DESHIMA

DUTCH TRADING CONCESSION OF DESHIMA
 
The first Dutch reached Japan in 1600 and some years later (in 1609) the Verenigde
Oostindische Compagnie (VOC - United East Indian Company) was allowed to establish
a trading post at Hirado, on the tiny island of the same name.
In 1641 the Dutch were relocated to the artificial island of Deshima, offshore from
Nagasaki. (1)
Here they would remain the only Westerners authorized to be present in Japan until
the middle of the 19th century. (2)
After the arrival of US Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794 – 1858) in 1854 and
the forced opening of Japan, Deshima gradually lost its importance : the last Court
Journey toke place in 1858 and the trade - formally abolished in 1857 - ceased in
1860. Three years later the concession of Deshima formally ended.

(1) The island was completely isolated from the rest of Japan and until the
    1820's - when they were authorized to build an hospital outside Deshima -
    the ca 20 Dutch (male) inhabitants were not allowed to leave it except for
    the yearly "Court Journey" to Edo, whereby they payed their respect to the
    Shogun and presented him with gifts.
    
    Likewise only some Japanese traders and translators - and later also some 
    female prostitutes - were allowed to visit Deshima. 

(2) Until 1798 Deshima and most of the Dutch trade with Japan were controlled
    by the VOC. After the abolition of the Company, the Dutch state assumed 
    responsability for Deshima and in 1824 the Nederlandse Handelsmaatschappij
    (Dutch Trading Company) was entrusted with most of the trade, a minor part
    remaining, like before (since 1685) in the hands of private traders from
    Netherlands East India.
    
    Deshima however not only had a commercial importance. It also was a center
    for the diffusion of elements of Western knownledge in Japan. 
    This knowledge - or "Rangaku" (Knowledge of the Netherlands) - concerned
    things like geography, mathematics, medicine, painting, shipbuilding, etc
    and was exclusively based on texts in Dutch, which was the only Western
    language known in Japan and which served as the formal diplomatic language
    until ca 1870 when it was replaced by English and French.
__________________________________________________________________________________

DUTCH CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
Trade Factors 
Opperhoofds van de Handel

1845 - 1850   Joseph Henry Levyssohn                         1800 - 1883
1850 - 1852   Frederick Cornelis Rose 
1852 - 1858   Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius                     1813 - 1879        

Government Commissioner in Japan
Gouvernements-Commissaris in Japan

1858 - 1860   Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius                     s.a. 

Consul General for Japan and Political Agent of the Netherlands in Japan
Consul-Generaal voor Japan en politiek agent der Nederlanden in Japan

1860 - 1863   Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius                     s.a.    


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