1652
November
Departure of the Koning van Polen
5 Early in the morning, three horses belonging to the governors were trained here on the island. A Nanking junk set sail. The wind is westerly.
6–8 Fine weather and an easterly wind.
9 Interpreter Sukezaemon told me that the heads of the five shogunal cities had sold the white raw silk to common merchants for 400 taels, making a profit of about 120 taels per picul. In Edo, a short while ago, several destitute noblemen or courtiers without a position had planned to set fire to the city in four places, with the intent of plunder. The ones who had been captured had been crucified; two had slit their bellies to avoid that disgrace.
11 Three Chinese junks have left for Fuzhou. One has arrived from Fuzhou, the first of this northern monsoon, carrying 10 piculs of white raw silk and medicinal herbs. It brought the news that Coxinga, Iquan’s son, is warring against the Tartars. Furthermore, that in several cities the rumour was doing the rounds that the Chinese would try to capture Formosa shortly. May Almighty God prevent this.
12 Four junks have departed, two for Fuzhou and two for Anhai.
13 I have treated the otona, or supervisor of this island, the interpreters, two of the main officials of the Geldkamer and their sons to a Japanese meal. I did this in the hope that this will encourage them to serve the interests of the Company better or at least to reduce their procrastination and ill feelings towards us somewhat, as both entertaining them and also sometimes seriously scolding them for their failures are the ways to achieve this.
14 The interpreters and the otona came to thank me for yesterday’s treat. A strong south-westerly wind with heavy rain.
15 The warehouses and the entire island have been cleaned.
16 The Company’s loading barges have been beached on the opposite side of the bay for treatment against worms. Momme, Gageldonck and Le Seuter, who had gone to supervise the work and to enjoy themselves on an outing, reported that one of the barges, which has been in service for nine years, is now useless. They had left it in the water to be dismantled. Another has been badly eaten by worms and needs to be sheathed. Several times I have discussed with Sukezaemon that we should like to contract for the lacquerware that has been ordered with one man for the price he wants. He would produce better work than that which that company of expensive bunglers, which has been forced upon us, has produced so far. Sukezaemon told me that after the departure of Yohyōe, we might obtain permission from Governor Kiemon to order the wares in this way.
17 I urged Magobei to bring the stonemasons here soon so that we can make a deal with them on the stone which was ordered from Batavia last year, if it is to be ready in time. I would like to notify the authorities in Batavia by a junk that the stone has been contracted for. He replied that he had to confer with his colleagues first. Thus it is to be feared that it will not get done. I told the otona how the suppliers of our daily necessities have been ill serving us for quite a while. They are charging us twice the cost price. Moreover, they are quite rude and slow in their service. One industrious man would suffice now. He promised to take care of it. He can dissociate himself from this more easily than from the usual profits which he enjoys from the penny- pinching activities of his underlings.
18 A junk departed for Annam.
19 Two junks left for Zhangzhou. I had another argument with the otona about the greediness of our suppliers. He put the blame on the sellers, who had struck deals with each other, the way it is done with deliveries of larger commodities to us, so he claims, to obtain no less than the estimated price from us. To be certain that this happens, with the governors’ permission, they have appointed one supplier of vegetables and one of live animals, which is difficult to believe.
20 Magobei brought the decision he and his colleagues have taken on the stone that has been ordered. They advise us not to proceed with this matter, because of the difficulties of getting the stone on board, but mainly because they are aware that some of it will be used for Christian churches. The Chinese coming here from Batavia might tell the governors or other officials and they would resent this. This is the second time that we have to resign ourselves to the interpreters’ decisions. This is also usually the case in matters of greater import.
21 A junk left for Cambodia. The otona came with Sukezaemon and told me that he had taken care of my complaints that we should have food at a fair price and that we wished to be rid of one supplier and one coolie-master, who were very rude to us and through their dishonesty were too expensive for the Company. I had sent Magobei to inquire after the health of Saburōzaemon. He came to thank me on the governor’s behalf and told me that the governor’s health was improving and he expected to leave for the Court in twenty days. Governor Yohyōe, who has also regained his health, will leave shortly. But Governor Kiemon was ill.
22 Two Chinese junks left for Fuzhou. A south-easterly wind with rain.
23 The wind veering north-westerly with downpours, driving back the junks.
24 They sailed again. I sent the interpreters to bid farewell to Governor Yohyōe and to wish him a safe journey. They returned with his thanks for our solicitude. I should follow him shortly.
26–28 Unsettled weather.
29 The aforesaid Nanking junk set sail with three others for Anhai and Zhangzhou. Because an Anhai junk was ready to sail, I requested Governor Kiemon for permission for it to take letters I had written to the Governor-General, the Governor of Tayouan and Adriaen van der Burgh. The contents have been translated into Japanese, except for the rumour which the junk from Fuzhou brought, mentioned on the 11th, and have been shown to the governor. He granted permission on condition that he retain the translations signed by me and the interpreters. I sealed the letters in the presence of the interpreters and the otona and gave them the letters to hand them over to the Chinese master of the junk. The findings on the remaining goods, which had not been noted fully owing to lack of time when Adriaen van der Burgh had to depart, have now been noted down. The stones are unobtainable, no agreements concerning the camphor or the copper were possible. It was hoped that permission to contract for the lacquerware from one man would be obtained after Yohyōe’s departure. Discussions were being held about the rumour which the Chinese are spreading that steps were being taken in their empire to the detriment of the Company’s position on Formosa. This is described more extensively in the letter-book.
Denbyōe, whose turn it is to accompany me to the Court as interpreter, is unwilling to do so, principally because he has incurred the disfavour of Chikugo-no-kami, our advocate at Court. He is pretending to be willing to go but that his presence here is required for personal reasons. In order to forestall my displeasure, he claims that his wife’s health is deteriorating and that this necessitates he stay here.
30 Two junks departed in fine weather with a north-westerly wind. They did not have enough time to load their cargoes properly in front of the city, but were given permission to stay in the bay for an extra day or two to do so.
December
1 Early in the morning both junks set sail, the one for Tayouan and the other for Fuzhou.
2 The governor granted Denbyōe’s request. Sukezaemon will accompany me on the journey. I was not displeased about this.
3–5 The gifts and other necessities for the journey have been packed.
6 Magobei, who had spoken to Commissioner Saburōzaemon about the contract for the lacquerware, said that the latter’s reply had been that my request was not unreasonable. He would speak to Governor Kiemon on my behalf.
7 The interpreters and the otona brought the governor’s decision. Because it contravened an established custom, he would confer with Saburōzaemon.
8 Rainy weather.
9 Five junks left for Fuzhou, Cambodia and Quinam. Governor Kiemon, Saburōzaemon’s eldest son and a physician to the councillors who has been sent here to attend to him, neither of whom has ever been to Nagasaki before, visited the island.
10 I paid Sukezaemon the rent for the barges and the wages of the Japanese servants attending us on the court journey.
11 Nothing noteworthy to report.
12 The Nanking junk returned for the third time. Adverse winds and a shortage of provisions prevented it from completing its journey. Not a single person of the 250 people on board was allowed to come ashore.
13 The junk had to anchor halfway in the bay, to prevent its people from coming ashore. A junk arrived from Fuzhou with 4 piculs of silk. The rest of its cargo consisted of pedlar’s wares. Four others will follow shortly.
14 Rain from the south-east.
15 The Shogun has sent another doctor to attend to Saburōzaemon. He was curious to see the unicorn and sent Magobei to fetch it. It was returned in the evening. Heavy rain from the north-west.
16 The governor and Saburōzaemon gave me permission to visit them before my departure.
17 The otona and the interpreters brought me Kiemon’s reply to my request concerning the lacquerers. He preferred me to stick to established custom and to order from the joint lacquerers. He promised that he would urge them to deliver good work for fair payment, threatening that otherwise they would not receive permission to sell.
18 I wrote letters to the Governor-General; the contents mainly concerned the aforesaid matter. I just added the decision on the lacquerware. I also wrote to Crayer about the gowns he had ordered and to Keyser about some small matter in reply to his letter. I handed the letters unsealed to Boucheljon, in order that, after he had received permission from the governor, he could hand them over to the skippers or merchants on the departure of the junks, namely those of Simptingh to Batavia, Lipsien to Siam, and Itchien to Tonkin.
Court journey
19 In the afternoon, I embarked on the rented vessel together with Merchant Hendrick Momme and Junior Merchant Jacob le Seuter, a surgeon, two Dutch servants, one of the governors’ noblemen, two city officials as escorts and Interpreter Sukezaemon with their and our Japanese servants, altogether 26 persons. The Dutchmen who accompanied me returned to their lodgings after a while. The interpreters, the otona and their sons accompanied us to the entrance to the harbour.
20 We sailed in the morning on an easterly wind.
24 Through Shimonoseki and Kaminoseki.
Arrival in Osaka
29 In the evening, we arrived in our usual lodgings in Osaka.
30 The lacquerers who were accustomed to work for the Company every year, had been waiting for my arrival for two or three days. They came to ask me if I had brought anything to contract for with them. They promised to redress the complaints about their past work. I replied that I had experienced their unreasonableness and that little reliance could be placed on their promises. It even got worse by the year. Therefore I would have preferred to send back the samples for lacquerware that we had received in Nagasaki this year as soon as they arrived, rather than incur the displeasure of the people who ordered them, apart from the many expenses involved, because of the poor work. Furthermore, as long as they were obligated to each other in a partnership to extract exorbitant profits, the Company might not wish to order any work from them, as it had not done for several years now for this reason. One of Governor Kiemon’s intendants, who was in his domain near Sakai, came to visit me. I entertained him.
