During the 200 years of the Edo period, Japan closed itself off from the rest of the world. Their only contact with the outside world was at Nagasaki (Kyushu), and the exotic manners and customs of the Dutch and Portuguese who came to the port were the subject of great interest and curiosity for the people at the time. As a result, a great many paintings and other works of art were produced which feature these “southern barbarians” and their culture.
The work shown below was made as a decoration for the wind-proof glass of the main entrance of a hotel which looks down on the ancient port at Nagasaki. The concept of the work was taken from the painting shown above, and the various elements of the painting were created in metal and supported with a lattice-work frame which resembles traditional, paper sliding doors, providing an additional feeling of spaciousness to the work. This design is extremely popular, and has been often been praised as a monument to the long history of the area.
