The Japanese Tokugawa shogunate, which began in 1600, had had its day by the middle of the nineteenth century. Various countries in the West had wheedled trade agreements from Japan and the Japanese, much as they would have liked, were unable to undertake anything against the modern Western weapons. The Shogun realized that the only way to stay in power was to start modernizing.

During that period, various ambassadors and groups of students were sent to the Western world. A number of them came to the Netherlands. In 1862, the Takeuchi delegation arrived and was given a courteous welcome. The Japanese were granted an audience by King William III and subsequently visited a number of Dutch towns and enterprises. A year later, a group of Japanese students came to the Netherlands and stayed there for some years. Most of them were naval officers who wanted to acquire knowledge of navigational techniques. Two students, Tsuda Mamichi and Nishi Amane, received private lessons on law and politics from Professor Simon Vissering in Leiden.

But to no avail: the Shogun’s positions became increasingly weak. In 1868, he handed over his power to the party that supported the emperor. This transfer of power is known as the Meiji Restoration and marks the beginning of the Meiji period. In the new situation, the Dutch lost their unique position. They had to look on with envy as other Western countries extended their influence and increased their presence. Nevertheless, Dutch companies have remained active in the Land of the Rising Sun until this very day.

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