Japan-UK Memorial Seminar
William Adams, St Mary Magdalene Church, Gillingham, ME7 1SS

On the 12th of September, JLGC in cooperation with Medway Council, the Japan Foundation, and All Nippon Airways hosted the William Adams Memorial Seminar at St Mary Magdalene Church, Gillingham, as part of the Japan-UK 150 celebrations.

The seminar featured talks by Michio Hemmi, resident priest of the Jodoji Buddhist Temple (Adams’ family temple), Yokosuka, Japan, and Wataru Nishigahiro, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Japan, London.

Michio Hemmi spoke mostly on Adam’s life in Japan, his connection with the Jodoji temple, and his relationship with the people of his domain and Shogun Ieyasu.

Wataru Nishigahiro’s speech centred on a possible connection between William Adams and William Shakespeare who were born in the same year, and introduced to the audience his theory that Adams attended Shakespeare’s plays while living in Limehouse, London, and the Netherlands, and then re-enacted these plays both on his ship during his voyage to Japan, and in front of Shogun Ieyasu himself.

In her concluding speech, Cllr. Susan Haydock who chaired the seminar drew on the many similarities between the UK and Japan at the time, despite being so far apart – religious tensions and the role of religion in society at the time, and the fact that both the Jodoji Temple in Hemi and St Mary Magdalene Church in Gillingham are around the same age, 800 years old, and were used for the recording of births and deaths.

JLGC is very grateful to all those who helped make the seminar a success, especially Mr Hemmi and Mr Nishigahiro, Cllr. Susan Haydock from Medway Council, and Revd. Suzanne Pattle of St Mary Magdalene Church.

Excerpt from Micho Hemmi’s talk

“The Jodoji temple was built in the beginning of the 12th century by Hatakeyama Shigetada, a military commander. It has an 800 year history. My name is Hemmi which uses the same characters as the Hemi that Adams governed (逸見). According to old books, Miura Anjin's mansion was located right next to the Jodoji temple. At the time of the second Shogun, Hidetada, Christianity was banned, so in order to dispel any suspicion from the Japanese Adams made it appear that he was Buddhist by taking a small Buddhist figure with him, both within Japan to Hirado or Edo and even on voyages to places like Siam (Thailand). It is bronze and was made around 700 years ago in the Nanboku-chō period.

Internal religious conflict was always a cause of annoyance for the government, so during the Edo period the Shoganate put very strict controls over religion. Each family was allocated a temple, and freedom of religion was not permitted. Whenever a birth or death occurred in the family, it had to be reported to the family temple. In other words, temples acted like a modern day council or ward office. Adams was also affected by this state of affairs, and although he did hold hatamoto (lordship) status as granted to him by Ieyasu, he probably set aside his inner most feelings, and carried this figure with him in order to be trusted. The Adams family naturally had the Jodoji temple as their family temple, and in the record of the temple it is written that Adams was given the land around Hemi and that Jodoji was his family temple. The people of Hemi over whom Adams governed were all members of the Jodoji temple, therefore it is probably justified to think that Adams accorded the temple respect and treated it appropriately.

On a mountain in Hemi, 133 metres above sea level, there is a place called Anjin Zuka, (burial mound of the pilot). In one section there are memorial statues to Miura Anjin and his wife Oyuki (baptised Maria). Adams died in Hirado, but it is believed that the memorial statues were built here according to his will. This area is now a park and it is famous for the cherry blossom flowers that bloom in spring. During the long period of national isolation the number of people making a pilgrimage to this memorial dwindled, and it ended up being covered in thick undergrowth. However in 1872 an Englishman named Walters who was residing in Yokohama discovered the site and wrote about it in an English ex-pat newspaper called The Far East. The memorial became famous after that.

Adams stuck by his Protestant belief, and did suffer homesickness, but over his 20 years in Japan showed a deep understanding and respect of Japanese customs and culture and in return was greatly revered by the people of his domain, much to the surprise of some of his fellow Englishmen who would arrive in Japan at a later date. Another astonishing thing is that 220 years after Adams died, the people of Anjin-cho, Edo (Tokyo) where Adams had his mansion, still revered him, and at a remembrance ceremony for Adams held at the Jodoji temple gave some valuable Budhhist objects.  These items are still carefully looked after at Jodoji temple.”

Excerpt from Wataru Nishigahiro’s talk

“William Adams was born in 1564, and William Shakespeare was born in the same year. There are two reasons why I think William Adams was familiar with Shakespeare’s works. Firstly, he was an apprentice who lived in Limehouse which was near the Globe Theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were performed. Many of the people that attended Shakespeare’s plays in London were apprentices like Adams. So it is very likely that from 1588 and beyond Adams saw Shakespeare’s plays. This may have happened not only in London, but also the Netherlands where English actors were very well known.

The second reason why I think Adams may have been familiar with Shakespeare’s plays was that he spent such a long time aboard ships. Having so much spare time when sailing, I think there is a high possibility that Adams and his crew may have even re-enacted some of Shakespeare’s plays. Although several years after Adams left for Japan, there is a historical record that in 1607 Hamlet and Richard III were re-enacted on a ship called the Red Dragon bound for India.

As trade and foreign policy advisor, William Adams had a very close relationship with the Shogun Ieyasu. But what else did Adams speak to the Shogun about? Being familiar with Shakespeare’s plays I think it is natural that he spoke to the Shogun about Shakespeare. I was wondering which plays he spoke to Shogun about. It has to be one that was written and enacted before 1598 when Adams left for Japan. I think the most likely one would be the Merchant of Venice, written in 1596.”