{"id":3738,"date":"2016-03-30T08:25:07","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T12:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/?p=3738"},"modified":"2016-03-30T08:25:07","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T12:25:07","slug":"engelbert-kaempfers-17th-century-sojourn-to-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/2016\/03\/30\/engelbert-kaempfers-17th-century-sojourn-to-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Engelbert Kaempfer’s 17th century sojourn to Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Engelbert Kaempfer<\/b> (1651 \u2013 1716) was a noted\u00a0scientist, physician to the Dutch East India Company, and an enthusiastic traveler known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, South-East Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693. He wrote two books about his travels,\u00a0Amoenitatum Exoticarum<\/i>, which\u00a0was valued\u00a0for his\u00a0medical and botanical observations throughout Asia. His second, and more famous book,\u00a0History of Japan<\/i>, was published posthumously in 1727. It remains\u00a0a\u00a0primary resource on\u00a0Japanese life, culture, and society, during\u00a0a period when the country\u00a0was closed to foreigners. From 1641-1853, Japan adopted a policy of seclusion and closed its ports for trade. The Dutch East India Company established a trading post, named Deshima, by exploiting a man-made island in the bay of Nagasaki\u00a0so as to comply with the strict Japanese trade policy. Kampfer came to this “port” and stayed for two years, where he had the opportunity to visit Edo and study the local flora. His diplomatic skills and medical expertise enabled him to gain further access than most. His contributions to the West were not just his new discoveries, but his detailed descriptions and drawings\u00a0of\u00a0some\u00a0400 plants. He is the first westerner to bring Ginko seeds back to Europe, collect information on the practice of acupuncture and moxibustion, and document\u00a0the cultivation, preparation, and ceremonies\u00a0for tea.\u00a0Upon\u00a0his return to Germany in 1693 he published Amoenitatum Exoticarum<\/i>. His extensive manuscripts regarding Japan remained unpublished\u00a0until they\u00a0were obtained by Sir Hans Sloane, after Kaempfer’s death. In 1727, the first edition of Kaempfer’s comprehensive account of Japan appeared in English as The History of Japan<\/i>. This edition was followed in 1729 by translations in both Dutch and French.<\/p>\n

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\nAcupuncture diagram showing the needles in their case, the instrument to guide the needles, and a model<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nTwo schematics indicating\u00a0parts of the human body for an application of\u00a0Moxa\u00a0to stimulate circulation and good health<\/em>
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\nA view of the two Courts of Berklam’s Temple in Thailand<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nDepiction of an audience chamber\u00a0in Edo, where visitors are met. Musical instruments used during perfomances, provide a decorative border for\u00a0the plate<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nDarma, with instruments for storing, making, and drinking tea<\/em><\/p>\n

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Description:<\/dt>\n
Kaempfer, Engelbert. Histoire naturelle, civile, et eccl\u00e9siastique de l’empire du Japon. A La Haye : Chez P. Gosse, & J. Neaulme, MDCCXXIX.<\/dd>\n
Persistent Link:<\/dt>\n
http:\/\/nrs.harvard.edu\/urn-3:FHCL:14292228<\/a><\/dd>\n
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Repository:<\/dt>\n
Widener Library<\/dd>\n
Institution:<\/dt>\n
Harvard University<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Engelbert Kaempfer (1651 \u2013 1716) was a noted\u00a0scientist, physician to the Dutch East India Company, and an enthusiastic traveler known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, South-East Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693. He wrote two books about his travels,\u00a0Amoenitatum Exoticarum, which\u00a0was valued\u00a0for his\u00a0medical and botanical observations throughout Asia. His second, and more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2559,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2559"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3738"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3873,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3738\/revisions\/3873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}