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

Author:   Frederik Cryns
Publisher:   Reaktion Books
ISBN:  

9781789148640


Pages:   256
Publication Date:   01 May 2024
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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


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Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Frederik Cryns
Publisher:   Reaktion Books
Imprint:   Reaktion Books
ISBN:  

9781789148640


ISBN 10:   1789148642
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   01 May 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Reviews

"""Cryns is a master of detail. What separates this well-researched history from so much else is his unyielding pursuit of a truth far beneath the surface of mere facts. Reading Cryns's work is as close as we might ever come not just to living in feudal Japan, but to feeling the human heartbeat at its centre.""--Justin Marks, creator and showrunner of the miniseries ""Shogun"" (2024) ""William Adams, an English seafarer, found himself in Japan amidst monumental shifts. Cryns masterfully brings Adams's narrative to life, drawing from an unparalleled depth of primary sources and meticulous research. His laudable book sheds light not only on the life of this extraordinary individual but on its wider historical context. Through Adams's remarkable experience, the reader uncovers the dawning global age and Japan's transformative journey into modernity, making this book an indispensable read for enthusiasts of history and cultural exchange.""--Rotem Kowner, University of Haifa, author of ""From White to Yellow: The Japanese in European Racial Thought, 1300-1735"" ""William Adams, the real-life figure who inspired James Clavell's novel Shogun, was a fascinating man, and Cryns's new book explores his life in vivid terms, using untapped sources in English, Dutch, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. This book is destined to become a classic, combining vivid prose with exemplary research, but it's not just for people interested in imperial Japan. Anyone who wishes to understand the birth of our interconnected, global world will find much to enjoy and ponder.""--Tonio Andrade, professor of Chinese and global history, Emory University"


"""William Adams, an English seafarer, found himself in Japan amidst monumental shifts. Cryns masterfully brings Adams's narrative to life, drawing from an unparalleled depth of primary sources and meticulous research. His laudable book sheds light not only on the life of this extraordinary individual but on its wider historical context. Through Adams's remarkable experience, the reader uncovers the dawning global age and Japan's transformative journey into modernity, making this book an indispensable read for enthusiasts of history and cultural exchange.""--Rotem Kowner, University of Haifa, author of ""From White to Yellow: The Japanese in European Racial Thought, 1300-1735"" ""William Adams, the real-life figure who inspired James Clavell's novel Shogun, was a fascinating man, and Cryns's new book explores his life in vivid terms, using untapped sources in English, Dutch, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. This book is destined to become a classic, combining vivid prose with exemplary research, but it's not just for people interested in imperial Japan. Anyone who wishes to understand the birth of our interconnected, global world will find much to enjoy and ponder.""--Tonio Andrade, professor of Chinese and global history, Emory University"


Author Information

Frederik Cryns is professor of Japanese history at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan. He is the author of several bestselling books in Japanese on the early interaction of the Western world with Japan. In addition to his academic work, Cryns appears regularly on Japanese television history programs and supervised the historical aspects of the new television series Shogun.

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