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Home / People / John Saris

Historical person

John Saris

1580–1643

John Saris was an English merchant and sea captain employed by the East India Company. He led the company’s first voyage to Japan in 1613, secured trading privileges from Tokugawa Ieyasu and established a short-lived English factory at Hirado.

In non-fiction, John Saris is discussed in Giles Milton’s Samurai William. In Giles Milton’s Samurai William, John Saris established a factory at Hirado in 1613, but cultural misunderstanding, poor commercial judgement and competition from Dutch and Portuguese traders undermined the enterprise.

Non Fiction

Non Fiction featuring John Saris (1 book)

Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.