The Dutch in Japan Essay -- History

â€Å"The Red Haired Barbarians:† The Dutch in Japan The success of Dutch merchants in Japan illustrates the uniqueness of the Dutch Republic amongst the 17th century European countries. Not only would the Dutch come to dominate trade in Asia, in Japan they would demonstrate a practicality that would enable them to be the singular Western force present in a country that would severely isolate itself from any foreign intrusion. The V.O.C. could indeed be a ruthless cartel in securing trade from its competition and in dealing with indigenous populations around the world, as in the case of slavery where human beings were reduced to mere commodities to be bought and sold. Yet, the relationship between early Dutch traders, the V.O.C., and the Japanese people delineates an entrepreneurial and cultural adeptness that was beyond that of their European contemporaries and competitors in the 17th century. It was the Portuguese, rather than the Dutch, were the first Europeans to begin a relationship with the people of Japan. The Portuguese arrived in 1543 when Japan was a war torn country divided by different warlords. Along with trade, the Portuguese brought Jesuit missionaries who successfully proselytized Christianity if not to a large-scale, which would nonetheless be significant to future Japanese rulers. During their time in Japan, the Portuguese would see the rise of the three great shogunal unifiers. The first of these was Oda Nobunaga, who actually supported Christian efforts in order to counter 2 the militant Buddhist domains that resisted his rule. The second unifier, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was much less tolerant of the Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, and subsequently vacillated between policies of tolerance and b... ...to a greatly different culture. That the idea of tolerance was not prevalent for17th century Europeans is demonstrated by the Portuguese experience in Japan, yet somehow the Dutch managed a cultural acumen that was remarkable for this time period. Works Cited â€Å"Dutch and Japanese Relations†. Consulat-General van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden: http://www.oranda-cg.or.jp/english/relations.html, Retrieved 23 July 2007. Sayle, Murray. â€Å"Japan Goes Dutch†. London Review of Books. Vol. 23 No. 7 (5 April 2001). Retrieved 22 July 2007. Totman, Conrad. Tokugawa Ieyasu Shogun: A Biography, Tokyo: Heian International Incorporated. 1983. Yonemura, Ann. â€Å"Yokohama – Prints from Nineteenth Century Japan†. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D.C. artelino.com/. Articles/dutch.Nagasaki. Retrieved 23 July 2007. NIAS_User Page 8 10/3/07.