Collection: Dejima Collection

Dejima is a special place in the heart of ceramic historians. In the 1630's Dejima was a small artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki which was specifically designated as a site of foreign trade with the Japanese during their long period of 'closed border'. It operated as a trading post for the Dutch East Indian Company and Chinese merchants who had exclusive trade agreements with Japan. One of the significant items of trade during the Edo period was pottery. The cultural exchange of ideas and designs that took place on this small island had a lasting impact, not only on Dutch ceramics, but the history of ceramics itself.