When did the English first go to Japan

A.� On 19 April, 1600, and the first man was Will Adams. Thanks to Shea for the question.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� You seem very sure of yourself

A.� It's well documented and has been fictionalised in print and for TV.

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Q.� Tell all

A.� James Clavell's Shogun is indirectly based on the tale of William Adams, who was born in Gillingham, Kent, on 24 September, 1564. After serving in the Royal Navy under Sir Francis Drake, he became a pilot. He married and had children. At the age of 34, he went to Holland and was chosen as Pilot Major for a five-ship expedition to the Far East. He set sail from Rotterdam in June, 1598. After a terrible voyage to Africa and South America, during which most of the the fleet was scattered or sunk, they arrived off what is now Usaki City.

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Q.� And were welcomed with open arms

A.� No. Only nine of the remaining 24 crew members could even stand. The vessel was seized as a pirate ship and the sickly crew was imprisoned at Osaka Castle.

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Q. That was the end of Adams and the crew

A.� No again. According to some sources, the Emperor of Japan heard of Adams' arrival, sent for him and quizzed him in the ways of the West. Asked why foreign ships came so far, Adams said his country sought trade and friendship, through which countries on both sides were enriched. He was held captive, but well looked after. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (the military commander) took a liking to Adams, eventually making him a diplomatic and trade adviser with many privileges. But he was forbidden to leave Japan.

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Q.� So Will was a likable chap

A.� He may well have been, but the cunning shogun was also after his Western knowledge. In 1604, Ieyasu ordered Adams to build a western-style sailing ship at Ito. An 80-ton vessel was completed and the Shogun ordered a larger ship the next year.

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Q.� And the pay was good

A.� Oh yes. Adams was given a large house in the new capital of Tokyo. He was also given two swords.

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Q.� Two swords. Big deal.

A.� Think again. These swords, the badge of rank and authority, transformed Adams the English pilot into Miura Anjin, the samurai. Along with this came an estate at Hemi, a huge salary, and permission to marry Oyuki, the daughter of Magome Kageyu, a noble samurai and high-ranking official.

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Q.� But what of his wife and children back in Blighty Surely the Japanese would not condone bigamy

A.� They found a way round it. Leyasu decreed that William Adams was dead and that Miura Anjin, a samurai, was born. This made Will's English wife, in effect, a widow, and freed Adams to serve him on a permanent basis.

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Q.� And get hitched again

A.� Yes. Adams and Oyuki settled in Hemi and had a son, Joseph, and a daughter, Susanna.

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Q. And they all lived happily ever after (except for the first Mrs Adams and family)

A.� Adams, now Anjin, was a restless type and still needed to travel. First he set up a vain attempt to organise an expedition in search of the Arctic passage. By 1613, he concentrated his efforts on trade after helping the British East India Company set up a trading post near Nagasaki, then setting up his own. Adams died at Hirado, north of Nagasaki, on 16 May, 1620.

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By Steve Cunningham