Restrictions of the Dutch

It was partly because the Dutch imported goods which were needed by the Japanese, but also because Iyeyasu saw the necessity of knowing what was passing in the world, that they were permitted to dwell and trade in Japan, under very severe restrictions. The island of Deshima, or Outward Island, in Nagasaki harbor, was assigned to them as a residence and trading post, but it was little better than a prison. A small stone bridge connected the town with the island. This bridge was closed by a gate, and near it was a guard-house occupied by policemen and soldiers, who prevented the Dutch from leaving the island without express permission, and the Japanese from entering unless they were officially employed. All those who entered or left were closely searched. No foreign servants were allowed, and the natives could serve their foreign masters only between sunrise and sunset, as they were not allowed to pass the night on the island.

The Dutch lived in houses built by some enterprising Nagasaki people, who rented them at a very high price. They were allowed to furnish them as they pleased, and to obtain their furniture from Batavia or have it made by Japanese workmen. They were not permitted to handle their own money, probably from fear that they might bribe the officers; but the government appointed a paymaster who settled all the bills, and when a ship arrived, the cargo was taken by Japanese agents who sold it, and with the money thus received, settled the account of the paymaster, and purchased the goods which the general agent desired to send back.

The number of Hollanders allowed to reside on Deshima was eleven: a general agent, who was held responsible for the good behavior of the other inmates; a warehouse master, who attended to the storing and delivery of the goods; a secretary or bookkeeper; a physician; five clerks; and two warehousemen. Wives or daughters were under no circumstances permitted to land or reside on the island.

The paymaster, interpreters, servants, and all those connected with the foreigners were provided with a ticket which they were obliged to show to the guard whenever they passed through the gate. These persons, before they entered upon their duty were compelled to sign, with their own blood, an oath promising to enter into no friendship with the Dutch; to give them no information whatever about the history, religion, laws, manners, or language of Japan. Except for this the Hollanders would have been glad to while away the time by studying the customs and manners of the country; but the scant information which they managed to extract, now and then, by bribery, was not very reliable.

Work in a farmyard

At first the general agent was required to go to Yedo once a year to pay his respects to the regent, and to offer the presents agreed upon when the Dutch were permitted to reside in Japan. But the expense of the journey was so great that these presents were soon sent through Japanese, and the general agent himself went only once in four years. These journeys were always begun in February, that month with March, April, and May being the most pleasant for traveling. It took a long time to make the necessary preparations, for the Japanese are very fond of ceremonies, and the omission of even one would have been deemed a serious insult.

The party of Hollanders going to the capital usually consisted of the general agent, his secretary, and the physician, together with a large number of native officials and servants. Most of the journey was made on land, and each of the Hollanders, as well as each of the native officials, was carried in a norimono (noh-ree'-moh-noh), a sort of sedan chair, with windows closed with bamboo curtains and a roof like that of a house. All these norimono required bearers. Besides these there were the carriers of the presents, the boxes containing clothing, cooking apparatus, chairs, etc., and the numerous cooks and body servants of the Dutch and the officials. Altogether there were not less than two hundred persons, and although they were frequently entertained by the daimio through whose territories they passed, the expense connected with such a trip was very heavy.

Because it will convey to you a good idea of what Japan was under the government of Iyeyasu and his successors, I shall give you an account of such a journey made by Dr. von Siebold, who lived in Deshima as physician of the trading post, and who succeeded in learning much concerning Japan.

During the journey across the island of Kiushiu, the Dutch were entertained by the various daimio. As they approached the territory of one of these lords, they were met by a detachment of samurai who welcomed them in name of the daimio and escorted them through his domain. They left their norimono at Kokura (koh-koo-rah)  to wait for their return, and here they went on board a vessel prepared for them. They landed every night on one of the thousand islands with which the Inland Sea is dotted, and if the wind was unfavorable, they were sometimes detained several days. But they were obliged to reach Yedo within a given time, although a liberal allowance was made for unavoidable delays. The doctor found that several guidebooks existed in which the distances, charges at inns, price of bearers and of ferries, were accurately given.

The roads in Japan are uniformly good, and are kept scrupulously clean; frequently they are bordered with trees, and the views are everywhere beautiful. One of the sights which struck the travelers was the number of stalls where straw shoes for horses and oxen are sold. The people counted the distances by the number of horseshoes that were required. They do this still in the interior where there are as yet no railroads. The Dutch were much interested, too, in the farmyards which they passed on their way. At one place, Dr. von Siebold visited a Buddhist temple, where he found no idols excepting Buddha, and the priests there were allowed to eat meat. At another place he found a camphor tree that had been mentioned by another traveler from Deshima in 1691. He measured it and found it about fifty feet in circumference. It was still standing in 1826, and was green and healthy.

