Abstract
In the fifth volume of his Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën (1726) François Valentyn gives a description of Japan at a time when the Bakufu had secluded Japan from the rest of the world and the Dutch East India Company was Japan’s sole European trading partner. Valentyn’s description of the trade relationship occupies a conspicuous place in the whole of Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën because he offered exceptionally harsh criticism of the VOC’s readiness to submit to the restrictions on Christianity imposed by the Japanese government. This contrasts sharply with Valentyn’s habit elsewhere in his work of paying tribute to the VOC. The aim of this chapter is, first, to determine to what extend Valentyn attempted to advance the existing Dutch and European discourse on Japan and, secondly, to discuss the manner in which he examined the questionable aspects of Japanese-Dutch trade relations. Both issues—the scope of Valentyn’s chorography and his critique of the trade relationship—are examined with reference to the prevailing European discourse on the Dutch presence in Japan.
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