Culture: William Adams
文化箱 (ぶんかばこ): イギリスのウイリアム・アダムズ
How did a British sailor born in Kent,
England, become known by the Japanese name - 三浦按針 (みうらあんじん) and a
top advisor the shogun? This man,
William Adams is one of the first people Kiara, Ben, Jun, and Tomo meet when
they emerge from the time gate in Nagasaki. The Dutch trading ship Liefde, piloted by Adams, had departed
from Rotterdam in the summer of 1598 for South America and nearly two years
later, landed on a small island near Kyushu in April 1600. William Adams and the rest of the
sickly, yet surviving crewmembers were taken to a prison in Osaka. Adams, who was knowledgeable in
maritime affairs and shipbuilding, met with the shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and in
1604 was engaged to help build Japan’s first Western-style ship. In addition to the favor of the shogun,
Adams eventually received a 朱印状 (しゅいんじょう), an official “vermillion seal” that allowed him to
engage in foreign trade. He also earned the two swords of a
samurai, an estate and an income, a Japanese name and a Japanese wife, お雪 (おゆき). They
had two children, Joseph and Susanna. From Japan, Adams continued his sailing career, engaging in a
number of trade missions for the East India Company around East and Southeast
Asia. He died in 1620 and is
buried at Nagasaki. This brief
period of flourishing international trade ended when the Tokugawa government
closed Japan to almost all foreign trade in 1635.