Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan

by Giles Milton

With all the adventure, derring-do, and bloodcurdling battle scenes of his earlier book, Nathaniel’s Nutmeg , acclaimed historian Giles Milton dazzles readers with the true story of William Adams—the first Englishman to set foot in Japan (and the inspiration for James Clavell’s bestselling novel Shogun). Beginning with Adams’s startling letter to the East India Company in 1611—more than a decade after he’d arrived in Japan— Samurai William chronicles the first foray by the West
into that mysterious closed-off land. Drawing upon the journals and letters of Adams as well as the other Englishmen who came looking for him, Samurai William presents a unique glimpse of Japan before it once again closed itself off from the world
for another two hundred years.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Biography, Historical, Asia, Japanese History

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

British writer and journalist Giles Milton was born in Buckinghamshire in 1966. He has contributed articles for most of the British national newspapers as well as many foreign publications, and specializes in the history of travel and exploration. In the course of his researches, he has traveled extensively in Europe, the Middle East, Japan and the Far East, and the Americas.

Knowledgeable, insatiably curious and entertaining, Milton locates history's most fascinating—and most overlooked—stories and brings them to life in his books.

He lives in London, where he is a member of the Hakluyt Society, which is dedicated to reprinting the works of explorers and adventurers in scholarly editions, some of which he uses in his research. He wrote most of Samurai William in the London Library, where he loves the "huge reading room, large Victorian desks and creaking armchairs". At home and while traveling, he is ever on the lookout for new untold stories. Apparently he began researching the life of Sir John Mandeville for his book The Riddle and the Knight after Mandeville’s book Travels "literally fell off the shelf of a Paris bookstore" in which he was browsing.

Copyright BookBrowse.com 2007

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this is more about his times than about William Adams, it is most useful for giving you context into the political circumstances in 1600s Japan, the period he arrived in, and the people Adams had to deal with, from the Shogun and the daimyos to the various government officials and citizens, business rivals of various kinds, and Jesuit and Franciscan clergy he ran into and that tried to undermine him, and other general historical context kind of information.

Do not, however, expect to learn much about the man William Adams and his personal life, because there is rather little of that here and mostly incomplete. Giles Milton doesn't seem to have had access to the sources the other biographer of Adams did, which explains this book's limitations. Do take it as supplementary to the other book, is what I'd recommend readers do.

Update April 2024: The author has a Twitter account, where he's posted a summary of Adams' life. Seems like Mr Milton has had access to/read more sources since he published this book, at least that's my impression judging by his posts there.

[Jan-Maat]

Really a very ok sort of book that, rather like a newspaper or magazine you might pick and idle through and if you forgot it somewhere, or indeed deliberately left on the seat next to you, you wouldn't feel any the poorer for the loss. A typical journalists' book in that it has a striking headline which really doesn't reflect the story, but is smoothly written and easy to read.

Famously Japan closed itself off from foreign contact from the seventeenth century until obliged to engage with the world in the nineteenth, so from the first one has to doubt that a late sixteenth century adventurer played much of a role in unlocking Japan, the book relates the factual basis behind the novel (and later TV show) Shogun, this I remember principally for its jaunty theme tune, perhaps in future due to e-readers and what not all books will have theme tunes, even the paper ones, since you can buy annoying cards which play music when you open them though I remember an episode of Futurama in which a musical card had a role in leading a robot revolt so maybe the rise of the musical book ought to be resisted. Anyway if you are unfamiliar with the story I will now spoiler it a little Beware Spoilers! Spoilers dead ahead!.

William Adams, a native of Gillingham in Kent, sailed with a Dutch fleet and ended up shipwrecked in Japan, there he learnt the language and over time became a favourite of the Shogun and had lands and a title, although his name is in the title of the book and the author tells us that his logbooks and delightfully (mis)spelt letters from him survive, he is very much the side salad to the bumbling story of the early days of the English East India company - when they attempted to trade English goods which nobody else wanted to buy and were troubled by drunken and riotous English employees before largely being seen off by the Dutch, which provides the meat of the book.

In the background is also the story of the Catholic missionaries to Japan, and Japan not being unlocked but moving to slam the door and lock and bolt it against foreigners apart from a Dutch trading station on an island facing Nagasaki. By then the Samurai Adams of the title was entirely dead (and we get maybe four direct quotes from him in the course of the book despite the log books and the letters) and the English traders banished from Japan. There is a lot of presumption about characters' thoughts and feelings not supported by reference to source material - par for the course.

