THE ARRIVAL OF THE DUTCH IN DESHIMA

1550: Portuguese ships visit Hirado.

1561: Following the murder of foreigners in the area of the Hirado clan, Portuguese began to look for other ports to trade. 1570: Christian daimyo mura Sumitada make a deal with the Portuguese to develop Nagasaki, six town blocks are built. 1571: Nagasaki Harbor is opened for trade, the first Portuguese ships enter. 1580: Omura Sumitada cedes jurisdiction over Nagasaki and Mogi to the Jesuits. 1588: Toyotomi Hideyoshi exerts direct control over Nagasaki 1609: The Dutch East India Company opens a factory in Hirado. It closes in 1641 when it is moved to Deshima. 1634: The construction of Dejima begins. 1636: Dejima is completed; the Portuguese are interned on Dejima 1639: Portuguese ships are prohibited from entering Japan. Consequently, the Portuguese are banished from Dejima

In 1543 Portuguese traders were the first to land in Japan, on Tanegashima In 1570 daimyo mura Sumitada converted to Catholicism and made a deal with the Portuguese to develop Nagasaki. The shogun Iemitsu ordered the construction of the artificial island in 1634, to constrain the Portuguese merchants living in Nagasaki Shimabara Rebellion

 From 1641 to 1874, there were 606 Dutch ships arrived at Deshima during their settlement Dutch merchants were generally not allowed to cross from Deshima to Nagasaki , Deshima became known throughout Japan as a center of medicine, military science, and astronomy Many samurai travelled there for Dutch studies (Rangaku). The little Dutch station at Deshima played a role in the transmission of medical techniques, particularly surgery, from early on In the 1720s the shogun Yoshimune, eager to increase domestic production of goods that had to be imported, relaxed restrictions on books that could be imported at Nagasaki.

In 1600 a Dutch ship, the Liefde arrived in Usuki Bay in Kyushu with 24 halfstarved men - 23 Dutch and one Englishman Will Adams was the captain of the Liefde. By and by he managed to win the confidence of Tokugawa Ieyasu inspite of the interference of the Portuguese, who denounced the Dutch as pirates. This was the beginning of exclusive trade relations between Japan and the Dutch East India Company that would last for nearly 250 years

On the administrative level, the island of Dejima was part of the city of Nagasaki. The 25 local Japanese families who owned the real estate received an annual rent from the Dutch. Dejima was a small island, 120 by 75 meters The Dutch were watched by a number of Japanese officials, gatekeepers, night watchmen, and a supervisor (otona) with about fifty subordinates

TITIA COCK BLOMHOFF

One courageous woman named Titia accompanied her husband Jan Cock Blomhoff, the newly appointed director for the Deshima trading post in 1817.

PHILIP F. VON SIEBOLD 1796-1866

Philip F. von Siebold came as a physician to the Dejima trading post His presence had also an important impact on Japan by bringing Western medicine to the country.