Miura Anjin Monument

William Adams, known in Japanese as Miura Anjin, was an English sailor who set sail for the Far East on the Dutch ship De Liefde, which drifted ashore at Usuki in Bungo (now Oita Prefecture) in 1600. Summoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Adams gave guidance in many subjects including the contemporary international scene, shipbuilding and navigation, astronomy and mathematics. In reward for his achievements he was given the title of hatamoto (shogun's flag-bearing retainer) and granted a fief in Miura County, Sagami (now Kanagawa Prefecture), as well as a residence in Edo. His Japanese surname Miura reflects the name of his fief, while 'Anjin' meant a pilot of a ship. The site of his residence is in the area of today's Nihonbashi Muromachi 1-Chome, which was known as "Anjin-cho" until the early Showa era. A street called "Anjin-dori" still survives today, and a stone monument marks the "Historical Site of the Residence of Miura Anjin".

Jan Joosten, one of Will Adams' companions on De Liefde, was also invited to Edo, and the area around his residence came to be called "Yayosu Quay" after the local pronunciation of his name. This survives today as "Yaesu". Meanwhile, the cannons carried by De Liefde were reportedly used in the Battle of Sekigahara and the Siege of Osaka.