[MR] History Blog: Grave of First Englishman in Japan

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today the History Blog features a story on the grave of William Adams, said
the be the first Englishman in Japan. Adams is the real-life prototype for
John Blackthorne, the hero of James Clavell's novel SHOGUN.

The beginning of Adams' adventures in Japan barely fits into our SCA
period. He and some surviving companions of an ill-fated trading expedition
landed in Japan in April 1600. Adams was befriended by Tokagawa Ieyasu.
Adams eventually became a samurai warrior, shipbuilder and advisor for all
things European under Ieyasu. He never returned to England, and died in
Japan in 1620.

Remains in the traditional grave of Adams have been identified using carbon
dating and DNA testing.

The whole story is at http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/58675 .

Wikipedia offers a biography of Adams at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_(sailor,_born_1564) .