Mildly entertaining but unlikely to keep you up late at night turning pages with your torch under the bed covers.

I feel a lack of confidence in books of this sort - that the reader has to be tempted by alleged world historical significance as bait rather than by the intrinsic interest of the man from Elizabethan England who curiously made a new life with a new wife in Japan as a bannerman to the Shogun.

The misasdventures of the early English merchants are amusing, but tend to be similar where-ever they ended up, sometimes they lucked out and came back with a load of spices or stolen Spanish treasure and made money, often they died, sometimes as still is the cases today the businessman had some idée fixe, in this case that pornography Pornography possibly too strong a word since what was carried out from England seem to have been paintings of female nudes could be a major plank of Anglo-Japanese trade, some might observe that this was an idea a little ahead of its time or that it was in any case a better bet than trying to grow Stilton sales in Japan , the London heads of the east India Company were outraged and horrified (I think just by the principal, rather than the detail of what they saw) and had the collection publicly burnt.

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Giles Milton, and it was another adventurous journey to the historical Far East, when the European powers were discovering other lands. As with Nathaniel's Nutmeg, or, The True And Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History, the author opens up the story of a central historical mariner and his travels, in this instance to Shogun Japan.

William Adams was marooned in the Land Of The Rising Sun and became the most important foreign figure in the early 1600s of samurai culture and exquisite court customs. We see the arrogant European powers discover how far advanced the Japanese were, while learning about the in-fighting among the English and then the conflicts with the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish navies.

This was hard to put down, I simply enjoyed the research Mr. Milton put into this tome. Plus, it calmed me down as I read about the travails of scurvy and starvation endured by such explorers...while I complained about the lag time on my iPad.

Book Season = Spring (get in thy boat)

[Charlene Intriago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this was the story of William Adams, the first Englishman in Japan, it was chocked full of historical data written in such a way that it didn't read like a history book. There were stories of other brave souls (Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish) who undertook perilous voyages in search of international trade. Remember it was the 1500 and 1600s! It's hard in this day and age to imagine what the travelers suffered just on the sea but also once they arrived in Japan and the surrounding islands. There was such a difference between European and Japanese culture. One of my favorite lines comes early in the book when a scribe in Japan states that the "foreigners thought nothing of shouting at and cursing each other. They show their feelings without any self-control". Obviously something the Japanese would not do. I am sure the foreign "sea dogs" were quite a shock to the Japanese and vice versa. The rivalry among the European nations for trading posts in Japan and the Spice Islands, the struggle between Catholics and Protestants for the souls of the Japanese people, and the internal jockeying for power by the Japanese shoguns all make for a truly good read.

[M. Apple · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is good. The story flows well. The research is good.

But biased. Entirely from a European perspective, and there are no references to anything written in Japanese, which evidently the author doesn't understand. This is evident at a comment that the Portuguese called Adams a "Wako, or pirate." Wako does not and did not mean this. The Japanese word for pirate is "Kaizoku." This kind of blatant language mistake automatically makes me suspect much of the research. The Japanese in this book are never really given a voice of their own, with only the European sources that are obviously from a biased perspective. Only one source was written by a (modern) Japanese person, and that one was written in English.

The book title is also misleading. While William Adams is of course a central figure around whom the English merchants ("factors") in Japan revolved, at least half of this book is not about Adams. Also, constantly referring to the brutality witnessed by the English in Japan ignores the similar brutality that the English, themselves, did against native peoples of the Americas, the Irish...well, pretty much anybody they fought. It was a brutal era all around, and while that certainly doesn't excuse the vicious treatment witnessed in Nagasaki and Kyoto, and doesn't excuse the brutality meted out by all nations of the time, it does show that punishments in Japan were not entirely unique.

Surely there are Japanese sources written by Japanese at the time. Without them, we do not have a balanced account of the late 1500s and early 1600s, which shaped the modern world in Japan and in England and elsewhere. This is a "rollicking" story, but also in need of additional research using more modern secondary sources (most used date back a hundred years) and direct primary Japanese sources from the time period.

