Deshima

island, Japan

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Last updated

June 25, 2026

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Deshima, also known as Dejima, was a small, artificial island in the harbor of Nagasaki, Japan. During Japan's period of national seclusion, known as sakoku, which began in the 1630s, Deshima served as the sole location for limited trade with the Dutch and Chinese. This policy, enforced by the Tokugawa shogunate, aimed to isolate Japan and prevent the spread of Christianity. While most foreigners were banned, the Dutch were confined to Deshima, with strict controls on their movements and trade. This isolation lasted until the mid-19th century when Japan was forcibly reopened to foreign powers.12

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rangaku
…post on the island of Deshima in Nagasaki Harbour, Japan remained inaccessible to all European nations for some 150 years after 1639, when the Tokugawa government adopted a policy of severely restricted economic and cultural contact with the West. The Dutch language was therefore the only medium by which the…
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…post on the island of Deshima in Nagasaki Harbour, Japan remained inaccessible to all European nations for some 150 years after 1639, when the Tokugawa government adopted a policy of severely restricted economic and cultural contact with the West. The Dutch language was therefore the only medium by which the…
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Japanese art
Tokugawa, or Edo, period
The Dutch trading post of Deshima in Nagasaki Harbour was Japan’s primary window on the outside world, providing a steady stream of Western visual images, most often in print form and frequently once removed from Europe through a Chinese interpretation. Western themes, techniques, and certain optical technology suggested new ways…
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The Dutch trading post of Deshima in Nagasaki Harbour was Japan’s primary window on the outside world, providing a steady stream of Western visual images, most often in print form and frequently once removed from Europe through a Chinese interpretation. Western themes, techniques, and certain optical technology suggested new ways…
Read More