The exchange between Japan and the West dates back to when a Portuguese ship was tossed ashore on Tanegashima Island (1543). As the Edo Shogunate government banned Christianity, only people from the Netherlands were allowed to come to Japan and be resident in the Dutch Factory on Deshima from the beginning of the 17th century. It is estimated that at the time, the Netherlands’ GDP per capita was the highest in the world, and more than half the ships going from Europe to Asia were Dutch ships. In addition, as the Netherlands was a country where publishing flourished in a climate of religious freedom, Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche, intorno a due nuove scienze by Galileo Galilei and Discours de la méthode by R. Descartes and other important books were first published in the Netherlands.

The Japanese gave the Netherlands special treatment which was not seen in other Asian countries, willingly receiving the Western culture through the medium of Dutch, within the limits permitted by the Shogunate government. The Western learning called rangaku (Dutch Studies) was very widely accepted, and many books in Dutch were imported and read. In addition, Japanese people helped the Dutch people who came to Japan to study with intention of introducing Japan widely to the West. As a result, many books concerning Japan were published in Europe. These activities cleared the ground for the opening of the country in the middle of the 19th century, and laid the foundation for the modernization after the Meiji Restoration. From the Meiji era, Japan deepened its exchange with other Western countries. In consideration of this background, we decided that the exhibitions of both countries would be made under a unified theme, focusing on introducing extensively the exchange between the two countries in the Edo period (17-19th century).

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In the Edo period, Dutch culture was imported to Japan, and Japanese culture was exported to the Netherlands. Records of these activities have been kept, and many books describing the Japan-Netherlands exchange have been written in both countries.

The NDL holds various materials showing the Japan-Netherlands exchange including Dutch books that belonged to the Edo Shogunate government, Watanabe Kazan’s old books confiscated in the Bansha no Goku Affair (suppression of Dutch studies scholars and others who had criticized the foreign policy of the Shogunate government), Dutch Studies materials mainly on herbal studies such as Ito Collection and Shirai Collection, historical materials of Japanese students studying in the Netherlands at the end of the Edo period, and the materials regarding Katsu Kaishu. The NDL also owns many studies on Japan published in foreign countries, including descriptions of Japan written by foreign visitors. Through these materials, we hope to show you vividly the wide variety of exchange between Japan and the Netherlands.

Research on Dutch studies in the Edo period has been conducted vigorously since the prewar period. The first part of the exhibition is designed to trace the overall outline of Japan-Netherlands exchange in the Edo period, including information from the materials held by institutions other than the NDL.

“Part 1: Tracing the History” introduces history from the stranding of De Liefde in Japan in 1600, through the activities of the Dutch factory on Deshima and the journey to court, the development of Dutch studies shown, for example, in the publication of the Japanese translation of Anatomische Tabellen, to the encroachment of Europe and America and opening of Japan. We have tried to make it easy to understand by inserting many images from woodblock prints, printed books and manuscripts. At the end, we have added a column about Hiraga Gennai and Dutch studies.

The main part of the exhibition is “Part 2: View by Topics.” Here we would like to introduce some of the materials exhibited for each topic.

Here six foreigners who stayed in Japan during the Edo period, François Caron (1600-1673), Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716), Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828), Isaac Titsingh (1745-1812), Johan Frederik van Overmeer Fisscher (1800-1848) and Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (1796-1866) are featured. Their works, and books written about them by Japanese authors, are introduced. There was a very active exchange between foreigners in Japan and Japanese people. Some of the works by those foreigners were imported to Japan and translation into Japanese was attempted in the Edo period. Many Japanese helped them to write their books, such as Takano Choei who cooperated with Siebold in writing Nippon (1832-1851).

Seiyo senpu
By Kutsuki Masatsuna. Published in 1787.

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It was interpreters in charge of contacting the Dutch factory in Nagasaki who first started to learn Dutch. As they progressed in learning the language, their understanding of Western culture grew and they obtained various kinds of books in Dutch. As there was small limit in importing books in natural science, books on medicine, astronomy, biology were especially read and translated.

Seiyo naika senyo
By Yohanesu de Goruteru. Tr. by Udagawa Genzui. Autograph.

As the understanding of Western culture developed, sometimes it opposed the Shogunate government’s policy that led to the Von Siebold Incident (1828) and the Bansha no Goku Affair (1839). Some materials confiscated by the government, and the maps Siebold attempted to take out of the country (these maps can be viewed in “1. Study of Japan by Foreigners Coming to Japan”), can be viewed.

From the materials exhibited here, you can see how interpreters and scholars studied Dutch. As a dictionary is fundamental for learning a foreign language, the first ones were made based on an imported Dutch-French dictionary. Some examples of dictionaries published in the period are introduced, as well as some grammar books including primers for beginners.

Oranda jii
Published in 1855-58

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To what extent did the Dutch studies and the learning of the language spread among people other than scholars at the time? Some books used illustrations taken from Dutch books, while some Japanese language dictionaries carried a world map (see below). Dutch and Western culture were penetrating into general books.

Daifuku setsuyoshu daizo hokan
Published in 1761

Among Dutch studies scholars, people like Shiba Kokan, who devoted himself to introducing broadly Western culture and knowledge, appeared. This painter and scholar advocated the Copernican theory, painted a world map in a circle, made etchings using perspective, and wrote a travel report of Nagasaki.

Kaimono hitori annai
Published in 1824

Some publications let us know that glassware and watches imported from the Netherlands were available for sale in shops. The exhibition shows how products imported from the Netherlands such as calico, tortoise shell, scented wood, and sugar, are depicted in some illustrated books and colored woodblock prints. You can also see that the Western technique of illusionism was used for daisho-reki calendar*, calendars which were popular in the Edo period, as well as the imported blue pigment that became popular in woodblock prints. Western products in book illustrations and colored woodblock prints, and pictures of people looking curiously at animals coming from foreign countries, can also be viewed.

*For an explanation of the daisho-reki calendar, please refer to the online gallery “The Japanese Calendar.”

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In the 19^th century, warships of Great Britain and Russia started to appear near the country, and the Shogunate government and the feudal lords focused on learning Western military science. Takashima Shuhan, a Nagasaki official who was acquainted with members of the Dutch Factory, imported on his own initiative cannons and books about gunnery. He also wrote a book about how to use artillery. He was given an important post by the government and Western gunnery became widespread.

From the 1820s many Dutch books on military science were imported and translated. Some of them can be viewed as originals and translations. With the spread of these translated books, Western military science was accepted and the country’s navy also took the Western style. It was military men from the Netherlands who contributed to the westernization of the navy as trainers, as shown in the book by Katsu Kaishu. Books about Dutch military accoutrements were also translated and books with careful copies of colored illustrations were published.
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The coming of Commodore Perry to Japan (in 1853) forced the country to open its doors and westernization became an urgent need. Diaries and letters of some people going to the Netherlands to study are available here.

Sawa Tarozaemon kokai nikki

While some went there to learn naval techniques, some learned law and economics at Leiden University. After returning to Japan, they published books, translating the lectures they had attended.

The exhibition includes not only materials and explanations but a chronological table and title list of materials. There is also a list of links illustrating the exchange between two countries.

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