word is agubernatorialtitle, comparable to the EnglishChief factor,for the chief executive officer of a Dutchfactoryin the sense of trading post, as led by a Factor, i.e. agent.

Notableopperhoofdenat Hirado

• François Caron:03.02.1639 – 13.02.1641 [Caron was lastOpperhoofdat Hirado.]

Notableopperhoofdenat Dejima

• François Caron:03.02.1639 – 13.02.1641 [Caron was the firstOpperhoofdin Dejima following the forced move from Hirado.]
• Zacharias Wagenaer[Wagener]: 01.11.1656 – 27.10.1657
• Zacharias Wagenaer[Wagener]: 22.10.1658 – 04.11.1659
• Andreas Cleyer[Andries]: 20.10.1682 -08.11.1683
• Andreas Cleyer:17.10.1685 – 05.11.1686
• Hendrik Godfried Duurkoop:23.11.1776 – 11.11.1777
• Isaac Titsingh:29.11.1779 – 05.11.1780
• Isaac Titsingh:24.11.1781 – 26.10.1783
• Isaac Titsingh:_.08.1784 – 30.11.1784
• Hendrik Doeff:14.11.1803 – 06.12.1817
• Jan Cock Blomhoff:06.12.1817 – 20.11.1823
• Janus Henricus Donker Curtius:02.11.1852 – 28.02.1860

Gallery

• 
  Dutchmen with Keiseis(Courtesans), Nagasaki, ca. 1800
• 
  Hendrik Doeffand a Balinese servant in Dejima, Japanese painting, ca. early 19th century
• 
  A monument erected in Dejima bySieboldto honor Kaempfer and Thunberg
• 
  A scale model of a Dutch trading post on display in Dejima (1995)

See also

• Dutch missions to Edo
• Japan–Netherlands relations
• Nanban trade
• List of Jesuit sites
• Sakoku
• The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet– Historical novel set in Dejima
• Nagasaki foreign settlement
• Thirteen Factories,a former area ofGuangzhou,China, where the first foreign trade was allowed in the 18th century since thehai jin( hải cấm ) ban on maritime activities.
• Baan Hollanda– Site of former Dutch settlement inAyutthaya(Thailand), now a museum
• Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG– Much of the action centers on refugees who are settled on the island and eventually try to declare independence
• Nagasaki saikenzu.Hayashi Jiza'emon, publisher. 1830.

Bibliography

• Blomhoff, J. C. (2000).The Court Journey to the Shogun of Japan: From a Private Account by Jan Cock Blomhoff.Amsterdam
• Blussé, L.et al.,eds. (1995–2001)The Deshima [sic] Dagregisters: Their Original Tables of Content.Leiden.
• Blussé, L.et al.,eds. (2004).The Deshima Diaries Marginalia 1740–1800.Tokyo.
• Boxer. C. R. (1950).Jan Compagnie in Japan, 1600–1850: An Essay on the Cultural, Artistic, and Scientific Influence Exercised by the Hollanders in Japan from the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Centuries.Den Haag.
• Caron,François. (1671).A True Description of the Mighty Kingdoms of Japan and Siam.London.
• Doeff,Hendrik. (1633).Herinneringen uit Japan.Amsterdam. [Doeff, H. "Recollections of Japan" (ISBN1-55395-849-7)]
• Edo-Tokyo Museumexhibition catalog. (2000).A Very Unique Collection of Historical Significance: The Kapitan (the Dutch Chief) Collection from the Edo Period—The Dutch Fascination with Japan.Catalog of "400th Anniversary Exhibition Regarding Relations between Japan and the Netherlands", a joint project of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, theCity of Nagasaki,theNational Museum of Ethnology,theNational Natuurhistorisch Museumand theNational Herbarium of the NetherlandsinLeiden,Netherlands.Tokyo.
• Leguin, F. (2002).Isaac Titsingh (1745–1812): Een passie voor Japan, leven en werk van de grondlegger van de Europese Japanologie.Leiden.
• Mitchell, David (2010).The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.London.
• Nederland's Patriciaat,Vol. 13 (1923). Den Haag.
• Screech,Timon. (2006).Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.London:RoutledgeCurzon.ISBN0-7007-1720-X
• Siebold,P.F.v. (1897).Nippon.Würzburg / Leipzig.Click link for full text in modern German
• Titsingh,I. (1820).Mémoires et Anecdotes sur la Dynastie régnante des Djogouns, Souverains du Japon.Paris: Nepveau.
• Titsingh, I. (1822).Illustrations of Japan; consisting of Private Memoirs and Anecdotes of the reigning dynasty of The Djogouns, or Sovereigns of Japan.London: Ackerman.

External links

• Dejima official website(Japanese)
• Trading-post chiefs, surgeons, physicians and other employees at the VOC factories Hirado and Dejima
• Hendrick Hamelin Japan:Deshima, layout and building placement
• WorldStatesmen – Japan
• New York Public LibraryDigital Gallery:Engelbert Kaempfer's map of Nagasaki harbor, 1727Deshima location