1642
October
30–31 We have started to sort and pack the goods that will be used as gifts and prepare ourselves for the court journey.
November
1 The interpreters have been looking for a new, sound barge for the court journey.
2 Gifts have been packed.
3–7 Nothing happened. We sent samples of the gifts to the governor for inspection.
8–9 The interpreters informed me that, when the Brak arrived with the news of the conquest of Chilung, Governor Saburōzaemon wrote to Commissioner Chikugo-no-kami. He had written back and asked what our intentions were regarding this place, if we would raze it or keep it as a fortress, and could any trade be conducted there.
10–13 Today seven Chinese junks departed, including the three which had the richest cargoes. Two days ago, three small ones departed. In the afternoon, I was talking with Shirōemon, the burgemeester of the island and our landlord, and he told me that a few days ago he had had a discussion with one of the otona or town burgemeesters and they had deliberated – because the Dutch only sail to Japan for gain – whether it would be of great importance to the Dutch that the captain has to travel to Edo personally every year to pay homage to His Majesty or would not they rather offer the gifts for the Shogun and councillors and other persons to the Governor of Nagasaki here, for the journey costs at least 5–6 chests of silver in excess of the gifts, which costs could thus be averted. These estimations of the costs have been based on last year’s expenses, which the governor had ordered Shirōemon, the burgemeester of the island, and the interpreters to specify as much as they could, and they had meticulously kept a record on the way. He also said that it surely was no sinecure for the captain to have to make such a long and distressing journey at the coldest time of winter.
14 Unpleasant, rainy weather, with hail and a hard north-north-westerly wind.
15 Fine weather. We have loaded our gifts and the provisions onto the barge. In the afternoon, three interpreters came to ask if we would lend a certain nobleman, a relative of Heizō, the regent here, 200 taels to be repaid in Edo. I replied that they knew very well that we only had the barest necessities and what had happened to my predecessors in Hirado by doing this, so that I could not oblige.
16–17 In the afternoon, I went to the residence of the governor to take my leave and, apart from the customary compliments, to address the following to him: Because His Honour was our only advocate and we assumed that he liked us, would he be inclined to help us in writing a letter to the Court and ask on our behalf that a ship be allowed to stay without any time restrictions until we had sold all our commodities; also, that from time to time we be allowed to sail in a small boat in the bay;
18 Nothing happened. Rainy weather. We had our possessions taken on board to leave early the next day.
Court journey
19 We went to the barge after we had said goodbye to the interpreters, the assayers, and the caseros. We earnestly requested him to take good care of the Company’s goods and to store the most important things in his house and to handle the other matters as he deemed fit, which he promised. Today we sailed one mile from Nagasaki and out of the bay, then we had to wait because of adverse winds.
20 At dawn we set sail with a north-easterly wind, which veered southerly during the day so that we made very good progress. Shortly after midday, the senior bongiois, the two lower-ranking bongioisen, and an interpreter came to announce that Governor Saburōzaemon had given them orders that we should not buy or sell anything or make any payments to the landlords in the towns and villages through which we passed or on the road without his knowledge,
21 We set sail in the afternoon, and one hour before sunset we arrived in Yobuko. We have proceeded thirteen miles.
22–23 Fine weather, but adverse winds.
24 A strong westerly wind. We set sail at dawn. In the afternoon, the wind veered west-north-westerly. Two hours before sunset we anchored off Kajime-no-Ōshima, having sailed 28 miles.
25 Due to adverse wind we had to scull to the Bay of Jinoshima and we gained three miles.
27–29 We could not proceed due to adverse winds.
30 We have travelled eighteen miles, partly by sailing, partly by rowing. We spent the night on Mukōshima.
December
1 We left at dawn. Around noon we passed Murozumi, in the afternoon we saw Kaminoseki, in the evening we arrived at Kamuro, having travelled 22 miles today. Shortly after midnight we rowed from here.
