The thrilling story of the first black samurai in Japanese history

Researchers and historians have found very little information about Yasuke's childhood life.

black samurai

first in Japanese history. He is believed to have been born in Mozambique around the mid-16th century. Some sources speculate that he may have been born elsewhere in Africa. Photo: Alamy/National Geographic.

Samurai

This black man only took the name Yasuke after arriving in Japan with the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. Yasuke may have met the missionary Valignano in Africa or India in the late 1570s. The missionary Valignano recruited him as a bodyguard for a trip through India, China, and Japan. Photo: Getty Images/National Geographic.

Yasuke stood at over 1.8m tall, making him an impressive companion to the missionary Valignano. He was also famous for his extraordinary strength. The Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga, a 17th-century Japanese text, describes

samurai Yasuke

"more than the strength of 10 people combined". Photo: Stock Photo.

When he came to Japan, Yasuke often attracted attention wherever he went. Oda Nobunaga (1534-158), a powerful warlord in Japan, met Yasuke and began a close relationship. Photo: milwaukeeindependent.

Lord Nobunaga was attempting to unify Japan during the late Sengoku period and took control of the Iga ninja autonomous region. Photo: medium.

Yasuke tried to learn Japanese so he could converse with Nobunaga, telling him stories from Africa and India. Nobunaga was very interested in lands he had never set foot on. Photo: Iwasaki Shoten.

Yasuke served under Lord Nobunaga and was trained in the Japanese arts of war. He was the first foreigner recorded to serve under a Japanese lord. Photo: Iwasaki Shoten.

Yasuke was rewarded for his outstanding performance in many missions. The black samurai was even given an ornate sword. Photo: cards-the-universe-and-everything.fandom.com.

In 1582, Nobunaga’s samurai general Mitsuhide Akechi attacked the lord’s residence in Kyoto. Yasuke fought bravely to protect Nobunaga. However, Mitsuhide’s forces were stronger, so Nobunaga eventually committed “seppuku” - a form of ritual suicide. Photo: PC Gamer.

Yasuke was captured by Mitsuhide's forces but was later released because he was not Japanese. The samurai's fate thereafter is unknown. Photo: Courtesy of Ubisoft.

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Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/chuyen-ly-ky-samurai-da-den-dau-tien-trong-lich-su-nuoc-nhat-post269327.html