Dutch Cathay

Dutch Cathay was the Dutch colony established in Tsushima and Jeju by the Dutch East India Company, and later managed directly by the Dutch crown.

The next colonial ambition of the Dutch after the East Indies would be East Asia itself. While they were able to secure the trading port of Dejima in Nagasaki from the Portuguese in 1639, further trade with Japan was limited to that place only. Following a (possibly apocryphal) Wokou raid on trading ships, in 1650 the Dutch East India Company began the Dutch conquest of Tsushima and Jeju which would lead to the dismantling of the Empire of the Straits and the establishment of Dutch Cathay.

The Dutch presence on the islands was much more substantial than in the Dutch East Indies, at least at first. Due to the small size of Tsushima and Jeju, managing them was considerably easier, and numerous structures were constructed such as Fort Jan Steen and the Stadthuis, though local structures were preserved as well. Rebellions were noted, but not much is known about them, most likely because they were insignificant.