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'''Bijzonderheden over Japan, behelzende een verslag van de huwelijks plechtigheden, begrafenissen en feesten der Japanezen, de gedenkschriften der laatste Japansche keizers, en andere merkwaardigheden nopens dat rij. Uit het Engelsch, met gekleurde platen naar Japansche originelen''' is a book about Japanese history, customs and ceremonies during the Tokugawa period observed by Dutch senior official in the VOC Isaac Titsingh, published in 1824 in the Dutch language in 's Gravenhage by Wed. J.Allart..

The edition of this book is based on the English publication of  Illustrations of Japan; consisting of Private Memoirs and Anecdotes of the reigning dynasty of The Djogouns, or Sovereigns of Japan; a description of the Feasts and Ceremonies observed throughout the year at their Court; and of the Ceremonies customary at Marriages and Funerals: to which are subjoined, observations on the legal suicide of the Japanese, remarks on their poetry, an explanation of their mode of reckoning time, particulars respecting the Dosia powder, the preface of a work by Confoutzee on filial piety, published two years before in 1822 by R. Ackermann in London.

About the Book
The book is based on the observations of Isaac Titsingh during his stay in Dejima from 1779 to 1884 in his position as VOC senior official. During his stay in Japan he had the project of an overall collection on Japanese history, culture and civilization in mind. This project should be his life work and accomplishment. Therefore, Titsingh collected and translated data and wrote essays for his collection. In his perception this collection was important in order to show and present the high degree of sophistication of the Japanese people and the importance of the Japanese states, which the Europeans should be informed about. In addition, he also possessed enough and vital material, which would add to the otherwise lack of material on Japan in the 18th century.

Titsingh wished to have his collection published in all three European languages, important to him: Dutch (his native language), French (language of the philosophes) and English, the language, which was important for the scientific, natural and modern sciences in the 18th century. He planned to have his book divided into two parts, the first one being a history of Japan, including biographies of the dairis and complimented with biographies on the shoguns of the then reigning Tokugawa clan, and about the Japanese culture, conditions and customs. This part would consist of a discussion on an individuals life cycle and occasions, including marriage and death, as birth is not a special occasions in Buddhism in Japan. Within this scope he wanted to only include original sources in translations by himself into the collection, as he believed this would define his work from other Japanese travel accounts and stories. Nevertheless, after he left Japan he did not have any access to more complimentary texts and lacked the help of Chinese and Japanese translators. As a consequence it took Titsingh an enormous amount of time to translate the sources and he could only edit some manuscripts or polish over, due to the lack of his fluentness in Japanese.

In 1812 his collection was still not published and after his death, his two friends Jean-Pierre-Abel Remusat and Heinrich Julius von Klaproth, who were both fluent in Chinese and von Klaproth in Japanese, sorted out the remains of his manuscripts and published his work posthumously. This Remusat-Klaproth edition was published in 1820 under the title of Memoires et anecdotes sur la dynastie regnante des djogouns (Memoirs and anecdotes on the reigning dynasty of shoguns). This posthumous work collection was a clear success and therefore an English edition was published in 1822 by Frederic Shoberl, a well-known journalist and translator as Illustrations of Japan. As the original Dutch manuscript by Titsingh went lost, a new Dutch translation was created based on the English edition in 1824-25.



Therefore, other editions of the book include:
 * The First Edition from 1820, published in French by M.Abel Rémusat Paris: Mémoires et anecdotes sur la dynastie régnante des djogouns, souverains du Japon avec la description des fêtes et cérémonies observées aux différentes époques de l'année à la cour de ces princes, et un appendice contenant des détails sur la poésie des Japonais, leur manière de diviser l'année, etc..


 * The Second Edition from 1822, published in English by R. Ackermann London: Illustrations of Japan; consisting of Private Memoirs and Anecdotes of the reigning dynasty of The Djogouns, or Sovereigns of Japan; a description of the Feasts and Ceremonies observed throughout the year at their Court; and of the Ceremonies customary at Marriages and Funerals: to which are subjoined, observations on the legal suicide of the Japanese, remarks on their poetry, an explanation of their mode of reckoning time, particulars respecting the Dosia powder, the preface of a work by Confoutzee on filial piety..



