In the latter half of the Edo period, some wealthy Saigoku Daimyo (Japanese territorial lord in western Japan) including Shigehide SHIMAZU were so enthusiastic about Rangaku as to be called Ranheki daimyo (daimyo that affects anything Dutch), and then, Rangaku further developed with the support from these daimyo.
江戸時代も後半にさしかかると島津重豪をはじめ、財力ある西国大名の中にも蘭癖大名と呼ばれるほど蘭学に傾倒した者が現れ、その支援によって蘭学がいっそう振興した。