2 Around eight o’clock we arrived in Tsuwa; because of the counter-current we stayed there till the afternoon. Then we left and in the evening we sailed past Kamagari and halted at Takehara for the night. We have proceeded 23 miles.
3 We sailed away in the night and in the morning we passed Bingo-no-Tomo; shortly before evening fell, the strong wind forced us to dropped anchor off Hibi.
4 We left in the morning. Before noon we saw Ushimado, in the evening we reached Muro.
5 We sailed to Hyōgo, where we dropped anchor before noon. Because a strong wind had been blowing for some days, the master thought it ill-advised to drop anchor there, because the shallowness of the river would not allow him to navigate it with his load.
6 We sailed six miles and anchored off Nishinomiya.
7 In the morning we reached the river.
8 Early in the morning we went to both governors to pay our respects and present them the gifts. [List.] Both Soga Tanba-no-kami and Kugai Inaba-no-kami welcomed us and thanked us for our visit and the gifts, and wished us a good journey to Edo. Governor Soga Tanba-no-kami asked if we were not well pleased that the Portuguese, who used to sail to Japan, had now been banned and the trade was left to us alone. We replied that we were most pleased. We left and made preparations for our journey.
9–10 We prepared for our journey.
11 We departed. In the afternoon, we arrived in Hirakata and in Miyako in the evening, in the same house as last year. We have travelled thirteen miles.
12 Our interpreters went to the residence of the grootrechter, Itakura Suō-no-kami, and asked him if we could pay our respects. This was refused with the usual compliments, but we were granted the pass to travel unhindered along the highway. The next day we proceeded on our journey.
14 Two hours before dawn we left and reached Minakuchi before noon. There we stopped for refreshments and we reached Sekinojizō in the evening, having travelled thirteen miles.
15 At dawn, we set off for Ishiyakushi where we lunched and then we proceeded to Kuwana. There around ten o’clock we embarked for the crossing to Miya, where we arrived about two hours after midnight.
16 At dawn we proceeded on our journey and we reached Okazaki in the evening. We have travelled 24½ miles.
17 We left, reached Akasaka at noon, and travelled to Yoshida. Today we travelled eight miles.
18 Before dawn we left, spent the afternoon in Arai, and proceeded to Hamamatsu. We covered nine miles.
19 We set off at dawn, lunched at Fukuroi, and spent the night in Kanaya. Here there was great fear of arsonists, thus the landlord asked the governor for more than the usual guards, who were provided, for which we were grateful; a few days ago arsonists had burnt down several houses here.
20 We set off for Ejiri, where we arrived in the evening. We crossed the great Ōi-gawa, and passed by the town of Okabe, where we had luncheon, and the town of Suruga. We covered thirteen miles.
22 We passed through the Hakone Mountains, reached the place of the same name in the afternoon, and Odawara in the night; we travelled 7½ miles.
23 We set off for Ōiso, where we had luncheon. In the evening, we reached Totsuka; ten miles have been covered.
Arrival in Edo
24 We had our luncheon in Kawasaki and two hours before nightfall we arrived in Edo; during our entire journey the weather was fine and pleasant. The same evening, Chikugo-no-kami sent to ask our landlord if the Dutch captain had arrived, having heard rumours to this effect.
25 The interpreters went to the residences of Chikugo-no-kami and Heiemon to announce our arrival. On their return they told us that these gentlemen welcomed us and had said that we had a difficult journey and so forth. Chikugo-no-kami would like to see us in two or three days. Heiemon was in poor health and his eyesight was failing. The Shogun had appointed him to his former post in Nagasaki, but because of the aforementioned he had requested to be permitted to resign, which had been granted. Yamazaki Gonpachirō had been appointed in his place. He would see to it that we could present our gifts and pay our respects to the government as soon as possible.
26 We have been busy stacking the gifts for the Shogun and the Prince, having presentation trays made for them, and bringing out some things for Chikugo-no-kami. In the evening, he had his secretary welcome us. We entertained him politely.
