In James Clavell’s sweeping historical novel, “Shogun,” the perilous voyage of the Dutch ship Erasmus serves as a catalyst for the clash of cultures between East and West. Englishman John Blackthorne, the ship’s pilot, is thrust into the heart of feudal Japan, his journey across the vast Pacific mirroring a metaphorical passage into a world of intrigue, honor, and conflict. While Clavell offers no definitive map within the narrative, we can reconstruct Blackthorne’s likely route, illuminating the extraordinary challenges and the transformative nature of his odyssey.