New Year
's Day. A friend also receives an invitation 
from the New Year'
s party along with the New Year's email. This time, I would like to talk about the seasonal topic, "New Year Party"-"Oranda New Year's Day" in the Edo period.
At the end of the year, a friend from Iwate Prefecture came to Tokyo and was drinking
together in Ginza, saying, "It's almost New Year. Speaking of New Year's Day, it's the New Year's Party, but I think Gentaku Otsuki, a Dutch scholar from Ichinose (Iwate Prefecture) who was active in the Edo period, learned in history classes, but he also loves the New Year's party and knew that he always did it every year? That's also in Ginza. 。 The New Year's party in the Edo period became a hot topic.
[Gentaku Otsuki statue (Kaisen Oda), Important Cultural Property. Source: Waseda University Library
Gentaku Otsuki (1757-1827) was from the Ichinoseki Domain, and studied Dutch studies in Genpaku Sugita and Ryotaku Maeno, who translated and published "Tarher Anatomia (Dismantling Shinsho)" (1774). He receives one letter from each of them and claims to be Genzawa.
The two masters translated the dismantled new book
, and their disciples Sanpaku Inamura, Genzui Udagawa, and Hajime Okada achieved the feat of completing Japan's first Dutch dictionary, "Harma Reconciliation" (1796). However, Genzawa Honjin was rather enthusiastic about the role of backward education 
and producer (how to care?) Perhaps because of this, he wrote the introductory book of Dutch studies (Overview of Dutch studies, Dutch grammar), "Langaku floor (= square) ladder (established in 1788)" and wrote "Shirando" in Kyobashi as a place to educate his disciples. (1789) is known as the achievement.
[Langaku Bandai (Source: Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Library)]
At the peak of Genzawa, there were 100 students at the peak, but it was also a gathering of Dutch scholars and a lively discussion. On November 11, 1794, Genzawa held a New Genkai (a party to celebrate the New Year's Day) at Shibarando on November 11, 1794 (old calendar) after a talk in Nagasakiya duringDutch trading post's departure to Edo. A place to deepen fellowship among Dutch scholars and exchange information. In this style, in other words, we planned something like the New Year's party of the West Society, and Genzawa himself bought the secretary himself. 
[Shibarando Shingenkai Map (Part) (Gakzan Ichikawa), Important Cultural Property. Source: Waseda University Library) ⇒ Takeyama is also one of Genzawa's disciples, so I think it was probably one of the people who enjoyed participating in this new party.
The 11th of November (old calendar) was January 1 of the Dutch calendar (i.e. the new calendar we are currently using), and we held a banquet to celebrate the New Year of the Netherlands. I think it was a gathering of Dutch scholars who usually study hard, but it seems quite fun. Genzawa used his home as Shibarando, so he relocated every time he moved (there are many in Chuo-ku, such as Kyobashi, Motozaimokucho, Sanjuma Horicho, Minami Konya-cho, Kibiki-cho, Tsukiji-Odawara-cho). However, the first "Oranda New Year" is held around Mizutanicho (currently around Ginza 1-chome). 
At that time, despite the isolation period, trade with the Netherlands through Dejima in Nagasaki was allowed, and especially during this period, as a result of the reform of Kyoho of the 8th generation Yoshimune Tokugawa, a policy of encouraging practical learning was taken, and since 1720, it seems that there was a background that the import of Chinese translations was partially lifted, and Dutch studies became popular. This event seemed to have been well received, and since then it has been held every year, and after Genzawa's death, his eldest son, Iwasato (Genki), and seems to have continued for 44 years.
[Shibarando site (estimated)]
Location 12-6 Ginza 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan (Mizutanibashi Park)