[Monica. A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo di leggere una storia romanzata, si tratta invece di un vero e proprio saggio che ricostruisce le storie dei primi stranieri avventuratisi in Giappone.
La storia poi si sofferma sul più celebre, l'inglese William Adams, l'uomo che si stabilì definitivamente in Giappone sposandone usi e costumi e riuscendo ad avvicinarsi al temibile Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu diventandone consigliere fidato.
Lui è, tanto per intenderci, il "pilota" di Shugun, il celebre romanzo di Clavell, libro decisamente migliore di questo.
Il libro ricostruisce dunque la storia di questi avventurieri, basandosi sui loro diari di bordo e riportandone stralci che si vanno ad inserire nella narrazione in terza persona, illustrazioni in bianco e nero dell'epoca arricchiscono poi il tutto.
Nel libro troviamo le storiche rivalità fra inglesi, olandesi e portoghesi impegnati alla conquista di un nuovo approdo commerciale, i gesuiti che cercano di insediare la loro religione, le continue battaglie interne di un paese sempre in guerra, i primi insediamenti della Compagnia delle Indie...
Una lettura interessante, nonostante tutto, ma che spesso si allontana dal tema principale, il Giappone.
Lo stesso William Adams occupa una piccola parte della storia e, fra dissenteria e scorbuto, dopo un viaggio estenuente e interminabile, facendo anche noi parte della ciurma, si rischia quasi di giunger moribondi a terra e di non incontrarlo neanche!

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 17th century, it would take a ship two years of ocean voyage to reach Japan from England. Imagine that...2 years of dried meat and weavil in your bread, storms, scurvy, possible mutiny and pirate attacks, and being with the same people in a confined space that had neither shower nor toilet flush. 24/7. 730 days. Oh my...

In William Adams's case though, it took longer. By the time he and his shipmates reached Japan it was more than two years because of a failed attempt at finding the fabled Northwest Passage to Asia. And when he finally reached Japan, he was half - no, more like two thirds - dead, in rags, and unable to defend himself. Then when he was lucky enough to be spared and recovered from starvation and diseases, he was imprisoned and faced the horendous threat of being crucified in the first Japanese harbor town where he and his mates landed. (Yes, in Japan they used to do this, according to the book. Burning people at the stake, too, apparently.) And yet, Adams survived. So much so that he would die in Japan not only prosperous, but also respected for having gained the trust of the shogun.

The story of William Adams is not just about the first British who came to Japan, but also about Japan itself when it opened and closed itself to the outside world in the 17th century. It was fascinating to read about how oceanic voyages were done when Adams came to Japan. How with the aid of simple things such as an astrolabe, a compass and a "world" map, men would cross vast oceans to reach the Spice Islands and one of the easternmost countries in Asia. Giles Milton, the author, without doubt went to great lengths to put together pieces of Adams's story from numerous ship logs, diaries and letters. And what came out is this fascinating and engaging book that practically tells the history of trading and voyages of the Dutch, the British, the Portugese and the Spanish in this part of the world.

The story of Adams's survival is also the story of the rise of the Tokugawa regime in Japan. Along with Adam were other sailors who witnessed with their own eyes the fabled country of medieval Japan under the rule of Ieyasu, which, to their utter amazement, was a land of highly cultured, albeit hierarchical, society that loved silk and sappanwood. It was fascinating to read of their amazement at how clean the place was and well-dressed the people were, how manners must constantly prevail over emotions and thoughts in the courts, what extreme measures authorities would do to maintain discipline and peace, and why the country eventually put up one of the most effective Iron Curtains in history. I learned a great deal from this book.

[Roberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Per chi ama il mare, l'oriente, la storia

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps misleading with the title, this book is more than the story of William Adams. He fills a large part of the book, but it goes further, exploring the Portuguese and Spanish contacts with Japan, as well as the Dutch and English approaches. It seemed a lot less about Adams and his personal life in Japan - he was after all given a title hatamoto, a vast estate, and many retainers and labourers were his to 'own' living on his estate, and he remained a close adviser to the Shogun.

What was obvious to Adams, but was not so to the other Englishmen was Japan's reliance on protocols and traditions, on good moral appearances and behaviour and building of relationships. Ultimately they did this less well that the Dutch, although it could be argued that neither the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch or the English were successful enough to prevent Japan moving into the period known as sakoku the closed country, when she closed her windows on the world and denied foreigners contact for more than 200 years.

