Your lot is the Burden of the Whites!
Don't you dare drop it!
Don't you dare talk about freedom
Hide the weakness of your shoulders!
Fatigue is not an excuse
After all, the native people
According to what you have done
He knows your gods.
("White's Burden", R. Kipling. Translation by V. Toporov)
Trying to help the sailors in some way, Ieyasu ordered a small annual pension to be assigned to each of them, and, in addition, a daily rice ration of two pounds was guaranteed.
Fate favored Adams, he was close to Ieyasu: the shogun valued him as a very interesting and intelligent interlocutor, and often their conversations continued for a very long time. In addition, Ieyasu had certain plans for Adams.
Will Adams or John Blackthorn had to learn a lot in Japan, where people even sat differently than in Europe.
Once in a conversation, Ieyasu wished Adams to build him a ship according to the English model, referring to the stories of the Englishman about his youth and about his studies at the ship's master. Adams resisted as best he could, denying his carpentry ability, explaining that he was just a navigator.
But Ieyasu was adamant, and returned to this topic at every opportunity. He assured Adams that in case of failure he would not bear any responsibility, and his good name would not suffer because of this.
Agreeing, Adams gets to work. The Japanese masters invited to help were extremely diligent. Work began to boil, and some time later a ship with a displacement of eighty tons was launched. Adams took his native "Lifde" as a model. The work was brilliantly done, and the shogun was very pleased with the fruits of the shipbuilders' labor. Adams gained more and more confidence from Ieyasu, the shogun shared his plans and secrets with him, asked for advice. Soon the Briton acquired the status of not only a friend of the great ruler, but also his adviser.
And the talented navigator had to act as a mathematics teacher: Ieyasu became interested in mathematical science and wanted to expand his knowledge. In addition, Adams was appointed the shogun's personal translator, thus surpassing the Jesuit Rodriguez Tsuzu, the former translator of Ieyasu.
Will was surprised by literally everything: the clothes of the Japanese, and their amazing ceremony.
Adams worked tirelessly, succeeding everywhere, and the reward of the great ruler was not long in coming. Ieyasu was unusually generous: Adams became one of the shogun's vassals, having received in Hemi, near Yokosuka, in the southeast of the island of Honshu, a large estate with servants of 80–90 people.
Adams was firmly on his feet, he had everything he needed for a stable, calm life. There was only no opportunity to return home. William decides to get married. Adams chose as his wife the daughter of Magome Kageyu - an official, the head of a postal station on one of the main roads in Japan. Magome Kageyu, although he held a responsible position, did not belong to the Japanese nobility. Therefore, no one could suspect Adams of self-interest. William Adams married his daughter Magome Kageyu solely for love. Mrs. Adams became a respectable hostess, a gentle and loving wife and a caring mother. Soon, Adams became the father of an adorable son, Joseph, and a daughter, Suzanne. Their marriage was considered very successful. With all this, Adams had another child, illegitimate. But the Japanese society did not condemn this state of affairs, moreover, it was considered in the order of things to have illegitimate children. This woman lived in Hirado, a small town on the west coast of Kyushu.
Having received a large estate from Ieyasu, Adams acquired the status of a large landowner. But the prospect of living his whole life in the village did not please William at all. Trade was much closer to him, for this reason he bought himself a house in Nihombashi, one of the districts of Edo.
As time went on, the Englishman Adams gained such weight in society that the Jesuits were worried if they could force this Briton to leave Japan. Adams was offered assistance in such a difficult matter, but he refused the offer, explaining that the emperor would find a lot of reasons why he would not allow him to leave the country.
But nostalgia more and more often brought Adams into a bad mood, and longing for his homeland, his first wife and child, loved ones, friends became intolerable. In 1605, unable to fight more with homesickness, he turns to Ieyasu with the lowest request to allow him to leave Japan, but the shogun was relentless. He was strongly opposed to the departure of William Adams.
The only thing Ieyasu did was allow Jacob Quakernack and Melchior Van Santworth to leave Japan in order to find their compatriots and establish contact with them. Ieyasu conveyed with them a letter to the Dutch inviting them to trade in Japan, and, in addition, letters from Adams to his wife and friends in England.