When they passed through the territory of the daimio of Hizen (hee-zen), the Hollanders were invited to bathe in the daimio's own bath, and found it exceedingly clean; the water, although clear as crystal, was made to run through fine sieves, so that not a particle of dirt could pass in. Another daimio offered them the use of his own private rooms in his country seat. From such courtesies received everywhere along the road it was evident that the Japanese did not object to having foreigners live in their country.

When they left Kiushiu, they sent the heavy baggage ahead to rejoin them when they should land at the main island of Hondo. They had a prosperous voyage across, though on the previous journey, the party had been detained a long time by storms and head winds. The Japanese sailors, to induce the sea god to give them favorable weather, threw overboard a small barrel of sake (sah-kay)—that is, brandy made from rice—and a number of copper coins. The money sank, but the barrel floated and was found by some poor fishermen. What do you think these people did with it? Instead of keeping it for themselves, or selling it, they carried it to a temple, for they knew that it was intended for a god, and not for them.

When the party landed in Hondo, they found other norimono waiting for them, and continued their journey overland. They rested for a day or two at Osaka, but were not allowed to go out to see anything. Here, as in every city where they stopped, they were secretly visited by Japanese who wanted to learn something, the greatest number of these visitors being physicians or their patients. Here, too, the general agent ordered such goods as were to be manufactured before his return.

It took a day and a half to cover the distance between Osaka and Kyoto; now it is done by railroad in less than one hour. In Kyoto the travelers rested again, and were watched more closely than at any other place. Still they received a very large number of secret visitors, and here the doctor must have found out that the Tennô was the real ruler of Japan.

And now they entered upon the longest part of their overland journey, where they frequently met some of the daimio, returning from Yedo with a numerous band of samurai. But there was no disorder, nor were the strangers ever insulted; on the contrary, good will and courtesy were shown everywhere.

The road they were now traveling, being used by all the daimio of the south, was strongly guarded. Iyeyasu and his successors had made a law by which all the daimio of the empire were compelled to dwell half the time in Yedo, and when they were absent in their territory, their wives and children were held as hostages in the regent's capital. No one could pass the two guard posts on the road without a special passport, and the officers were exceedingly strict in guarding against the smuggling through of women, probably from fear that the wife of some powerful daimio might leave the capital in secret. Unless personally known to the guard, travelers had to submit to a strict scrutiny, so that no woman could pass in man's clothing. For if a female should pass through without a special permit, the guard knew that death would be his fate.

Here is an instance showing how strictly this law was observed, and how the guard who was responsible escaped detection:—

A poor business man of Yedo was obliged to go to a town on this road. He was a widower with two children, a boy and a girl, and he could not afford to pay for their board during his absence; so he was compelled to take them with him. He had not enough influence to obtain a passport for his daughter, so he dressed her as a boy, and succeeded in passing the guard in the Hakone Mountains. But a little further on, he was overtaken by a man who knew him and his family, and who, seeing the girl in boy's clothing, had no difficulty in understanding the situation. He asked the father for money, and the latter gave him as much as he could spare. The man, however, demanded more, and when the father refused, a quarrel ensued. The man thereupon went back to the guardhouse to betray the father.

The guards were anything but pleased at the man's report. If it turned out to be true, and the facts were published, they would be put to death. But the officer in charge saw a way out of the danger. He sent a messenger with a little boy, to overtake the travelers. They were found at a tea house, taking some refreshments, and the messenger took the father aside, and told him what had happened. "Now," said he, "some officers are going to follow you to inspect the children; if they find the girl, you will all be punished. But you must hide your daughter and take this little boy; and when the officers see that both children are boys, they will let you go, and you can travel on with your own children. If the man who informed upon you says anything, draw your sword and kill him. The officers will not interfere."

In the meanwhile the chief officer of the guard had detailed some of his men to go with the informer to overtake the children, but these men were privately instructed not to hurry, so that the messenger might have time to execute his errand. When they arrived, they surrounded the house and seized the two children. They appeared well pleased to find that they were both boys. The informer, however, insisted that there was some trickery in this, and the father, drawing his sword, cut off the man's head; then the father, exchanging the boy for his daughter, proceeded safely on his way.