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[00:15] The Sengoku Jidai: The warring states of Feudal
Japan. This era invokes many romantic images
[00:22] of great castles, spectacular battles, and
stoic Samurai adorned in their elegant kimonos
[00:28] and top-knotted hair, wielding their iconic
Katanas. What if we told you that among the
[00:33] ranks of this ancient warrior-order was a
black man from East Africa? This is the tale
[00:39] of Yasuke, the first man from outside Japan
to don the dual Katanas, and the only African
[00:46] to do so.
[00:49] To begin the tale of the African Samurai,
we must first establish the context: in the
[00:54] early 15th century, the Portuguese Empire
had a scattering of trade outposts across
[01:00] the Asian Pacific. In the year 1543, they
reached southern Japan. The Japanese relied
[01:06] heavily on the import of silk from Ming China,
and as the relations between two states were
[01:12] icy, and trade between the two was forbidden
by the Ming Emperor, the Portuguese established
[01:18] a niche trade by buying silks in China and
bringing them to Japan. These European merchants
[01:24] grew very rich as intermediaries between the
two Asian heavyweights.
[01:28] The Portuguese were allowed to build a trading
port at Nagasaki, which quickly became a large
[01:34] hub for commerce. And where the Europeans
went, their priests would soon follow. The
[01:40] Catholic society of Jesus, also known as the
Jesuits, established a significant presence
[01:46] in southern Japan. Their mission was to convert
all Japan to Christianity, spearheaded by
[01:52] Priests like Francis Xavier. At the height
of their influence, several Daimyo lords,
[01:58] and over 200,000 Japanese were Christian,
mostly in the Kyushu region.
[02:03] Of course, the Portuguese and their Jesuit
compatriots were spreading their influence
[02:08] on other continents as well. By the 1500s
they had established a foothold in Africa,
[02:14] in what is now Mozambique. Here they became
enthusiastic participants in the local slave
[02:20] trade, acquiring many poor souls from local
chiefs, who they would in turn ship out for
[02:25] labour across their Maritime Empire.
That a dark-skinned man from Africa became
[02:30] a Samurai in feudal Japan is considered a
fact. However, we know very little about him.
[02:37] Details on his country of origin, early life,
and even his original name are muddy at best.
[02:43] We know only the name given to him by the
Japanese: Yasuke. The story we’ve chosen
[02:48] to depict here is our personal interpretation
of the few pieces of information we have about
[02:54] his life.
We have only theories for the origins of this
[02:57] mysterious man. Some say he was born around
the year 1555 in Mozambique, which at the
[03:04] time was being colonized by the Portuguese.
He was most likely of the Makua peoples, a
[03:09] Bantu tribe. Although some claim that he was
from Ethiopia, and belonged to the Habshi
[03:15] people.
Either way, the saga of this East African
[03:18] man began in his childhood, where he was most
likely enslaved and given to the local Jesuits.
[03:25] He was taught the Christian religion, and
the Catholic lifestyle, and brought up to
[03:29] believe in the proselytizing ways of the Jesuit
order. After some time, Yasuke was given to
[03:35] the Jesuit inspector Alessandro Valignano.
Valignano’s mission was to audit Jesuit
[03:41] activity in Japan, so he sailed east with
his servants and slaves in tow. Thus, in the
[03:47] year 1579, the as yet unnamed man of East
Africa first step foot on Japanese soil, behind
[03:55] the coat-tails of his Jesuit master.
It is here we should briefly explain the Japan
[04:00] that he stepped into. The warring states period,
known as the Sengoku Jidai, was nearing its
[04:06] climax. Japan had been divided into many independent
little fiefdoms in 1467. By 1579 however,
[04:15] most of these fiefdoms had been conquered
by the ambitious Daimyo Oda Nobunaga of the
[04:21] Oda clan, and his vassal Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
In 1581, Valignano brought his African servant
[04:28] into Kyoto, the beating heart of Japanese
civilization and seat of Oda Nobunaga. The
[04:34] Bantu man had likely never seen a metropolis
of such size and bustle, nor had the people
[04:40] of Kyoto ever seen anyone like him. When rumours
spread of a giant man with skin like charcoal,
[04:46] the local Kyotans grew so curious that they
broke down the door of the Jesuit Church just
[04:51] to get a look at him. The African quickly
achieved status as a local celebrity, for
[04:56] the common folk were astonished not only by
his dark skin, but his size and height, as
[05:02] he stood a solid foot taller than the average
Japanese man.
[05:06] The growing fame of this enigmatic foreigner
eventually piqued the curiosity of Lord Nobunaga,
[05:12] who ordered the Jesuits to present the African
to him. When they came face to face, Nobunaga
[05:18] was astonished. The warlord did not believe
such a man could exist, and was convinced
[05:23] he was actually a Portuguese man who had his
skin dyed with black ink. He had the African
[05:29] strip from the waist up, and be thoroughly
scrubbed. This of course proved that his skin
[05:35] was naturally dark. Upon realizing this, Nobunaga
took a genuine interest in the man, and it
[05:41] was at around then that he finally received
his Japanese name: Yasuke.