The trip was more than successful, letters from Adams and Ieyasu were delivered to their addresses, and two Dutch merchant ships soon arrived in Japan. Adams accompanied the Dutch delegation, and it was only thanks to such close cooperation that the Dutch received the go-ahead from Ieyasu to trade in all ports, and even in cities remote from the sea. Adams was at his best here too, showing once again his organizational skills in negotiations with Ieyasu: permission was obtained from the shogun to organize a permanent trading port in Hirado.
William's hospitality was endless. During the negotiations, he invited the Dutch to his home so that they had a place to rest and gather strength for successful negotiations. Putting all his business aside, Adams spent all his time exclusively with the guests. They highly appreciated the Englishman's kindness, care, assistance in business negotiations. In gratitude, they presented him with several rolls of excellent fabric. Since then, a strong friendship was struck between Adams and the Dutch merchants, which lasted until his death.
It should be noted that after many years, when the rivalry between Britain and Holland for primacy in the seas of the Far East began, and several English ships were captured by the Dutch, Adams remained faithful to that friendship. The captured English ships the Dutch moored in the port of Hirado, and the captured crews apparently relied heavily on Adams' help. Help was denied to them, which caused a storm of indignation among the British.
By the way, the management of the East India Company, which is under the patronage of Holland, highly valued the ties with Adams, and any of his requests were fulfilled instantly, despite the fact that the company was far from Japan, and its management had no personal ties with him, and theirs were exclusively business-like. Adams' services to the company were truly invaluable, and this was the reason that the Dutch tried to keep secret from him for as long as possible the fact that the British also began trading in the East Indies. It was not profitable for the Dutch to disclose their information about the super-profitable Japanese market, and they did everything so that information about it did not reach the cunning Englishmen. All correspondence from Japan to Europe and vice versa fell under the ban. On pain of punishment, the ship's crews were prohibited from transmitting correspondence. Gullible Adams could not even imagine that letters that were sent with an opportunity through Dutch partners were subject to immediate destruction by company officials, again for reasons of preventing competitors.
Toda Mariko (Yoko Shimada). In Shogun, it is his love for Mariko that helps Blackthorn understand Japan. But in real life, he found himself a life partner - a Japanese woman and had children from her. He never returned to his English wife …
At the same time, the path to Japan was also paved by the Spaniards. Adams informs Ieyasu that the goal of the Spaniards is by no means to establish trade ties. And their plans were as follows: to the countries that Spain plans to seize in the future, Franciscan monks and Jesuits are first sent with the task of converting as many people as possible to Catholicism. If the task is completed successfully, the king of Spain sends an army there, and the newly minted Catholics give them all kinds of support.
According to Adams, in this way the Spaniards were able to conquer vast territories in Europe, America and Asia. The Dutch and the British were extremely dissatisfied with the methods of the Spaniards to seize territories, so they decided to unite and fight together against the invaders. William Adams did not like the questionable proposal of the Spaniards regarding the mapping of the coastline of Japan, which was reported to the shogun. Adams called it madness to allow the Spaniards to do cartography, because it endangers the whole country, opens up the borders of Japan and allows the Spaniards to safely land an army.
Thanks to Adams' vigilance and superior analytical skills, the Spanish army suffered a fiasco and in October 1613 was forced to sail off the coast of Japan. Before embarking on a long journey, the Spaniards dumped a bunch of accusations on Adams' head that he was the cause of all their failures, and, in addition, turned the shogun against their religious activities in Japan, which prevented them from persuading Ieyasu to their side. …
Subsequently, Portuguese and Spanish historiographers wrote with indignation that Adams presented in the eyes of the shogun the Pope and the King of Spain as two of the most dangerous criminals imaginable, labeling the former navigator as "the most terrible of heretics." He received this mark for his categorical rejection of the Catholic faith.
In 1614, in the town of Uraga, one small incident happened with a certain young Franciscan monk who had the audacity to take over an obstinate heretic. This monk, in his regular religious conversation with Adams, assured him that sincere faith is capable of miracles. Adams burst out laughing in the monk's face. The offended priest inadvertently made a promise that he would in fact prove the veracity of his words. Adams was irritated by the response of the clergyman, and he asked how he was going to do this. To which the monk replied that he would pass by sea, like dry land. Adams reacted with irony to the words of the monk, amused, he specified the number and place of the action, which he would like to attend as a spectator. The monk, who promised an unforgettable sight, had nowhere to retreat, and therefore a specific time was appointed for the miracle. The news spread like a whirlwind around the area, and by the appointed time a crowd of onlookers stood on the seashore, eager for an extraordinary performance.
