The Former Site of the Chinese Settlement (Tōjin Yashiki Ato)

Overview

The Tōjin Yashiki was a Chinese quarter established in Nagasaki, the only port allowed to conduct foreign trade during Japan's Edo period sakoku (closed country) policy. In 1635, the Edo shogunate restricted Chinese merchant ships to entering only Nagasaki port; however, Chinese people who were not Christians were permitted to live within Nagasaki city. However, since the Ming Dynasty viewed Japan as a base for Wokou (Japanese pirates), the number of Chinese people entering Japan during this period was small. Later, while the Qing Dynasty enforced the Qianjie Ling (border closure order) as a countermeasure against the Zheng regime in Taiwan, most Chinese entering Japan came from Taiwan or Southeast Asia, so their numbers remained low. However, after the Qing Dynasty abolished the Qianjie Ling in 1684, a large number of Chinese merchant ships began arriving the following year, leading to an increase in smuggling. This prompted the Nagasaki Bugyo (magistrate) to restrict the Chinese residential area. Therefore, in 1688, construction began on the Tōjin Yashiki on land belonging to the shogunate's Goyakuen (herbal garden) in Jusonji-go, on the outskirts of Nagasaki, and it was completed the following year. The Tōjin Yashiki covered approximately 9,400 tsubo (about 31,000 square meters) and had a capacity of around 2,000 people. It's located in what is now Kannai-machi, Nagasaki City. It was surrounded by walls and a moat, with a guardhouse beside the main gate to monitor entry and exit. Unlike the Dutch in Dejima, who were heavily monitored, the Chinese were allowed relatively free movement. While the cost of constructing Dejima was covered by Nagasaki townspeople, the cost of the Tōjin Yashiki was covered by loans the Nagasaki townspeople received from the shogunate. In 1698, a large fire destroyed warehouses in Gojima-cho and Daikoku-cho that stored goods from Chinese ships. To improve oversight, the sea in front of the Tōjin Yashiki was reclaimed to create a warehouse area exclusively for Chinese ships. This area came to be known as Shinchi, and it developed into the present-day Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown. In 1784, a large fire destroyed the entire Tōjin Yashiki except for the Kanteido temple. After this fire, Chinese residents were permitted to build their own houses and other structures. With the opening of Japan in 1859, the Tōjin Yashiki fell into disrepair and was burned down in 1870. Subsequently, the Chinese residents formed a Chinatown in the adjacent Nagasaki Shinchi-cho, becoming the Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown. Remaining structures from the Tōjin Yashiki include the Doshindo, Kannon-do, and Tenkodo temples, which were repaired and remodeled during the Meiji period, the former Hachimon Kaisho (built in 1868 by people from Quanzhou, Fujian Province), and the front gate of the Fukken Kaikan (renovated and renamed in 1897). The site of the former Tōjin Yashiki is a must-see tourist spot for history and culture buffs, representing a Chinese quarter that played a significant role in Nagasaki during Japan's Edo period sakoku policy. Imagine the bustling activity of the time and feel the weight of history.