William Adams (24 September 1564 – 16 May 1620), known in Japanese as Miura Anjin (“the pilot of Miura”), was an English navigator who, in 1600, was the first Englishman to reach Japan leading a five-ship expedition for a private Dutch fleet.
Of the few survivors of the only ship that reached Japan, Adams and his second mate Jan Joosten were not allowed to leave the country while Jacob Quaeckernaeck and Melchior van Santvoort were permitted to go back to the Dutch Republic to invite them to trade.
Adams, along with former second mate Joosten, then settled in Japan, and the two became some of the first (of very few) Western samurai.
Soon after Adams‘ arrival in Japan, he became a key advisor to the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Adams directed construction for the shōgun of the first Western-style ships in the country. He was later key to Japan’s approving the establishment of trading factories by the Netherlands and England.
He was also highly involved in Japan’s Red Seal Asian trade, chartering and serving as captain of four expeditions to Southeast Asia. He died in Japan at age 55. He has been recognised as one of the most influential foreigners in Japan during this period.