29 We went to the commissioner’s residence. At the entrance the interpreters warned us that we should not discuss any important matters on this occasion, because the commissioner did not intend to do so. We had some pleasant conversation with him, and were treated in Japanese fashion to sakana and Japanese wine. His Excellency said, among other things, that he hoped for a speedy dispatch and he would do his best to achieve this. We replied that nothing would please us more and we would always be grateful to him.
30–31 We handed the last of the gifts to the landlord, who has had presentation trays ordered for them. Today the interpreters came to inform us that we should visit Governors Heiemon and Gonpachirō tomorrow.
1643
January
1 We went to the residence of the newly-appointed governor, Gonpachirō, who was curious to see us. We had some conversation and were treated exceptionally politely and were given promises of his assistance in all matters and a speedy audience at the Court. Thereafter we went to the residence of Heiemon, whom we did not get to meet, because he was poorly. He had his regent thank us for the visit.
2–3 Nothing happened.
Audience
5 Early in the morning, we went to the Court, but because the councillors were not yet present, we were taken to a large, beautiful, gilt hall to wait for their arrival. Commissioner Chikugo-no-kami joined us and treated us affably and advised us to wait patiently for the councillors. After some hours, we were taken before the councillors – Izu-no- kami, Takumi-no-kami, Bungo-no-kami, Tsushima- no-kami – and we were ordered to kneel in front of the gifts. The commissioner spoke on our behalf. The reply was: ‘The captain has made a difficult and distant journey in this cold weather to appear before us. We shall accept the gifts for His Imperial Majesty and the Prince and show them to His Majesty at the first opportunity.’ Then we were dismissed. Back home, the interpreters were ordered to go and thank Chikugo-no-kami and Gonpachirō for their efforts to obtain such a speedy audience for us. They did not find them at home, but gave the message to their major-domos who congratulated us with such a speedy audience.
6 We offered gifts to the principal authorities, most of whom were at Court and some in their domains.
7 Unpleasant weather prevented us from presenting the other gifts.
8 We have presented gifts to the councillors, governors and their children, including Heiemon, the former governor, who politely refused them and had his major-domo promise us his favours. He was in poor health and blind.
9 The interpreters presented the gifts to the major- domos and the secretaries of some government officials, of whom the major-domo of Matsudaira Uemon-no-kami told them that the councillors had many reservations about the truce between the Dutch and the Portuguese, and they would have much to deliberate on this. On their return the interpreters informed us of this and that when they were summoned to the Court yesterday, they had been stopped for an hour or two while they were presenting the gifts and they had heard some mutterings without anything being expressed openly, only that the Captain would have to appear before the councillors for some important matters, but the Shogun had gone hunting. They told me of this as they thought it to be true. They also said that when Chikugo-no-kami had deferentially requested this morning that we be given permission to leave shortly, it seemed as if there was something that would cause a delay. I then explained the matter fully to them, the reasons will be included more extensively hereafter, if called before the government.
10 The son of Saburōzaemon and some other nobles visited us.
11 Nothing happened.
12 The councillors held a meeting, mainly to consider the matter of the Ten Years Truce between the Dutch and the Portuguese.
14 Early in the morning the interpreters went to Chikugo-no-kami’s residence; they returned in the evening, with the news that His Imperial Majesty had bestowed 200 schuiten of silver and twenty Japanese silk gowns on us. They promptly produced them with the reply of the councillors: ‘His Imperial Majesty thanks the captain for his gifts.’ They also told me that the Shogun and the councillors did not understand the Ten Years Truce, as if it had been concluded with the intention of seeing or deliberating how they could best injure Japan or wage war against her. Thereupon I explained it to them and told them of the example of our previous Twelve Years Truce with Spain and other circumstances, which they seemed to understand. They thought it opportune to tell Chikugo-no-kami of this tomorrow, for he had said that he would send for us then.
