The Japanese Shogun orders textiles, spices, books, services, timepieces, telescopes and even horses and dogs from the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). The Dutch call these orders 'Japanese demands' and the VOC presents these goods to the Shogun as gifts in order to maintain trade relations.

In 1640, the Netherlands become Japan’s one and only Western trading partner and the tiny island where the VOC establishes its trading post will remain Japan’s only open window to the West until the mid-19th century.

A large number of the Japanese demands have survived in the VOC’s records. The demands – detailed order sheets – are often illustrated with drawings and accompanied by samples which were meant to clarify what exactly the Shogun wished to receive. The Japanese demands from the period 1750-1862 have been digitized in this Collection.