[William Adams before Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu]
Often referred to as the "Blue-Eyed Samurai" and the inspiration for the drama Shogun, based on the novel by James Clavell, William Adams may just be one of the most influential westerners to go to Japan. Adams was born in 1564 in Kent, England and after his father died when he was 12, he began working as an apprentice to Master Nicholas Diggins, owner of a shipyard in Limehouse, London. Over the years, he studied ship building, astronomy, and navigation before joining the Royal Navy in 1588 (Japan Experience). England and Spain were intermittently at war since 1585 and in 1588 was the Battle of the Armada. As master of the Richarde Dyffylde, a resupply ship, and under the command of Admiral Francis Drake, Adams played a part in defeating the Spanish Armada which was the most powerful fleet in the world at the time (Tsunoda). After the navy, he continued to work on ships and travelled to other parts of the world.
One of the jobs he took was piloting for the Barbary Company. During this time working with the trading company established by Queen Elizabeth I, Jesuit sources claim he took part in a two-year Arctic expedition in search of a Northeast Passage to the Far East along the coast of Siberia, though Adams himself never mentioned this voyage in his own writings (Japan Experience). By the late 1590s, Adams was on his way to Asia. In 1598, he travelled to the Netherlands where he participated in the voyage to Asia as a navigator on the Liefde, part of the Oriental Expeditionary Fleet for the Rotterdam Company (Toyoda). The journey was not an easy one, however, and took a toll on the crew. After rounding the Strait of Magellan and reaching the Pacific in September 1599, the ships were scattered by a storm and only the Liefde, with Adams on board, managed to reach Japan—over a year later in April 1600 (Japan Experience). They drifted ashore in Usuki (Oita Prefecture) and the crew, which had been 110 people at the time of departure, had dwindled to 24 (Emiya). Japan had not yet closed its borders to foreign merchants and ships by the time Adams arrived in the country, but tensions still would have been high upon the crew’s arrival.
[William Adams meets Tokugawa Ieyasu. Idealized version of the scene as depicted by Pieter van der Aa in the early 1700s]
The crew was taken to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled until Japan’s ports were made to open to the outside world in 1868. Despite Portuguese Jesuits urging the Japanese authorities to execute the Protestant newcomers as pirates, Ieyasu denied their request, declaring that Adams and his shipmates had done no harm to Japan or its people (Japan Experience). Their attempt to sway the shogun had not worked, though it was part of a strategy to influence who Japan traded with. Since the Netherlands and England were not Catholic countries, the Jesuit missionaries were opposed to any exchanges with them, but Ieyasu listened to Adams and his group and learned not only about diplomacy but also about mathematics, geometry, and navigation (Toyoda). One of the main goals Adams had in going to Japan was to create a relationship between England and Japan and establish trade. When asked how they came to Japan, Adams showed Ieyasu a map and explained that they had sailed through the Strait of Magellan; at first this made Ieyasu suspicious because he did not know the Earth was round, but, in the end, Adams advocated free trade and a win-win relationship between friendly nations – music to the ears of Ieyasu, who wanted to end the Portuguese monopoly (Cryns). This was just the beginning of Adams' time and influence in Japan.
Adams received an order from Ieyasu to build Japan’s first Western-style ship. The first he constructed was 80 tons, but an order was given to build an even bigger ship which resulted in the 120-ton San Buena Ventura that was competed in 1607 (Ito Tourism Association). This was a huge achievement for Adams in the eyes of Ieyasu. In 1608, the shogun presented Adams with a noble title and lands in what is today known as Yokosuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan Experience, Tsunoda). This was not all that the shogun had bestowed to Adams. He was also given the name “Miura Anjin” (Miura comes from the name of a territory in Japan and Anjin means pilot) and was made Ieyasu’s advisor on foreign affairs (Tsunoda). Ieyasu’s favor towards Adams did not go unnoticed by others. Jacques Specx, the head of the Dutch trading post, noted in his diary of 1611:
This Mr Adams is esteemed by Ieyasu as a prince or potentate because of his
learning and sincerity. He is entitled to converse directly and intimately with his
highness. This is a great help to us, as few people are allowed to do so (Cryns).