31 I visited both governors of the city and their secretaries, presenting them with the customary gifts. Then I walked for several hours along the castle and some of the main streets.
1653
January
1–2 I hired pack-horses and bearers. I ordered the items for Tonkin and Siam, of which our landlord will take care. The goods have been packed and everything has been made ready for our journey.
Arrival in Miyako
3 We left at five o’clock. We lunched in Hirakata. Around six o’clock we arrived in Miyako.
4 Our interpreter obtained a pass from the governor. All who are shown it on the way have to provide us with assistance. At nine we proceeded on our journey. The landlord accompanied us to the suburb. He invited us to an inn and entertained us there, after which he bade us farewell. Nothing noteworthy happened on the way.
Arrival in Edo
15 We arrived in our inn in the shogunal city of Edo at two o’clock. I had my arrival announced to Chikugo-no-kami and Governor Yohyōe. The interpreter found only Yohyōe at home. He welcomed me and let me know that the Shogun’s mother1 had died on the 1st of this month. This might cause my stay to be prolonged. Chikugo-no-kami would inform me more fully. The blessing in disguise that befell the aforesaid sovereign’s mother is remarkable. We have been told the following:
‘Her father was the attendant of a certain lord and after some dissension was turned away by the lord. He returned to Shinano,2 his village of birth. Because he was at his wits’ end how to survive, he covertly used a firearm to eke out a meagre living for his family. One day he shot a crane in the domain of Nagai Shimada-dono,3 Lord of Yodo, some say by accident, and sold the bird. The lord had him apprehended and, on the orders of the Shogun, subsequently crucified. The lord liked the daughter of the deceased and her brother, now called Danjō-dono, and let them live, but kept them as his serfs. After some time she became the personal maid to his concubine, Kasuga-sama, widow of the Lord of Odawara,4 in Miyako. And when he came to the nearby pleasure house in Yodo, he took delight in this maid and her lady and took them to Edo.
16 Chikugo-no-kami’s interpreter came to note down what we have brought for his master. He also wished to know the names of the people in my party and the amount of food and drink, so that he could apportion these according to the demands of a few lords, who had asked for them. In the afternoon, he came for a part of the goods and also for the unicorn horn, of which he desired to be told the quality and given verification that it truly came from the fabulous animal, the unicorn. He also wished to know the price. I told him that I did not know. Because the Japanese officials had asked for a genuine unicorn horn on many occasions, my masters had spared no effort or time to obtain a genuine one suitable to be presented to the Shogun. When they had finally done so, they had sent it hither without placing a price on it. Nor had they stated its quality or usage, because they might have assumed that owing to the oftentimes repeated requests, the Japanese were familiar with it. I kept quiet about the price stated on the invoice, because it does not live up to the fame of the horn and would greatly reduce the stature of the senders. Van der Burgh had also given the same replies to similar questions in Nagasaki. In the evening, Sinnemon came with his lord’s reply that he was pleased with the goods. He would wait for what was lacking now. After his mother’s demise, the Shogun had not presented himself to anyone but his closest courtiers. He might appear in twelve days, the 28th of their final month. Attempts would be made that I receive permission to appear before the Shogun. Sinnemon, who is completely penniless and haughty, boasted of the great effort and services he rendered the Company every year.
17 Chikugo-no-kami asked if someone in our party could translate Dodonæus’ Cruydt-Boeck7 into Portuguese for him. I replied that none of us could. It would not be possible to translate the entire work with the little knowledge of the language that we possessed. I handed over the suit of armour to a servant of Mino-no-kami, the Lord of Odawara. The terrestrial globe was also handed over to Camockami-sama.8 Kiemon’s secretary came to visit me and offer his assistance. I thanked him and entertained him. An earth tremor at two o’clock.
18 Drizzly weather. At nine in the evening an earth tremor.
19 I sent notice to Chikugo-no-kami saying how I intended to present the gifts. I also sent a list of the goods left over, in case he thought it wise to present other gentlemen in this new government with some of these or as he usually does, to decide to whom to sell. Sukezaemon brought his reply that he would review it and let me know his decision. He was considering what to do with the unicorn horn, whether it would be better to present it to the Shogun or not, because he doubted its quality and authenticity.
20 Orders have been given to have the presentation trays made. I informed Governor Yohyōe of Chikugo-no-kami’s doubts about the unicorn horn and asked for his advice on the matter. In the morning an earth tremor.
21 Chikugo-no-kami sent for our interpreter.
22 Chikugo-no-kami sent for the interpreter. He told him that the Shogun had changed his mind. My wish might come true on the second or third day of their Shōgatsu.9 It snowed the whole day.
23 Our surgeon was called to a certain Shichidayū, the Shogun’s main singer and actor, to cure a large tumour on his chest and shoulder. He found that it was very dangerous and could not be cured without surgery. The patient was too squeamish to consent to this and he preferred to rely on the efficacy of his own powers and a plaster with long-term suffering.
24 Uma-no-jō, Chikugo-no-kami’s junior commissioner and the father of the aforesaid Ouckon-dono, came to visit me. He inspected the gifts and advised me to have the goods stored in Chikugo-no-kami’s warehouse for better security during the Shōgatsu, when there was a greater fire hazard. I accepted his offer gratefully. The goods for each recipient were then packed separately in oiled paper and sealed. Around eight o’clock our surgeon took a plaster to the aforesaid Shichidayū. On account of the patient’s advanced age, Chikugo-no-kami gave orders not to administer any internal medication, nor to use any abrasive medicine on him, to prevent the surgeon being blamed for his death or having hastened it, should the patient die shortly.
25 Chikugo-no-kami gave his approval to Uma-no-jō’s proposal to store the goods in his warehouse. His secretary, Oeffioje, came to fetch some cloth for him.
26 Chikugo-no-kami’s interpreter came to note down the prices of the goods for him. I decreased the sum according to the amount he is accustomed to pay for them. It was 790:6:6 guilders less than the purchase price, which is the gift we are allowed to give him annually for the assistance he renders the Company at the Court. Sometimes he seems to do this with great diligence, either because of the small gain, or out of special affection, or because of the advantage he gains by promising other gentlemen to obtain various trifles from us for the same price. It also keeps up the appearance that he pays for everything and does not enjoy any benefits from us.
27 Our surgeon took a chest containing various medicines from Holland for Chikugo-no-kami to his residence. However, he was not at home and the surgeon returned, leaving the chest behind.
28 Nothing noteworthy happened.
29 Today is Japanese New Year, Shōgatsu. I sent our interpreter to present our best wishes to Chikugo-no-kami, Saburōzaemon and Yohyōe. They reciprocated the same way. Chikugo-no-kami asked that our surgeon attend to the aforesaid Shichidayū every day, because our stay would not be for very long and he would like to see him recover his health before our departure, or at least improve to the extent that a certain Tosack, who fancies that he has learnt enough from us about the art of medicine and healing through writing it down, could cure him with the medicine which Chikugo-no-kami would give him. We complied with his request.
31 Uma-no-jō and his son Ouckon-dono came to visit me and to look at some goods. Our surgeon put plasters on one of his toes, which was sprained, and on his knee, which was hurting him. Ginseijmon-dono, a kinsman of Chikugo-no-kami, also joined us. I treated them to drinks and fruit, but we could not engage in any conversation, because our interpreter was not at hand, nor was any other. Thus they did not stay long. Uma-no-jō took one of my coats and gown to show to his wife and some other people. He sent them back in the evening. Chikugo-no-kami asked about our New Year celebrations. I had him told that this year’s had been thirty days ago. The first day of the year is celebrated in some European cities with festivities and fireworks. It was also the custom to convey best wishes to one another.
February
1 So much snow has fallen that it is lying one foot thick on the roofs.
2 Nothing noteworthy happened.
3 I sent our interpreter to Chikugo-no-kami to ask about my appearance at Court. He thought it might be on the 15th of their month, which is the 12th of this month. The Shogun would be giving audiences to his subjects for the next two days, then he would need a rest. Because he felt sorry for me having to sit and wait till then, he invited me to visit him at his house; it is not permitted to go elsewhere. He also ordered to instruct our surgeon to do his best to cure the aforesaid patient. On his return, the surgeon said that he predicted that, considering his bad health and the tightness of his chest, the patient had just a short time left to live. I responded with the appropriate courtesy to the invitation, not wishing to be obliged.
5 Last night he choked on his own phlegm. According to the annual custom, one of the servants of our landlord exorcized a devil from the house to prevent him from finding accommodation anywhere, for without a roof he will not have a proper accommodation and will flee from this empire. And in order that the crop of this Spring, which begins today, and all the fruits of the whole year and other goods will not be damaged by hailstorms, lightning, or storm winds or other such plagues, [the people] throw handfuls of beans to the ceiling and in all nooks and crannies, which [the devil] must avoid according to the understanding that they have reached with him and he may not return before they have ripened, which they prevent by frying them first in a pan.10 But they think that he makes them pay dearly enough for this clever ingenuity.
6 Our surgeon has again been to see Chikugo-no-kami to tell him about the medicines. He also took a plaster for Ume-dono to alleviate his pain.
7 Chikugo-no-kami informed me that I would surely have audience of the Shogun on the 15th of their month. Our surgeon has again been to see him for the same reason as yesterday.
