Dimensions
140 x 35 x 200mm
In the spring of 1611, London merchants of the East India Company received an intriguing and wholly unexpected letter. Written by a marooned English mariner named William Adams, it revealed that he had been living in the unknown land of Japan for more than a decade. He had battled against typhoon and treachery, and risen to the highest levels in the ruling Shogun's court.
Seven adventurers were sent to Japan with orders to find and befriend Adams. It was believed he held the key to exploiting the opulent riches of this forbidden land. When they finally stepped ashore, they were astonished to discover that William Adams had gone native.
The rough sea-dogs were dazzled by this land of barbarism and exotic sophistication, silks and samurai. Enchanted by the sensual pleasures of the Orient, the sailors wrote home with tales of steam baths and Zen gardens, giant buddhas and breakfasts of seaweed. When King James I read their stories, he declared them to be "the loudest lies I ever heard".
But they were true, and so were the extraordinary events that followed. These men, led by Adams, found themselves in a desperate battle for their lives - hounded by scheming Jesuit monks and fearsome Dutch assassins. What happened next would change forever Japan's relations with the West.
'Samurai William' is a tale of two worlds. Illuminated by first-hand accounts, it is a fascinating story of the first Englishman to visit the forbidden lands of Japan, written by the bestselling historian and author, Giles Milton.