About the Author


The author of the collection on Tokugawa Japan is Isaac Titsingh, who stayed in the Dutch trading post of Dejima from 1779 to 1884 in the position as a VOC senior official. In this time period the only Europeans that were allowed to embark in Japan, were only VOC vessels in Nagasaki. He ran the VOC trading station as a chief negotiator of trade between the Japanese and the VOC merchants and officer. Titsingh’s goal was to become an “authority on the country” during his time in Japan.

Isaac Titsingh was born in Amsterdam to a family of well-known surgeons. He joined the VOC in 1765 and embarked to Batavia in this year. After becoming a Freemason and was positioned as an opperhooft in the Japanese factory of the VOC in Dejima he went to Japan in 1779. Titsingh had a Doctor degree in law and medicine, was a graduate from Leiden University and was one of the most educated Dutchman that went to Japan in the position as a chief officer of the VOC.

Themes
Titsingh focuses in his collection in the first part on a history of the Japanese, beginning from the Middle Ages until the reigning dynasty of Shoguns during the Tokugawa era. More themes include feasts and ceremonies observed at the court of the Shoguns, legal suicide of the Japanese as well as essays on Japanese poetry and weights and coins. Explanations on the year division of the Japanese are also given. Another theme is the description of plans of the Dutch and Chinese factories at Nagasaki, during Titsinghs times at the end of the 18th century. Moreover, other themes that are discussed in this collection are themes of the life cycles of a Japanese: marriage and funerals. Also included are essays on the Dosia powder and the work of Confutzee.

Part One
The first part is centered on the history of Japan, feasts and ceremonies at the court, the procedures of legal suicide, Japanese poetry and division of the year as well as coins and weights of the Japanese. In addition, a very detailed description of the factory of the Dutch and Chinese in Nagasaki are included.

The chapter Private Memoirs of the Shoguns is focusing on the several Shoguns, their lives and rule and therefore, shows an extensive amount of biographies and histories on the individual Shoguns and their families. The second chapter on the feasts and ceremonies describes for each month of the year a certain festival or ceremony the Shogun celebrates. Moreover, other great festivals of the Japanese are discussed such as the feast of lamps or lanterns. The chapter on legal suicide depicts the procedures of legal suicide of the Japanese. The chapter on Japanese poetry translates some parts of Japanese poetry into English and gives a small account on the details and characteristics. The chapter on the division of the year among the Japanese depicts the counting of the days, months and seasons as well as Chinese zodiacs in tables. The essay on the weights and coins of the Japanese show the values and counting of the Japanese in numbers and conversions of weights and coins. The description of plans of the Dutch and Chinese factories include the history of these two and describe the conditions and positions of certain buildings, the islands and the area

Part Two
The second part of the book is focusing on customs and cultural events of the Japanese.

The chapters Description of the Marriage Ceremonies and the Japanese, Description of Marriage Ceremonies of Farmers, Artisans and Tradesmen and Japanese Words in the Description of the Marriage are concerned about the procedures, gifts, pieces of furniture and arrangements of a typical Japanese wedding during the Tokugawa era. Moreover, there are some illustrations depicting the marriage procedures and explanations of these marriage depiction plates. Japanese words important to the wedding ceremonies procedure descriptions are translated and explained.

The chapters Description of the Funerals of the Japanese, Description of Ceremonies practiced in Japan at Funerals and Funerals Festivals of the Japanese describe the procedures of funerals and the festivals, which are practiced to honour the gods on these ceremonies. Funeral arrangements and roles during the ceremony are explained and procedures and special instruments used in the funeral ceremonies depicted.

The two remaining essays Account of Dosia Powder and Note on the Works of Confoutzee depict the peculiarities and functions of the Dosia Powder that is used in Japanese funerals as observed by Titsingh and selected works and principles of Confucius, collected and translated by the former.