70601-0013 - Entrance to Nagasaki Harbor

Entrance to Nagasaki Harbor at Tomachi, Nagasaki, Japan, 1872 (Meiji 5).

On the right is Kanzaki, and on the left Megami. There was a guardhouse at this strategic point, watching over ships entering Nagasaki Harbor.

The island in the background is Takabokojima island (高鉾島), also known as Pappenberg (a misspelling of Papenberg, rude Dutch for Catholic Mountain) . It was a landmark for foreign ships entering Nagasaki Harbour. Until the country was opened to foreign trade, they were forced to anchor here, so they could be inspected by the Japanese authorities.

This image has also been attributed to Italian photographer Adolfo Farsari (1841–1898).