In 1586, privateer Thomas Cavendish captured the Spanish galleon "Santa Anna" off the coast of California. It's a vicious fight, and among the 190 captives are Christopher and Cosmus, two Japanese men. Christopher had been a member of a small pirate band in Japan. They had been attacked by Portuguese-led Filipino warships and he was subsequently sold into slavery. Cosmus was an orphan at a Jesuit mission when it was brutally raided by slavers. But Christopher is literate and both captives are familiar with Chinese maps. Hoping to raise his own societal status, Cavendish brings them both back to England, fêting them as noble "gentlemen." It's an international first, but Christopher's insight proves more impactful on English/Japanese relations and navigational history than anyone could've imagined.

Combining pirate, maritime and Japanese history, Lockley successfully builds a timeline for Christopher based on the scant records available. It's a perspective rarely discussed. At first, Lockley utilizes some dramatic, creative license to describe Christopher's encounter with Cavendish. It's historically accurate, but tonally it was unexpected. Thankfully, Lockley blends this style seamlessly throughout the rest of the narrative. I only wish that Lockley included more of Cosmus. He was always seemingly in Christopher's shadow. We also get too little of Christopher's Japan before he was captured. There were missed opportunities to discuss the specifics of 16th century Japan, in favor of general European exploration. I'm thankful for at least the epilogue in that regard. Still, I ended with four pages of notes and 348 pages really flew by! I'll definitely have to check out Lockley's biography of Yasuke soon! ( )