Dejima
Dejima or Deshima was a manmade island in Nagasaki Harbor to which the activities of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Japan were restricted in the Edo period.
The island was originally built to be used by Portuguese merchants, but in 1641, following the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1639, Dejima became the home of the VOC. The island was miniscule, home to only about forty buildings, and to, at any given time, only about ten to fifteen officers (including kapitans, factors, clerks, and physicians), plus their families, cooks, and servants.[1] Shogunate authorities frequently searched the island for signs of smuggling or other illegal activities, in which scholars believe members of the VOC did indeed, at times, engage.
Access to mainland Japan, i.e. permission to leave Dejima, was severely limited, but included annual journeys made by all 10-15 VOC representatives to pay respects to the shogun at Edo. The VOC representatives also met with shogunal authorities whenever a new Factor (head) of the Dejima offices was appointed.
The VOC imported a variety of goods into Japan, including chiefly Chinese silk, but also Dutch books, microscopes, telescopes, and the like in small quantities. In exchange, they obtained Japanese gold, silver, and porcelains, later learning to produce their own porcelains, copying Japanese styles.
The VOC Factory was officially closed in 1860.
References
- Marc Jason Gilbert. "Paper Trails: Deshima Island: A Stepping Stone between Civilizations." World History Connected 3.3 (2006). Accessed 4 Jan. 2013.
- ↑ Gonnami, Tsuneharu. "Images of Foreigners in Edo Period Maps and Prints." Unpublished manuscript. Presentation at symposium "Edo: Past & Present," University of British Columbia, April 1998. p8.