8 And again today.
9 I obtained permission to visit him tomorrow to thank him for his efforts on my behalf.
11 Chikugo-no-kami gave orders to send the gifts for the Shogun to the Court at eight o’clock tomorrow. I should follow. He invited me to a bath about seven or eight houses away from our lodgings. We went there to cleanse ourselves. Everything has been prepared for our attendance at Court. An earth tremor.
Audience
12 The gifts were sent ahead and I followed shortly after. When we arrived at the Court, Chikugo-no-kami escorted us to a hall where we had to wait a while. Many lords and priests came to have a look at us. They mostly asked our age and our names. We sat there for three hours. After the lords had left, Chikugo-no-kami escorted us to a large hall where gentlemen were lined up on both sides.
13 According to annual custom, I took the gifts to the councillors. Only Andō Ukyō-dono was at home. He thanked me. The others had already left for the Court. Their secretaries received me and several of them offered me tea. Chikugo-no-kami was visiting the Lord of Arima. From there he let me know that I would be given audience of leave on the 15th and also receive the Shogun’s reciprocal presents.
I visited Governor Yohyōe at his home. I thanked him for his assistance at Court. I requested to be allowed to travel over land from Shimonoseki to Nagasaki in case of bad weather and to visit a few temples in Miyako and elsewhere on the road. He granted my request. He also offered me his assistance in Nagasaki. He expected to go there in the fourth month, which is May. He would see me again at Court when I received the reciprocal presents. I was shown this honour because I had been kept waiting for such a long time. I responded with the appropriate respect and then went to Saburōzaemon to pay my respects. His illness confined him to his bed and I spoke to his secretary, who treated me most politely. I also took gifts to Ōta Bitchū-no-kami. Yesterday I had not done so because it was too far. His secretary accepted them, because his lord was not at home, so he said.
15 They brought thirty gowns from the Court as a reciprocal gift from the Shogun and permission from him to depart. The interpreter received two gowns for himself. Andō Ukyō-dono and Chikugo-no-kami handed them over. Chikugo-no-kami told me to come to his residence the next day at nine o’clock. Attendants of Uta-no-kami, Minbu-no-shō, Bitchū-no-kami, Izu-no-kami and Izumo-no-kami brought a few for us to use on the journey back as their masters’ thanks for the gifts. At nine in the evening there was a fire eastward of our inn, in which a whole street of forty houses burnt down.
16 At the appointed time Junior Merchant Le Seuter and I went to Chikugo-no-kami. Governor Yohyōe was also present. First he expressed his pleasure that the reciprocal gift and dispatch from the Court had been given so speedily. He said that the reason why I did not have to go in person was that as no silver was being presented and no new orders from the Shogun needed to be read, the interpreters had received them. Therefore I should not take offence.
18 Chikugo-no-kami sent his secretary, Oeffioje, with a list of various goods which he would like from the Netherlands, on which I should write my signature as proof that I had made a copy and had undertaken to see to it that they were sent. He presented me with five gowns. Sado-no-kami sent me 10 schuiten of silver with a few gowns in gratitude for the gifts. Mino-no-kami paid 50 schuiten of silver for the suit of armour, which is 87:5 guilders less than it cost in the Netherlands. It is surprising how miserly these great lords are when they have to pay for the things which they themselves have ordered, when the items cannot be used according to their own usage.
19 I gave the bongiois who is our escort on this journey the customary gift, but he accepted only the gowns. The two city officials who are providing the same service to us, were also given the customary presents, for which they expressed their gratitude. They prevailed upon the bongiois to keep the goods he had refused in their custody until the governor in Nagasaki had given his approval. Although some of the Japanese servants had not behaved themselves appropriately, I gave them the annual gifts in order to prevent the interpreter from providing even less service, but I admonished them to be more polite in the execution of their duties. Chikugo-no-kami gave our surgeon two gowns for his services. He also told our interpreter that if the doubts about the authenticity of the unicorn horn were removed either through the efficacy of its quality or by other assurances, the Company would be remunerated handsomely in future.
20 I settled the account with the landlord.
21 I paid Chikugo-no-kami a last visit to thank him for his efforts on our behalf. He wished me a happy journey and asked that the goods he wanted be sent to him as soon as possible. The interpreter went to Yohyōe, Saburōzaemon and Kiemon’s son on my behalf. Ouckon-dono, who has taken many liberties with regard to us, rummaging through various things, taking them and then returning them, has gone hunting – it is claimed – now that he has to pay his debt. His servant settled it, but he paid much less than the ordinary price. One might be led to think that he is short of cash or that he covets it so much. We have to bear with this unfairness for Chikugo-no-kami’s sake. I have not heard anything from Sado-no-kami, who returned the gift on the 14th. Perhaps Chikugo-no-kami has prevailed upon him to keep it, as he did last year.
Departure from Edo
22 About nine o’clock we left Edo. I left Niemon, the Japanese clerk, and another servant behind to collect some outstanding debts. We were accompanied to Kawasaki by our Edo landlord, three caretakers of the ostlers and the makers of the presentation trays. Each brought us a small set of food as a token of their affection, but mainly for the reciprocal gift they will receive.
24 The Hakone Mountains.
March
1 In Miya we met Hikoemon, the Nagasaki burgemeester, who handed me a letter from the Company servants there, reporting that they were in good health and all that had happened since we left.
Arrival in Miyako
4 At five o’clock in the afternoon, we arrived in Miyako. The man who had accepted the contract to embroider the 75 Tonkinese pieces of pelang had died in the meantime. His possessions were still sealed and we could not obtain the pelangs. They were not afraid that the pieces would get damaged, but that the workmanship might not be up to standard, which could not be avoided.
Arrival in Osaka
5 I paid the landlord for our stay there during the journey to and from Edo. I walked up to the Maruyama, or Round Mountain, where I visited many beautiful well-sited temples. Our landlord invited us to a certain house in the precincts where our horses had been stabled and we had a farewell drink with him. Then we travelled to Fushimi. After dinner we embarked on three barges and sailed down the river. At two o’clock in the afternoon, we arrived in our inn in Osaka. The landlord had few of the goods we had ordered ready, even though he derives much profit from it every year. Instead, the interpreter and the bongiois tried to have the goods they had ordered transported on our barge, with which we have to bear.
7 Because we had to remain here for this reason, with our party I went for a walk to the village of Tennōji, where we visited temples and places of entertainment.
8 Although I would have liked to leave today, we were forced to stay here because of their superstition. They do not consider the 9th day of their month a propitious day to set off on a boat journey and they refused to travel over land. The provisions and other goods for the journey were ordered. I paid the landlord for the goods delivered and also for our food and drink and lodging, but I did not present him with any gifts.
9 Around ten in the morning we left Osaka and sailed down the river on small vessels. At the mouth of the river we embarked on our barge and waited for the tide. Our landlord and his company, who had accompanied us, returned to the city in the evening.
10 Early in the morning, with high tide and on a north-easterly wind, we sailed to Hyōgo.
16 We passed Kaminoseki in the evening.
19 At ten in the morning we passed Shimonoseki.
20 Before dawn we arrived in the harbour of Hirado.
Arrival in Nagasaki
23 At noon we arrived in Nagasaki and found everything to be in good order. The following are the most remarkable happenings that Merchant Boucheljon noted down during my absence. After my departure, Governor Kiemon, accompanied by Saburōzaemon’s son and Burgemeester Sakuemon, came to visit our houses. They enjoyed themselves at the billiard table. They advised our people to be careful with fire. On 21 December a junk arrived from Fuzhou with 650 catties of white raw silk, 300 pieces of pelang, thirty pieces of pansies, six pieces of red damask and 5000 red rugs to sit on. The remainder of the cargo was of little value. On the 23rd a junk arrived from Cambodia, on the 27th Commissioner Saburōzaemon left for Edo; on the 29th Lipsien sailed to Siam with our letters for Crayer; on the 30th, at the request of the governors, a Javanese deer was delivered to the servants of the Lord of Owari’s son; on the 31st, Simptingh sailed to Batavia with our letters to the Governor-General and the Council of the Indies and a large junk sailed to Cochin China. On 2 January one sailed to Fuzhou and on the 3rd a large junk sailed to Quinam.
26 I went to pay my compliments to the governor and thanked him for his recommendation, which had contributed to an early dispatch, and for his son’s affable treatment. We lent him one of the warehouses at the request of the otona.
27 A junk arrived from Fuzhou. Its cargo and that of the following ones will be specified at the end, because sometimes it is given to me belatedly. The governor returned the pieces of West Indian wood, because they were unsuitable to have gunstocks made of them, for which purpose he had asked for them.
28 Another junk arrived from Fuzhou.
29–30 Nothing noteworthy happened.
31 The bongiois who escorted us on the court journey returned the cloth rash which had been presented to him in Edo, because this had been done last year and his master wished it so. A junk arrived from Nanking.
April
1–2 Unsettled weather.
3 A junk from Nanking arrived.
4 Two Japanese who had stolen some silk in a break-in during last year’s trading season, have been decapitated.
5 Nothing to report.
6 I entertained the interpreters and the otona.
12 A junk arrived from Fuzhou.
13–20 Unsettled weather with rain and so very cold, as it very rarely is in the Netherlands at this time of year.
21 The governor sent two silk gowns to our surgeon for attending to his sprained foot and the other one two partridges and a barrel of Japanese wine.
22–25 Nothing to report.
26 Two barges with people from Nanking arrived from Satsuma, carrying the goods that were salvaged from their junk which had been sailing hither, but which had stranded in Satsuma a few days ago owing to bad weather.
