The 16th century… TRULY an eventful period for Japan! The 1500s saw the death of a more than 200-year old Shogunate, the rise of one of history’s most fearsome warlords, constant bloodshed and the arrival of westerners on Japanese soil who were mainly interested in two things: Trading and introducing their religion to the Japanese population. But even more than that, the arrival of westerners in Japan brought with it a clash of cultures rarely seen in history and a good amount of stories worth telling!

One such story that had always captured not only my own interest and imagination, but also that of countless historians and other curious people, is the fascinating story of a man who made his way from the heart of the African continent all the way to Japan, where he might have achieved something that no other westerner in Japan had achieved before him: Becoming a Samurai!

Today, we take a look at the life story of Yasuke, a story that is just as intriguing as it is shrouded in mystery and speculation. We’ll explore how a man from Africa in the 16th century made it to Japan in the first place, WHY he made it there, who he met along the way and how he became part of what might be the most unlikely friendship in history.

#samurai #africa #japan


SOURCES:

Book: “Yasuke (African Samurai) : The Life and Legend of Japan’s First African Samurai” by Jeff Taylor

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-48542673

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke

https://www.nicolaroos.com/sculpture/


CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Origins
05:01 - Arrival in Japan
06:35 - An Unlikely Friendship
11:55 - The End of Yasuke