Memorial to William Adams

"This stone monument to the accomplishments of the ""blue-eyed samurai"" Miura Anjin stands in Kawaguchi Park about a 15-minute walk from JR Ito Station. Anjin, whose real name was William Adams, was an Englishman who served as a trusted diplomatic advisor of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. He built Japan's first western-style sailing ship here on the orders of Tokugawa using a novel ""sand dock"" shipbuilding method. A festival commemorating this achievement, the Anjin Matsuri, is held every August. A mosaic depicting the ship's construction and a stone monument bearing the lyrics and the musical score of the ""Anjin Ondo"" folk song are located near the monument."