In the following three decades the Japanese policy of seclusion from the outside world was gradually tightened. In , for instance, the Portuguese were placed under careful restriction and surveillance; one year later the Spaniards were banished from Japan, and no Japanese Christian was permitted to leave the country.
On 22 October of the same year all Japanese women married to Portuguese [ 3 ] and persons of mixed blood even those whose grandfathers had been Portuguese or Spaniards were deported to Macao. Similarly, in the Japanese government decided to send away all Dutch residents married to Japanese women and to banish children of Dutch descent and their mothers in Hirato and Nagasaki.
The Dutch ship Breda leaving Hirato in October of the same year for Batavia took on board four Dutch families and three single women widows or left by their husbands with their four daughters. On July 24, , the Dutch settlement was moved to Dejima at Nagasaki. For women to enter with the exception of whores keisei no hoka onna iru koto [ 8 ] 5. For Dutchmen to go outside Dejima without permission kotowari nakushite Oranda-jin Dejima yori soto e izuru koto. Although these regulations date from , it will become clear from the following that the principles as such have been in force since It is a moot point when prostitutes were allowed to visit Dejima for the first time.
It is a well-known fact that the Dutch used the harlots to smuggle fine goods into the city to be sold at high prices, partly from the commendable motive to cover the high fees and expensive presents requested by the ladies in question in return for their services.
The prostitutes were procured by one of the Commissioners for Victualing kaimono-tsukai. In the event of misconduct they were undressed, smeared with ink all over and chased off the island.
