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The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth's Court
by Thomas Lockley
An incredible sea story that turns the Age of Exploration on its head, following the first Japanese man to set foot on North America and England.
On November 12, 1588, five young Asian men—led by a twenty-one-year-old called Christopher—traveled up the River Thames to meet Queen Elizabeth I. Christopher's epic sea voyage had spanned from Japan, via the Philippines, New Spain (Mexico), Java and Southern Africa. On the way, he had already become the first recorded Japanese person in North America. Now Christopher was the first ever Japanese visitor to England, and no other would leave such a legacy for centuries to come.
The story of Christopher is almost utterly forgotten and has never been fully told before.
A Gentleman from Japan is a fast-paced, historical narrative of adventure, cross-cultural endeavor, intellectual exchange, perseverance, espionage and conflict in the Age of Exploration.
"Lockley succeeds in focusing his history on the contributions of the 'oppressed, trafficked and marginalized' who have otherwise left no record. In the process, he tells a lively tale of maritime adventure, piracy, and advancements in science and global economics… a fascinating look into 16th-century geopolitics." —Kirkus Reviews
"Lockley draws on extensive research, combing through private diaries and letters, to depict Christopher's global odyssey. In so doing, he reminds the reader of the unsung contributions of marginalized people during the Age of Exploration. Recommended especially for students of geopolitical history." —Booklist
"A superb dramatic recounting of the life of perhaps the first person from Japan – or indeed anywhere in Asia – to visit the British Isles. An epic tale of early modern travel, exploration and intrigue, rich in historical detail and told with flair. A real page-turner." —Chris Harding, author of The Japanese
"When you begin reading this book, you're not prepared for the emotional journey that unfolds. As you turn the last page, it's challenging to leave the world reconstructed by Thomas Lockley and return to reality. While many books fade from memory, this one, ironically dealing with forgetting, will linger in the minds of those who read it. Christopher's life intertwines with some of the most intriguing figures in English history, bearing witness to an extraordinary era where various Asian figures start making their mark in European societies. With a multifaceted approach, clearly a result of years of research, Lockley draws on Japanese, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Latin documentation to infuse each sentence with authenticity, leaving a lasting impact on the reader's spirit." —Lúcio de Sousa, author of The Portuguese Slave Trade in Early Modern Japan
"From Japan and the Philippines, to Cabo San Lucas and London, Lockley's tale is a traveler's delight! Meet the two young Japanese sailors who explained the East Asian invention of the compass to Londoners." —Robert Batchelor, author of London: The Selden Map and the Making of a Global City, 1549-1689
This information about A Gentleman from Japan was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Thomas Lockley is Associate Professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, where he teaches courses about the international and multicultural history of Japan and East Asia. He co-authored African Samurai, the first book in the world about Yasuke, the African warrior who served the Japanese warlord Nobunaga, in 2019. While Visiting Scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he did much of the research behind his new book, A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth's Court. He and his family live in Chiba, Japan.
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