Four hundred years ago, in spring 1600, a Dutch ship made landfall in Kyushu, the sole survivor of five that had set out on the hazardous journey from Rotterdam two years before.
To celebrate this special anniversary, over 200 treasures from the Dutch royal palaces, archives and museums are now on display at the Tokyo National Museum.
Opening up this royal "cabinet of curiosities" reveals superb silverware, family portraits and historical documents as well as crafts of the highest quality from Japan and Indonesia. Many personal possessions are also on display, affording a glimpse of the people behind the history of the House of Orange.
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