Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan - Plot & Excerpts
ADAMS THE SIGHT of the Clove caused quite a stir on shore. The townsfolk of Hirado were not used to unexpected visitors, and word of the ship’s arrival soon reached the local lord. He made his way directly to the harbor and ordered his boats to be made ready. He was going to visit the Clove. Captain Saris watched with interest as the flotilla approached, admiring the flamboyant costumes of his lordship and the young lad who was accompanying him. “Both of them [were] in silk gowns,” he wrote, “girt to them with a skirt and a pair of breeches.” At their sides hung two huge swords with fearsome-looking blades. Their manner of greeting Saris when they finally clambered aboard was quite extraordinary. They removed their shoes and proceeded to bow, over and over, while Saris and his men watched in bemusement. “Clapping their right hand within their left,” wrote Saris, “they put them downe towards their knees, and so wagging or moving of their hands … [they] crie, ‘Augh, augh.’”
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