Hirado

Japan / Nagasaki / Hirado /
 city, municipality, second-level administrative division, draw only border

39,000 inhabitants.
During the Sengoku and early Edo Periods (16th-17th century), Hirado was a major center of foreign trade, especially with the Ming Dynasty of China and the Dutch, who established a trading factory there on September 20, 1609, under the direction of Jacob Groenewegen and with the help of William Adams, the English navigator, that died there in 1620. He was the inspiration for the character of John Blackthorne in James Clavell's bestselling novel Shogun, see:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_%28sailor%29
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   33°23'20"N   129°28'53"E
This article was last modified 17 years ago