Japan’s first European trading partners were the Portuguese, who reached Japan in 1543. However, the Dutch became Japan’s sole European trading partner for nearly 250 years, starting in 1609 and continuing until Japan reopened its doors to the West. From 1633, when the Tokugawa Shogunate proclaimed the isolation of Japan, until the middle of the 19th century, the Country’s external relations and trade had been confined to China and Holland, and the only port open for these purposes was Nagasaki.
In the year 2000, Japan Post issued a set of two stamps to commemorate 400 years of Japan-Netherlands relations, featuring the ancient Dutch ship De Liefde and the Dutch captain Willem Adams, which marked the first encounter between the two countries in 1600. The stamps were part of a series celebrating the anniversary of cultural exchange and the initial landing of the De Liefde in Japan.
The 1989 Japanese postage stamp above depicts a 17th-century Dutch sailing ship, likely a representation of a Dutch East India Company (VOC) vessel, to commemorate the historical connection between Japan and the Netherlands, particularly through the “Holland Festival” that was held in Japan that year.
