Researchers are seeking DNA from the Kentish descendants of an adventurer who was the first Englishman ever to set foot in Japan.

The remains of William Adams, a sailor from Gillingham, are thought to have been found in a small pot beneath what was long rumoured to his grave in the remote southern town of Hirado, Nagasaki.

But experts are keen to trace the family line to a surviving relative in Britain to compare the DNA extracted from the bones and two teeth they believe belong to Adams, who became a samurai and inspired James Clavell’s novel Shogun.

Carbon dating revealed that they date from 1590 to 1620 and analysis suggests the DNA is that of a northwest European.

Academics and historians believe that finding a DNA match is a “realistic possibility” and are hoping to identify the bones before the 400th anniversary of Adams’ death next year, when they plan a formal ceremony in which he is officially “laid to rest”.

Susan Haydock, former Mayor of Medway and chair of the Medway Japan Group, said many people had come forward claiming to be descendants of the celebrated sailor and had shown her their birth certificates.