“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
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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...
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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
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“By 1870, 90% of Japan’s international trade was controlled by Westerners living in Japan.” (Woods, SW. (2004). Japan an Illustrated History (1st Edition). Hippocrene books pg. 111).
Like many Latin American countries, Brazil was originally inhabited by over two thousand distinct Native American tribes who’s history goes back over 10,000 years. However, they left scarce written records, hence little is know about them. Even so, today, Brazil is home to the largest population of un-contacted people in the world. During the age of colonization, Portugal flourished as it expanded its territories in both Africa and India. Yet, competition among colonizers increased as Portugal continued to zero-sum vie for territory against Spain. Pope Alexander VI fearing trade wars between two Catholic countries, declared in the Treaty of Tordesillas that newly discovered land, outside of Europe, to the west of the antemeridian* line to be considered Spanish and east Portuguese. Yet, unbeknownst to Pope Alexander VI, Brazil jettisoned into the Atlantic well beyond the antemeridian. In 1500 CE Portuguese’s explorers made first contact in Brazil and claimed it for Portugal.
Sabin, Burritt. "The War's Legacy [sic]: Dawn of a tragic era", Japan Times, February 8, 2004 (
Four warships of America’s East Asia Squadron anchored at Uraga, in the predawn hours of July 14, 1853. This is twenty-seven miles south of Japanese capital, also known as Edo (renamed Tokyo in 1868). A prominent scholar had recently warned of people who came from the earth’s “hindmost regions” were “incapable of doing good things,” to Japan. The recent Mexican Spanish-American War, Americans has sharpened his desire for taking advantage of his wealth and power for political and commercial benefit. For al...
In April, 1549, Xavier, Saint Francis left the Indo-Portuguese capital of Malacca on his first voyage to Japan. The Voyage went relatively fast and he arrived at the Kagoshima harbor, on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Assumption. Xavier stepped off unto the shores of what he thought to be the Promised Land. Xavier landed with high hopes, nor were his expectations disappointed. Xavier, describe the people of Japan has having good manners, not malicious and men of honor. He also stated that they have one quality in which he cannot recall seeing in Christians; that is however poor their gentry might be they and the commoners however rich, give as much respect to a poor man in passing as if he were a rich person. He noticed the Japanese to be very courteous in their dealings with one another; they highly regard arms by carrying a sword and dirk from the age of fourteen onwards.
...feat of Japan in World War 2). With the changes of the nature of power, Japan by balancing out aggressive economic policies and a quiet military buildup, was able to build herself up to become a prominent player in the international sphere today. In closing, while Japan’s policies today in general have been skewered towards the arguments of the ‘Gentleman’, increasingly Japan has considered more realist concerns of security in the escalation of tensions of the East Asian geopolitical sphere. Chomin’s Discourse has nonetheless served as a prophetic blueprint for more than a century of Japan policy-making.
Learn all you can from the Europeans and Americans"2 was what Emperor Meiji was speaking to the Japanese in 1867. During this period, Japan agreed. to change its hereditary authority and class barriers between its people. Japan also opened their ports during this period 4 and sold fuel to other countries such as the US.5 The Japanese language took a major turn, too. with the addition of borrowed words from all over the world.6 Japan borrowed the American education system of elementary, middle school and universities during this time.7 A new western style army and universal military conscription program was soon set up by General Yamagata Autamo.
The Japanese had lived in isolation for over two hundred years. They had prevented any foreigners from entering or any ships to land at Japanese ports. “In 1850 they had no steam engine, no factory, or no modern firearms. And, amazing to relate, the ladies and gentlemen of Japan adopted no new fashions in wearing apparel!”
Japan has a history that dates back thousands of years. Researchers believe the Japanese people descended from many groups that migrated to the islands from other parts of Asia, including China and Korea. As early as 4500 B.C., the Japanese islands
The East Asians, mostly China and Japan, both were trying to become or stay a great power, and did it in different ways. Japan tried to isolate themselves by only allowing limited contact and no spreading of Christianity, as was talked about in document sixteen. China tried to keep up with them by using a strong legal system as was mentioned in document six, and government set up like the monarchs of Europe, in that the power is passed from father to son, as seen in document five. Japan, at first, let the newcomers in and learn about them, and let them learn a little from them. However, they didn't have very good experiences, like as portrayed in document twelve, the Japanese thought of the Europeans as arrogant and full of themselves, and the Europeans, like Will Adams in document fourteen, didn't like what the Japanese did, in holding them there when they wanted to leave, and the way they treated the women as completely there just to serve and help the men, as was mentioned in document eleven.
Eltis, David, Stanley L. Engerman, K. R. Bradley, Paul Cartledge, and Seymour Drescher. The Cambridge World History of Slavery. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011. Print.
Tsuzuki, Chushichi. The Pursuit of Power in Modern Japan, 1825-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questia. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
He has written and published many books on issues of historical memory in Japan, Pan-Asianism and regionalism in modern East Asia, as well as Japanese-German relations. Routledge is a British multinational and leading academic publisher in Humanities and Social Sciences. KEY POINTS IN THE ARTICLE: The article is a well-packed and overall introduction about pan-Asianism
Anytime we hear the word “slavery”, we tend to think of the Southern United States during the Pre-Civil War era. What many people don’t know, is that this horrible act has occurred worldwide! The term “slavery” has many different definitions, and has occurred all throughout our world history. It wasn’t until the early 18th century that the thought of anti-slavery came about. Many economic, social, and technological forces have played a part in the decline of slavery around the globe.
The sixteenth century was a time of economic growth for Portugal and Spain because of their various voyages to places, such as China and Brazil. Spain and Portugal were competing for land, resources, trade posts, and profit in the New World and Asia as seen in the making of the Treaty of Tordesillas and Treaty of Saragossa in 1494 and 1529, respectively. The Treaty of Tordesillas created a demarcation in the Atlanta Ocean for the future empires of the Spanish and Portuguese. The Treaty of Saragossa added another demarcation, but the demarcation was in the Pacific Ocean. Economic prosperity was not immediate and there were plenty of obstacles to overcome in these new lands. Spain and Portugal’s culture, people, and environment differed