27 With the governors’ permission I went for a walk through the city and visited some temples, also those of the Chinese, here and in the mountains. In one of them I was entertained in a friendly manner and I also lunched there.
28–30 Nothing to report.
May
1 A hard south-easterly wind with rain, thunder and lightning.
2–4 Fine weather.
5 About 2000 of the Lord of Hakata’s men replaced the same number of the Lord of Hizen’s men. They had kept guard on both sides of the bay for six months.
10 The sons of the Lord of Hakata and of the Lord of Arima, and Governor Kiemon came with their entourage to visit us. I offered them wine and some fruits, but they did not partake of any. They took some allegias from Surat from which they would select a few pieces.
11 The Lord of Hakata sent his servant to measure my bedlinen to have it copied.
12–16 Nothing to report.
17 Today is the 20th day of the 4th month of the Japanese calendar and the second anniversary of the death of the Shogun’s father. In his memory people attend services in the temples and the temples and priests are generously remembered. Several prisoners who were condemned to death have been granted their lives. All of this is done to gain merit for the soul of the deceased.
18 Two of the freed prisoners were taken to Amakusa, a small island some twenty Japanese miles southwards from here, off the coast of Arima. It is inhabited only by banned criminals. They survive by tilling the land or chopping wood until more favour comes their way or the end of their life.
19 North-easterly wind.
20 A southerly storm.
21–28 Fine weather and nothing to report.
29 A junk left for Fuzhou.
30 Nothing to report.
June
1 Fine weather.
2 Two junks left for Fuzhou. Two Japanese were decapitated. The one for having committed manslaughter in a state of drunkenness on the last holiday. The other one after having spent two years in prison for having abused the governor’s name. On a certain evening during their Shōgatsu or New Year’s celebrations, he went through several streets giving orders to remove the green foliage displayed in front of every house immediately, so-called on the governor’s orders. Several of the governor’s servants tried out their swords on the corpses.
3–4 Fine weather.
5 With the governor’s permission I went on an outing. I walked through the city and the fields on the north and west side of the harbour and visited a few temples.
6–8 Nothing to report.
9 A strong south-westerly storm wind.
10 Fine weather.
11 The last of the junks from Fuzhou left.
19 Governor Kiemon sent for 5 pieces of West Indian wood. He wants to select some pieces. Ammanoja, a merchant from Hyōgo, came to inspect them first. He employs him to take care of his needs to avoid being indebted to one of the citizens of this city.
20–23 A cool northerly wind. The water-gates of the island have been renewed at the city’s expense.
24 The 29th day of the 5th Japanese month, Kawatarō11 day. A ghost of the rivers is supposed to kill people who now go swimming in the waters a lot, unless the yamabushi or devilish priests erect in his honour a bundle of bamboo or large reeds in the water in several parts of the city, to which are attached holy paper banners. For the sake of their children most of the citizens contribute something.
25 The Chinese report that there was a rumour in Nanking that Iquan, who has been a prisoner of the Tartars for several years now, has fled from the court in Peking and has joined his son, Coxinga. This would undoubtedly prolong the war and curtail the trade exports.
26 An unknown yamabushi or mountain priest arrived here from Edo. It is thought that he is a spy sent by the Shogun to spy on the government and the community and conduct a secret investigation. Such men are sent every year throughout the empire in various guises. On the road they often change servants so as not to be unmasked and everyone is kept in great fear.
27–29 Northerly wind.
July
1 I heard that some days ago 300 packs of white raw silk had been brought to Miyako from China via Korea and Tsushima. The war in China is making the journey from Nanking unsafe.
2 News came that Governor Yohyōe has received an increase in his annual remuneration and last month the Shogun had given him leave to return here. It was a close matter or Gonpachirō’s son would have come here instead. The latter is of a more tolerant, more benevolent and friendlier disposition, taking after his father. The former has incurred the displeasure of the Court because of his cruelty and it is believed that he will not remain in this office for many more years.
3–5 Steady rain with hard south-westerly winds.
6 Fine weather, the wind as before.
7 We received part of the goods we had ordered in Osaka for Tonkin and Siam. Some are quite expensive.
8 Fine weather.
9 Hard wind and rain from the south-west.
10 Same weather. Governor Yohyōe arrived from Edo. Many citizens went to welcome him.
11 Rain.
12–13 Fine weather.
14 Around ten o’clock in the evening, when it was dark, two Chinese junks arrived. They sailed from Cambodia on the 21st of last month.
11 Early in the morning another one arrived. It had sailed from the same place seven days later. I went to welcome Governor Yohyōe at his residence. I thanked him for the favour he had shown us at Court. I also paid my respects to Kiemon and thanked him that he had allowed us to go walking outside the city twice already.
16 Around midnight Lipsien arrived on his junk. He sailed from Siam on 30 May. The letter we gave him last year has been handed to Crayer. The latter died on 22 September. He had been refused permission to bring a reply to the letter.
18 The governors sent me two passes to have them translated. The first had been issued to Intchie Assam, Cambodian Orang kaya, by Governor-General Reniersz on 15 June 1651. The second had been given to Saco, a Chinese merchant, by Nicolaes Verburch, Governor of Tayouan, on 30 November 1652. Both are passes for their junks to sail from Cambodia to Tayouan unhindered by our people. In the afternoon, another Chinese junk arrived from Siam. It had left on 10 June.
19 It has been unloaded. I sent the otona’s son to ask for any news it had brought. He returned to tell me that one of our ships had taken 30,000 deerskins from a Chinese junk off the Siam River and had taken them to Tayouan and had thus prevented the junk from sailing hither. Another of our ships was taking on cargo in the river. The masters hoped to sail hither within a fortnight. Another of our ships had been spotted off the coast of Cambodia. The skipper of the junk brought a letter from Kitarō, headman of the Japanese in Siam, for the governors here in a gold box. Kitarō requested that some money which he was also sending be handed to his brother here;
20 Magobei and Hachizaemon told me that of the cargo Lipsien had brought, he had sold pepper at 12 taels, boreh-boreh at 5.5 taels and black sugar at 5.5 taels per picul. These are quite good prices. The Chinese who lately arrived had complained to the governors about the deerskins which had been seized in Siam. They did not know what the reply had been. They were surprised that the governors had not yet sent for them to find out the reason for this. The bongioisen, the governors’ servants and many others in the city were speaking very disparagingly about us. They might make us subject to their displeasure during the trading season because of their greater love for that race, being the source of their own and the profits that the community will lose, not knowing or wishing to understand that the King of Siam has granted us the right to prevent the export of deerskins by others in this way, although we have clearly explained it often enough to many people here. Two days ago, when an old woman was startled by something, she cried out ‘O Jesu’. Now she has been handed over to the governors and has been thrown into prison. Her mistress, who is a rich woman, is also held suspect. Her house and her clothing have been ripped apart and have been searched thoroughly for anything relating to Christianity. Mino-no-kami, Lord of Odawara, Makino Sado-no-kami, Takumi-no-kami’s son who has shown the same fondness for the Dutch as his father and Kuze Yamato-no-kami have been appointed councillors in Edo in place of the ones who have voluntarily killed themselves by slitting open their bellies to accompany the old Shogun.
21 Nothing noteworthy.
22 Today it is one year ago that I left Tayouan to come here.
24 Magobei related to me that a Chinese who had arrived on one of the junks from Cambodia had told him that Governor-General Reniersz is supposed to have died in Batavia.14 A junk sailing from Batavia to Tayouan had stranded off the Ryūkyū Islands, all its people had been saved and they had arrived in Satsuma. They are expected here any day now. The wind is blowing strongly from the south-east.
25 Around noon it veered south-westerly. In the evening it lessened.
26 I have had the Company’s loading barges set in the water. Thijmonsz en Le Seuter inspected the repairs and found them in order. I had the island cleaned of much dirt.
27 News came from the Gotō Islands that a junk flying Dutch flags had stranded there. It will come here as soon as possible. A few Chinese who arrived from Siam said that they had seen a chest and a package floating in the sea off Formosa. They suspect they were from a shipwreck. Jointly and producing a great racket, all the crewmen of the junks, intermingled with a few Japanese, their landlords, to increase their number, went to hand over a written complaint to the governors. They accuse us of having attacked them in the Siam River and having taken all the deerskins in their possession from their junks. The governors asked them if they knew the commander of the ship. They replied that he had a mark on his upper lip. I guess that it must be Christaen de Groeve. The case will be dealt with after the arrival of our ships. Interpreters Magobei and Sukezaemon, who had gone to the governors on other business, had been questioned about this matter. They explained our rights to do so. This changed the feeling towards us for the better. The Chinese are also spreading the rumour that Coxinga has set his sights on Formosa. He is waiting for the right moment to conquer it. In case of adversity, it will serve him in his war against the Tartars as his last refuge. Three junks have arrived, one from Anhai, one from Amoy and one from Cambodia.
28 Totally unexpectedly, both governors came to my house in the evening. They looked at some pieces of West Indian wood. They would send for some pieces shortly at a charge. I entertained them in my room to the best of my ability. They walked through our garden, took great pleasure playing some billiards and watched the ball game for a while. They spent two hours on the island. When they returned to the city, they looked quite pleased.
29 Several Chinese who have just arrived related that they had seen Dutch barrels floating off Nanao off the coast of China. The Collector15 in Batavia has also died.
