Readers might remember a 1975 novel and a 1980 TV mini-series called Shogun. It covered the fictional story of an Elizabethan English navigator or pilot wrecked on the shores of sixteenth-century Japan, and his interaction with the soon-to-be Shogun and others. A remake will appear on TV screens in February 2024. The truth is that the story is based on the real-life exploits of William Adams — or as he is better known in Japan — as Miura Anjin "the pilot of Miura", who was the first Englishman to reach Japan.
William Adams was born in September 1564 in Gillingham, Kent and learnt his trade as a sailor before becoming a navigator. He later commanded one of the supply ships for the force that fought against the Spanish Armada in 1588. In 1598, he became chief pilot or navigator for a five-ship expedition launched by a company of Rotterdam merchants aiming to reach Japan. At that time the sole European trading nation with Japan was Portugal. The Dutch wanted to break the monopoly. However, only one Dutch ship, the Liefde managed to reach Japan. The others were lost during the voyage.
After over 19 months they arrived off the island of Kyushu. There they were met by Japanese officials and Portuguese Jesuit missionary priests who claimed that Adams's ship was a pirate vessel and that the crew should be executed. (The Jesuits saw the new Protestant arrivals as both heretics and dangerous rivals.) The crew were imprisoned at Osaka Castle on orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the daimyō of Edo and future shōgun, and the ship’s cargo was seized. This included 19 bronze cannon, 5,000 cannonballs, 300 chain-shot and 500 firearms, along with three chests filled with coats of mail. According to Spanish accounts, the cannon were later used at the decisive Battle of Sekigahara on 21 October, 1600.
Between May and June 1600, Adams met and was questioned by Ieyasu in Osaka on three occasions. His knowledge of ships, shipbuilding, and nautical mathematics appealed to Ieyasu, who refused the Jesuits' request for Adam’s execution on the grounds that Japan had no quarrel with England. In fact, Adams would go on to become his personal advisor on all things related to the Western powers and Western civilization, replacing the Jesuit Padre Rodrigues as the Shogun's official interpreter.
Subsequently, Adams became a trade ambassador, which led to the establishment of Dutch trading factories in Japan, breaking the Portuguese monopoly. He was also tasked with directing the construction of the first Western-style ships in Japan, and became involved in Japan's Asian trade, going on to lead four successful expeditions to Southeast Asia.
Adams became so valuable to Ieyasu that he forbade him from leaving Japan, declaring that William Adams the pilot was dead and that Miura Anjin, a samurai, was born. Adams also received the title of hatamoto or Bannerman, which made him a direct retainer in the shogun’s court. He died in Japan in May 1620, aged 55, having become one of the most influential foreigners in Japan during Ieyasu’s time as Shōgun.
The fact that the guns carried onboard the Liefde were seized and later used in battle is not surprising. The Japanese began using cannons based on Chinese models during the fourteenth century. Change came in the 1550’s when Portuguese missionaries gave the Ōtomo clan European breech-loading swivel guns of the type usually mounted on the bows and sterns of Western ships. More were purchased, and soon local copies were made. However, their use was severely limited in the mountainous terrain of Japan due to their weight and the difficulties in transporting them. So, most were used for coastal defence or onboard ships, although a few light cannon were used at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. The first bronze cannons entirely made by the Japanese were cast a few months after the battle for the warlord Oda Nobunaga. Therefore, seizing 19 bronze cannons from a European ship would have been a definite bonus for Ieyasu.
Smaller firearms first appeared in Japan around 1270, but these were primitive metal tubes called teppō or "iron cannon”, which had no trigger or sights. Then, in 1543, a warlord bought two matchlock firearms from Portuguese traders and had a swordsmith copy their barrels and firing mechanism. Within ten years, over 300,000 matchlock weapons had been manufactured across Japan; by 1560, firearms were in regular use in battle, with the warlord Takeda Shingen announcing "Hereafter, the guns will be the most important arms. Therefore, decrease the number of spears per unit, and have your most capable men carry guns”.
Although slow to reload and vulnerable to weather conditions, anyone could be trained to use one, even farmers or non-samurai soldiers. In 1584, Ikeda Sen led a unit of 200 women armed with firearms at the Battles of Komaki and Nagakute.The Japanese warlords became so enthusiastic about the new weapons that during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, around 160,000 men, or a quarter of the invasion force, were armed with matchlocks. By 1600, Japan had overtaken every European country in the number of matchlock weapons produced.
