In the Service of the Shogun

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

In 1600, English helmsman William Adams washed ashore in Japan, and was interrogated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japan's most powerful warlord and soon-to-be shogun. Far from 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. It unravels the subsequent diplomatic manoeuvres of the Western powers in the shogun's empire, and Adams's eventual downfall. This 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.

'Exhaustively researched...Students of Japanese history and culture owe Cryns a debt of gratitude for this impressive achievement.' - Wall Street Journal

'William Adams comes alive in the revelatory In the Service of the Shogun...Fans of the novel Shogun and the television series would do well to pick this one up.' - Washington Independent Review of Books

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Hardback
ISBN13: 9781789148640
Published: May 2024

Number of pages: 232
Width: 138 mm
Height: 216 mm
Depth: not specified

Publisher: Reaktion Books