Review of African Samurai; the True Story of Yasuke.

 



Review of Africa Samurai: the True story of Yasuke, A legendary Black Warrior in Fedual Japan

By Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard

c. 2019; 380 Pages

This was an amazing book. It detailed the true story of a African borne warrior named Yasuke who rose up through various positions in Japanese society around 1579, eventually being granted title of Samurai and allowed two swords.
The story is supposed to be historically accurate while being entertaining similar to historical dramas.  A lot of understanding of Japanese culture and background was needed to flesh out the parts that were historically silent but the author did a good job of what would likely have happened.
Yasuke was a kidnapped African sold into the slave trade but eventually ended being a valued body guard and warrior for whatever general or lord he was serving under.  He fought often and early in India eventually coming to the guard services for a Catholic regional manager with the Jesuits.
The Jesuits saw Yasuke as both a valuable guard ( he already spoke several languages ) and as curiosity. But not in the way of a circus freak curious but more in the way of a howitzer curious.
He stood 6’2” and was well muscled, towering over most Japanese and when he arrived in Japan wore traditional Portuguese attire fitting a member of the Jesuit retinue.  
Japan had periods of xenophobia so extreme that sometimes outsiders were killed but during this time period Yasuke was eventually accepted as a warrior, trainer, and sought out counselor.    At the time, regional warlords ruled over Japan and he came to the eye of one of the most powerful and respected warlords Nobunaga. Nobunaga, unlike other warlords in Japan, enjoyed foreign stuff like fashion and muskets and loved to learn about the world. Yasuke was perfect for this as a world traveler  and warrior not someone who travelled and studied like the priests. On their travels they swapped warrior stories and eventually Yasuke became more trusted as an advisor.  He was granted a house, a stipend, a title, servants and freedom. Although he was still a Samurai under Nobunaga, he no longer answered to the Jesuits or anyone really.
Eventually after about 15 years of in fighting Nobunaga and clan lost to a rivals treachery and Yasuke should have been killed. However, the author indicates there are numerous references to a black warrior with the Jesuits in travelling to other islands and locations so it’s likely he was not killed or executed.
Yasuke’s story does not have a definitive ending in that someone records his death at X year, which is disappointing.  The author tries his best to extrapolate how and where he ended up, theorizing he continued to travel with the Jesuits until dying in some plain fashion such as sickness or shipwreck. 


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