Katana and Overseas Trade: How Edo-Period Japanese Swords Were Treasured Abroad

The Edo period in Japan is often described using the term "sakoku" (closed country), but this does not mean that all external relations were severed. The shogunate limited trading posts to the "four gates" of Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma, and Matsumae, and maintained connections with the outside world in a controlled manner. Within this limited circuit, Japanese swords also crossed the sea, and through diplomatic ceremonies and the hands of foreign intellectuals, their existence became known overseas. This article traces how swords of the Edo period were treated overseas and through what routes they became known, based on historical facts that can be confirmed.

Limited Openings under Sakoku—Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma, and Matsumae

By the Kaneian period (1630s), the shogunate's foreign policy was established, and Japanese citizens' free overseas travel and the arrival of foreign ships were strictly restricted. However, this was not complete isolation. In Nagasaki, trade with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and Qing China continued; through the Tsushima domain, diplomatic relations and commerce with Korea (Joseon) continued; through the Satsuma domain, relations with the Ryukyu Kingdom continued; and through the Matsumae domain, trade with Ezo (Ainu) continued. These openings were official channels strictly controlled by the shogunate, and the handling of military equipment like Japanese swords was also placed within this control system. It was not generally assumed that swords would freely flow overseas as commercial goods; rather, most swords that crossed the sea were brought out in different contexts—diplomatic ceremonies or personal collecting, as will be discussed below.

Swords as Diplomatic Ritual—Korean Embassies and the Shogun's Gift Exchange

During the Edo period, large diplomatic missions called "Korean Embassies" frequently visited Japan from Korea on occasions such as the succession of shoguns. Under the mediation of the Tsushima domain, this diplomatic exchange followed the customary practice of ritual gift-giving between the two countries, and military equipment including swords and works of art were sometimes exchanged between the shogun's house and the Korean side. Such gift-giving was not mere commerce but part of diplomatic ritual demonstrating the friendship and dignity of both nations, suggesting that Japanese swords were recognized as "worthy items deserving to be given as gifts." The fact that swords functioned not merely as weapons but as diplomatic gifts embodying Japanese technology and aesthetic sensibility provides an important clue for understanding the external position of swords in this era.

Dejima Dutch Trading Post and Interest in Swords

The Dutch trading post at Dejima in Nagasaki was nearly the sole window connecting Europe and Japan throughout the period of sakoku. Dutch personnel and their associates stationed at the post showed keen interest in Japanese customs, crafts, and nature, and sometimes brought back Japanese goods when returning home. Swords were subject to particularly strict control by the shogunate and were not freely allowed to be exported, but information about swords as records and sources, as well as limited access to related items, became one factor in heightening interest in Japan among European intellectuals. The accumulation of such thin-thread-like contacts gradually created the soil in which Japanese sword culture would later be discussed in Europe.

Kaempfer and von Siebold—Records of Japan Transmitted to Europe

Engelbert Kaempfer, a German physician who stayed at the Dejima trading post (during the Genroku period, around 1690–1692), is known as a figure who brought detailed information about Japanese society and culture to contemporary Europe through his work "History of Japan," written after his return home. The Japanese-related materials he collected were later incorporated into collections that would form the basis of the British Museum, and played a role in making the existence of Japan widely known to European intellectuals.

In the late Edo period, Philipp Franz von Siebold, a German physician who also stayed at Dejima, is known for his energetic collecting of Japanese nature, culture, and crafts. The vast collection that von Siebold brought back is still housed in institutions such as the Netherlands National Museum of Ethnology (Leiden) and continues to be referenced today as an important body of materials for Japanese studies. Such collecting and recording activities by foreign residents demonstrate that despite the constraints of sakoku, foreign intellectual interest in Japanese military equipment and crafts never ceased.

The Opening of Ports at the End of the Edo Period and the Beginnings of Spread Overseas

Following Perry's arrival in 1853 and the opening of ports after the 1858 Harris Treaty between the Five Powers, contact between Japan and the outside world entered its most intense phase throughout the Edo period. Many foreigners came and went at open ports such as Nagasaki, Yokohama, and Hakodate, and interest in Japanese crafts and military equipment increased further. The contact points that arose in these final years of the Edo period represented a prelude to the large-scale flow that would follow: after the Meiji Restoration, with the dissolution of the samurai class, many swords flowed into the market and were collected by Western diplomats, military officers, and merchants. It can be seen that the accumulation of contact with the outside world, limited though it was, that had been maintained throughout the Edo period prepared the way for the spread of international interest in Japanese swords in the eras to follow.

Conclusion

Even under the controlled system of sakoku, Japanese swords transmitted their existence overseas little by little, whether as gifts in diplomatic ritual or through the collecting and recording activities of foreign residents. The gift-giving surrounding the Korean Embassies, the interest shown by Dejima Dutch trading post personnel, and the records and collections brought back by Kaempfer and von Siebold—all of these are clues that tell of the external context in which Edo-period swords were positioned. At TOUKENZA, with this historical background in mind, you can view the Japanese swords on offer in our online catalog. Please browse our sword listings to find one that interests you, and feel free to contact us through our inquiry form for details.