There came a day when several seasoned explorers were gathered in a tavern in Seville. It was late in the evening, the day’s work done, and the conversation began to tilt to selecting their next endeavor. It was never certain, afterward, exactly whose idea planted the seed; but most would agree that it was Captain Kosevo that first suggested a voyage to far distant Edo. Some of the rest of the group included a weathered pirate, Captain Cyril, as well as the interepid explorer diUmbria and the wealthy merchant Juan Garrion. Soon enough they all seemed caught in an inexorible tide sweeping them across the world to Japan. In just…