15 In the afternoon, we went to the residence of His Excellency where, after some other conversation, we came to the matter of Portugal. I told him that Portugal had been a separate kingdom before and had been wrongfully ruled by the Castilians after the death of its King. The people had been tormented by heavy taxes, had thrown off this yoke, had chosen a new king of Portuguese and royal blood, and in order to maintain their country and their nation’s rights and privileges they had started a war and had requested help from us and from the French. We had given this so as to fight the Castilians together, not out of love for the Portuguese, but out of hatred for the Castilians,
16–18 Nothing happened.
19 The interpreters went to Chikugo-no-kami to inform him of our intention to depart tomorrow, unless there was something that we could oblige him with, in which case we would wait. We would have liked to have done this two or three days, ago, but because neither Izu-no-kami nor the other councillors had sent us gifts, the interpreters concluded that something was causing our departure to be delayed. On their return from the commissioner, they told us that we could not leave tomorrow, because the Governor-General had written that he had twice sent letters to the commissioner which he had not received, and this was cause for some concern and he ordered us to postpone our departure till further notice. I had not been prepared for such a reply and I was not pleased. I replied that the Governor-General had not written this, but that his letters mentioned that he had written to the Lord of Hirado, Councillor Takumi-no-kami, and Regent Heizō, and he had not received any answers from them and therefore he was addressing himself to the councillors of the empire. This makes clear that the commissioner, and no doubt the other officials as well, is familiar with the contents of the letters of the Governor-General, although, according to the decision of the council, we have not brought one written in Japanese.
21 In the afternoon, the presents of Councillor Izu- no-kami were returned. The interpreters seemed very upset and went to Commissioner Chikugo-no- kami to find out the reason for this. The reply was that the captain should not worry about this, it was only because the other councillors had done likewise. His Excellency would go to the councillors tomorrow to request permission for our departure. We learnt from the interpreters that there was some jealousy between Councillor Izu-no-kami and Councillors Bungo-no-kami and Tsushima-no-kami and this was the reason that Izu-no-kami did not want to keep the presents. Bungo-no-kami and Tsushima-no-kami had returned them and he did not want it to appear that he favoured us because of the gifts, which might seem so because he was somehow related to Chikugo-no-kami, the chief, and almost only, advocate of the Dutch.1
22 Nothing happened.
23 The interpreters went to the residence of the commissioner to obtain permission for our departure, but His Excellency was not there. The secretary told them that we might be summoned before the councillors tomorrow or the day after.
24 Nothing happened.
25 In the afternoon, I was summoned by Councillors Izu-no-kami, Bungo-no-kami, and Tsushima- no-kami in the assembly hall outside the fort, where Chikugo-no-kami and Gonpachirō were also present. Chikugo-no-kami first spoke with the officials and then with the interpreters. He said that earlier he had discussed the truce with the Portuguese with the captain and he had understood his reply.
Departure from Edo
27 Early in the morning we left Edo and made as much haste as we could.
February
6 We arrived in Miyako, where we were delayed by our escort against our wishes, which we made clear to him.
8 We left in the afternoon, and shortly after midnight we arrived at the house of our landlord in Osaka.
9–11 We prepared for our departure and the interpreters went to the two governors to greet them on our behalf and to inform them of our experiences in Edo. They congratulated us on the speedy conclusion of our business and in particular on the Shogun’s gift of 200 schuiten of silver.
12 We embarked.
26 We passed Hirado. We did not stop there, partly because it was still the Japanese Shōgatsu, and partly because we hoped that the lord’s debt had already been paid.
Arrival in Nagasaki
27 We arrived in Nagasaki safe and sound and we learnt at once that Hirado’s debt had still not been paid;
28 Yesterday and today we have been told to go to the old lodges, where Elseracq and the other Dutchmen had stayed last year during the slack season, because Commissioner Chikugo-no-kami, Heiemon, and the governor had approved this before, to which we raised some objections, but we had to go. The baking of bread has been forbidden to the Japanese, but after a request yesterday the governor has allowed it as a favour to us, so that we know of no improvement here in Nagasaki, nor had we noticed any during our outward and homeward journey to and from Edo and during our stay there.