30 The otona came with similar news: that others had sailed past a capsized Dutch sloop floating off the China Coast. This is sad news. May God grant that we receive better news about the Company’s affairs and ships shortly. On Formosa, our own people are said to have caused a riot by the Chinese because they wanted to violate some of their women. On 18 June the residence of the Dairi burnt down in Miyako. Some say it was struck by lightning. Although rain fell from heaven in an attempt to save it, nonetheless it was reduced to ashes with some other buildings standing close-by. This has not happened to his forefathers in 239 years. The Shogun will erect a beautiful new building for him shortly. Small vessels towed a junk here from the Gotō Islands. Outward bound from Batavia, ignorance and hard weather caused it to sail past Tayouan, its destination. It brought letters for us, we were told. The Chinese who had been stranded off the Ryūkyū Islands, as mentioned before, arrived here on vessels from Satsuma with all their salvaged goods. They did not come from Batavia, but from Patani. They had left two years ago, with the intention of returning to Tayouan, whence they had been sent by the Chinese Cabessa Bienko. Storm winds and a shipwreck had now forced them here. The goods that have been salvaged are listed hereafter with the imports of the other junks.
August
1 While his wife was alive, a citizen of this city got her sister, who was living with them, with child. The deed became known to their neighbours and friends. His long-suffering wife lost her patience and had flaring rows with him about this incestuous fornication. Two days ago, he killed the sister, who had begged him to kill her after having reflected on her sinful conduct and being subjected to continuous scorn, with his own hands and sword. Then, following her suggestion, he slit his own belly and cut his throat. Today, he still being alive at home, his head was chopped off on the orders of the governors. It was then exhibited on a stake outside his door for the entire day solely as punishment for the uncommon murder, for here even such an incestuous case of adultery does not merit more than a sharp rebuke from friends.
2–4 Nothing noteworthy happened.
5 A Chinese junk brought the news that it had seen a Dutch ship off Meshima four days ago. A few of the crew had come to his junk in the boat and had asked him about his cargo and his destination. He is spreading around the community here that even in Japanese waters they had wanted to overpower him, so as to set them up against us, but the sensible ones will know that they are lies.
6 The governor had me informed that last night a ship had been spotted 14–15 Japanese miles south of the Nomo Bight. In the evening, I was told that it had been spotted off Iōshima. Shortly before, from my house I had spotted it myself in the sea between the islands lying at the entrance to this harbour. He gave permission to send a few of our men early tomorrow morning.
Arrival of the Witte Paard
8 The crew of the ship has been mustered. We have started to unload. A few men were sent to the incoming ship with the necessary instructions.
9 A worse accident befell another Chinese. He had set his junk on shore on the opposite side of the bay. He was also busy fumigating the worms, but the straw roof which was covering his junk caught fire. The fire spread so fast that before help could arrive from the city, it had consumed the junk. The Witte Paard has been unloaded. The goods have been stored in the warehouses, which have been sealed. The rudder and gunpowder have been brought ashore and stored in the customary place. We are allowed to keep the books and the papers here unsealed. I have looked through them.
10 The interpreters noted down only the following points of the news we received; the governors will send it to the Court tomorrow: the day of the Chinese insurrection on Formosa; our achievements in Canton; two other ships will sail there this year; the day on which Governor-General Reniersz died. They thought it better to wait for the arrival of my replacement before they reported the news about the English war and other details of which I had no knowledge.
11 Nothing to report.
12 The governors sent two of their senior attendants to warn me to be very careful with fire and light. The fire-hazard is greater now because of the unusual heat and dryness. Even the earth has cracked in many places. Rain has not fallen for twenty-eight days.
13 Nothing noteworthy.
14 Some showers, exactly a month after the last rain. During this time the weather has been calm during the night, with some breeze from the sea during the day, mainly from the south-east.
15 It veered during the night with the last quarter of the moon, bringing a southern storm with much rain.
16–18 South-westerly wind. The governors had me informed that a ship had been spotted about three miles off the Nomo Bight. I sent a couple of men in the evening, but at midnight they returned, soaked through by the heavy rains, not having seen anything. A mastless Chinese junk has arrived at Hakata. Ignorance probably sent it past Hirado.
19 Two junks arrived from Quinam. Wind and rain as yesterday.
Arrival of the Gekroonde Liefde
20 The governors had me informed that last night a ship had been spotted off shore. Our people went to meet it and around noon they returned. It was the Liefde, which had left Siam on 3 July with a small cargo. On the 10th, she had lain at anchor off the islands of Anhai for three days and last night she almost ran aground on the islands off Iōshima, but luckily the anchor had saved her in time. Westerwolt wrote of the King’s displeasure about the refusal of military aid. This had resulted in serious threats and insulting treatment and much hindrance to the trade.
21 Clear weather. The crew has been mustered and we started to unload.
22 We have been busy unloading the Liefde.
23 The unsealed papers and books have been inspected according to custom. Pinqua, who sailed from here on 23 January, arrived from Tonkin with another junk belonging to Coxinga. Showery weather, from the south-west.
24 Pinqua brought a letter from Keyser, written in Tonkin on 20 July. He wrote that five Chinese vessels, one vessel from Macao and one from Manila had arrived there this southern monsoon, as had the flute the Kampen from Batavia with Mr Baffart.18 He mentioned the high price of raw silk, caused by a shortage of food for the silkworms;
25 The Witte Paard has been beached close to the island at high tide in order to be careened.
26 A richly-laden junk arrived from Nanking and three others from Anhai.
27 The Lord of Hakata, who, together with the Lord of Arima and both governors of Nagasaki, was visiting Burgemeester Sakuemon, sent three of his physicians to inquire after the potency of pistachia. He was tasting some of the dishful I had sent to Sakuemon today. He had tasted them here before. I explained it according to the description by Beverwyck.19 The story that is told about this lord is worthy of mention here. When his supposed mother gave birth to a daughter, her friends who were visiting her exchanged the child for the son of a certain priest – of the order that is allowed here to have women. He was presented to the old Lord of Hakata as his firstborn. It was done out of fear that if this lady were to give birth to more daughters, or even after just the first daughter should he have known about this, she would have been deserted by the lord. Thus this lord is the owner of that large domain
28 I have ordered 300 barrels of sake for this place, Tonkin and Siam. Ebiya Shirōemon sent me 40 pieces of pelang from Osaka, belonging to the Prince in Tonkin. I gave them to his servant to have them made up and painted in Miyako as Keyser has written to me in the letter which the Chinese Pinqua brought.
29 A junk arrived from Anhai.
30 Steady rain.
31 Fine weather and a southerly wind.
September
1 Stiff south-westerly wind with intermittent rain. A junk arrived from Anhai.
2 Similar to yesterday.
3 The wind northerly. Seven persons have been executed. One of them was a maid who was crucified, the others were beheaded for patricide, intended arson and the theft of 75 taels of silver, committed by three day labourers when unloading a junk. Here the office of executioner is held by the workers of the leather of cattle, horses and suchlike rough hides. They live outside the city separate from the other citizens and are much despised. The ruffians are of an even lower and more despicable standing, making a living from the forced, dirty and miserable lives of the whores,
4 The rain came pouring down so heavily that the water streamed down from the mountains into the streams running through the city, washing away three wooden and one stone bridge and many houses. The governors themselves were busy outside in this weather till late at night providing relief to the needy. Large parts of the clay walls fell off several of the warehouses on this island. The owners filled the gaps with boards and straw mats as best as possible. A junk arrived from Tonkin.
5 Two more arrived from Tonkin, one lost its rudder here offshore yesterday. The rain and the south-westerly wind lasted till the afternoon.
6 Sukezaemon related that the junk which arrived from Tonkin had been underway for fifty-four days owing to the calm and the easterly wind which it encountered off the west of Formosa. But from there it had favourable winds for ten days. It was returning 20 chests of silver which had not been exchanged.
7 A Japanese bōzu or priest floated past this island very close to the fence. He probably drowned crossing a river, being carried away by the now high and strong current. He is unknown here and no one wants to report him to the authorities to avoid having to pay for his burial, which is the custom here. The aforesaid mastless junk came from Zhangzhou and was towed here from the Arima Bight by a small vessel. In the previous years we have requested many times that the ships’ hatches be left open. I have now prevailed upon the interpreters, who are still reluctant to address the new governors about this issue, to speak to the secretaries about the completely useless sealing of the hatches.
8 Denbyōe showed me two passes belonging to the Chinese Siqua, the one allowing him to sail with his junk fully loaded from China to Batavia, issued by Van der Lijn on 25 July 1648, and the other to return thither, issued by Reniersz on 29 June 1652, which had been found with a stiver of Dutch money on a Chinese. I explained its use to him. I ordered him to request the governors’ permission that the warehouses be unsealed so that the goods can be inspected for any damage caused by the hard rain.
9 Fine weather with a northerly wind.
10 The governors had me informed that a Dutch ship had been spotted offshore. I dispatched a few men and around midnight they returned with the news that it was the yacht the Haas. Gabriel Happart, my successor, was on board. He had sailed from Batavia on 22 July in the company of the flute the Valk, but on 9 August, by mutual consent, they had parted company off Hainan. Their joint cargo was worth 493,467 guilders and consisted of various commodities, including 150 bales of Bengal silk, which had previously been received via Siam. They had enjoyed fine weather during the voyage and had more to complain about calms than hard winds.
