Network of knowledge : Western science and the Tokugawa inform Revolution

Nagasaki during the Tokugawa period was truly Japan's window on the world, with its Chinese residences and Deshima island, where Western foreigners were confined. In 1785 Otsuki Gentaku (1757-1827) journeyed to Nagasaki to meet Dutch physicians and the Japanese who acted as their interpreters. This volume examines the development of Dutch studies during the crucial 1770-1830 years as Gentaku, with the help of like-minded colleagues, worked to facilitate its growth.