The monk turned out to be a man of his word: not being afraid of the gathered crowd of commoners and not deviating from his convictions, he went to the seashore with an impressive wooden cross. Having venerated the cross with great reverence, he entered the sea under the inquisitive gaze of the spectators. To the great regret of the priest and the bitter disappointment of the crowd, the miracle did not take place - the monk immediately went to the bottom. The monk would definitely have drowned if Adams' friend Melchior Van Santworth had not come to the rescue. Jumping into the boat and rowing furiously, he swam to the drowning monk and pulled him out of the water. The next morning came. Adams decided to visit the unlucky monk and find out what state he is in after bathing. The reception was more than cool. The monk continued to insist on his own, arguing that miracles still exist if you sincerely believe in God. And on the seashore, the miracle did not happen solely through the fault of the unbeliever Adams.
Such religious fanaticism, reaching the point of absurdity, confused Ieyasu, who professed the traditional Japanese religion. His confidants thought the same, who believed that only their religion could keep society and the country's politicians within a certain framework of order and stability. And a new religion will only undermine the shogunate's power. Well, Ieyasu also remembered what Adams had told him about the treachery of the Spanish king, who, with the help of the Jesuits and Franciscan monks, conquered foreign countries. And no matter how confident the shogun was of the steadfastness of his country, fear of the future, where the Spaniards and Portuguese would begin to act too actively, took possession of him. Ieyasu decided to put an end to the tyranny of the Catholics.
Flexible like a liana, East and hard like an oak, West: Mariko and Blackthorn.
In 1614, Tokugawa Ieyasu signed an order stating that all missionaries, without exception, should leave Japan, and churches should be closed. The death penalty threatened those Japanese who dare to disobey their emperor and continue to profess Christianity. The only thing that was allowed was the gradual execution of the order, which stretched out over a considerable period. The casket opened simply: the shogun feared that this would alert Spanish merchants, and they would refuse to trade in Japan. Events began to develop more seriously much later …
Meanwhile, the head of the East India Company, having found out that Will Adams lives in Japan, equipped a British ship there, the commander of which was appointed Captain Saris. The instructions given to Saris during his stay in Japan were detailed and contained a step-by-step course of the captain's actions. When he arrived in Japan, he had to find a quiet and safe bay in which to trade in peace. For sale were offered fabrics, lead, iron and much more that was produced in England. Saris was required to analyze the demand for goods, their sales. In addition, the captain was obliged to meet, talk and, if necessary, ask for advice from representatives of other trading posts.
Meeting with William Adams was a must, since he was the only Englishman in Japan who served the emperor and had unlimited opportunities. In addition, the captain is obliged to ask Adams how the letters from the English king, which were handed to Adams before sailing, can be handed over. And also, what presents and who needs to be presented, who will give them and, in general, how this action should take place … authorities, and the Company's goods would sell well and give considerable profit, then with the permission of Richard Cox and the rest of the Company's representatives staying there on the ship, it was allowed to form a trading post in Japan, sending intelligent representatives of the Company for this to open an enterprise, and, in addition, import the required amount of goods for the development of trade and the functioning of the trading post. And most importantly, if William Adams, before the departure of the ship from Japan, wants to go home in order to visit his family, the captain was obliged to provide him with the best cabin, providing everything that the dear passenger could wish for.
Having sailed away from the British shores on April 18, 1611, Captain Saris on October 24 of the same year moored in the East Indies, in Bantam. In the port, they loaded spices and other goods into the holds of "Hector" and "Thomas", ships assigned to the ports of England. Following the instructions, the captain dispatched them back to Britain, and on January 15, 1613, he left the port of Bantam on the Clove and went straight to Japan. On June 12 of the same year, the ship docked at Hirado. Only now did Adams' dream come true. Finally, the British, along with the rest of the merchants of Western Europe, had the opportunity in Japan to establish trade relations and start trading. And it was Adams' merit.