Arrival of the Haas
11 At dawn the yacht arrived in front of the city. I went on board to welcome Happart.
Arrival of the Witte Valk and the Kampen
12 The crew of the Haas has been mustered and we started to unload. Around four o’clock the two aforesaid ships entered the bay, where adverse wind forced them to drop anchor. The one was the Valk from Batavia and the other the Kampen from Tonkin. The cargo amounts to 373,964 guilders, barely half of the value that was sent from here, owing to scarcity of goods, the outstanding debts of the King, Prince, capados and the Chinese silk purveyors, which, added to the 12 chests which Keyser sent to Formosa on the yacht the Tayouan, amounts to 62 chests of Japanese schuitzilver, a large sum which I wished would have been converted into fine commodities,
13 The wind remained northerly. I had both the Valk and the Kampen towed to the roadstead by small vessels. Two junks from Fuzhou dropped anchor in front of the bay. One had lost its mast. We have been busy all day unloading the yacht.
14 We were finished in the afternoon and started on the Kampen.
15 The ship is empty. One of our warehouses has been assigned to house three Tonkinese men of Capado Ongjade,23 who forced Keyser to give them permission to come on this ship with their goods.
16 After the Witte Valk had been mustered, we started to unload. A richly-laden junk arrived from Nanking.
17 Strong south-westerly wind with showers. In between we made progress with the unloading. I called a meeting of the council of this factory, in which the following was decided.
Merchant Willem Thijmonsz, Junior Merchants Jacob le Seuter, Willem van Gageldonck, and Meijndert Jansz Messteecker have been notified of the instructions of the authorities in Batavia and the governor in Tayouan concerning the 300 taels of Japanese schuitzilver found short in five chests of 1000 taels each. According to the notes in the chests, which were signed by them, they had taken delivery, packed and sealed them. They were prepared to defend themselves orally. In order that the Council of the Indies also be clearly informed of their defence, the matter has been postponed till the next meeting when they will present their defence in writing. Each member of the council has been advised to consider means by which such fraud and thievery can be prevented. Merchant Johannes Boucheljon has also been informed of the remarks of Their Honours about him. With regard to the first, that according to a report presented by Adriaen van der Burgh in Batavia the governors and other officials here are supposed to be displeased about his long and unbroken stay in this empire, he requested that all interpreters be heard and that their reports be offered in writing in the next meeting. With regard to the second, concerning sixteen packs of Tonkinese silk which Merchant Keyser forgot to note on the invoice there, which had been brought here, and of which Adriaen van der Burgh denies having any knowledge and which Their Honours think that he has misappropriated,
The Tonkinese, who is a servant of Capado Ongjade – our advocate at the Court in Tonkin – and his two hands, who came on the flute the Kampen with forty-one packs of raw silk and finished goods, the greater part of which they pretended belonged to the King and the rest to their lord, which was the reason that they could force Merchant Jacob Keyser, according to his letter, to allow them free passage with their goods, because he wants to avoid more inconvenience to the Company and to retain these gentlemen’s favour, are not permitted to go into the city. Thus we have agreed that during their short stay here we shall supply them with provisions. Records will be kept of this, for they have promised in return that their lord will recompense the Company richly with services at the court.
I have shown the council the contents of an ordinance which I have issued to prevent the disruptions which occur every year at the lower table. It has been approved and it has been decided that, after it has been read out to the diners, it will be affixed in the dining-room before long.
18 The Valk has been unloaded before noon. According to the invoices of the last three ships, we have found the following to be short:
19 I have urged the interpreters to bring the copper merchants here with the governor’s permission to discuss a timely delivery, if we can agree on the price. They said that the camphor producer had not yet arrived. A sailor died on the Gekroonde Liefde. The Japanese took his corpse out to sea and sank it.
21 Late in the evening, Magobei came to tell me that the governors, Yohyōe in particular, were very displeased about the long delay in the arrival of the last ship, especially because they have urged us to send them early and, according to them, we make little effort to do so in order to obtain a longer trading season and subsequently a later dispatch from here, and press them into allowing us a longer stay here of necessity, as well as about the taking of the deerskins from the Chinese junks which were heading here from Siam, which has caused the merchants to stay away from these waters and has taken away not only the profits for which the citizens here have been hoping but also other benefits. They are much bothered by the supplications from the damaged parties, even yesterday. We should not be told like this, but in a more circuitous way, that they would like us to comply more willingly with their orders that our ships appear here more on time and that we do not harm any Chinese who want to come here. The wait would be more tolerable if we were not afraid of more harassment during the trading season, such as we have already been subjected to by the governors’ servants during the unloading, by pressing us on, using abusive language and threats and scornfully asking if we had also robbed the Chinese of these goods. I believe that our justifications for this are presented by the interpreters to the governors as the occasion arises and they are so valid that so far they have not been willing to address or question us or give a public order not to harm the Chinese in this way any longer. But to cultivate their good feelings and to work towards an untrammelled trade with these countries, I fear we shall find out only too late whether it would not have been better to have taken the skins at a more opportune time. The Company’s business in Siam would not have been in such a precarious state as it is at present and it would have been easier to induce the King to uphold the special freedom granted to us,
22 The 1st day of the 8th Japanese month.
23 I asked Interpreter Denbyōe if the governors had made a decision on my request. He said no. It was unlikely that they would give one before the arrival of the last ship, because last year the favour of the four-day extension after the departure of the last ship had only been given after humble pleas. We showed total disregard for their repeated admonitions to send our ships here in good time, even though we greatly inconvenienced the governors and many lords here who had to postpone their travel to the Court and thereby we attempted to take over the government here – he said these were the words of the servants of the governors and others. Our excuses that the ships had waited for the goods that had been ordered from Europe for Japan and our tales about the various accidents which had held up our ships many times were no longer taken seriously here, because they were the same every year. The heads of the five shogunal cities could not settle the price of the white raw Chinese silk – which they call pancado silk, because it is shared out only among some special people – before the arrival of the last ship, although we have proposed to them that if any was brought on the ship – which cannot be of great value – it will not be sold or be sent back, whichever they preferred, but this was in vain. Thus far other men were reluctant to buy any of the large volume of various goods that fifty-four junks had imported this summer and they were waiting here at great expenses to them.
24 The master of the Liefde wrote me that since last night water had been leaking into his ship through a concealed leak. He was summoned ashore. He declared that the leak was in the waist of the ship and for many months they had been removing decayed wood and other dirt from there, thereby enlarging the leak.
25 The masters of the other ships were sent to investigate the ship’s condition and help fix it. They found that the hole had already been stopped by the carpenters by pushing lots of stuff into it. Little more could be done but filling it with lime, clay and some soot mixed together. I sent the necessary materials. Again I had the governors asked about the delivery of the copper. Their reply was that they had to confer first, but Yohyōe added that we had only sent our last ship here so late so that we could take delivery of the copper and the other goods that we wanted to order at our ease while waiting. Many merchants suffer great losses through our action, as mentioned before. I fear that it will be a while before we can open trade, especially since none of the interpreters dare present our explanations for the delay to the governors. Kichibyōe even declared in the presence of Happart, that if the governor were to declare to him with his usual angry countenance that the straw mats were wooden boards, he would have to respond by consenting silently, as this people’s duty of slavish subservience demands.
26 Around noon an easterly wind rose with rain, gathering in strength from evening till midnight, causing several ropes of the fences of the warehouses to collapse and many tiles from the roofs and the tops of the fences surrounding the island. One of the water-gates broke open, causing the flute the Liefde to snap an anchor. We shall search for it. The other ships were driven away somewhat from the roadstead but did not suffer any damage.
28 On the governors’ orders the interpreters and the supervisor of this island came to question me about the complaints of the Chinese who had arrived from Siam. Firstly, if the Company servants had taken any skins from their junks which were sailing hither; if so, how many and for what reason and whereabouts had they done so; had the Chinese been notified of our special right to do so; what were the contents of a certain document, which they handed to me? I replied that on 14 July, 3–4 miles off the Siam River, the crew of the flute the Gekroonde Liefde had caught up with three junks, had searched them and had taken the deerskins and cowhides on the basis of a certain patent which the Siamese king had granted the Company eight years ago, which grants the Company the sole right to export these skins from his kingdom and to seize them should we come across any instance of a contravention of this patent. All Chinese who traded there were aware of this and, moreover, it was announced to them every year on their arrival. The document was a letter of safe-conduct issued on 2 June by the opperhoofd of the Company’s factory in Siam, Volkerus Westerwolt, to a Chinese called Thenco, at the request of the King’s son, to let him sail freely hither with his junk and cargo – except for cowhides and deerskins – should any be on it. They wrote down everything and reported it to the governor. In the evening, I was told that they would check this information and that I had been given permission to buy copper and to receive it. They have delayed it for this long because of the displeasure they felt about what we did to the Chinese and the late dispatch of the last ship.
29 I had the interpreters again request the governors that we may start the sale of our goods soon.
30 The master of the Liefde wrote me another letter that water was again seeping into the ship, this time through a leak in the bow. He was waiting for the lime and the clay. It has been held up by the tardiness of the otona. I ordered him to help drag for the lost anchor. We have been dragging for it for two days. In the evening, it was found and sent on board.
October
1 The burgemeesters of this city had the supervisor of this island inform me that they would come tomorrow with the heads of the five shogunal cities to settle the price for the Chinese white raw silk and to open trade. Magobei related that the angry Chinese had presented a document to the governors to press them to apply their power to obtain compensation from us for the deerskins that had been taken from them. But it is not likely that they will achieve anything here.
