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. It is also revealed that Blackthorne is later used by Toranaga to destroy Osaka Castle after the Battle of Sekigahara.

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. It is also revealed that Blackthorne is later used by Toranaga to destroy Osaka Castle after the Battle of Sekigahara.