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46-490: The event began as a celebration of autumn harvests in the late 16th century and became a shrine festival when Suwa Shrine was founded in 1614. The name kunchi is derived from the word kunichi ( 九日 , the ninth day of the ninth lunar month of the year) . The festival originally began on the seventh day of the month and lasted through the ninth day, maintained today as Okunchi's start date of October 7 and end date of October 9. According to local explanation, another purpose

92-559: A deal with the Portuguese to develop Nagasaki; soon the port was open for trade. In 1580 Sumitada gave the jurisdiction of Nagasaki to the Jesuits, and the Portuguese obtained the de facto monopoly on the silk trade with China through Macau . The shōgun Iemitsu ordered the construction of the artificial island in 1634, to accommodate the Portuguese traders living in Nagasaki and prevent

138-574: A supervisor ( 乙名 , otona ) with about fifty subordinates. Numerous merchants supplied goods and catering, and about 150 interpreters ( 通詞 , tsūji ) served. They all had to be paid by the VOC . As the city of Nagasaki, Dejima was under the direct supervision of Edo through a governor ( Nagasaki bugyō ). Every ship that arrived in Dejima was inspected. Its sails were held by the Japanese until they released

184-521: A trading post on the island of Hirado . The departure of the Portuguese left the Dutch employees of the " Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie " ("VOC") as the sole Westerners with trade access to Japan. For 33 years they were allowed to trade relatively freely. At its maximum, the Hirado trading post ( 平戸オランダ商館 , Hirado Oranda Shōkan ) covered a large area. In 1637 and 1639 stone warehouses were constructed within

230-601: A year the Europeans were allowed to attend the festivities at the Suwa-Shrine under escort. Sometimes physicians such as Engelbert Kaempfer , Carl Peter Thunberg , and Philipp Franz von Siebold were called to high-ranking Japanese patients with the permission of the authorities. Starting in the 18th century, Dejima became known throughout Japan as a center of medicine, military science, and astronomy. Many samurai traveled there for "Dutch studies" ( Rangaku ). The Opperhoofd

276-549: Is 1614, the same year as Tokugawa Ieyasu's Edict against Christianity , although there was little more than a small structure to mark the position of the future shrine at this time. At that time, Nagasaki was home to the largest Christian population in Japan, and had destroyed many of the former Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples . The Tokugawa Shogunate had taken power and reversed its friendly policy towards Christianity . The government had begun forcing Christians to reconvert to

322-482: Is the major Shinto shrine of Nagasaki , Japan , and one of the major locations of the Nagasaki Kunchi , originally celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and now celebrated on the fixed dates of October 7 to October 9. It is located in the northern part of the city, on the slopes of Mount Tamazono, and features a 277-step stone staircase leading up the mountain to the various buildings that comprise

368-453: Is thought to have survived intact due to its strategic location in the central part of Mount Tamazono's southern flank, although in the aftermath of the bomb local residents were quick to note that while the famous Urakami Cathedral and surrounding Catholic neighborhoods were obliterated, the Shinto shrine still stood. This was considered to be significant by the survivors of the bombing, showing

414-751: The Kankō Maru , given by the government of the Netherlands the same year. The future Admiral Enomoto Takeaki was one of the students of the Training Center. The Dutch East India Company 's trading post at Dejima was abolished when Japan concluded the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States in 1858. This ended Dejima's role as Japan's only window on the Western world during the era of national isolation . Since then,

460-482: The Bakufu suddenly increased its interactions with Dejima in an effort to build up knowledge of Western shipping methods. The Nagasaki Naval Training Center ( 長崎海軍伝習所 , Nagasaki Kaigun Denshūsho ) , a naval training institute, was established in 1855 by the government of the shōgun at the entrance of Dejima, to enable maximum interaction with Dutch naval know-how. The center was equipped with Japan's first steamship,

506-654: The 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島 , lit.   ' built island ' ) , was an artificial island off Nagasaki , Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1858). For 220 years, it was the central conduit for foreign trade and cultural exchange with Japan during the isolationist Edo period (1600–1869), and the only Japanese territory open to Westerners. Spanning 120 m × 75 m (390 ft × 250 ft) or 9,000 m (2.2 acres), Dejima

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552-558: The Chinese residents of Nagasaki. Rehearsals for the festival begin on June 1. The festival includes a number of other folk performing arts, including kujira no shiofuki ( 鯨の潮吹き , the blowing of the whale) , kokkodesho ( コッコデショ , drum dance) , and Oranda manzai ( 阿蘭陀万才 , Dutch dance) . 32°45′14.85″N 129°52′55.6″E  /  32.7541250°N 129.882111°E  / 32.7541250; 129.882111 Suwa Shrine (Nagasaki) Suwa Shrine ( 諏訪神社 , suwa jinja )

