The real history of Yasuke, Japan’s first Black samurai
Yasuke’s remarkable journey took him from Africa to the ranks of Oda Nobunaga’s forces, where he became one of Japan’s most intriguing figures.
For hundreds of years, samurai, a class of elite warriors, shaped Japanese history, and tales of their exploits and adventures remain the stuff of legends. One of the most fascinating and mysterious is Yasuke, a man from Africa who appears to have become a samurai in the 16th century.
Now, Yasuke appears as a character in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a samurai-themed installment in the longstanding video game series.
But who exactly was Yasuke? And what can historians piece together about his life?
Yasuke’s enigmatic beginnings
Yasuke’s early life remains largely unknown. Some scholars speculate that he was born in Mozambique around the mid-16th century, while others suggest he might have been born elsewhere in Africa.
He adopted the name ‘Yasuke’ only after arriving in Japan with the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano.
Yasuke likely met Valignano in Africa or India in the late 1570s. Valignano, tasked with assessing Catholic missions in Asia, recruited him as a bodyguard for a journey through India, China, and Japan.
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Yasuke’s striking presence, towering at over six feet, would have made him an impressive companion. He was renowned for his strength; The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, a 17th-century Japanese text, described his power as “formidable,” surmising that it “surpassed that of 10 men.”
But Yasuke wasn’t the first person of African descent to arrive in Japan. European traders and missionaries sometimes sailed with attendants and crew members who had come from Africa. Nonetheless, Yasuke quickly attracted attention wherever he went and became a kind of celebrity. People took to the streets in droves just to see him. In Sakai, the crush of the crowd was so great that it actually damaged buildings in the city.
Was Yasuke a samurai?
In 1581, Yasuke captured the interest of Oda Nobunaga, a powerful warlord striving to unify Japan as it emerged from the chaos of the Sengoku period. This era, also known as the “Age of Warring States,” was among the most turbulent in Japanese history, with constant military conflict as warlords battled for control over fractured territories. During this time, Japan also experienced its first major encounters with foreign cultures, as Portuguese and Spanish traders and missionaries began arriving in the 1540s.
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Upon their meeting, Nobunaga famously scrutinized Yasuke’s skin, initially believing it to be painted black. Convinced this was the case, Nobunaga ordered him to bathe.
Despite this unusual introduction, Yasuke quickly impressed Nobunaga, having already picked up some Japanese. Nobunaga soon transferred him from Jesuit service into his own, honoring him with a house, money, servants, and even the new name, Yasuke. According to Jesuit chronicler Luís Fróis, many assumed Nobunaga would continue to lavish honors on Yasuke and elevate him to a lord.
Historians debate whether Yasuke was technically a samurai, a term that denoted more than just a warrior. Samurai were generally born into this class and underwent rigorous training from a young age, learning not only combat skills but also the cultural and philosophical tenets of the role.
But given the honors lavished on him and that Nobunaga presented him with a sword, it’s probable that he may have been considered an honorary one.
Samurai or not, Yasuke proved his loyalty, fighting alongside Nobunaga in his campaigns to consolidate power across Japan.
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In 1582, one of Nobunaga’s vassals, Akechi Mitsuhide, launched a rebellion and surrounded Nobunaga at a temple in Kyoto. Yasuke fought fiercely at his side, but the vastly larger enemy force soon overpowered them. Facing capture, Nobunaga enacted seppuku, a ritualized form of suicide. Yasuke was later captured, but Mitsuhide decided to spare his life because he wasn’t Japanese.
What happened to Yasuke after his time with Nobunaga ended? Some historians suggest he may have stayed in Japan, with records hinting at the presence of a tall African man in Japan during the 1590s. But whether this man was Yasuke remains a mystery.
