A few weeks ago, just before summer ended, I took a short hike to Anjinzuka (安針塚), which is where the tombstones of William Adams and his wife are found. The tombstones are located in Tsukayama Park (塚山公園) at the top of a hill in the Hemi (逸見) area of Yokosuka (横須賀), which used to be the fief of William Adams.
It was not easy getting from the station to the top of the hill where the park and tombstones are. From Anjinzuka Station, it is quite a hike up a small trail running up the hill, without good signs telling you where to go. I had to ask for directions along the way. On hindsight, it might have been better to go from Hemi Station.
But at the top of the hill is a great view of Tokyo Bay.
And of course, just outside the fence where the tombstones are found, there is this huge stone plaque that will help you find the stairs leading to the tombstones.
And this is how the tombstones of William Adams and his wife looks like. Actually, nothing special, just two simple stone towers. But it is quite an achievement for a foreigner during the Edo period, considering that the Tokugawa shogunate shut off Japan from the rest of the world during that period.
You can read more about William Adams in "Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan
" by Giles Milton.
Also, the character Blackthorne in James Clavell's "Shogun
" was based on him as well.
It was not easy getting from the station to the top of the hill where the park and tombstones are. From Anjinzuka Station, it is quite a hike up a small trail running up the hill, without good signs telling you where to go. I had to ask for directions along the way. On hindsight, it might have been better to go from Hemi Station.
But at the top of the hill is a great view of Tokyo Bay.
And of course, just outside the fence where the tombstones are found, there is this huge stone plaque that will help you find the stairs leading to the tombstones.
And this is how the tombstones of William Adams and his wife looks like. Actually, nothing special, just two simple stone towers. But it is quite an achievement for a foreigner during the Edo period, considering that the Tokugawa shogunate shut off Japan from the rest of the world during that period.
You can read more about William Adams in "Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan
" by Giles Milton.Also, the character Blackthorne in James Clavell's "Shogun
" was based on him as well.
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