Hirado

In 1609, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established its first trading post in Japan at Hirado, a small fishing town on the northwestern tip of the Kitamatsuura Peninsula in Nagasaki prefecture. This marked the beginning of Dutch-Japanese trade relations. The post initially operated out of rented warehouses but gradually expanded, adding facilities such as water wells, a rope yard, and a naval sawmill. Positioned under the watchful eye of the local shogun, whose castle overlooked the bay, the trading post became a hub for Dutch ships exchanging silk, porcelain, and other goods for Japanese gold, silver, and copper. This trade was critical to the VOC's growing Asian network.

As Japanese attitudes toward foreigners shifted due to concerns about Christian influences, the Tokugawa shogunate began implementing anti-Christian edicts between 1614 and 1639. These laws led to the persecution of Portuguese Catholics and their Japanese followers, culminating in the expulsion of the Portuguese community in 1639. Although the Dutch were initially exempt from these restrictions, their position became precarious. In 1640, shogunate officials inspected the Hirado trading post and found a Christian date inscribed on a warehouse keystone, violating the anti-Christian laws. This discovery provided a pretext for dismantling the post and relocating the Dutch to Nagasaki, under stricter shogunate control.