There is no record of Adams ever being attacked, nor of his taking part in any combat in Japan, but the Jesuits were desperate to remove his influence on Ieyasu. They even went so far as to offer to smuggle him out of Japan and back to England, an offer which he refused. So, this scenario assumes they actually decided to take direct action instead. The Portuguese have influenced a local warlord to attack one of Ieyasu’s convoys, which is transporting two of the Dutch guns. Adams is accompanying the guns. The scenario is written for my rule set, With Musket, Pike and Drum, but can be used with any other set; just use the troop types given as examples and convert them to your favourite rules. For smaller skirmish rule sets such as Test of Honour or Ronin, players might want to reduce the size of the forces.
The battlefield
The game can be played on a table 4 ft by 4ft, although you may choose to vary this according to the scale of the figures you are using. The game area is fairly flat, with a road in the middle of the table running from Side C to side A. 16 paces (inches) in from Side A is a shallow river crossing that the convoy must cross to exit the table. It presents no obstacle for men on foot or horseback, but the cannon can only cross using the ford in its middle. Its banks provide cover for warriors who can lay concealed behind them, but they must stand up to fire or move across them. In addition, three areas of bad going — each no bigger than 6 paces by 6 paces — should be placed on the table, running parallel with the road and at least 12 paces in from Side B and D. They are NOT opposite each other and must be placed at least 12 paces away from each other. These could be a small wood or grove of trees, a small farm or a hill. Each can conceal 1 unit of warriors in or behind it.
The forces
The convoy consists of a leader (a Samurai Lord), Adams, and four units plus two Dutch guns with crews who may defend them. The force consists of:
The attackers have a leader (a Samurai Lord) and five units. The force consists of:
Deployment
The convoy enters the table from Side C and must march the length of the table, crossing the river before exiting it on side A. Their deployment is defined by the special rules. The attackers may be deployed anywhere in a zone formed from side A to halfway alongside B and D. The attacking leader must write down the location of his units before the convoy is placed on the board. They will remain hidden until seen (See special rules).
Special rules
The convoy is in line of march. The commanding leader can decide what order they are in. The leader can detach 1 unit as scouts two moves ahead of the rest of the convoy. When marching together, the convoy can only move 6 paces per turn as this is the pace of the cannon. However, once action starts, units may move at their normal speed. The attacking leader declares the location of his units by moving them or by ordering them to open fire or attack. Hidden units may be detected by any of the convoy’s escorting units who are within 12 paces of a hidden enemy unit by passing an observation test.
The cannons cannot be used during the engagement as they need to be prepared before use. However, their crews can fight to defend them. To destroy a cannon, an attacking unit must spend one uninterrupted turn with the gun and then pass a task test. To capture Adams, the enemy leader or one of his units must defeat him in close combat by reducing his CV to 0, thus making him Shaken. They must then spend one whole turn unopposed with him and use the Surrender and Granting Quarter Rules on page 51 of With Musket, Pike and Drum.
The convoy must cross the battlefield and reach the other side of the river with Adams and at least 1 of the guns plus two of the escorting units, or cause sufficient casualties on the attackers to force them to withdraw. The attackers must capture Adams and destroy the guns as well as at least two of the escorting units. (See special rules)
So, will the Jesuits plan to capture Adams succeed or will the wily Englishman break through? Only you and the dice will decide! Enjoy your trip to Japan. WS&S
Unit and character stats for With Musket, Pike and Drum
| Unit | Armed w/ range | Combat dice - Shooting | Combat dice - Fighting | DV | Cohesion value | Notes |
| Leader - Samurai Warlord | None | 0 | 2 | 1/2 | 2 | Leader of Men or Obey Me Or Die Trait |
| Special Character | Pistol 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Brave, Pistol must be reloaded after each shot |
| Mounted Samurai | None | 0 | 5/4 | 1/2 | 4 | Aggressive, Brave, and Lancer Traits |
| Dismounted Samurai | None | 1 | 4 | 1/2 | 5 | Aggressive, Brave, and Two Handed Cutting Weapons Traits |
| Ashigaru w/ Longbow | Longbows 24 | 3 | 3 | 0/1 | 4 | None |
| Ashigaru w/ Matchlock Muskets | Muskets 18 | 3 | 3 | 0/1 | 4 | Drilled, Matchlock Muskets must be reloaded after each shot |
| Ashigaru Foot | None | 0 | 4 | 0/1 | 5 | None |
| Artillery Crews | None | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | None |
This article was featured in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy Magazine 128. Discover this issue, and others, in our webshop:
