Share with your students the tale of how two island nations – England and Japan – came to be friends four centuries ago. This short description lists some of the key highlights of John Saris’ stay in Japan, in answer to the following questions:

· Did he go directly from England to Japan?

· Where did he arrive in Japan, and where did he go?

· Who was the Shogun?

· Did Saris meet just one Shogun?

· What did Saris give to the Shogun? Why?

· What did Saris receive?

· What do you think is the most important of the items Saris received?

· Can you still see some of the items given and received?

· What was the result of Saris’s meeting with the Shogun?

· When did Saris arrive back in England? Where?

JOHN SARIS AND HIS VOYAGE TO JAPANA STORY OF ADVENTURE

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JOHN SARIS AND HIS VOYAGE TO JAPAN A Story of Adventure, Discovery and Connection

The Clove, a ship of the East India Company, left England in a small convoy on 18 April, 1611. After sailing via Yemen, India and Java, it passed Nagasaki and reached the island of Hirado, in south-west Japan on 11 June 1613. The Clove was the first English ship to port in Japan.

Model of a tall ship that was similar to The Clove

Clifftop city in Yemen

Image of Nagasaki Bay and Dejima Island near where Saris arrived in JapanThe Clove arrived in Japan in the area marked in red

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Meeting the Shogun

The commander, John Saris, had official letters and presents from King James I for the Shogun of Japan, the great warrior leader from the Tokugawa family who had brought peace to Japan in 1603. On 8 September, Saris met the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu – by then retired – and presented him with the first telescope ever to leave Europe. This telescope no longer exists, but a new telescope was recently made and unveiled in September 2013. This will be given to the people of Japan.

On 17 September, Saris then met Hidetada, the second Tokugawa Shogun, in his capital Edo (now Tokyo). Saris gave him a variety of gifts from King James I, including a precious cup and English wool. Altogether these gifts were valued at around £150, a great deal of money at that time.

King James I of England Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa HidetadaEdo Castle – Shogun’s Capital

New telescope to be given to the People of Japan

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The Shogun’s Gifts to the English King

The gifts from England were very well-received. In return, Hidetada gave Saris two suits of samurai warrior armour to give to King James I. Leyasu gave Saris ten spectacular painted gold-leaf screens called byōbu, as well as a warm letter addressed to the King, and an official Vermilion Seal Letter (shuinjô) granting the English permission to live and trade throughout Japan.

The Shogun’s Vermillion Seal Letter – you can see the red seal in the top left-hand corner. In Japanese, the red seal is equivalent to a signature

Samurai armour which King James I received (these are available to see at the Tower of London)

An example of a byōbu, folding screen

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The English FactoryThe English set up a trading station, or “factory”, on Hirado, not far from the Dutch one (established in 1609). Like the Dutch, they received a warm welcome from the local ruler (daimyô) Matsura Shigenobu (known as Hôin). He retired in 1614, and was succeeded by his grandson, Takanobu, who continued the relationship. The English also set up branch factories in other major cities: Kyoto, Osaka and Edo (now Tokyo).

The Homecoming of John Saris and The CloveSaris sailed The Clove back from Japan in late 1613 with many Japanese artefacts, in addition to the presents for King James I. The Clove returned to England, arriving in Plymouth on 27 September 1614, and in London on 2 December 1614. King James treasured his presents, though he could never quite believe what he heard about Japan, fearing it was “the loudest lies”.

Four-hundred years to the day, on 27 September 2014, Japan400 Plymouth will celebrate the conclusion of John Saris’s epic voyage.

Please come and join the Japan400 Plymouth celebrations!

Resources

The Japan400 Website – this online resource was developed to accompany the celebratory events in 2013 that commemorated Saris’s arrival in Japan and meeting with the Shogun. The history page includes a timeline of key dates, as well as an interactive map that charts Saris’s voyage from England to Japan and journey from the southwest of Japan to meet the Shogun.

‘Japan400 – Four Hundredth Anniversary of Japan-British Relations: Historical Overview’, Japan400 website, http://japan400.com/history/overview/

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