What is anjin?

Anjin (Japanese: 案内人, "pilot," "guide") was the title given to William Adams, an English navigator who became one of the first Westerners to become a samurai in Japan.

• He arrived in Japan in 1600 as the pilot of a Dutch trading ship, De Liefde.
• He gained the favor of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun, and became his advisor on foreign relations and naval technology.
• Adams helped the Tokugawa shogunate build Western-style ships.
• He was granted the title hatamoto (a high-ranking samurai) and given a fief in Hemi near Yokosuka.
• Adams never returned to England, but maintained contact with his family there.
• He died in Japan in 1620 and is buried in Yokosuka.