Pa is a funny guy. Not in the humorous sense so much. Although he does tell a good joke from time to time. And he sees the irony in things. But by funny, I’m thinking of his complexity. A stoic by temperament and nature, he has a sensitive soul and his feelings can get hurt by unintended slights. Like the other day.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned that when we were in Hirado we visited the Dutch Trading Post. That was a big deal for Pa and I told him I’d write about it. Then we moved on to Nagasaki and the memories of Hirado faded.
But not for Pa. He’s immensely proud of his Dutch heritage and traces his roots back to Hendrik Van Leeuwen in 1630 Utrecht. When we visited the Trading Post, and learned that the Dutch were present in Hirado during Hendrik’s lifetime, Pa got very sentimental. When I neglected to tell something of that story, he felt neglected.
So, though my memory is generally good just a day at a time, here’s something of what I recall.
In 1600 the Dutch ship De Liefde landed in Bungo near Usuki,
the first Dutch ship to reach Japan. The De Liefde carried letters requesting that Dutch ships be allowed to come to Japan for the purpose of establishing a trading relationship.
Things moved quickly.
In 1609 two Dutch ships arrived in Hirado,
entering through Usaka Bay.
On September 20 of that year the Hirado Dutch Trading Post was established, signaling the formal beginning of Japanese-Dutch trade relations.
What became know as the “Holland Road”.
Trade between Japan and the Netherlands flourished,
soon requiring more storage space.
Two warehouses were built, one in 1637 and a much larger one in 1639.
The second warehouse, 46 meters long and 13 meters wide, survived.
Reconstructed, it now houses the museum we visited.
That’s about all I remember of our visit, although I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there was a fellow in the museum
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