I didn't mind the style of writing, which was almost fictionalising (but wasn't) the telling, but more importantly it was nice not to have hundreds of footnotes interrupting the narrative. There was also plenty of source information contained in a separate section at the end of the book, so the lack of reference didn't effect the legitimacy of the book. Overall though it was probably slightly broader than it should have been (on subject) and contained less personal detail on the main man in my opinion, and I found my interest waning in the middle. It did improve and build to the conclusion, and overall an enjoyable enough read.

[Mick · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early 1600s, the nation of Japan was a mystery to the West. Aside from the Portuguese, who had gone there to trade and spread Christianity, very few Europeans had ever seen its shores. As the valuable spice trade with the East Indies (detailed in Milton's Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History) grew, however, rumours about the endless riches of Japan spread and it soon became a key target for Dutch and British commercial interests.

One survivor from a doomed Dutch expedition, the mariner William Adams, became the first Englishmen to set foot in Japan. In time he thrived, and made a life for himself. When more of his countrymen arrived years later to establish trading links for the East India Company, they found that he had become a samurai and close friend of the shogun himself.

Milton's retelling of the story of how Adams made Japan his home and the role he played as a de facto ambassador to the shogunate on behalf of the English merchants is a fascinating one. Like Nathaniel's Nutmeg, it captures a time when maritime exploration and commerce was a dangerous and brutal activity. Added to this is a rare outsider's view of Japan in the early 17th century, before it closed its borders to foreign influence for tho centuries. As always, the author relies heavily on first hand accounts from the time including the letters and diaries of the men involved in the events, and his easy to read narrative-history focus keeps the story engaging.

[Peter Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know that much about Japanese history and as I'd enjoyed Milton's Nathaniel's Nutmeg, I was looking forward to this. I had a feeling some of the might have made the screen in Shogun, but beyond that, I went in from a position of little knowledge.


I was correct – Shogun was heavily based on the life of William Adams and the fact is just as good as the fiction. This book begins by showing the difficulties in voyaging to Japan and then the issues surrounding surviving there, before finally coming to the establishment of the East India Company factory (entrepôt).


There's quite a lot to get your teeth into, as there are plenty of ups and downs. The prose is very user friendly and I quite enjoyed reading this, but it's not something I think I'd revisit.

[Hannes Handogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes place in an extremely interesting sliver of history. From 1543, with the accidental arrival of the first Westerners in Japan, (2 Portuguese merchants who lost their way in a storm, sailing from Macao, China) till 1637 when Japan was closed to all foreigners for about 214 years.

In this little sliver of history, a lot happens! Japan is unified by arguably its greatest ever leader, Yokogawa Ieyasu (Japan's version of Nelson Mandela. A very, very violent Nelson Mandela). Right after he unites Japan, Westerners start arriving in droves.

This is where this books starts reading like goddamn Game of Thrones. The English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch, all try their best to get the upperhand on each other by backstabbing each other as often as possible. But one English sailor makes a rare connection with Ieyasu and not only does his life change forever, but he also changes Japan forever.

This brilliantly researched book reads like a swashbuckling adventure and every now and then you just have to remind yourself that this actually happened.

[Vlad_Mixich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining book on history of first contacts between Japanese and Europeans.

[Christian Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would have thought that a mariner from Limehouse would have risen to such high ranks within the 17th Century Japanese establishment. I didn't particularly enjoy Nathaniel's Nutmeg because it felt especially convoluted, however Samurai William focused on a particular set of real-life "characters" and greatly benefitted from a more geographically placed story.

This thorough research transports you back to a period of time largely unfamiliar to us, completely without glorification or even glossing over the harsh punishments meted out by the authorities. Such a fascinating read and looking forwards to the next book in my collection by Milton!

