Letters by the first and second Tokugawa Shoguns, c 1611-1617.

Engraving of letters by the first and second Tokugawa Shoguns with their seals, 1611 and 1617, granting protection to the Dutch trading post (figs 2-5). Also shown is a notice board for official proclamations, and an example of a written oath. From 'The History of Japan' (1727) by Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716). Kaempfer was a German physician working at the Dutch trading post in Japan from 1690-1692. On returning to Europe he wrote 'The History of Japan', which records many aspects of Japan in the Genroku period (1688- 1704).