That said, I re-read the novel about a year ago, after having read Giles Milton's "Samurai William", which is about the real English pilot that Anjin-san was loosely modeled on. There are things Clavell gets right, things he deliberately plays fast and loose with in the service of his story and a good sprinkling of WTF moments. It's not history, it's a novel and as long as one keeps that in mind, it holds up pretty well.

I'd be curious to have a look at the mini-series again at some point in my copious spare time....