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il libro parla del primo navigatore inglese (William Adams) che riuscì ad arrivare in Giappone, dopo un lunghissimo e non poco infernale, viaggio di molti mesi. Riuscì ad insediarsi e riuscì, specialmente, ad entrare nelle grazie dello shogun (comandante supremo dell'esercito giapponese) Ieyasu, che non lo lasciò più tornare in patria, perchè per lui molto "prezioso".
La storia comprende una trentina/quarantina di anni, dalla fine del 1500, ai primi decenni del 1600, con continue battaglie (tra gli inglesi, portoghesi ed olandesi, principalmente) per la supremazia commerciale in questo luogo nuovo, misterioso e non "di bruti, rozzi", quali erano state le tribù incontrate prima, in Sudamerica, specialmente.
Mi è piaciuta la ricostruzione storica, sia delle spedizioni che delle prime impressioni, avute dagli inglesi, appena conosciuto il popolo giapponese, con annesse illustrazioni (qua e là tra i capitoli) d'epoca, che hanno abbellito ed arricchito la lettura.
Quello che non mi è piaciuto, invece è che l'autore si è soffermato molto sui dissapori tra le "fazioni" (inglesi, portoghesi e olandesi) e meno sulla storia di questo nuovo luogo, il Giappone ed infine la lettura è proseguita con una sottile sensazione di: Noi (inglesi) siamo i più bravi, buoni, generosi, forti di tutti gli altri (portoghesi, spagnoli, olandesi). Non so, forse è stata solo una sensazione, ma è stata molto pressante.
Mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere di più sulla storia giapponese e meno delle continue morti per dissenteria e altri malanni tropicali (l'autore l'avrà ripetuto almeno 15 volte durante tutto il libro) che la ciurma ha sofferto e non poco, durante le tragiche traversate e le feste nelle locande malfamate in cui si imbattevano.

[James Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book. This is the factual historical recounting of William Adams, the Englishman washed up on the shores of 1600 AD Japan during the reign of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu...also known as Toronaga in James Clavell's novel, SHOGUN. Clavell's novel was made into a mini-series on TV back in the 1980's, Adams is Blackthorne in that series. Not only is it the history of Adams, but also the Portuguese, Spanish, English and Dutch traders in Japan...you come away educated from this book...much more than mere entertainment. I was pickled silly pink to find this book and could not put it down until completed...this is a MUST read for anyone who has read Clavell's works

[Ryan (Glay)]

What I assume the screenwriters for Shogun season 2 are reading ...

Interesting in parts but wish it had focused more on William Adams himself rather than the drama of the East India Company in Japan.

An extroadinary period of time though, barely a hundred years from the 1540s to 1630s when Japan was 'Open' to the West. This book covers some of the time and people of this era.

Had only a brief glance but the endnotes are extensive and look like a great source if interested in further readings of the period.

[Harry B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

Anjin Sama. That is what Mr William Adams is today called in Japan. What a story. What an ending. I'm torn in giving it a four star rating because the book deviated to other characters in Adam's story, namely the people who ran the English "factory" in Ieyasu's Japan. But regardless, Milton's flawless narrative was endearing and befitting such an odd but awesome tale.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear Professor Li,

Please stop making your students read this book.

Best,
Hannah

[Elin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book is a reconstruction of events of the very real Anjin-sama who inspired the story told in Shogun by James Clavell. (And which also inspired the story in the game Nioh, and I'm sure many other things). Interestingly, this book carries the name of Samurai William but told more about the Dutch and English mariners who came to Japan after William Adams and employed him and his expertise to gain a foothold in the country. This book tells you more about the unruly 17th century Europeans who literally behaved like teenagers. All money they ever received was used for drink and sex, and then they complain that they have no money... 17th century Europe was suitably aghast to discover Japanese pornography and dildoes. (That was fun). This book details the story of how Europeans tried to access the mysterious country of Japan, situated on the edge of the world; how William Adams came to end up the first Englishman there and how he gained the trust of the shogun; how another group of Englishmen arrived over a decade after Adams and their subsequent struggles; and finally how Japan ended up a closed country for over 200 years. It was a super interesting read that struggled with the extent of information it tried to put out. I had to take several breaks from it because the outpour was intense for such a short book. But did I enjoy it? Yes, very much.

[Dropbear123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5. 4th book I’ve read by Giles Milton.

Interesting and well written story. Title a bit of an exaggeration as Japan was locked up for 250 years after the events of the book. About a man who arrives in Japan nearly dead but managed to get close to the warlord Tokugawa. Also about the failed English trading mission and factory and the competition between Spanish, Dutch and English traders in Japan as well as Spanish+Portuguese missionaries. Pretty good but not a must read.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very engaging book that’s well written but like many have stated, the title is misleading. The story is mostly focused on trade, religion, & the quarrels between the English, Portuguese, Spanish, and the Dutch than of Adam’s rise w/in the Shogun. That in mind, this is still a great read and worth your time.

