Souvenirs from Nagasaki

Since the Dutch traders were relegated to the island of Deshima, where only few Japanese people such as officials, translators and courtesans were allowed to go, the majority of the Japanese population did not have many opportunities to interact with them. But many Japanese traveled to Nagasaki in the hopes of seeing the European traders, and a market for souvenirs depicting the Dutch men flourished in the city. An example of this kind of souvenir were Nagasaki-e, pictures of Nagasaki, woodblock prints which depicted the exotic population of the Island of Deshima.

One of these prints depicts the chief of the Deshima trading post (the Opperhoofd), accompanied by a Javanese servant holding a parasol. Beside them, we see a dog. We can see several similarities between the decoration on the inrō and the representation on the woodblock print: both feature a tall man standing and looking at the dog by his side. He has long, wavy hair and a mustache and is wearing a big hat, a long coat, and stockings. In both cases the man can be recognized as the Opperhoofd of Deshima, the Dutch chief in charge of the trading post, thanks to certain attributes such as the long cane held in his right hand and the presence of his company dog.

This kind of image seems to be a recurring, stereotypical depiction of Dutch traders, present on several Japanese artworks. The artisans making the objects would have based their renditions on the scarce glimpses of the Dutchmen that they could get, as well as the occasional Dutch etchings and engravings in circulation on the Japanese archipelago, and on the descriptions given by the Japanese interpreters who were allowed on Deshima. They used whatever sources they could, and perhaps a little bit of imagination, to satisfy the curiosity of the Japanese people and their hunger for exotic souvenirs.Sources: Willem van Gulik, The Dutch in Nagasaki - 19th century Japanese Prints, Stichting Terra Incognita, Amsterdam, 1998 https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/japans-encounter-with-europe-1573-1853