John Saris

British sailor
John Saris was chief merchant on the first English voyage to Japan, which left London in 1611. He stopped at Yemen, missing India (which he had originally intended to visit) and going on to Java, which had the sole permanent English trading station (or 'factory') in Asia. Saris had spent more than five years there before, as a merchant, having gone with the East India Company Second Voyage, under Henry Middleton. He became Chief Factor there, but returned to London in 1610. Now arrived again, in 1612, Saris decided to send his other ships home, taking just one, the Clove, on to Japan, where it arrived in summer 1613.

Saris was born to a family in South Yorkshire in 1579 or 1580. His father died in 1588.

Saris jointed an English fleet bound for Bantam on 25 March 1604, and arrived in Indonesia on 24 July 1605. He remained there after the leader of the expedition, Henry Middleton, returned to England in October 1605. Saris kept a diary and sent reports back to the East India Company, and in 1608 was promoted to chief factor of the English mission. Augustine Spalding took over this role in October 1609, and Saris returned to England on 10 May 1610.

Saris's experiences in Indonesia came to the attention of Sir Thomas Smythe, who agreed to have Saris lead a fact finding voyage to Japan. The English had intentions to reach Japan since the Muscovy Company sought a Northeast Passage in 1580. William Adams landed in Japan in April 1600 as the navigator of the Dutch ship Liefde (Charity), had entered the service of the Japanese shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and had recently made contact with the English, creating an opportunity to open trading relations. The diaries of Saris suggest that he was unware of Adams' existence until he returned to England. Saris departed England on the Clove on 18 April 1611, reaching Table Bay in South Africa on 1 August, the Comoros on 26 October, and Socotra on 16 February 1612. He rendezvoused with Sir Middleton in the Red Sea in April 1612, where their combined fleet spent several weeks engaging in forcible trade with Indian junks. Saris left the Red Sea in August and arrived in Bantam on 24 October 1612. The Clove arrived in Hirado on 12 June 1613 and was the first English ship to reach Japan. Adams, who had become the shogun's advisor on foreign affairs, joined Saris on 29 July and helped to make arrangements for meetings with the retired shogun Ieyasu, who still held power, and also his son, the de facto Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada. They departed Hirado on 7 August, traveled to Osaka and Fushimi by boat, and thence to the home of Ieyasu at Sunpu Castle, where they arrived on 6 September. While at Sunpu, Adams received Ieyasu's permission to leave Japan and made arrangements to return to England with Saris on the Clove, but at some point he decided to remain in Japan, and Saris arranged to hire Adams to work for the Company at Hirado. The Clove docked at Bantam from 3 January to 13 February 1614, and then sailed directly back to England. During October, the Company repeatedly debated ordering Saris back to London, but decided on 25 October that "his presence on board was necessary to keep the crew in order, and that it would be a pity to give him so tedious a journey at the end of a long voyage." Saris also brought back Ieyasu's reciprocal gifts for King James, in thanks for the telescope, which were stunning paintings, and from the shogun himself, two suits of armour (which are extant). On 13 December, after an audit of the ship's cargo, the Company concluded that Saris had engaged in "private trade" on the voyage and appointed a committee to "look into Saris's commission." Shortly thereafter, Thomas Smythe discovered Saris's erotic art collection from Japan.