1620day.year
William Adams
(1564 - 1620)
English sailor and navigator
English sailor and navigator
English sailor and navigator who became one of the first Western samurai in Japan and advised shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
William Adams (1564-1620) was an English sailor and navigator who became one of the first Western samurai in Japan.
He arrived in Japan in 1600 aboard the Dutch ship De Liefde and caught the attention of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Granted the rank of hatamoto and given the Japanese name Miura Anjin (Pilot of Miura), he served as a diplomatic advisor and shipbuilder.
Adams introduced Western shipbuilding and navigational techniques to the shogunate, influencing Japan's maritime development.
Despite offers to return to Europe, he remained in Japan until his death in Hirado in 1620.
1620
William Adams