Janus Henricus Donker Curtius

Photograph of Donker Curtius 1862, The Hague

Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius (21 April 1813, Arnhem – 27 November 1879, Arnhem) was the last Director of the Dutch trade in Japan (1852-1855) at Dejima an artificial island in the harbor of Nagasaki, at that time for more than 200 years inhabited by a Dutch trading community. To negotiate with the Japanese government about a treaty of friendship and commerce he received the title "Dutch Commissioner in Japan" in 1855.

Life

He was the son of Hendrik Herman Curtius, a theologian. Donker Curtius grew up in Arnhem and studied law at Leiden University. He married in January 1839 in Amsterdam a relative. Donker took office as a Judge at the Court of Justice at Semarang in the Dutch Indies. At the end of the year his first child was born. Donker Curtius was sent by the Govrnment of the Dutch East Indies to Japan in 1852 ordered to conclude a treaty of friendship and commerce.

File:Kankomaru.jpg

Dejima Donker Curtius handled in 1855 the transfer of HM's Soembing from the Dutch Navy to the Japanese. The ship, renamed Kankō Maru (観光丸), became Japan's first modern steam warship – a gift from the Dutch King Willem III to the Tokugawa Shogun.

The Dutch were in a favorable position because of their trading history dating from 1609, but the Japanese government was not convinced of the necessity to conclude a treaty. Donker Curtius did not show much diligence for which he was reprimanded by the Dutch Minister of the Colonies. Donker Curtius negotiated a convention with the Japanese in November 1855, changed into the first treaty of Japan with a foreign country by ratification in January 1856. His 'treaty' was severely critisised in the Dutch Parliament after which he started to negotiate for a trade paragraph to be added to the treaty of 1856. This paragraph, called 'Additional Articles' was concluded in 1857 and copied by the Russian Vice Admiral Putiatin. In 1858 he made the ceremonial visit to Edo as representative of the Dutch king William III of the Netherlands to pay tribute to the Shogun Tokugawa Iesada. In Edo he found that the American Consul Townsend Harris had concluded a treaty with Japan, offering more to commerce than his own. Donker Curtius negotiated a new Dutch treaty on the basis of the American treaty. He was accompanied by his secretary Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek, who left a description of the voyage to Edo in his diary.

Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius had two sons: Boudewijn, born at Semarang, 1836. Died at Yokohama, 24 September 1911. Jan Hendrik, born at Batavia in 1849. Died at Yokohama, 22 February 1912. Married to Koyama Okin, 6 children.

In 1857 he published a little book on Japanese grammar which was corrected and enlarged by J.J. Hoffman, Professor of Japanese and Chinese at Leiden University: Proeve eener japansche spraakkunst, van Mr J. H. Donker Curtius,... toegelicht, verbeterd en... vermeerderd door Dr J. Hoffmann,... During his stay in Japan he acquired a collection of 111 books on Rangaku, which are today preserved at Leiden University Library. He returned in 1861 to Batavia via Siam, where he concluded a treaty between Siam and The Netherlands, and from there to The Netherlands where he was employed by the Internationale Crediet Maatschappij at Rotterdam.