[05:45] Yasuke soon became more than just a novelty
to Lord Nobunaga. The Daimyo came to appreciate
[05:52] the man’s personal integrity, and his physical
prowess. He declared that Yasuke possessed
[05:57] the strength of ten men. In the summer of
1581, Nobunaga’s admiration of this strange
[06:03] foreigner had become undeniable, and thus
he formally requested that Yasuke enter his
[06:09] service. It was official now: the man of humble
Bantu origins was a Samurai.
[06:15] Yasuke was afforded all the privileges any
other Samurai would receive. He was granted
[06:21] a piece of land and a household upon it, Japanese
garments, and a ceremonial Short Katana. It
[06:27] can be assumed that he was taught the Bushido
code, and how to fight as a Samurai. Yasuke
[06:33] became one of Nobunaga’s favourite servants,
and was one of the few people afforded the
[06:38] privilege of dining with the great Daimyo.
Yasuke soon joined his new lord in his mission
[06:44] to conquer all Japan. He likely saw combat
at the Battle of Tenmokuzan, fighting fiercely
[06:50] alongside Nobunaga forces to destroy the Takeda
clan. It was the first time any Japanese warrior
[06:57] had encountered an African in combat, and
the strength and ferocity of Nobunaga’s
[07:02] newest soldier was a thing to behold.
After the engagement, Yasuke rode at Nobunaga’s
[07:08] side as the lord surveyed his newly conquered
lands, and one can only imagine the wonder
[07:14] that many would have felt, seeing such a giant
of a foreigner riding in such a position of
[07:19] prestige at their liege lord’s side. On
their way back to Kyoto, he rubbed shoulders
[07:24] with many of Nobunaga’s powerful allies,
names we consider larger than life. One such
[07:29] man was Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who, in time,
would conquer all Japan.
[07:36] In June of 1582, Yasuke and Nobunaga arrived
back in Kyoto. Nobunaga split his army and
[07:43] sent them forth to conquer the lands of the
Mori, Uesegi and Hojo clans. He retired to
[07:48] the Buddhist temple of Honno-Ji, where he
intended to rest. Surrounded only by artists,
[07:54] merchants, poets and servants, Nobunaga was
largely unprotected. Yasuke, however, was
[08:00] by his side.
Disaster was soon to come. An enemy host surrounded
[08:05] the temple. This was a complete shock, for
none of Nobunaga’s foes were supposed to
[08:10] know he was there. One of Nobunaga’s most
trusted generals, Akechi Mitsuhide, had betrayed
[08:16] him. He took advantage of his knowledge that
Nobunaga was vulnerable, and laid siege to
[08:22] the temple where his liege lord stayed.
The treacherous Mitsuhide stormed the temple
[08:26] with overwhelming numbers. Yasuke charged
out, mounting a desperate battle against the
[08:32] odds, with only a few bodyguards and servants
fighting by his side. He fought bravely, but
[08:37] to no avail. Amidst the chaos and fire, Nobunaga
had to commit Seppuku, honourable suicide,
[08:44] so as to avoid capture.
Somehow, Yasuke was able to escape Akechi’s
[08:49] clutches. He found a horse and rode hard for
Nijo castle, where Nobunaga’s son, Oda Nobutada,
[08:55] had mustered his forces. Where he had failed
to protect his lord, Yasuke was now determined
[09:01] to protect his son. He arrived just in time,
joining the young lord’s army just as the
[09:07] traitor Mitsuhide attacked them. Yasuke fought
hard in the battle that ensued, once more
[09:12] engaging Mitsuhide’s Samurai and slaying
many in the defense of young Nobutada, but
[09:17] once again, it was for naught.
The Oda forces were routed, and Oda Nobutada
[09:23] was captured, and forced to commit seppuku.
Yasuke too was captured, and presented before
[09:29] Mitsuhide. The traitorous general had nothing
but contempt for the black man, declaring
[09:34] him to be nonhuman, little more than an animal.
Because he was not Japanese, Mitsuhide declared
[09:41] that Yasuke was not to be killed, and instead
sent to the Christian Church in Kyoto.
[09:46] And thus, after serving as a noble Samurai
for over a year, Yasuke was returned to his
[09:52] Jesuit masters. Reportedly, the Christians
eagerly praised god when reunited with the
[09:58] man. It would be a nice thing to believe that
Yasuke’s tale had something of a happy ending.
[10:03] Unfortunately, we don’t know. All record
of his existence fade away after this point,
[10:09] and we do not know what his ultimate fate
was, whether he left Japan with the Jesuits,
[10:14] or died on the islands.
From humble beginnings on the East Coast of
[10:18] Africa, to the grandeur of the palaces of
Kyoto, the rise of Yasuke from slave to Samurai
[10:24] is a unique one to say the least. He may not
have been a Samurai for long, and his influence
[10:30] upon the Island nation may not have been as
great as other foreigners who followed him,
[10:35] but his story serves as the inspiration of
various pieces of media, such as anime like
[10:41] Afro Samurai and games like Nioh. Whether
it be the man himself, or what he represented,
[10:47] Yasuke enjoys a special place in the hearts
of many Japanese people today, and is a wonderful
[10:53] story of what strange fates can be thrust
upon the humblest of men.
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[11:54] We will continue this two-part series with
the story of William Adams, the English Samurai,
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