March
1–4 The new governor, Gonpachirō, has arrived from Edo today.
5–6 I went to Gonpachirō’s residence, where Governor Saburōzaemon was also present, to welcome him and to commend our affairs to both of them. They treated me politely, and after Governor Saburōzaemon had congratulated me on my successful journey, also on the presentation of 200 schuiten of silver and receiving the first present of the Prince, I left. When I returned home, I learnt that Governor Gonpachirō had been inquiring after us in the inns when travelling from Edo to Nagasaki and had received only favourable reports, which he had noted in his papers.
7–10 Nothing happened.
11 Both governors came to view the island and our homes.
12–16 We learnt that Heiemon, the former Governor of Nagasaki, had died in Edo.
17 On the orders of the authorities, the priests and their servants, nine people in all, who had been put in prison here on 22 August 1642,2 have been set on lean horses and led through the whole town; ahead of them it was announced what kind of people they were, what crimes they had committed against the Shogun’s orders, and which death they would die. Outside the town at the customary place of justice, all nine were hanged from the gallows with their feet up and their heads down, their hands tied behind their backs. Just below their heads was a hole, the size of a human head. This punishment is meted out only to Christians. These people were left hanging in this way and were not killed instantly, but had to die hanging from the gallows, till a servant from Korea died on the 20th, one Antonij Robijn3 on the 22nd, Albert4 from Poland on the 23rd, a Cochin-Chinese, one of the nine, recanted on the same day, and he was let down from the gallows, took medicine to regain his health, but he died shortly after on the same day. The other five survived till the 25th, when the governor ordered them to be killed, as they had already lost consciousness a long time ago. Then all eight were instantly chopped to pieces and burnt to ashes, which were carefully collected and disposed of far out into the sea. This has also been done with a certain corpse, which had been buried for twenty-two years and had now been betrayed by a certain treacherous rascal,
18–22 Nothing happened.
23 Both governors came to inspect some goods which will be sold shortly for the benefit of the Shogun. They belong to the former major-domo of the Lord of Tsushima, a little north of Hirado, who for certain reasons had first been banned to an islet and had to live on just the barest rations and later had been killed by order of the government.
24–30 Nothing happened.
31 We learnt that Governor Saburōzaemon is leaving tomorrow. We sent two interpreters to inquire whether His Honour would be willing to see us or if he would be satisfied if the interpreters gave him a message. His Honour let us know that he would be willing to speak to the captain before his departure. I went to thank him for all his favours, especially his favourable mediation at the Court, which we think lies at the basis of our success, and to ask him to commend us to Governor Gonpachirō, who has come to replace him, but who does not know us as well as His Honour. We received the reply that His Honour had spoken well of us to his successor, as long as we complied with the Shogun’s orders and impressed this upon our people who will arrive with the ships.
April
1 Governor Saburōzaemon left for Edo. Our interpreters and many others saw him off. On their return the interpreters went to the new governor to greet him on our behalf.
May
6 Yahyōe returned from Hirado with just a part of the debt, to wit 2637 taels, as had been predicted. This had been taken from the poor citizens, who had to pay their tolls on the fishing, which had been set in a different way, in advance, but they will enjoy a deduction later. Regent Kura-no-suke has tried to make excuses for the delay in payment and the extension for the remainder orally to Yahyōe and in writing to the burgemeester of the island, with many Japanese compliments, but he did not set a date when we could expect the remainder. We shall discuss what is the best course of action. The Lord of Hirado had travelled to Edo eight days ago. Before his departure he had driven away several people from his domain, he had lost a great deal of his former stature through the high price and the poor rice crop; the population had been reduced to such poverty in the wake of the departure of the Dutch and the loss of the annual profits and also because of the high price of rice, that it is baffling. The Lord would have paid four or five more chests of money, if it had not been for the Ambassador of Korea11 passing through on his way to Edo to congratulate His Imperial Majesty on the birth of the young Prince,12 on which occasion the Lord had to spend several chests of money on expenses.
