Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and Engelbert Kaempfer
by Maki Ueda

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was one of the shoguns of the Edo period in Japan, and Engelbert Kaempfer stayed in Dejima (Nagasaki) for about two years as a German doctor of the Dutch trading post. During the period of national isolation, the Netherlands was Japan's only trading partner. The Dutch East India Company brought textiles and fragrance materials from Batavia to Nagasaki. The fragrance materials include agarwood, natural borneol, and cloves: mostly meant for incense. In order to present these goods, Kaempfer met the shogun Tsunayoshi in Edo twice, in 1691 and 1692. (Edo, Japan)

Artist Statement
Kaempfer was a diligent recorder of his experiences in Japan. When he met Tsunayoshi, he found a shogun that was very curious, and asked many questions. Among them, we see Tsunayoshi asking about medicine in the following exchange:

"What kind of medicine is the best for longevity in Europe?”

"The most recently discovered medicine is the best medicine.  It is a kind of alcohol called sal volatire oleosme sylvi.”

The two men shared an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a love of learning.  So Kaempfer, in order to accommodate shogun’s curiosity and avoid political complications, did not simply answer "Jenever," (the origin of Gin), but went to the trouble of using a cryptic name.  We can read the "click" of the connection between the two men in their encounter, in this thoughtful conversation.

Watch Maki Ueda talk about Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and Engelbert Kaempfer