A Gentleman from Japan

Thomas Lockley is Associate Professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, where he teaches courses about the international and multicultural history of Japan and East Asia. He co-authored African Samurai, the first book in the world about Yasuke, the African warrior who served the Japanese warlord Nobunaga, in 2019. While Visiting Scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he did much of the research behind his new book, A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth's Court. He and his family live in Chiba, Japan.

An incredible sea story that turns the Age of Exploration on its head, following the first Japanese man to set foot on North America and England.On November 12, 1588, five young Asian men-led by a twenty-one-year-old called Christopher-traveled up the River Thames to meet Queen Elizabeth I. Christopher's epic sea voyage had spanned from Japan, via the Philippines, New Spain (Mexico), Java and Southern Africa. On the way, he had already become the first recorded Japanese person in North America. Now, Christopher was the first ever Japanese visitor to England, and no other would leave such a legacy for centuries to come.The story of Christopher is almost utterly forgotten and has never been fully told before.A Gentleman from Japan is a fast-paced, historical narrative of adventure, cross-cultural endeavor, intellectual exchange, perseverance, espionage and conflict in the Age of Exploration.