User:Cpt scorcher/sandbox

 Nagasaki school, Scenes of life in the Dutch factory at Deshima Scenes of life in the Dutch factory at Deshima is a handscroll painting of the residential area ( also called bankan ) on the man-made island of Deshima (Dejima) off the peninsula of Nagasaki. It is a painted Japanese hand scroll made of silk and provides a topographical representation of the building a surrounds used by the Dutch traders. The scroll measures 4060mm wide by 330mm high and is currently held at the British Museum, London, UK.

History
The scroll displays various aspects of life on the island of Deshima. A wall provides a border on both sides of the scroll. During the Edo period interactions with Europeans and the rest of Japan was very limited. After attempts from many European nations only the Dutch where allowed to trade with Japan. Even this had server restrictions so much so that a channel was dug across a peninsula off Nagasaki to separate the island for foreigners. It became a trading post from 1641 to 1853.

Representations
Catagorised within the genre of Nagaskai School which

The island is surrounded by walls and is depicted either side of the scroll. From left to right the scroll begins with the wall and then a building surrounds by gardens. The building is a hotel the upper level has two people drinking with the text “drinking group”. The ground level has two Dutchmen playing billiards.

Just right of the building is a  Sakura Tree . These tree’s play significant role in Japanese culture. To the right of this are three people examining a bird, the text near the bird describes as a “white cockatoo”. The study of plants and animals became an integral part of life on the island. The Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg spent a year on Dejima. He published the book Flora Japonica which catalogued many of the plants of Japan. Due to the restrictions placed on the residents of the island the plants had to be brought in and grown in plots, as shown in front of the trading house (LT).

Dejima was a conduit for the exchange of information between Japan and Europe many of the Japanese doctors. During the Edo period most of the Japanese medical practitioners relied on Kampo medicine but a small number learnt Western medical practices through this information exchange (WT).

Reception
During the late Edo period the image of Japanese art by Europeans was dominated by porcelain and lacquer export ware which was often confused with artwork from other countries in the Asian region such as China and even India (WI).