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Frederik Cryns

In the Service of the Shogun: The Real Story of William Adams

In the Service of the Shogun: The Real Story of William Adams

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  • More about In the Service of the Shogun: The Real Story of William Adams

Frederik Cryns' biography of William Adams, an English helmsman who was interrogated by Tokugawa Ieyasu and became one of his most trusted advisers, traces his rise from humble pilot to a position of immense influence in Japans foreign relations and the subsequent diplomatic manoeuvres of the Western powers in the shoguns empire. It includes much previously unknown information and takes us on a compelling journey into Adamss complex inner feelings and cosmopolitan heart.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2024
Publisher: Reaktion Books


William Adams, an English helmsman, was washed ashore in Japan in 1600 and was interrogated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the most powerful warlord and soon-to-be shogun of Japan. Instead of executing Adams as a pirate, Ieyasu made him one of his most trusted advisers. This biography traces Adams's rise from humble pilot to a position of immense influence in Japan's foreign relations, unraveling the subsequent diplomatic manoeuvres of the Western powers in the shogun's empire and Adams's eventual downfall. It is the first full biography of Adams based on original Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese sources, and includes much previously unknown information. Frederik Cryns tells the authentic story of Adams's chequered life in its historical context, taking us on a compelling journey into Adams's complex inner feelings and cosmopolitan heart.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 232 x 148 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789148640

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