10 Today our steward’s mate died.13 He was strapped in mats without a coffin, because this appeared Christian, and taken on a small sampan out into the sea and thrown overboard with weights, without any Dutchman accompanying the body, or even being allowed to do so.
25 Shirōemon, the burgemeester of the island, came and announced that he had received a letter from his father, Tarroijemon, who lives in Osaka, telling him that he had heard from a reliable source that the Dutch would be granted the export of copper, but he had been told this in secret and therefore we should not spread this news around.
28 Around noon the Lord of Hakata arrived in Nagasaki Bay with fourteen, mostly large, hayafune and three or four kobaya. The reason for his arrival is to place his people as guards at the entrance of the bay against the arrival of the Portuguese, the Castilians, or other foreigners, who had any designs in Japan. The number of guards would be around eight or nine hundred people, of whom about a third would be on shore, being soldiers, and the other two-thirds would guard the water, being sailors or bargemen, who keep an eye on all vessels along the shore. The same is done along the entire Japanese coast or at least where they are the most suspicious. This close guard has only been instituted after the banishment of the Portuguese and the guard here in Nagasaki is changed every year and now this one and then the other lord is responsible. Shortly after our meal, quite unexpectedly, the lord came onto the island accompanied by Governor Gonpachirō and a large entourage of nobles to view our house. When they had been seated, we hastily showed them some rarities we have in the factory. They viewed them and after some conversation with us they left. The aforesaid lord is called Kuroda Uemon-no-suke and he is the lord of the domains of Chikuzen and Hakata, one of the greatest and richest lords of Japan, with an income of over two million ducats annually. Two or three hours before nightfall, the lord sailed out of the bay with all his vessels. Today we learnt that six weeks ago 300 piculs of camphor, which we can expect any day, had been shipped by our purveyors. We heard from the interpreters that many people are dying in Nagasaki, sometimes 30, 40, 50, yea even 67 people are being buried on a day, mainly young children dying from smallpox.
June
8 A junk arrived from Nanking with the following commodities. [List.]
10 Burgemeester Shirōemon came to inform me that around 300 piculs of camphor have arrived.
11 A Chinese junk arrived from Fuzhou with some textiles and teapots, with a value of ten chests of money.
24 The interpreters told us that Governor Saburōzaemon will arrive here within six or seven weeks, but Commissioner Chikugo-no-kami is not expected here this year, because a short while ago about forty to fifty Christians had been exposed and executed in Edo, the investigation of which has been entrusted to him. In Miyako, three or four Christians had likewise been killed. The same interpreters also told me that the raw silk which, while our ships and the Chinese junks are in Nagasaki, is fetching 340 and 350 taels per picul in Miyako, notwithstanding the fact that the pancado is much less, has risen to 440 taels, which raises the expectation of a higher pancado. The silk piece-goods and the Dutch commodities had not risen in price, nor had the price dropped. I would have written to the regents of Hirado, but because they had left for the boundaries of their domain to greet the ambassador of Korea with all due honour on his journey to His Imperial Majesty in Edo, it would be of no use. We consulted our landlord and the interpreters on what would be the best course of action to obtain payment from the Lord of Hirado, for it seems that he and his regents will not pay unless they are forced to and it also seems that it is to his advantage that the governors here and the councillors in Edo are aware of his debt and we shall not be able to receive any payments unless we propose this to these gentlemen. They advised us to wait till the arrival of Saburōzaemon, for he was well acquainted with the case and the present governor would not be much interested and Saburōzaemon would be better able to assist us. We took this advice, because there is nothing else we can do.
29 The Lord of Arima had two interpreters thank us for showing him everything yesterday and he asked to buy the oval case with 23 different female faces on mica, which we offered to him without payment to please him. He asked that all the faces be drawn for him with the names of the countries to which each costume belonged and any further explanation. Today we learnt that, because rice remains very expensive, to wit 19 mas for a bale of 80 catties of unhusked rice, which cost between 4 and 5 mas fourteen or fifteen years ago, the planting of tobacco has been forbidden throughout Japan in order that the fields on which tobacco had been planted be used for rice, and this had been enforced so stringently that about 700 people here, whose crop was healthy, had to destroy it completely to their great loss.
