The Blue-Eyed English Samurai That Inspired A Best-Selling Book And TV Show
How William Adams became Miura Anjin
“And you will build your ship and I’ll destroy her like I destroyed the other one, or give her away, another sop to the Christians who are more important to me than your ships, my friend, so sorry, and the other ships waiting in your home land. Your countrymen will bring those out to me, and the treaty with your Queen. Not you. I need you here.
Fifty times or more I’ve had to consider giving your life away but so far, I’ve always managed to avoid it. I hope to continue to do that. Why…The answer is because you make me laugh and I need a friend…Anjin-san, my friend, it is your karma never to leave this land. It is mine to be Shōgun.” — Lord Toranaga, Shōgun by James Clavell
When I was a kid, I remember my mom watching a television mini-series about an English captain named Blackthorne who landed on the shores of Japan in the 1600s. Recently, it’s been revived to much acclaim.
The story is a clever piece of fiction. The sailor finds himself in a foreign land where his only translators are from Portugal, an enemy nation.
Later this fish out of water becomes fluent in Japanese and the right-hand man for Lord Toranaga — eventual ruler of the island. I’d later read the book it was based on, James Clavell’s Shōgun. It’s a masterful tale with a scope that stretches beyond belief.
I’d often wonder how Clavell thought up such a crazy story. However, the truth is: he didn’t think it up. The piece of fiction followed the life of a real man.
In 1600 an English captain named William Adams did end up on the shores of Japan. Like the story, he adopted the tongue of his new land, and was awarded the title of samurai. He became a trusted advisor of Tokugawa Ieyasu and was even given his own piece of land.
Also like Clavell’s book, Adams was never allowed to leave his new home. Ieyasu found him too valuable and created a new life for him in Japan. This included a new name, and even a new wife.
It’s a story so incredible it inspired a work of fact-based fiction that sold over 7 million copies. Although many don’t know it was based on a real event. Join me for the tale of William Adams, better known as Miura Anjin.
Beginnings And Arrival
“In June, 1598, a fleet of five sails…Left the coast of Holland for the East Indies….The fleet encountered many misfortunes on the coast of South America, so that after eighteen months at sea, two ships only were left to pursue the voyage. They steered for Japan, and one being lost in a storm, the other…Was wrecked off the coast. Among the crew was an Englishman from Kent, William Adams by name, and pilot-major of the fleet.” — Letters Written by the English Residents in Japan, 1611–1623, N. Murakami and K. Murakawa
William Adams was born in Kent, England in 1564 and lost his father at the age of twelve. As Giles Milton explains in his book Samurai William: The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan, Adams became an apprentice to a local shipbuilder. He’d spend the next twelve years learning how to navigate, read the stars, and even build ships.
Afterwards, he served in the English navy fighting off the invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Ten years later, Adams took his extensive sailing experience to the Netherlands. He took a job as a pilot (chief navigator) working for a company of Dutch merchants.
According to Milton, Adams left there with a fleet of five ships to trade their cargo for silver in South America. This met with immediate disaster. Storms mangled the fleet, plus they ran low on supplies. They also met hostile natives and Spanish aggressors. Adams lost his brother in one of these attacks.
The remainder of the fleet decided to cross the Pacific in an attempt to sell their cargo in Japan. After about two years, a single ship made it to the island. Only nine men survived, including Adams, out of the hundreds in the original fleet.
The men likely felt relief as they were welcomed to the shores of the island of Kyūshū. However, this was replaced by sudden dread as they were met by Japanese officials accompanied by a Portuguese priest. The English and Dutch just happened to be in the middle of a war with Spain and Portugal.
As William Adams states in his own letters, the Portuguese accused the crew of being pirates. Two of the crew members even agreed with the claims to save themselves. Adams awaited the worst.
Meeting Tokugawa Ieyasu
“Coming before the king, he viewed me well, and seemed to be wonderfully favourable. He made many signs unto me, some of which I understood, and some I did not. In the end, there came one that could speak Portuguese. By him, the king demanded of me of what land I was, and what moved us to come to his land, being so far off. I showed unto him the name of our country, and that our land had long sought out the East Indies, and desired friendship with all kings and potentates in way of merchandise…” — William Adams, The Original Letters of the English Pilot, William Adams
Adams and his crew were called to Osaka castle in Edo where he met the future shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Although he and his men were imprisoned, the meetings went surprisingly well. Often these meetings went on for long hours. Ieyasu had many questions about the world, which Adams could answer in detail.
Ieyasu ignored his Portuguese allies call to execute the “pirate”. He interviewed Adams several times himself. Some also report the future shogun used cannons from Adams’ ship in The Battle Of Sekigahara. Adams’ knowledge of shipbuilding, navigation, and mathematics were also immediately recognized as highly valuable.
According to Professor Derek Massarella at Chuo University in Tokyo, Adams also gave a different account of a “divided” Europe than the Portuguese interpretation. Ieyasu may have recognized the pilot as a good counterbalance.
Later Ieyasu asked Adams to build him Western ships, which the pilot obliged. In 1604 he built an eighty-ton vessel with Japanese carpenters and wood, and one even larger the year later. Unlike Clavell’s story, Ieyasu didn’t destroy these ships. One appears to even have made a voyage to the Americas.
The Tokugawa shogunate eventually made use of Western style ships to begin trade routes with Southeast Asia. These Red Seal Ships used a mixture of Chinese and Western sails and were also armed with cannons. Adams himself likely piloted some of these ships.
According to Professor Massarella, Ieyasu awarded Adams with the status of hatamoto or bannerman. He was given land which held approximately 100 households and could produce enough income to feed 250 for a year. This estate was near the Miura peninsula. Hence the name Anjin or pilot of Miura.
A Lord And Prisoner
Adams’ letters depict a man conflicted. He regularly thanks God for saving him from the disaster at sea. Furthermore, he also appears more than willing to speak about his incredible story, and his amazing fortunes in Japan. However, he continually attempts to contact his family in England.
Many of these letters are sent to Dutch or English sailors in surrounding areas begging them to do their best to forward the documents to England. Like Blackthorne, Adams would never leave his new land. Although Professor Massarella thinks this was just a cover story; it was too profitable for the new hatamoto to go back home.
He married a local woman, and they raised two children. He also adopted the Japanese culture, carrying the two swords of a samurai which Ieyasu awarded him. Adams also suffered strained or restrained relations with fellow English visitors. He almost sounds more Japanese in character than British.
One might speculate Adams remained in Japan not just for the profit or status, but for another reason. England became a foreign land to him after over a decade in Japan. He couldn’t go home because he was home. It might be the reason for the conflict which appears in his letters.
Whatever the reason, Adams died in Japan at the age of 55. He left his estate there to his local children and split whatever money he had saved between his Japanese and English family.
A memorial of two towers still stands in Yokosuka City today dedicated to Miura Anjin and his wife Oyuki. It’s a fitting memorial to a man who led a life amazing enough to fill a best-selling fiction novel.
This is the story of William Adams: sailor, merchant, explorer, survivor, hatamoto, and samurai.
-Originally posted on Medium 5/23/21