Customer Reviews

The Needle-Watcher: The Will Adams Story, British Samurai

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For those who have read Shogun by James Clavell, you might be surprised to find that it was based upon a true story, the story of Will Adams. This book is an easy read and recounts the adventures of Will Adams, the first non-Japanese Samurai and founder of the Japanese Navy.

This discerning book tells the story of Will Adams an English navigator in Dutch employ whose ship founders on the Japan coast in the early seventeenth century at the dawn of the Tokugawa era. Blaker skillfully nuances Adams character as a man who navigates the cultural differences between Japan and Europe, building a navy which helped Tokugawa Ieyasu consolidate power and politically unify Japan. Adams realizes that he will never leave Japan's closed shores and shares all his maritime knowlege with Shogun Ieyasu. Ieyasu confers on Adams the title of "daimyo" or lord, giving him a manor in Yokoyama. Ieyasu's successor takes Adams for granted and ceases to patronize him. Adams loses his status. The book ends with an episode in which Adams proves his loyalty to the institution of the Shogunate showing that he embodies the valued personality trait "majime" or sincerity as much as any Japanese.

The Japanese challenge almost all foreigners living in their country to measure up to values of loyalty and sincerity. Blaker's book details Adams' life living with that challenge because his own sense of honor and his generosity left him with no choice.

I have an original hardback edition (1932) for over 50 years - now that I have a hard copy and a CD of " The Shogun" I cannot help but notice a distinct and specific similarity of both stories. Bob Stewart - Lameroo South Australia