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Nagasaki-e: The Dutch Portrayed in Japanese Woodblock Prints
( Part 1 )
Nagasaki-e
Since the arrival in 1600 of the first Dutch ship 'De Liefde'
in Japan, the Dutch became involved in trade activities with
Japan.
In 1609, shortly after the founding of the Dutch East India
Company (VOC) 1602~1799, the first Dutch trading post was located
in the port town of Hirado on Kyûshû, the southernmost island in
Japan. At the same time a trade pass was issued by the Shogun
exclusively for the Dutch. This was the beginning of a long period
of mutual relations between the Netherlands and Japan that was not
only limited to trade but would also extend to the arts, culture
and science.
In 1641 the Dutch trading post had to move to Dejima, a small
island that was artificially constructed in the shape of an
unfolded fan in the bay of Nagasaki. This was due to the decision
of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu who imposed a closure policy (sakoku)
for Japan. Therefore all foreigners except the Dutch and the
Chinese had to leave the country while the Japanese themselves
were not allowed to go out of the country.
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Dejima
For over two centuries Dejima remained the only view of the
Japanese on the outside world (the West). Although to a limited
extent, they still were able to take notice of the political and
cultural developments in the West. Of course it was not long
before the attention of the inhabitants of Nagasaki was drawn to
the Dutch trading-post 'Dejima' and the 'red-haired barbarians' (kõmõjin)
as the inhabitants of the Dutch trading-post were called. Soon
after, the life and business of the Dutch in Nagasaki was captured
in woodcuts (Nagasaki-e) intended for a curious audience. In this
way the first maps were created with images that portray the
houses and warehouses of the Dutch in Dejima and also summaries of
the location of the island towards the city in the Bay of
Nagasaki.
In the perception of the Japanese the chief of the trading-post
was a startling figure. Dressed in a coat embroidered with gold,
holding a long clay pipe and a cane, accompanied by a Javanese
servant holding a parasol above his head, he was a favorite
subject of the Nagasaki-e. Also the different eating habits and
table manners must have appealed to the Japanese. Sometimes
certain images were mixed together. For example, a combination of
a diner and a musical performance.
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Chief of Dejima, c. 1800s.
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European Women
The presence of European women were prohibited on
Dejima.
Therefore they are seldomly depicted in Nagasaki-e prints.
An exeption on this prohibition was the stay of Mrs.Titia Cock
Blomhoff, the wife of chief Jan Cock Blomhoff who arrived in 1817
from Batavia with his family in Dejima. After a few months she had
to leave the island with the next Dutch ship. It's easy to
understand that these appearances from the first European women in
Japan were immediately immortalized by Japanese artists and were
extremely popular with the public.
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Dutch Woman and Man, c.1800s.
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Dutch Ships
Also the Dutch ships which periodically sailed into Nagasaki
with new trade supplies drew the attention of Nagasaki-e
designers. Usually, these images of merchant vessels had
accompanying texts in Japanese with the specifications of the
concerning ship and sometimes even an indication of the distances
over sea from Japan to various countries.
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Steamboat,
c.1805
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