Hildreth's "Japan as It Was and Is": A Handbook of Old Japan, Volume 2 (of 2)Hildreth, Richard
History
Hildreth's "Japan as It Was and Is": A Handbook of Old Japan, Volume 2 (of 2)
Hildreth, Richard
Japan -- History
“Having stayed about two hours, we went to Tonosama’s house, where we
were conducted into the innermost and chief apartment, and desired
twice to come nearer the lattices on both sides of the room. There were
more ladies behind the screens here than, I think, we had as yet met
with in any other place. They desired us, very civilly, to show them
our clothes, the captain’s arms, rings, tobacco-pipes, and the like,
some of which were reached them between or under the lattices. The
person that treated us in the absent governor’s name, and the other
gentlemen who were then present in the room, entertained us likewise
very civilly, and we could not but take notice that everything was so
cordial that we made no manner of scruple of making ourselves merry,
and diverting the company each with a song. The magnificence of
this family appeared fully by the richness and exquisiteness of this
entertainment, which was equal to that of the first commissioner’s, but
far beyond it in courteous civility and a free, open carriage. After
an hour and a half we took our leave. The house of Tonosama is the
furthermost to the north or northwest we were to go to, a mile and a
half from our inn, but seated in by much the pleasantest part of the
town, where there is an agreeable variety of hills and shrubbery. The
family of Tubosama (?), the third governor, lives in a small, sorry
house near the ditch which encompasses the castle. We met here but a
few women behind a screen, who took up with peeping at us through a
few holes, which they made as they sat down. The strong liquors, which
we had been this day obliged to drink in larger quantities than usual,
being by this time got pretty much into our heads, we made haste to
return home, and took our leave as soon as we had been treated, after
the usual manner, with tea and tobacco.”
Two or three days after followed the audience of leave preparatory to
the return to Nagasaki. Of this Kämpfer gives much the fullest account
in his narrative of his second visit to Yedo, which we follow here.
Having proceeded to the palace as at the first audience, after half an
hour’s stay in the waiting-room, the “Captain Hollanda” was called in
before the councillors of state, who directed one of the commissioners
to read the usual orders to him, five in number, chiefly to the
effect that the Dutch should not molest any of the boats or ships of
the Chinese or the Lew Chewans trading to Japan, nor bring in any
Portuguese or priests.
These orders being read, the director was presented with thirty gowns,
laid on three of the Japanese wooden stands or salvers, which he crept
upon all fours to receive, and in token of respect held one of the
gowns over his head.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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