In 1653 the VOC ship Sperwer smashed to pieces on the rocks off a remote Korean island. There were thirty-six survivors. The king of Korea decided that the foreigners should spend the rest of their lives in his hermit kingdom. The Dutchmen were provided with food and housing and a certain amount of freedom of movement, but had no choice but to accept their fate. After 13 years eight of them managed to reach Japan in a small, barely seaworthy boat. Hendrik Hamel's report on their adventures soon became available to a wider public.