Records of the Kan’ei Gyoko survive in books, illustrated handscrolls, and other historical materials. Among them is a diary written not by a Japanese observer, but by a Dutchman who was present at the event. What did the Kan’ei Gyoko look like through the eyes of a foreign visitor? A close reading of this diary reveals aspects of the Imperial Visit that have remained little known.
Among the spectators who gathered to witness the magnificent procession was a Dutchman named Conrad Cramer, a senior merchant of the Dutch East India Company. This lecture explores relations between Japan and the Netherlands in the early modern period, while examining why Cramer was staying in Kyoto and how he came to witness the Kan’ei Gyoko.
How did the Imperial Visit appear to Cramer, and how was news of it later conveyed to Europe? Through his account, the lecture considers Japan—and the Kan’ei Gyoko—from a wider, international perspective.
Date & Time
Sunday, July 5
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
(Doors open at 1:15 p.m.)
Venue
Main Hall, Kyoto Institute, Library and Archives
(1-29 Shimogamo Hangicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto)
Approximately a 4-minute walk from Kitayama Station (Subway Karasuma Line), Exits 1 or 3.
Admission
Free of charge (Advance registration required)
Capacity: Approximately 400 participants
Registration
Please register via Peatix.
https://kaneibunka20260705.peatix.com
Speaker Profile
Professor Frederik Cryns
International Research Center for Japanese Studies
Born in Belgium in 1970, Professor Frederik Cryns completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, and received a Ph.D. in Human and Environmental Studies. He is currently a Professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.
His research specializes in the cultural history of the Sengoku period and the history of exchanges between Japan and Europe. His publications include Japan Through the Eyes of the Dutch in the Seventeenth Century (Rinsen Book Co., 2010) and Life and Death in the Samurai Houses of the Sengoku Period: Why Was Seppuku Performed? (Gentosha Shinsho, 2025).
In 2024, he served as the historical consultant for the Emmy Award–winning drama series SHŌGUN.
Organizer
Organizer
Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival Executive Committee
(within the Agency for Cultural Affairs Collaboration Platform)
Inquiries
info@kaneigyoko400.jp
Co-organizer
Living History KYOTO Association