3 Our people have been busy all day selecting the goods chosen for the first sale and taking them to the warehouses where they will be displayed. In the presence of the interpreters I demanded compensation from the money weighers for the silver that was short in several chests in Tayouan and Bengal last year. But they claimed their innocence, as if it is impossible that they could commit such thefts. Because we only have suspicions but no proof of their guilt, I told them to be very watchful in future and to serve the Company faithfully and prevent such losses. They promised to do so and also to replace the 50 taels of lead which we received instead of silver two years ago and which had been discovered in Bengal. Also all the false silver which we find that they have accepted and which has been returned here. Last year they caught a merchant of Sakai red-handed when he was trying to exchange leaden schuiten for silver ones. After they had held him for an entire day, they took pity on him and secretly let him go, on condition that he gave them two sureties who would indemnify them from any liability for other crimes which he might have committed and which might be uncovered later.
4 Rain prevented the merchants from coming to view the displayed goods.
5 Fine weather. Around ten o’clock the merchants and a large crowd of others stepped through the gates of the island. They viewed the goods till four o’clock. The four burgemeesters of the city also came to show their authority and prevent any disturbance. A junk arrived from Fuzhou with goods of little value. Otherwise it might have harmed our sale. The silk fabrics which a few Tonkinese gentlemen sent here to have them painted, as well as those that the Company wants, have been contracted for. The Haas has been beached on the west side of the harbour in order to be careened.
6 In the afternoon, in the first sale various goods were sold to the highest bidder. The bids were offered in closed notes, which were opened simultaneously for each assortment. The Bengal silk cabessa was sold for 388:8:8 taels a picul, the bariga for 241:8 taels and the Tonkinese bought in at 9 facaer for 378:9 taels. This means that compared to last year we made 30 taels more on the first grade of Bengal silk, 13 taels more on the second grade and 9 taels more on the Tonkinese kind. This is a sign of a large demand, because 310 piculs of silk more have been imported. The Tonkinese silk is considered to be the best ever imported. For this reason and also for the reason that because the one-eyed Chinese Itchien did not show up fewer Tonkinese piece-goods, except for those that are considered of a better quality than the Bengal kind, were brought this year, the price for it has risen so steeply. The Tonkinese piece-goods, except for the pelang, raised little more than the cost price.
7 We have been delivering the goods sold. We discovered that quite a lot had been stolen from some assortments: sixteen pieces of Tonkinese pelang, thirteen pieces of hockins and five pieces of chious. Even though we keep a close watch and complain about these thefts every year, they cannot be prevented even should one have the eyes of Argus, because more cunning thieves than merchants overcrowd the warehouses. The warehouse of Tonkinese silk has again been broken into in broad daylight, but it appears that any theft was prevented by people approaching. A servant of the owner is placed in front of every house to prevent any cunning thieves rummaging through it.
8 The buyer of the black and green cloth rash, rassetten and perpetuanas was nowhere to be found, because he seemed to feel somewhat taken in by the cloth. This is also the case with the buyer of three assortments of deerskin. All our complaints about these acts, which cause the Company great damage and are a nuisance because we lose so much precious time in these few trading days, were to no avail. None of the interpreters dared request the governors for even an order that these improper dealings be prevented in future, because they do their best in every way to preserve the subjects of this empire from damage suffered in the trade with foreigners, but if we were to seek justice from them, we would achieve nothing but their displeasure. Thus the goods will remain for the second sale.
9 All the remaining goods of the first sale have been delivered, except for the sappanwood that will be taken away shortly. Several gentlemen from Hakata, who are keeping guard here on both sides of the bay, visited us with Burgemeester Sakuemon and had a look at our household management.
11 The interpreters have conferred long enough and now they noticed that today we intend to sell again the five assortments of European goods that had already been sold. This forced them to report to the governors what happened with the goods after the first sale in order to avoid the governors first hearing of it from others and subjecting them to their anger for being silent. When the governors were informed, they decided that the sale of these goods should be suspended till the missing merchant had been found. They gave orders that suchlike dealings should not happen again. A small junk arrived from Fuzhou with 7 piculs of white silk and pedlar’s wares of little value. Around two o’clock the gate was opened and the merchants came on the island. They viewed the goods. A thief was caught among them. He was beaten badly, thrown down the steps and kicked out of the gates.
12 The second sale has been held. Most of the goods found a good market. The first quality Bengal silk was sold for 15 taels per picul less than in the first sale and the Tonkinese for 23 taels less. But the latter was of a lesser quality. The buyers who were not well known had to give one or two sureties, who signed the letter of purchase in our presence. The piece-goods have been delivered before evening fell. We discovered more thefts from various assortments. Holes were torn in some of the bad pieces. The buyers refused to accept these and the damaged ones, although they had been given a written notice that they should accept the goods as they had viewed them on display. Most of the interpreters took their side and forced us to accept these annoyances.
13 The buyers of the European goods sold have been found and placed under house arrest for a while. The son-in-law of Interpreter Denbyōe is among them. He had been a partner of the others.
The box with large amber beads which have been sent for Tonkin has been inspected by the governors. They marked ten strings with notes tied to them. They advised us to choose the fifteen best beads from each of these and to join each pair of strings with one of the largest beads, to hang several pieces of amber on it and to present it to the Shogun. He will undoubtedly appreciate it as something rare, according to them. The interpreters also proposed to present the governors each with five large beads and to add them to the other gifts which we shall present in two or three days, because they seem to have a great liking for them. Should they buy them, they will pay very little for them. This will be an inconvenience for Tonkin, but we cannot do anything about it. Everything that is brought here falls under the authority of these gentlemen and we have to resign ourselves to it.
15 We have been urging the merchants to take delivery of the goods so that we shall not be short of time to finish our trade. Because there are few people to intercede on our behalf, we have to put up with many annoyances and a great deal of harassment. News arrived from Edo that the Dairi has bestowed the honour and higher ranking title of Udaijin-sama25 on the Shogun.
16 After having negotiated with the copper merchants for many days, I finally settled with them. We shall receive 3000 piculs of copper according to the sample shown, together with the chests, for 10 taels and 3 mas per picul or 100 catties by our usual silk weight.
17 Happart and I went to the governors and the four burgemeesters of this city to present them with the annual gifts. They thanked us for the gifts and treated us very amiably to food and drink. In the meantime, the goods for the third sale have been unpacked.
18 They were put on display for everyone.
19 After several merchants had taken another look at the most important goods, everything was sold for excellent prices in the afternoon. The tanna-banna Bengal silk, which is cabessa and bariga in special skeins mixed together, was sold for 333:9 taels a picul. At first the merchants had shown a great deal of interest in these, so as to find out how much of each kind was included. We could not say, because the invoice does not state so, nor can it be inferred from the packs, which differ quite considerably. But based on the price it appears that they reckoned it to be two-thirds of cabessa and one-third of bariga. To avoid many problems here, for the merchants’ reassurance and for the benefit of the Company, I think that in future it should be sent separately, or in such a way that the whole can be calculated on the basis of one skein. If everything is thrown on one heap, like it has to be done here, it is not possible to make a sound calculation and it might not find such a good market at other times. Magobei related that a few Chinese from Fuzhou had spread a rumour that from China war was being waged against our people on Formosa.
The meeting of the council has decided that the Liefde and the Haas should both be dispatched on the 27th of this month, if possible. If not, one will be sent ahead to Tayouan. Fifty chests of silver will be loaded on the Liefde because she is very fragile and 100 chests of silver on the Haas and as much copper, wheat, rice and other goods which Batavia, Tayouan and Siam have ordered, as can be loaded. I would have liked them to sail earlier, but the late start of the trade and the efforts to finish it properly in the time set, as well as the unreliability of the Japanese, the long delay in fixing the price for the copper and the rice, has prevented us from observing the Governor-General’s order to dispatch the first ship early.
We have read the accounts of Willem Thijmonsz, Willem van Gageldonck, Le Seuter and Meijndert Messteecker regarding the missing silver, mentioned before. They have been accepted and no charges will be filed against them. Subsequently it has been approved that the 300 taels of silver which are short and which Tayouan has charged to our account, will be booked here as a loss, because we suspect that the fraud has been committed by the Japanese money weighers here. To prevent such actions in future, it has been decided that the silver will be weighed during the day by three deputies. There is no time to open, inspect and seal the papers in which the silver is wrapped, as the authorities in Batavia have ordered. It will also prevent lead being substituted for silver.
A junk arrived from Fuzhou with a cargo worth very little.
20 Because of a shortage of rice – so the Japanese say, perhaps to get a higher price – it had not been possible before to settle on the price for new rice and wheat. [Prices for various kinds from Higo, Hizen and Chikugo.]
21 Rain and a stiff south-westerly wind prevented us from delivering the goods sold. Copper and rice have been delivered onto the island.
22 We have been urging the merchants to take delivery of the goods sold, but they made little progress. They wanted to choose the best lots in spite of the conditions made at the sale, otherwise they would let us wait for four or five days. In this way, because of the shortness of time, they force us to yield to their shameless, increasingly thievish desires, which is difficult to accept. It is almost unbearable and it is to be feared that it will grow worse every year.
23 It proved to be difficult to deliver the deerskins which had been taken from the Chinese junks in the bars off Siam, because they had not been sorted properly when packed. The buyers want to reject many of them and also of the chouwerons, which had been mixed with hockins and chices in Tonkin, so the merchants claim. They want to keep only the best and leave us stuck with the rest because of their very poor quality.
24 We discovered many false and bad pieces mixed among the best pieces of copper. They were unacceptable. They wanted to weigh the best pieces much too sparingly. We had agreed on 34 gantang per bale for wheat, but the bales they brought contained just 31 gantang. I refused to accept this. This day has been lost.