30 Fine weather. We received 229 piculs of camphor. The purveyor promised to deliver a further 100 piculs within two months, strongly urged by us to deliver a greater quantity.
July
1 Today we learnt that ten Christians, Jesuits and their servants, had been taken prisoner by the Lord of Hakata on Kajime-no-Ōshima, north of Hirado. They will appear here shortly.
4 The imprisoned priests have been brought here. They were shaven and dressed in the Japanese way. Their names are:
5–6 The last of the camphor has been packed and set aside, ready to be shipped;
24–25 On both days the first burgemeester, Sakuemon, visited me. He assured me of his affection and apologized for not visiting me more often, with good cause. I learnt that, on the orders of the Court, the priests would be sent to Edo with two of our interpreters and the apostate Chūan. At his request, the burgemeester received some medicine for the Lord of Kinokuni, the Shogun’s uncle. It is thought that Governor Saburōzaemon will not appear in Nagasaki in the near future, because he will undoubtedly have to be present at the investigation of these priests.
27 The priests and their party have been sent off and I have been told by the interpreters that the apostate Chūan is accompanying them mainly to tell them that the Pope is doing his best to depose those kings who are not Roman Catholic, which can be proved by examples old and new, like that of Queen Elizabeth of England and others, also that the Pope did not have the authority to do this. This point has always caused the Japanese authorities the greatest concern. I have also heard that the priests had come from a small island called Burias, one of the smaller of the Philippines; Pulo Cecir de Terre had been a wrong guess. Also that, when he was being tortured by water, one of the priests had declared that he had also been in Quinam and that there were around seven thousand Christians there.
30 In the morning I learnt that two ships had been spotted by the guards up on the mountains. On behalf of the governor, we were informed of this at once with the comment that the one was about five Dutch miles off shore and the other about six miles. With the governor’s permission two Dutchmen and two interpreters were dispatched. They returned around midnight with the news that they were two ships from Tayouan, one flute and a new yacht, on board which was Jan van Elseracq.
Arrival of the Lillo and the Capelle
31 One of the interpreters went to the ships with some refreshments. Two or three hours before sundown, Elseracq arrived in the roadstead. I promptly went to him with the governor’s secretary and after a short while we went back ashore with Elseracq, a junior merchant, and two boys. At home the papers were inspected together with the governor’s secretary. The mustering of the crew has been postponed till tomorrow. In the evening, one of the interpreters came to announce that after the goods had been unloaded, the ammunition would be brought ashore and the pieces which were loaded would be fired with loose ammunition and they could remain on board.
August
1 In the morning I went on board the Lillo with Elseracq and then I went alone to the flute the Capelle, where, as I had done on the Lillo, the crew was mustered and all the books have been packed together and given to the Japanese. Both ships have started to unload. The books have been put in order and on the order of the Governor-General and the Council of the Indies I have handed over the command of the factory to Elseracq. This dagregister is followed by the dagregister Jan van Elseracq kept on his journey from Batavia to Japan via Tonkin, 24 April–31 July 1643.14
Izu-no-kami was married to a daughter of one of Inoue Chikugo-no-kami’s older brothers.
See the entry in the dagregister on that day.
Antonio Rubino.
Albert Meczinski.
Antonio Capece.
Albert Meczinski.
Francisco Marques.
Pascoal Correa de Souza.
João de Chaves.
We do not know the meaning of this word.
Ambassador Yun Sunji on behalf of King Injo.
Tokugawa Iemitsu’s son and heir, the future Shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna.
Hicke Essert.
A transcription of the text has been published in Diaries kept by the heads of the Dutch factory in Japan, Vol. VII (Tokyo: Shiryō Hensanjo, The University of Tokyo, 1989), pp. 55–92.