William Adams

William Adams, also called Miura Anjin was an English merchant and navigator known as the first Englishmen to visit Japan.

At the age of 12 he became an apprentice to a shipyard owner where he spent the next 12 years learning astronomy, navigation and shipbuilding. In 1588, during the invasion of the Spanish Armada, Adams was appointed master of a supply ship for the British navy. Shortly after that he started to work for a company of Barbary merchants as a pilot and ship’s master. But, his major adventure occurred in 1698. That year he was sent as pilot with five Dutch ships to East Indies (Indonesia) via the Strait of Magellan. The fleet was scattered by storms, and in April 1600 only Adam’s ship, called the Liefde (“Charity”) with dying crew reached the island of Kyushu, in southern Japan. It was the first northern European ship that reached Japan.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the future shogun of Japan was so fascinated with his knowledge, especially of shipbuilding, that he made him “hatamoto” (bannerman), gave him an estate Miura and made him one of his confidants. Since he was not allowed to return back home where he had a family, at least he reconciled with the situation and created a new life and family in Japan. He would become known as Anjin or “pilot” in Japanese history. He led several overseas voyages as far as Southeast Asia in a period between 1614 and 1619.

As the shogun’s confidant, Adams had numerous assignments. He supervised the construction of Western-style ships, encouraged Dutch and English traders to come in Japan and served as intermediary between them and the shogun. He is credited for establishing of the English East India Company factory (trading post) at Hirado, in Kyushu northwest of Nagasaki in 1613.

Under the rule of a new leader Tokugawa Hidetada Adams lost his influence and Japan began a policy of isolationism. Eventually, only the Dutch traders were allowed to conduct a business with Japan. By 1620 Adams was severely ill and died at Hirado. Soon after his death, the English factory was shut down as well.

His life story is the basis of James Clavell's novel Shogun.