Danish Attempts to Open Trade with Japan, 1637–1645

Abstract

This article will describe the first attempt made by the Danish East India Company to establish trade with Japan in 1637–1645, as described in Dutch and Portuguese sources. In doing this, it will contribute to a rich historiography of early modern European contacts with Japan. In English-language historiography on seventeenth-century maritime East Asia, the Danish East India Company has largely been overlooked as an actor compared to its larger European counterparts. Conversely, in Danish historiography the interactions between the Danish company and its larger competitors, especially the Dutch, have been overlooked as well. The article will show how the governor of the Danish East India Company tried to cooperate with the Spanish and Portuguese in bypassing the Dutch monopoly in Japan. In addition, it will show how the Japanese relied on Dutch intelligence on the outside world.