This further shows the shogun’s respect for Adams and also gave the Englishman a chance to build trade between England and Japan in addition to helping other countries who wished to trade with Japan.
There were many advantages that he was able to secure for England due to his connection with the shogun. In 1609, he helped facilitate the establishment of a Dutch trading post on the island of Hirado off Kyushu in addition to negotiating on behalf of the Dutch to allow them to engage in trade throughout Japan under Ieyasu’s protection (Japan Experience). He did not let the Dutch be the only benefactors to his connection with the shogun. For the English, he assisted in setting up a factory for the British East India Company in Hirado as well and secured broad trading privileges for the country, on par with the Dutch (Japan Experience). Besides establishing trade, Adams was also able to travel to other parts of Asia to trade. From 1614 to 1619, he led a series of voyages throughout Southeast Asia, making several expeditions to Thailand to purchase many goods including silk, sappanwood, and deerskins which gave him handsome profits (Japan Experience). However, it was not long after that the shogun died and his son Hidetada took over ruling Japan.
When Ieyasu died in 1616, circumstances for Adams changed. He was disliked by Hidetada and was treated coldly because he opposed the so-called isolationist policy promoted by the shogunate (Tsunoda). After all, Hidetada was different from his father and his opinion on free trade showed how much different he was. Conservative by nature, the new shogun reversed Ieyasu’s policy of free trade and wanted to consolidate Tokugawa rule and eliminate all foreign influence (Cryns). Though he still held his special status as a retainer of the shogun and was still allowed to travel freely in Japan (unlike other foreigners), a series of incidents made it clear that the power he once had under Ieyasu’s rule was no more.
Adams died in May of 1620 in Hirado, leaving behind a Japanese wife and children. Though he only spent around two decades in Japan, William Adams left a profound mark on the country and influenced the outcomes of important events in Japan. Besides bringing Western shipbuilding to Ieyasu’s shipwrights, he also acted as a broker for the Shogun in the purchase of Western cannon which proved to be one of the decisive factors in Ieyasu’s victory in the Siege of Osaka that established the Tokugawa supremacy which would last for 250 years (Cryns). Beyond that, Adams' legacy as a skilled navigator, diplomat, and bridge between Eastern and Western cultures continues to be remembered and celebrated in both England and Japan to this day.
Related Media
Shōgun (1980), miniseries (trailer)
Shōgun (2024), historical drama (trailer)
Visit
William Adams gravesite in Hirado, Japan
Anjin Memorial Park in Ito, Japan
Works Cited
Cryns, Frederik. “William Adams: English Adviser to the Shogun | History Today.” Www.historytoday.com, 4 Apr. 2024, www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/william-adams-english-advisor-shogun.
Emiya, Takayuki. “徳川家康の対外政策ブレーン・英国人ウイリアム・アダムス（三浦按針）とは？ ｜ 歴史人.” 歴史人, 22 May 2023, www.rekishijin.com/27774. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Ito Tourism Association. “Miura Anjin (William Adams) and Ito City｜伊豆・伊東観光ガイド - 伊東の観光・旅行情報サイト.” 伊豆・伊東観光ガイド, 4 Oct. 2024, itospa.com/anjin/eng. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Japan Experience. “William Adams | Japan Experience.” Www.japan-Experience.com, 1 Feb. 2024, www.japan-experience.com/plan-your-trip/to-know/japanese-history/williams-adams. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Toyoda, Maho. “家康の外交顧問に重用された“三浦按針”こと、ウィリアム・アダムスの生涯｜日蘭交流のきっかけを作ったイギリス人航海士【日本史人物伝】 | サライ.Jp｜小学館の雑誌『サライ』公式サイト.” サライ, 29 Oct. 2023, serai.jp/hobby/1153868. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Tsunoda, Akio. “【歴人録】三浦按針(ウィリアム・アダムス)とは何者？徳川家康に仕えた生涯をたどる.” 歴史屋, 5 Apr. 2024, rekishiya.com/william-adams-miura-anjin/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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