598-783: The Deputy Factor's Quarters were completed and opened to the public. In the spring of 2006, the finishing touches were put on the Chief Factor's Residence, the Japanese Officials' Office, the Head Clerk's Quarters, the No. 3 Warehouse, and the Sea Gate. Currently, some 10 buildings throughout the area have been restored. In 2017, six new buildings, as well as the Omotemon Bridge (the old bridge to

644-404: The Dutch negotiated their own treaty in 1858, which ended Dejima's status as exclusive trading post, greatly reducing its importance. The island was eventually subsumed into Nagasaki city through land reclamation . In 1922, the "Dejima Dutch Trading Post" was designated a Japanese national historic site , and there are ongoing efforts in the 21st century to restore Dejima as an island. In 1543,

690-459: The Japanese religions of Buddhism and Shinto . It was thought that establishing a major point of Shinto worship would be important to these efforts, giving the local population a central point of worship and a sense of community. In 1623, Aoki Kensei (1582-1656), a Shugendō priest, came to Nagasaki. With the backing of the bakufu and the Nagasaki's magistrate, land on His religious zeal and skill at organizing, combined with authority granted by

736-474: The Maruyama teahouses. The yūjo were handpicked from 1642 by the Japanese, often against their will. From the 18th century, there were some exceptions to this rule, especially following Tokugawa Yoshimune 's doctrine of promoting European practical sciences. A few Oranda-yuki ("those who stay with the Dutch") were allowed to stay for longer periods, but they had to report regularly to the Japanese guard post. Once

782-531: The Nakashima River and moving a part of Route 499. Opperhoofd is a Dutch word (plural opperhoofden ) which literally means 'supreme head'. The Japanese used to call the trading post chiefs kapitan which is derived from Portuguese capitão (cf. Latin caput , head). In its historical usage, the word is a gubernatorial title, comparable to the English Chief factor , for the chief executive officer of

828-478: The West. Following a rebellion by mostly Catholic converts , the Portuguese were expelled in 1639. The Dutch were moved to Dejima in 1641, under stricter control and scrutiny, and segregated from Japanese society. The open practice of Christianity was banned, and interactions between Dutch and Japanese traders were tightly regulated, with only a small number of foreign merchants being allowed to disembark in Dejima. Until

874-606: The ambit of this Hirado trading post. Christian-era year dates were used on the stonework of the new warehouses and these were used in 1640 as a pretext to demolish the buildings and relocate the trading post to Nagasaki. With the expulsion of the last Portuguese in 1639, Dejima became a failed commercial post and without the annual trading with Portuguese ships from Macau, the economy of Nagasaki suffered greatly. The Dutch were forced by government officials to move from Hirado to Dejima in Nagasaki. From 1641 on, only Chinese and Dutch ships were allowed to come to Japan, and Nagasaki harbor

920-529: The bankruptcy of the East-India Company in 1795, the Dutch government took over the exchange with Japan. Times were especially hard when the Netherlands, then called the Batavian Republic , was under French Napoleonic rule . All ties with the homeland were severed at Dejima, and for a while, it was the only place in the world where the Dutch flag was flown. The chief VOC trading post officer in Japan

966-570: The court, such as astrolabes , a pair of glasses, telescopes, globes, medical instruments, medical books, or exotic animals and tropical birds. In return, the Dutch delegation received some gifts from the shōgun . On arrival in Edo, the Opperhoofd and his retinue, usually his scribe and the factory physician, had to wait in the Nagasakiya ( 長崎屋 ) , their mandatory residence, until they were summoned at

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1012-400: The court. During the reign of the somewhat eccentric shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, they were expected to perform Dutch dances and songs for the amusement of the shōgun after their official audience, according to Engelbert Kaempfer . But they also used the opportunity of their stay of about two to three weeks in the capital to exchange knowledge with learned Japanese and, under escort, to visit

1058-470: The direct command of the Shōgun. These performances continued until 1856, when a major fire at the shrine destroyed most of the expensive Noh masks and props. From 1871 through 1946, Suwa was officially designated one of the kokuhei-chūsha ( 国幣中社 ) , meaning that it stood in the mid-range of ranked, nationally significant shrines . Suwa Shrine survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. It

1104-568: The history of direct contact between Japan and Europe began with the arrival of storm-blown Portuguese merchants on Tanegashima . Six years later the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier landed in Kagoshima . At first Portuguese traders were based in Hirado , but they moved in search of a better port. In 1570 daimyō Ōmura Sumitada converted to Catholicism (choosing Bartolomeu as his Christian name) and made

1150-464: The island was expanded by reclaimed land and merged into Nagasaki. Extensive redesigning of Nagasaki Harbor in 1904 obscured its original location. The original footprint of Dejima Island has been marked by rivets; but as restoration progresses, the ambit of the island will be easier to see at a glance. Dejima today is a work in progress. The island was designated a national historic site in 1922, but further steps were slow to follow. Restoration work

1196-412: The joint purpose of honoring the kami, providing a sense of community for shrine worshipers, and providing exposure and income for the shrine itself. Some of these festivals are typical to all major Shinto shrines in Japan, but some are unique to Suwa Shrine. Most Shinto shrines sell omikuji , a type of fortune telling that comes on a slip of paper that lists your particular luck at that time. Suwa Shrine

1242-446: The leading Yoshida Shinto council, led to the completion of the main structure of Suwa Shrine in 1626. In order to attract attention and encourage attendance at the new shrine, a dramatic yutate-sai ritual, where a priest demonstrates his communion with the kami by plunging his hands into boiling water unharmed, was performed. In spite of this, as well as the sumo match that followed, very few people came to watch. In 1634, an edict

1288-447: The mainland), were restored. The bridge was officially opened in attendance of members of the Japanese and Dutch royal families. Long-term planning intends that Dejima will again be surrounded by water on all four sides; its characteristic fan-shaped form and all of its embankment walls will be fully restored. This long-term plan will include large-scale urban redevelopment in the area. To make Dejima an island again will require rerouting

1334-465: The mid-19th century, the Dutch were the only Westerners with exclusive access to the Japanese markets. Dejima consequently played a key role in the Japanese movement of rangaku ( 蘭學 , Dutch learning) , an organized scholarly effort to learn the Dutch language in order to understand Western science, medicine, and technology. After the 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa set a precedent for more fully opening Japan to foreign trade and diplomatic relations,

1380-412: The power of the native Japanese kami as opposed to the imported Christian god . In addition, priests from Suwa Shrine took an active role in the rebuilding of Nagasaki, including consecrating the land and purifying structures that still stood. In 1984, a large-scale reconstruction repaired and modernized the shrine, installing such conveniences as air conditioners and glass windows. This reconstruction

1426-569: The propagation of their religion. This was one of the many edicts put forth by Iemitsu between 1633 and 1639 moderating contact between Japan and other countries. However, in response to the uprising of the predominantly Christian population in the Shimabara - Amakusa region, the Tokugawa government decided to expel the Portuguese in 1639. Since 1609, the Dutch East India Company had run

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1472-451: The ship to leave. They confiscated religious books and weapons. Christian churches were banned on the island and the Dutch were not allowed to hold any religious services. Despite the financial burden of maintaining the isolated outpost on Dejima, the trade with Japan was very profitable for the Dutch, initially yielding profits of 50% or more. Trade declined in the 18th century, as only two ships per year were allowed to dock at Dejima. After

1518-579: The shrine. Suwa Shrine was established as a way of stopping and reverting the conversion to Christianity that was taking place in Nagasaki. In modern times, it remains an important and successful center of the community. The shrine in Nagasaki is one of many Suwa shrines, all of which are dedicated to Suwa-no-Kami, a kami of valor and duty, and are linked with Suwa Taisha , the head shrine of Suwa-no-Kami worship. Two other kami are also enshrined at Suwa Shrine, all three of which are celebrated during Kunchi. The official date of construction for Suwa Shrine

1564-513: The town. Allegations published in the late 17th and early 18th century that Dutch traders were required by the Shogunate to renounce their Christian faith and undergo the test of treading on a fumi-e , an image of Jesus or Mary , are thought by modern scholars to be propaganda arising from the Anglo-Dutch Wars . Following the forced opening of Japan by US Navy Commodore Perry in 1854,

1610-777: Was added the personal trade of VOC employees on Dejima, which was an important source of income for them and their Japanese counterparts. They sold more than 10,000 foreign books on various scientific subjects to the Japanese from the end of the 18th to the early 19th century. These became the basis of knowledge and a factor in the Rangaku movement, or Dutch studies. In all, 606 Dutch ships arrived at Dejima during its two centuries of settlement, from 1641 to 1847. For two hundred years, foreign merchants were generally not allowed to cross from Dejima to Nagasaki. Japanese civilians were likewise banned from entering Dejima, except interpreters, cooks, carpenters, clerks and yūjo ("women of pleasure") from

1656-477: Was arrested, tortured and possibly executed if they did not renounce their Christian faith. Suwa Shrine was relocated further up the slope of the mountain twice, first in 1647 and then again in 1683. Because Nagasaki was the only place in Japan with an open port , it was considered essential to impress the Dutch and Chinese traders with Japanese culture. In addition to the festival, beginning in 1638 major performances of Noh were also held at Suwa Shrine, at

1702-605: Was called the Opperhoofd by the Dutch, or Kapitan (from Portuguese capitão ) by the Japanese. This descriptive title did not change when the VOC went bankrupt and trade with Japan was continued by the Dutch Indies government at Batavia . According to the Sakoku rules of the Tokugawa shogunate , the VOC had to transfer and replace the opperhoofd every year with a new one. And each opperhoofd

1748-411: Was controversial, as some felt that modern conveniences had no place at a traditional shrine. Like most Shinto shrines, every year thousands of people visit Suwa Shrine to pray for peace and prosperity. The Shrine is also the main destination in Nagasaki for events such as Shichi-Go-San and the coming-of-age day ceremonies. Suwa Shrine is also the host to many annual festivals. These festivals serve

1794-469: Was created in 1636 by digging a canal through a small peninsula and linking it to the mainland with a small bridge. The island was constructed by the Tokugawa shogunate , whose isolationist policies sought to preserve the existing sociopolitical order by forbidding outsiders from entering Japan while prohibiting most Japanese from leaving. Dejima housed European merchants and separated them from Japanese society while still facilitating lucrative trade with

1840-469: Was expected to travel to Edo to offer tribute to the shogun . Originally, the Dutch mainly traded in silk , cotton, and materia medica from China and India. Sugar became more important later. Deer pelts and shark skin were transported to Japan from Formosa , as well as books, scientific instruments and many other rarities from Europe. In return, the Dutch traders bought Japanese copper, silver, camphor , porcelain, lacquer ware, and rice. To this

1886-414: Was issued requiring all people to register at the shrine and be counted. In addition to this, in another attempt to further increase local participation in shrine events, a great autumn festival was held at the shrine. Both of these events were created in the attempt to discover any remaining Christians, who would not be able to participate in the festival or register at the shrine. Anyone who failed to do so

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1932-474: Was started in 1953, but that project languished. In 1996, restoration of Dejima began with plans for reconstructing 25 buildings in their early 19th-century state. To better display Dejima's fan-shaped form, the project anticipated rebuilding only parts of the surrounding embankment wall that had once enclosed the island. Buildings that remained from the Meiji period were to be used. In 2000, five buildings including

1978-493: Was the first shrine in Japan to offer omikuji in English. Another unique feature of Suwa Shrine are the "stop lions". They are two stone-carved guardian lions , and tradition holds that if one wishes to stop a behavior, such as smoking , one should tie a piece of paper or string around their front legs and pray for their assistance. Dejima Dejima ( Japanese : 出島 , lit.   ' exit island ' ) or Deshima , in

2024-593: Was the only one they were allowed to enter. On the administrative level, the island of Dejima was part of the city of Nagasaki. The 25 local Japanese families who owned the land received an annual rent from the Dutch. Dejima was a small island, 120 metres (390 ft) by 75 metres (246 ft), linked to the mainland by a small bridge, guarded on both sides, and with a gate on the Dutch side. It contained houses for about twenty Dutchmen, warehouses, and accommodation for Japanese officials. The Dutch were watched by several Japanese officials, gatekeepers, night watchmen, and

2070-454: Was to check for hidden Christians after the ban on Christianity. This is still evident today in the custom of garden showing ( 庭見せ , niwamise ) , when the presenting neighbourhoods open up their homes to public scrutiny. One of the most famous performances of the festival is the Dragon Dance ( jaodori ( 龍踊り , dragon dance) ), which was originally performed on New Year's Eve by

2116-541: Was treated like the representative of a tributary state, which meant that he had to pay a visit of homage to the shōgun in Edo . The Dutch delegation traveled to Edo yearly between 1660 and 1790, and once every four years thereafter. This prerogative was denied to the Chinese traders. The lengthy travel to the shogunal court broke the boredom of the Dutch stay, but it was a costly affair. Government officials told them in advance and in detail which (expensive) gifts were expected at

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