John Blackthorne [SEP] present in work
John Blackthorne
John Blackthorne is the hero of James Clavell's 1975 novel "Shōgun", and is loosely based on the life of the 17th century English navigator William Adams, who was the first Englishman to visit Japan. The character also appears in the 1980 TV miniseries "Shōgun", played by Richard Chamberlain.
In the novel, Blackthorne is a described as a navigator, who is the "first English pilot ever to get through Magellan's Pass," working for Dutch traders in 1600 who navigates his ship
Blackthorne and his ship present a great opportunity, not only in his dealings with the Portuguese, but also in his struggle with his main rival, Lord Ishido (based on Ishida Mitsunari), over future control of all of Japan. Toranaga orders Blackthorne's imprisonment, not to punish Blackthorne, but to keep him out of Ishido's hands. While in prison Blackthorne meets a Franciscan priest who gives him a much greater understanding of the political and economic situation in Japan, and how the Portuguese and the Jesuits fit into it