Samurai William: The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan

Description

In the winter of 1611, a mysterious letter was received by the London merchants of the East India Company. The fact that it came from Japan, a forbidden and unknown land, was a cause of wonder, but even more remarkable was that the writer was an Englishman by the name of William Adams. Adams had sailed to the East in 1598, but most of his company had died by the time their ship was washed up unexpectedly in Japan. He fell in love with the barbaric splendour of the country and decided to settle. He soon forged a close friendship with the ruthless Shogun Ieyasu, took a Japanese wife and sired a new, mixed-blood family. However, his homesick letter to London inspired the merchants to plan an expedition to the Far East, wishing to trade with the Japanese through Adams' good offices. "Samurai William" illuminates a Jacobean world whose horizons were rapidly expanding and a Japan that was still unknown to the world.

Giles Milton is a writer and journalist. He has contributed articles for most of the British national newspapers as well as many foreign publications and specialises in the history of travel and exploration. In the course of his researches, he has travelled extensively in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and South East Asia.

'Anyone who enjoyed Shogun ... will love this' -- Lancashire Evening Post 20030201 'Samurai William is a great read and fairly romps along' -- What's On 20020823 'Told with Stevensonian gusto ... A revelation' -- Jane Gardam, Spectator 20021101 'A page-turner of a book... an accessible, well-crafted piece of popularised history.' -- Allan Spence, The Scotsman 20020608 'Giles Milton has once again shown himself to be a master of historical narrative... a gripping tale of Jacobean derring-do, a fizzing, real-life, Boys' Own adventure underpinned by genuine scholarship.' -- Katie Hickman, The Sunday Times 20020608 'Giles Milton again expertly navigating the eastern seas' -- Economist 20020629 'Milton has brought the era to life, conveying nuances of character and the values of the time.' -- The Sunday Times 20020629 'The thoroughness and intelligence of his research underpins the lively confidence with which he deploys it.' -- The Times Literary Supplement 20020629 'Fascinating detail ... Milton is good at portraying eccentric characters and the Englishmen's shock at the periodic brutality of the Japanese.' -- The Times Literary Supplement 20020801