Dejima — Siebold Conspiracy

Your investigation begins at Dejima Bridge, the historic access point to the artificial island where the Dutch were confined from 1641 to 1859. It was here, on this stone bridge in Nagasaki, that the most closely monitored exchanges between Japan and the outside world took place. You will discover the first riddles related to secret cargoes and letters exchanged by Dr. Siebold, a Bavarian naturalist whose work on Japanese flora and fauna was of vital importance to 19th-century Europe.

Continue to Dejima Wharf in Nagasaki, where Dutch ships docked, unloading their goods and information. This restored quay testifies to the draconian restrictions imposed on foreigners and the ingenuity of merchants in circumventing prohibitions. Here you will reconstruct the trade routes and smuggling networks that allowed prohibited items, such as geographical maps, to leave the archipelago, highlighting Dejima's central role in global trade at the time.

Your path will then lead you to the Meganebashi Bridge, or “Spectacles Bridge,” a stone edifice dating from 1634, one of Japan's oldest arch bridges. Although located just outside Dejima, this bridge over the Nakashima River served as a landmark for sailors and merchants. It will allow you to decipher a message hidden in the architecture, a crucial clue to locating a secret contact within Nagasaki's Chinese community, a key link in Siebold's information chain.

The exploration continues at Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, Nagasaki's Chinese quarter, established in the 17th century. This site was not directly linked to Dejima by geographical constraint, but it represented another hub of cultural and commercial exchange with foreign countries, under strict surveillance by the shogunate. You will encounter traces of Chinese merchants and double agents, and will have to decipher pictograms to understand the extent of the conspiracy and the links between the Dutch and Chinese networks, revealing the complexity of Kyushu's international relations during this period.

Finally, your journey concludes near Higashi-Yamate Park, offering a view of Nagasaki port. This park, located on a hill, was a popular spot for foreign residents after Japan's opening in 1859. It is here that you will assemble the final pieces of the puzzle, revealing the identity of the conspiracy's mastermind and the impact of the Siebold affair on future diplomatic relations. This interactive tour in Nagasaki will have allowed you to delve into the heart of the geopolitical issues that shaped the history of Dejima and the Kyushu region, far beyond simple commercial exchanges.