[Catherine MacLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if I would have read this had I not just watched Shogun, but I certainly learnt a lot about a part of history I hadn’t had much exposure to before. The timeline moved at a good pace, but there were just so many names that I struggled to keep track. William Adams didn’t feel as central as I’d expected- his time in Japan more just marks the period of time the book focuses on

[Eressea · Rating 2 out of 5]

三浦按針也算是挺有名的外國日本武士
但一直都沒有介紹他的書籍可看
所以我看到本書就先買下來了
只是看完整本書有些失望
原來不是嚴謹的學術作品
而是比較偏八掛雜誌風格的史普書

大航海時代的英國我不熟，但江戶日本還是有點概念的
本書對日本的描述有點獵奇，讓我很懷疑真實性
書末附的參考資料
除了史料之外，有滿多是過時的研究
給我的感覺是作者本人也不熟日本史
他找的書怎麼寫，他就怎麼轉述
總之不是很推本書
但中文書專門寫三浦按針好像也就這本了

[Anna Yamauchi]

I mean, it's a good book but for a biography it spends a really long time talking about anything but William Adams

[Mike Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally enjoy books about pig-headed Europeans traveling to distant lands during the age of exploration and this one was one of the better ones I’ve read.

[Ben Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book. Thought it was going to be a fiction book when I first got it. Turned out to be a great history book told as a story. Enjoyed it a lot.

[Luize Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read however it did not really go into depth about samurai williams.

Felt like It was more about the trading expeditions of the english , Spanish and Dutch to japan.

I expected to read more about his experience and dealings in Japan

[Gerry O'Malley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like a history text. Most of it is very dry and a recitation on the politics and trade wars among the English, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish in Japan during the early years of the 17th century. When Milton describes battles, such as the war between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori, which solidified Ieyasu's rule and established for 200 years the Tokugawa shogunate as the rulers of Japan, the prose is gripping and thrilling - its very hard to put the book down. This is Milton's strength as a writer. I read Milton's more recent book, Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and because much of that book describes daring raids and thrilling cloak-and-dagger fighting, it's a much more entertaining book. Samurai William has actually very little to do with William Adams - it's focused more on the numerous British attempts to establish trade in East Asia. Although Milton has a wonderful way of describing the characters so they are easy to differentiate and keep track of, I never really got a sense of who Adams was as a person or a leader or what his motivations were. Milton ascribes enormous importance to Adams as being tremendously influential and "the Englishman who opened Japan" but I think any objective reader of the book would disagree with that description. There were many Portuguese and Dutch traders that arrived in Japan decades before Adams - he was just facile enough with the language and clever enough to observe and mimic the customs that he became a favorite of Ieyasu, a local leader who eventually became Shogunate of all Japan. Because Adams was a favorite of Ieyasu, he was given special privileges, but as soon as Adams died, Ieyasu's son tossed all the foreigners out of the country and closed it to trade for 200 years. This is a great book for anyone interested in the challenges encountered by those intrepid Europeans who sailed the world attempting to plant the flag of their respective countries (and religions) in Asia; as such it can be repetitive and dull for entire chapters.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb account of the English pilot from Limehouse who would have remained in obscurity had he not washed up with a handful of survivors in a storm-battered Dutch ship on the coast of Japan in 1600. The pilot, William Adams, was the first Englishman in Japan and became an invaluable advisor to the future Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, with whom he gained unimaginable influence and was eventually rewarded with a Samurai lordship, becoming the first and possibly only foreigner to do so. This story would become better known in James Clavell's fictionalised version, Shogun, but I found Milton's history more entertaining, benefitting tremendously from the colourful language (including the cavalier and often eccentric approach to spelling) contained in the many quotes from documents of the time, such as Adams' own letters; the quotes read as coarser and less elegant Shakespeare, but all the more attractive as a result. The story includes what is known of Adams' background, the astonishing voyage that would eventually bring him to Japan, and of course his experiences in Japan. Milton enhances Adams' story with the wider context of European activities in Japan and the Far East. One thing that amazed me was how so many of the European accounts of the Japanese could be applied today. A marvellous read, full of surprising twists and turns!