William Adams

@First Ever Western Samurai, Birthday and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ William Adams was an English navigator, the first Englishman who traveled to Japan and became a Western Samurai British Miscellaneous Explorers Libra Celebrities William Adams was an English navigator, the first Englishman who traveled to Japan and became a Western Samurai. He was a well-trained shipbuilder who also possessed the knowledge about trade and astronomy. Soon after completing his apprenticeship, he was appointed to work in Royal Navy and later went on several expeditions. But the most absorbing voyage which changed the course of his life arrived when he was appointed to serve as the pilot major in the Dutch expedition to Far East. The voyage consisted of five vessels but eventually each ship succumbed to its fate and could not reach the destination due to different reasons. Finally, his ship reached the coast of Japan where he was initially imprisoned by the authorities. But when the future shogun of Japan realized Adam’s true abilities, he instructed him to help in construction of big ships for Japan. Later, he was crowned as a Western Samurai and served as a key trade advisor to the shogun. In the following years, he played a vital role in the establishment of trading factories in Japan by the Dutch and British companies. He was also instrumental in chartering and captaining several ships to Southeast Asia. He was one of the most influential foreigners to reach Japan who played a significant role in developing the trade and economy of Japan.

Personal Details

Birthday: September 24, 1564 Died on: May 16, 1620 Nationality: British Famous: First Ever Western Samurai, Miscellaneous, Explorers Spouses: Oyuki Siblings: Thomas Known as: Anjin Miura Information Detail Birthday September 24, 1564 Died on May 16, 1620 Nationality British Famous First Ever Western Samurai, Miscellaneous, Explorers Spouses Oyuki Siblings Thomas Known as Anjin Miura Childrens Joseph, Susanna Birth Place Gillingham Religion Protestant Gender Male Sun Sign Libra Born in Gillingham Famous as First ever Western Samurai Died at Age 55

Gillingham

William Adams born at Unsplash Birth Place

He was married to an English woman and had children before leaving for the expedition to the Far East. But he was unable to reach his family as the Japanese ruler forbade him to leave the country. Somehow he managed to send regular support payments to her after 1613 via the English and Dutch companies. Unsplash Personal Life

Later, he married a Japanese woman named Oyuki, the daughter of Magome Kageyu, a highway official. The couple was blessed with a son, Joseph, and a daughter, Susanna. Unsplash Personal Life

He died on May 16, 1620, at Hirado, north of Nagasaki, and was buried there. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born on September 24, 1564, in Gillingham, Kent, England. He lost his father when he was 12, and was apprenticed in shipbuilding under Master Nicholas Diggins. He also gained knowledge about astronomy and navigation over the next twelve years. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After completing his apprenticeship, he joined the Royal Navy where he assisted Sir Francis Drake. In 1588, he became the master of a supply ship, Richarde Dyffylde, for the British navy during the invasion of the Spanish Armada. Unsplash Career

Later, he took part in an expedition to the Arctic as a pilot for the Barbary Company. The expedition was in search of a Northeast Passage along the coast of Siberia to the Far East and took about two years. Unsplash Career

In 1598, he was appointed as pilot major with a fleet which was dispatched for a Dutch expedition to the Far East. The fleet consisted of five ships namely; the Hoop, the Liefde, the Geloof, the Trouw, and the Blijde Boodschap. Unsplash Career

The ships started off their journey and took the route to the coast of Guinea, West Africa where they attacked the island of Annobón for supplies, and then moved on. But the bad weather disrupted their journey and only three ships--‘the Liefde’, ‘the Hoop’ and ‘the Trouw’—out of five, made it to the Straits of Magellan. Unsplash Career

His ship, the Liefde, waited for the other ships until the spring of 1599 but out of the other two ships which had survived the disaster, only the Hoop joined them. Both the ships then sailed westwardly for Japan but in late February 1600, the Hoop was also claimed by a typhoon along with its entire crew. Unsplash Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	September 24, 1564
Died on	May 16, 1620
Nationality	British
Famous	First Ever Western Samurai, Miscellaneous, Explorers
Spouses	Oyuki
Siblings	Thomas
Known as	Anjin Miura
Childrens	Joseph, Susanna
Birth Place	Gillingham
Religion	Protestant
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Libra
Born in	Gillingham
Famous as	First ever Western Samurai
Died at Age	55

William Adams

British

Sep 24, 1564

Biography

Personal Details

Gillingham