2-985-668 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The island of Deshima, c.1833-c.1836. Bird's-eye view of the fan-shaped island of Deshima. In the foreground closed gates and steps between the island and the mainland. On the right is a flagpole with a red-white-and-blue flag. Dejima or Deshima was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan, which served as a trading post for the Portuguese and subsequently the Dutch. For 220 years, it was the central conduit for foreign trade and cultural exchange with Japan during the Edo period, and the only Japanese territory open to Westerners. The work is stretched on silk and mounted in a black lacquered frame inlaid with mother-of-pearl flower motifs.