Reijnjer van Tzum
Encyclopedia
Reinier van Tzum or Tzom, sometimes Reijnjer van't Zum, (Tzum
, ca. 1600 -- IJlst
, September 21, 1670) worked for the Dutch East India Company
and served in Siam, and as Opperhoofd
(Chief factor) at Dejima
.
or Tzom. He was the son of Marten Jansz, a captain in the Admiralty of Friesland
. He started as a merchant in Siam in 1629 and in 1643 he was appointed chief factor. He collaborated with Johan van Twist in Dutch Malacca
, François Caron
in Formosa
, and the factors in Persia and at the Coromandel Coast
. Van Tzum arrived in Nagasaki
on September 29, 1645 and assumed his position from November 30. Then he prepared his journey to Edo paying the emperor and the shogun his respect.
on February 7. As presents Van Tzum handed over Spectacles, magnifying glass
es, optical lenses, also ones that could be used in a darkroom
, and medicines. On February 12 he met with Inoue Masashige
, the spin doctor from Nagasaki. Their discussion centered on the Nambu affair of 1643, when the skipper Hendrick Cornelisz Schaep and nine members of the crew of the Breskens were captured in Yamada
in Iwate Prefecture
.
Oranda Kapitan Van Tzum was asked if he had come to Edo with gifts to thank the shogun
for the release of the Dutch prisoners or if he had come to pay his respects in the usual manner. Van Tzum answered that he had come to do both, but this answer did not satisfy the bakufu. On March 8, Inoue informed van Tzum that the Dutch did not appear to adequately value the release of the Dutch prisoners. The Shogun admonished the Dutch not to have any intercourse with the Spanish or the Portuguese.
Upon his return to Nagasaki, the chief factor was informed by the interpreters that Nanking had been occupied by the Ching Dynasty and that Ikkan had sent a request for military support to the bakufu. Two junks arrived in Nagasaki from Nanking. The crew members of these junks had been forced to wear pigtails. (p. 141) The bakufu prohibited any dealings with ships from Nanking.
Van Tzum handed over the factory to his successor, Verstegen, on October 7, 1646. Three weeks later he left Japan. In January 1747 he left Batavia on the Haerlem. The ship was lost in storm near Table Bay
in March. Sixty men settled for one year on the mainland, but Van Tzum had sailed back earlier on one of the other two ships. Back in Europe he settled in Cornjum
where he married in 1648. In 1654 he moved to IJlst
and became a member of the vroedschap
. He was appointed burgomaster
, deputee to the States of Friesland and in a board, checking the provincial finances.
Tzum
Tzum is a small village in Franekeradeel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has about 1167 inhabitants .Reinier van Tzum, one of the VOC Opperhoofden in Japan, was born here.-External links:*...
, ca. 1600 -- IJlst
IJlst
IJlst is a city in Friesland, Netherlands. It is located about 3 km southwest of Sneek. It lies within the municipality of Wymbritseradiel. It received city rights in 1268 and is one of the eleven cities in Friesland. The little city counts approximately 3800 people.-Name:The name IJlst...
, September 21, 1670) worked for the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
and served in Siam, and as Opperhoofd
VOC Opperhoofden in Japan
VOC Opperhoofden in Japan were the chief traders of the Dutch East India Company in Japan during the period of the Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Edo period.Opperhoofd is a Dutch word which literally means 'supreme head[man]'...
(Chief factor) at Dejima
Dejima
was a small fan-shaped artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634. This island, which was formed by digging a canal through a small peninsula, remained as the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Edo period. Dejima was built to...
.
Early career
Van Tzum was born in the Frisian village TzumTzum
Tzum is a small village in Franekeradeel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has about 1167 inhabitants .Reinier van Tzum, one of the VOC Opperhoofden in Japan, was born here.-External links:*...
or Tzom. He was the son of Marten Jansz, a captain in the Admiralty of Friesland
Admiralty of Friesland
The Admiralty of Friesland or Frisian Admiralty was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic...
