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Negotiating with imperialism: the unequal treaties and the culture of Japanese Diplomacy
'' Harvard University Press
The Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
missions to Edo were regular tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...
missions to the court of the Tokugawa ''shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...
'' in Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
(modern Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
) to reassure the ties between the Bakufu
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...
and the ''Opperhoofd''. The ''Opperhoofd'' of the Dutch factory in Dejima
, in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島, "built island"), was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1854). For 220 years, i ...
and his attendants were escorted by the Japanese to Edo where they presented exotic and elaborate gifts to the ''shōgun'': clocks, telescopes, medicines, artillery and rare animals were usual gifts of the tribute missions. The ''shōgun'' would correspond at the same time with gifts to the Dutch. The tribute system, as in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, served to enhance the idea of the ''shōgun''s supremacy to his subjects. Auslin, Michael R. (2006). Negotiating with imperialism: the unequal treaties and the culture of Japanese Diplomacy
'' Harvard University Press
See also
* Japan–Netherlands relations * VOC Opperhoofden in Japan * List of Westerners who visited Japan before 1868References
{{Netherlands-stub Dutch East India Company Edo period Japan–Netherlands relations