Golovnin Incident participant Vasily Golovnin
The Golovnin Incident involved the capture of the Russian explorer and naval captain Vasily Golovnin in 1811 by soldiers of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate in accordance of Japan's policy of isolationism (Sakoku). Golovnin was interned in Japan for two years before he was released in 1813. The incident was an important flashpoint in Russo-Japanese relations over the control of the Kuril Islands. Golovnin's book Memoirs of a Captivity in Japan during the Years 1811, 1812 and 1813 with observations on the country and the people, recounted his captivity, was a popular work in Europe, and was translated into several languages.