. He started as a merchant in Siam in 1629 and in 1643 he was appointed chief factor. He collaborated with Johan van Twist in Dutch Malacca
Dutch Malacca
Dutch Malacca was the longest period of Malacca under foreign control. The Dutch ruled for almost 183 years with intermittent British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars . This era saw relative peace with little serious interruption from the Malay kingdoms due to the understanding earlier on...
, François Caron
François Caron
François Caron was a French Huguenot refugee to the Netherlands who served the Dutch East India Company for 30 years, rising from cabin boy to Director-General at Batavia , only one grade below Governor-General...
in Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
, and the factors in Persia and at the Coromandel Coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
. Van Tzum arrived in Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
on September 29, 1645 and assumed his position from November 30. Then he prepared his journey to Edo paying the emperor and the shogun his respect.
Visit to the Shogun
Van Tzum departed from Nagasaki on December 31, on a ship with six fellow Dutchmen. They reached EdoEdo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
on February 7. As presents Van Tzum handed over Spectacles, magnifying glass
Magnifying glass
A magnifying glass is a convex lens that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. The lens is usually mounted in a frame with a handle ....
es, optical lenses, also ones that could be used in a darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
, and medicines. On February 12 he met with Inoue Masashige
Inoue Masashige
was an important figure during the early Edo period in Japan. He played a role in the persecution and eradication of Christians in Japan and he was commissioner for the Dutch East India Company in Nagasaki.Masashige died in 1661 ....
, the spin doctor from Nagasaki. Their discussion centered on the Nambu affair of 1643, when the skipper Hendrick Cornelisz Schaep and nine members of the crew of the Breskens were captured in Yamada
Yamada, Iwate
is a town located in Shimohei District, Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 20,413 and a population density of 77.49 persons per km². The total area is 263.44 km²....
in Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
.
Oranda Kapitan Van Tzum was asked if he had come to Edo with gifts to thank the shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
for the release of the Dutch prisoners or if he had come to pay his respects in the usual manner. Van Tzum answered that he had come to do both, but this answer did not satisfy the bakufu. On March 8, Inoue informed van Tzum that the Dutch did not appear to adequately value the release of the Dutch prisoners. The Shogun admonished the Dutch not to have any intercourse with the Spanish or the Portuguese.
Upon his return to Nagasaki, the chief factor was informed by the interpreters that Nanking had been occupied by the Ching Dynasty and that Ikkan had sent a request for military support to the bakufu. Two junks arrived in Nagasaki from Nanking. The crew members of these junks had been forced to wear pigtails. (p. 141) The bakufu prohibited any dealings with ships from Nanking.
Van Tzum handed over the factory to his successor, Verstegen, on October 7, 1646. Three weeks later he left Japan. In January 1747 he left Batavia on the Haerlem. The ship was lost in storm near Table Bay
Table Bay
Table Bay is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the flat-topped Table Mountain.Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore this...
in March. Sixty men settled for one year on the mainland, but Van Tzum had sailed back earlier on one of the other two ships. Back in Europe he settled in Cornjum
Cornjum
Koarnjum has about 500 inhabitants, and is located in the municipality of Leeuwarderadeel , in the Netherlands. The village is situated between Jelsum and Britsum.-Notable Landmarks:...
where he married in 1648. In 1654 he moved to IJlst
IJlst
IJlst is a city in Friesland, Netherlands. It is located about 3 km southwest of Sneek. It lies within the municipality of Wymbritseradiel. It received city rights in 1268 and is one of the eleven cities in Friesland. The little city counts approximately 3800 people.-Name:The name IJlst...
and became a member of the vroedschap
Vroedschap
The vroedschap was the name for the city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a vroedman, literally a "wise man"...
. He was appointed burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
, deputee to the States of Friesland and in a board, checking the provincial finances.