author
Richard Cocks
d. 1624
An English merchant whose years in Japan left behind one of the most vivid firsthand records of early East India Company trade in Asia. His diary captures business, diplomacy, and daily life at a moment when England was trying to establish itself far from home.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born around 1565 or 1566, he became the head of the English East India Company trading post at Hirado in Japan, serving from 1613 until the factory closed in 1623. He is best remembered for the detailed diary and letters he kept during those years, which describe the challenges of trade, relations with Japanese authorities, and the wider world of Asian commerce.
His writing has lasting historical value because it records everyday life as well as major events. Rather than reading like a polished literary work, the diary feels immediate and practical, which makes it especially useful to historians interested in early modern Japan, the East India Company, and the experience of English merchants overseas.
After leaving Japan, he died in 1624 while traveling home by sea. Today, his reputation rests less on commercial success than on the remarkable firsthand account he left behind.