About this episode

The episode explores the adventures of William Adams, the first Englishman in Shogunate Japan, through his original letters.

Sign up for a 14-day free trial and enjoy all the amazing features MyHeritage has to offer: https://bit.ly/VoicesofthePast3 ------------ Extracts taken from: The original letters of the English pilot, William Adams, written from Japan between A.D. 1611 and 1617: reprinted from the papers of the Hakluyt Society. The voyage of Captain John Saris to Japan, 1613 / Edited from contemporary records by Sir Ernest M. Satow The obituary of William Adams by Richard Cocks Edited, Image Researched and Animated by Manuel Rubio @ArtandContext Diaries Edited and Narrated by David Kelly Music from Epidemic Sound and Artlist Thumbnail Art by Ettore Mazza https://www.instagram.com/ettore.mazza/?hl=en Sound Editing by Jack White Images of Coria del Rio by CarlosVdeHabsburgo​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Topics covered

• William Adams
• Shogunate Japan
• historical letters
• exploration
• 17th century history

Sponsors

MyHeritage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hakluyt Society, Epidemic Sound, Artlist

Places: Japan

More episodes of History's Living Voices: The Past, Told by Those Who Lived It

• Napoleon Justifies His Disastrous Invasion of Russia (1812) // From His Personal Diaries and Correspondence · July 21, 2026 · 19 min
• Shocked Soviet Visitor Details California and Hollywood (1936) // Ilf and Petrov's US Expedition · July 21, 2026 · 27 min
• Ancient Chinese Monk Describes Ancient India // 4th century Faxian // Primary Source · July 21, 2026 · 16 min
• Japanese Traveler Recounts Journey Through Iran and Ancient Persian Ruins // (1899) Yenaga Toyokichi · July 21, 2026 · 14 min
• First European Description of Philippines (1521) // Magellan's Last Days // Pigafetta Primary Source · July 21, 2026 · 17 min
• First European Description of Life in Korea // 1668 'Hamel's Journal' // Primary Source · July 21, 2026 · 23 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History's Living Voices: The Past, Told by Those Who Lived It podcast page.