The news of the arrival of the British ship did not reach William immediately. And only some time later he got the opportunity to board the ship. Adams was greeted on the ship with honors that were due to dignitaries: cannon volleys, the ceremonial formation of the team - all this was in honor of the distinguished guest. Captain Saris and the British traders were eagerly awaiting the meeting with their fellow countryman. William experienced many exciting moments when he finally heard his native language. After the ceremony of introducing Adams to the ship's crew, a series of welcoming speeches and congratulations on his arrival, Captain Saris asks Adams and the merchants to enter the house rented from the Japanese during the British delegation's stay in the country. Standing at the front door, the British heard another solemn salvo of nine guns. It was the Klove's ship cannons firing again. Thus, Captain Seris once again showed his respect to Adams, as well as to all the inhabitants of Hirado, who watched with curiosity at the solemn procession of the group of Englishmen. The captain entered the British dwelling with a sense of accomplishment - everything was done, and even more than what the distinguished guests were supposed to have under the protocol. Adams was also very pleased with the honors given by the guests.
As it turned out later, the joy of the meeting was short-lived. Later, Saris made an entry in his diary. The captain lamented that Adams, both during the conversation and after it, behaved like a "real Japanese", and William was offended by the arrogance and arrogance of his compatriots.
And the top officials of the East India Company, wanting to emphasize the importance and significance of their mission, trust Saris to hand over a letter to the shogun, written by King James I of England himself.
The shogun's reply to King James I was written in a poetic, intricate oriental style and read as follows: “Minamoto no Ieyasu of Japan responds to His Honor to the Ruler of Igarateira (England) through a naval envoy who has come a grueling and long journey. For the first time we received a letter from you, from which we learned that the government of your venerable country, as it appears from the letter, is following the true path. I have personally received numerous gifts from your country, for which I am extremely grateful. I will follow your advice regarding the development of friendly relations and the establishment of mutual trade contacts between our countries. Despite the fact that we are separated by ten thousand leagues of clouds and waves, our countries, as it turned out, are close to each other. I am sending you modest samples of what can be produced in our country. Everything is listed on the accompanying sheet. I express my respect. Take care of yourself: everything in this world is changeable."
By the way, His Majesty the British King James I, with the distrustfulness characteristic of all Scots, did not believe what was written in the letter from Japan. Moreover, in addition to this, he was frankly indignant at the content of what he had written, calling it from beginning to end a lie, and he had never seen greater impudence in his life.
Actor Toshiro Mifune played in the movie "Shogun" daimyo Yoshi Toranaga. Its prototype was Ieyasu Tokugawa.
As for the relationship between Saris and Adams, they remained formal, unable to develop into friendly ones. The captain was not interested in Adams' advice, and Seris considered it beneath his dignity to listen to them, which in turn greatly offended and made Adams indignant. And the £ 100 that Captain Saris managed to get from Captain Saris seemed a pitiful little thing, because he valued his services much more expensive. The situation has escalated to the limit. When Ieyasu, after long and persistent requests, finally allowed Adams to return to his homeland, to Britain, he refused. In a letter to his relatives, written and sent in 1614 by the same ship, he explained that he did not want to return to his homeland for one good reason: the offensive and unfair words addressed to him were unusual and extremely offensive.
In fact, in addition to real and far-fetched grievances against Captain Seris, there was perhaps the most significant circumstance that did not allow him to return to England - his Japanese wife and children, whom he sincerely and dearly loved. This was the main reason that kept him in Japan.
The contract with the English East India Company was signed, and Adams sent a letter to the new employers. In it, he assured that he would work honestly and conscientiously, tirelessly, promising not to shame the good name of the company. Adams guaranteed that as long as he lives in the country that gave him everything, the goods and all the property of the East India Company will remain safe and sound, moreover, they will be supervised, like the house and goods of the head of the East India Company, sir Thomas Smith, and all plans by the Company will be implemented, since the shogun promised Adams to provide all kinds of support.
A typical shunga, and far from the most outspoken. One of those that shocked the British public so much.
Captain Saris, on the contrary, by any means belittled and slandered Adams in every possible way, but on his return to England it turned out that he himself was not a saint. It turned out that Saris in a shameless way, bypassing very strict instructions, bought a fair amount of goods with his own money, intending to sell all this profitably in Britain. In the course of the search, which was carried out in the most thorough manner in the personal cabin of Saris, an incredible amount of books of pornographic content and Shunga paintings, also acquired in Japan, were found. The management of the East India Company was so shocked by the contents of the cabin that at a meeting held in a special regime, they demanded "to confiscate all dirty literature from Saris" and burn it immediately and in public!
(To be continued)
