The Clove, a ship of the East India Company, arrived in Hirado on 11 June 1613. Its commander was John Saris. He brought official letters and presents from King James I of England and VI of Scotland for the Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and the retired Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. These included a telescope (the first in Asia) and a previous cup and cover, as well as much English woollen cloth.
On 2 October, thanks in part to the assistance of William Adams (‘Anjin’), an Englishman who had been in Japan since 1600, the English were given permission to reside and trade freely, under an Vermilion Seal Letter (shuinjô), and two suits of armour and five pairs of gold screens were sent back with Saris as presents for King James. This lecture will address events leading up to dispatch of the Clove from England and also the effect of the English arrival in both Japan and Britain.
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