25 The lacquerware and other goods for Batavia, Tonkin and Siam have been packed and sealed.
26 All the remaining goods have been put on view for the fourth and last sale. The chouwerons and the deerskins which had been sold and refused [by the buyers] have been sold privately to others for a little less. A Nanking junk left, but a southerly wind kept it anchored in the bay.
27 The goods, mainly European piece-goods, have been sold for a fairly high price and have been delivered. The only goods remaining are the rompen and the alum. We have executed the sale and delivery of all imported goods, in all 918,483 guilders, in twenty-two days. I had the copper poured out of the chests because of the peevishness of the Japanese and started to take delivery by weighing it. But after 300 piculs had been weighed,
28 Today is the 7th day of the 9th Japanese month, one of their major holidays in honour of a certain deity, who is taken from his temple with great splendour and lots of finery, shows, plays and dancing by a section of the citizens, dressed magnificently and in various ways. He is then placed in the lower square of the governor’s house in a straw hut – made for this purpose – and honoured.26
I presented the interpreters and the supervisor of this island with the customary annual gifts. I also gave a gift to the son of the deceased interpreter Hakuzaemon, who has now served us reasonably well. I settled with the interpreters for the goods they had fetched for several gentlemen and themselves at various times.
29 We received a great quantity of copper. The Higo rice has also been brought on the island. The rompen have been delivered. The buyers of the borax wanted the borax delivered to them cleansed of the oil in which it had been shown. I refused and they postponed receipt till after further discussion.
30 The second day of the Japanese feast. On this day they return the aforesaid god to his temple with the same stately procession as when they removed him.
31 When we were about to send the copper we had received to the Haas and the Liefde, the landlords wanted all chests opened to inspect them so that they could feel secure before sealing them. They are our sureties that we do not export anything that is forbidden.
November
1 In the morning we did the remaining 517 chests. We have loaded the chests and about 500 bales of rice onto the Liefde and the Haas with such haste that there was no time to stow them away properly. Neither talk nor pleas were of any use. After much argument, the borax and the alum have been weighed and delivered with a bonus because a lot of dirt and grit was found among them. I sold the rompen to another buyer for 10 taels a picul, which is a discount of 3:6 taels a picul. The first buyer had felt cheated and had reneged on the deal.
2 Another 1500 chests of copper have been opened and sealed again. We could not load the ships today, because the governors went to watch a play with all their servants. The camphor supplier arrived here yesterday. He offered to sell us 300 piculs if we had time left to receive them properly. I told him that I would like to discuss it with him and if possible enter into an agreement with him that he deliver us a large amount for a fixed price every year. He seemed amenable to the idea.
3 We have been busy loading the Haas and the Liefde in spite of the rain.
4 The Haas is fully loaded. Only the silver remains to be loaded on the Liefde.
5 The late arrival and early retirement of the bongioisen, who have to supervise the loading, are slowing down the dispatch of the ships more than ever before. The ammunition and the hand guns have been taken on board and the Witte Paard has taken on a large part of her cargo.
Departure of the Gekroonde Liefde and the Haas
6 The crews of the Liefde and the Haas have been mustered. The ships weighed anchor and around four o’clock they sailed out of the bay.
Departure of the Witte Paard
7 The Witte Paard is also ready to sail. She left around noon. A Nanking junk accompanied her out of the bay. Governor Kiemon followed them for a short distance in his hayafune to enjoy a better view of the vessels sailing away. A junk arrived from Fuzhou. The Kampen is almost fully loaded. In the evening, a sudden shower from the south-west drenched many bales of rice and wheat, which were lying near the gate ready to be shipped.
8 Although many of the wet bales have been rejected, a large number has been forced on us. The Valk is also fully loaded. Both ships are just waiting for about sixty or 70 chests of silver, which we have to receive from the merchants. In reply to our request to order copper and camphor in advance and to contract for lacquerware only from a few good craftsmen, the governors stated that we should follow the old custom, for otherwise the richest, who could offer it more cheaply, would continue to receive the profits made on it and the poorer ones would be left out of the profits.
9 Some small stuff was taken to the Valk. I have settled the account with the Geldkamer, although they have not yet received everything. I paid the rent for the houses. In the evening, after dinner, according to Governor-General Joan Maetsuyker’s commission, I authorized Gabriel Happart as opperhoofd of this factory in the usual way. I requested the governors that I should be allowed to stay on land for a further two or three days to settle the accounts, but they refused. However, I have hopes that I may be permitted to stay anchored at the entrance to the bay for two or three days to execute my tasks. But that I should stay there should be asked under the pretext of being prevented from sailing because of some unforeseen circumstance and not because I had to settle the accounts. That might be setting a bad precedent and taken as a show of disregard for the Shogun’s orders, which should be obeyed more strictly than before because of his youth and new government. Magobei was still on the island late in the evening and he told me and Happart that Sakuemon had spoken to him and his mates about sending an ambassador, because we ourselves had mentioned it last year. He thought and he had inferred from a conversation he had with Governor Kiemon that he was of the same opinion, that next year an envoy should be sent to this young Shogun without fail, for they had waited for one in vain and the rumour that we had been willing to send one had spread among the nobles.
10 In the morning, Senior Interpreter Kichibyōe came to tell me the aforesaid as a friendly warning from Sakuemon. It was not so much an order as a piece of advice which he had discussed with the interpreters in our own best interests. I went with Happart and Merchant Johannes Boucheljon to the governors to say farewell. They said that they were pleased with this year’s trade.
11 I had forgotten some papers on shore. I had a hyō flown and a patrol vessel came along. I sent a note to Happart in the city.
12 By special permission from the governors, Gabriel Happart came to the ship with Interpreter Magobei, who was not allowed to come on board, to bring me the required papers. After he had co-signed the letters to the Governor-General and the Governor of Tayouan, he returned to Tsukishima. First he delivered the invoices and the bill of lading, which were not signed because of haste and a closed letter to the Valk. I could not give him a copy of our trade journals because of lack of time. At the close we found that the imports this year have raised a profit of 103⅔ per cent and that the ships export silver, copper and grain worth 1,812,044 guilders. May the Almighty grant everyone a safe and propitious journey to his destination. The dagregister ends with a summary of the commodities brought by fifty-five junks from China, Tonkin, Quinam, Cambodia, Patani, Siam, Hainan and other places, 10 November 1652–10 November 1653.
Raku-no-tsubone Hōjuin.
Sic. This should be Shimada.
Sic. This should be Nagai Shinano-no-kami.
Sic. Kasuga-no-tsubone was the divorced wife of Inaba Sado-no-kami Masanari. This error may have been caused by the fact that Inaba Sado-no-kami was the grandfather of Inaba Mino-no-kami Masanori, Lord of Odawara, with whom the Dutch were acquainted.
Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Tokugawa Ietsuna.
Rembertus Dodonæus (1517–1585), Dutch physician and botanist. The first edition of Cruydt-Boeck van Rembertus Dodonæus was published in 1608. The third and final revised and expanded edition dates from 1644. The Cruydt-Boeck is a revised edition of the Cruydeboeck of 1554.
This could be Ii Kamon-no-kami Naotaka.
30 or 31 January.
Setsubun.
Another name for a Kappa, ‘River Child’, a malignant mythical creature of composite formation living near streams.
The galleon was the Madre de Deus, of which Andrea Pessoa was Captain-Major. The galleon was set ablaze and sank on 6 January 1610. See Boxer, C.R., The Affair of the Madre de Deus. A Chapter in the History of the Portuguese in Japan (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1929).
This is a garbled rendering of the events that occurred in Tayouan in September 1652. On the 8th of that month, about 4000 Chinese farmers, under the leadership of Guo Huaiyi (Fa-yi) and a few other headmen, rebelled against the Dutch authorities on the island, supposedly out of discontent about their treatment by the Company. Governor Verburch had been warned about the plans for this revolt the day before and he was able to take measures to ward off the attack. With the help of Formosan allies, the Dutch managed to quash the rebellion over the next few days. Three to four thousand rebels lost their lives. See Blussé, J.L., Milde, W.E., Ts’ao, Yung-Ho and Everts, N.C. (eds), De Dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia, Taiwan, 1629–1662, Deel III: 1648–1655 (Den Haag: Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis, 1996), pp. 292–293. See also fo. 38 of the present dagregister.
Governor-General Carel Reniersz died on 18/19 May 1653. He was succeeded by Joan Maetsuyker.
The Collector (Ontvanger) at Batavia was Sebald Wonderaer. He died on 21 May 1653.
The copy of the letter in NFJ 286 states that the Koe had perished off Tangsoa on the Chinese coast and that eight men had been saved.
See also fo. 33 of the present dagregister.
Louis Isaacksz Baffart replaced Jacob Keyser.
Johan van Beverwyck (1594–1647), Dutch physician, wrote several influential medical treatises. The references to pistachia can be found in Schat der Ongesontheyt ofte Geneeskonste van de sieckten (Dordrecht: Jasper Gorisz, 1644, 2de druk), pp. 168–169, 210, 217.
The Emperor of China.
Zacharias Wagenaer, opperhoofd in Japan in 1656/7 and 1658/9, was sent by the High Government of the Indies on a trade mission to Canton in July 1653. He returned to Batavia in December of that year.
The crew on board the junk were Coxinga’s men. Canton was ruled by the Manchu.
The eunuch Ongjade became first mandarin after Ongiatule’s downfall. It is not certain what his original position was. See 7 August 1652, note.
Hassaku.
Minister of the Right. Honorary title of the second rank.
The Kunchi Festival. The deity is Suwa Myōjin, popularly known as Suwa-sama.