In this lecture, the speaker—who has spent many years researching history with a primary focus on Edo—will present records related to Dutch tourism from a multifaceted and global perspective, while exploring the daily life and political context of the time.
It is well known that the Dutch East India Company operated on Dejima from 1641 to the end of the Edo Period. Its economic and cultural impacts on Japan have been well studied. However, entirely absent is any study of what might be called their ‘tourist’ activities. Although largely confined to Dejima, the Dutchmen made many trips into Nagasaki to see its temples, and the surrounding countryside. Almost every year – 166 times in all – some of the senior Dutchmen also went to Edo for an audience with the shogun. This ‘sanpu’ took them across Kyushu, through the Inland Sea, and along the Tokaido, round trip. They sometimes stayed in Edo as long as a month, and on the way home they always had one full day of tourism each in Kyoto, and Osaka. Their exposure to Japanese cultural monuments and nature was far from negligible, and their observations are of considerable interest.