Lectures
‘A Gentleman from Japan: An untold story of an incredible journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s court’
Synopsis
Professor Thomas Lockley will give a talk based on his book A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court published by Hanover Square Press in 2024, which focuses on the beginning of relations between Japan and the English-speaking world between 1587-1592. It follows the life of ‘Christopher’ (as the English named him), an enslaved Japanese man in service to the Spanish who was captured by English pirates off California and taken to London. The pirate commander, Thomas Cavendish, presented Christopher and his four colleagues as noblemen, introducing them to the elite of England. When this deception was uncovered, the narrative took a dramatic turn, and Christopher’s role transformed into that of a ‘naturalist’, a term that now equates to a scholar or scientist. Christopher’s contributions to the emerging English scientific community included advice on compass construction, translating pioneering sea charts and the first recorded writing of Japanese script in England. Prof. Lockley will also discuss what he learned through the writing of the book, and how this simple mariner’s story challenges the traditional narratives of West meets East, technology transfer and historic memory.
Brief Biography
Thomas Lockley is an Associate Professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo. He has published numerous papers and several books, the best known of which is African Samurai (coauthored with Geoffrey Girard in 2019), concerning the life of Yasuke, the African man who served and fought beside Oda Nobunaga at the Honnoji incident. He is also a Committee Member of the William Adams Club. For more information on the William Adams Club, please see the website https://williamadamsclub.org/.
Select publications:
Books
Lockley, T. (2024). A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court. New York: Hanover Square Press (Harper Collins.)
Lockley, T. (2022). 「英語で読む」日本史をつくった女性たち (The Women who
made Japanese History). Tokyo: Tokyo Shoseki.
Lockley, T. & Girard, G. (2019). African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a
Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan. New York: Hanover Square Press (Harper Collins.)
Also published in UK (Hachette,) Poland (Kirin,) Italy (Newton Compton Editori.)
Lockley, T. (2019). 「英語で読む」外国人がほんとに知りたい日本の文化と歴史
(Japanese Culture and History That Foreign People Want to Know). Tokyo: Tokyo Shoseki. Reprint: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
Lockley, T. (Fuji, Y. Tr.). (2017). 信長と弥助 本能寺を生き延びた黒人侍
(Nobunaga and Yasuke. The Black Samurai who survived the Battle at Honnoji). Tokyo: Ohta Publishing. Reprint: 2020: 2021.
Professor Lockley is also the author and co-author of a number of academic research papers.
Lecture Date
Monday, September 14, 2026