Japan was isolated almost completely from the West for more than two hundred years, from 1641 to 1854. One of the first Westerners to penetrate that barrier and reveal fundamental information about the country - and the Far East in general - was Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866), a doctor from Würzburg in Germany. He spent the period 1823 to 1829 on the small island of Dejima, a Dutch trading post in Nagasaki that was then the only point of contact between Japan and the West. Full of ambition, Siebold was sent from the Dutch East Indies to Japan with the task of gathering as much information as possible about the country, its geography, its people, religion, customs and traditional costumes. The ultimate aim was to use this information to boost Dutch trade. Working with Japanese artists including Kawahara Keiga and Hokusai, Siebold embarked on an unprecedented visual and scientific project, culminating in the book Nippon. In this publication of Nippon, we give Siebold's work a new lease of life that lets us understand the Japan he saw. This edition includes all the original prints, with a commentary on the most compelling images. The introduction discusses the unique relationship between Japan and the Netherlands, Siebold's life, his work on Dejima and the historical significance of Nippon. The thematic essays and image keys point out striking details and interesting stories, all with a view to achieving once again what Siebold sought to do all those years ago: let readers marvel at the incredible beauty of Japan.
| ISBN: | 9789059961531 |
| Publication date: | 8th June 2026 |
| Author: | Kuniko Forrer, Matthi Forrer |
| Publisher: | Lannoo an imprint of Lannoo Publishers |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 320 pages |
| Series: | Lannoo Publishers |
| Genres: |
Asian history History of art |
Japan was isolated almost completely from the West for more than two hundred years, from 1641 to 1854. One of the first Westerners to penetrate that barrier and reveal fundamental information about the country - and the Far East in general - was Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866), a doctor from Würzburg in Germany. He spent the period 1823 to 1829 on the small island of Dejima, a Dutch trading post in Nagasaki that was then the only point of contact between Japan and the West. Full of ambition, Siebold was sent from the Dutch East Indies to Japan with the task of gathering as much information as possible about the country, its geography, its people, religion, customs and traditional costumes. The ultimate aim was to use this information to boost Dutch trade. Working with Japanese artists including Kawahara Keiga and Hokusai, Siebold embarked on an unprecedented visual and scientific project, culminating in the book Nippon. In this publication of Nippon, we give Siebold's work a new lease of life that lets us understand the Japan he saw. This edition includes all the original prints, with a commentary on the most compelling images. The introduction discusses the unique relationship between Japan and the Netherlands, Siebold's life, his work on Dejima and the historical significance of Nippon. The thematic essays and image keys point out striking details and interesting stories, all with a view to achieving once again what Siebold sought to do all those years ago: let readers marvel at the incredible beauty of Japan.
NIPPON features in the following genres: Asian history, History of art
NIPPON is available in Hardback
NIPPON was written by Kuniko Forrer, Matthi Forrer and published by Lannoo an imprint of Lannoo Publishers
NIPPON has 320 pages
Yes it is part of Lannoo Publishers series
£58.50