African Samurai

The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan

By: Thomas Lockley, Geoffrey Girard

Narrated by: Gary Furlong

Warrior.

Samurai.

Legend.

The remarkable life of history’s first foreign-born samurai, and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society.

When Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traveled much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child, he had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned (in local tradition) Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, he was learning the traditions of Japan’s martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society.

In the four hundred years since, Yasuke has been known in Japan largely as a legendary, perhaps mythical figure. Now African Samurai presents the never-before-told biography of this unique figure of the sixteenth century, one whose travels between countries, cultures and classes offers a new perspective on race in world history and a vivid portrait of life in medieval Japan.

An Interesting Story

I had never heard of Yasuke until word got around of a motion picture in the works. I did some preliminary research on the man. The more I dug, the more interesting the story became. It is hard to separate the attempted ‘colonization’ of Japan by the Catholic Church via the Jesuits as Yasuke’s Japan story is intertwined with them from the beginning. The political intrigue, the backstabbing, and ultimate betrayals are woven in the story of the many warlords, vassals, and peasants that filled Yasuke’s 16th century world. I like the way the authors worked to bring in a variety of different historical elements into the story of Yasuke. I had to take the legend chapters with a grain of salt since the authors had no further first hand accounts of Yasuke, just stories of black samurai or merchants that fit in the same timeline as Yasuke. As the Portuguese were heavy slave traders, it is not hard to imagine that more than a few men (no women?) of African origins found their way to Japanese shores and integrated into their society in a variety of ways. I see this book as one of many sources of the story of Yasuke. A good first step.

my go to for inspiration.

the story read to me was insightful and inspiring and closed out with even more for me to research in my own endeavors.

great read

loved it . great story and was easy to follow. easy painted pictures of the story.

Aspiring Afrofuturist enjoyed the book

I enjoyed the reading. I often questioned if the emotional and detail-oriented insights were based on anything other than what the author thought might have likely occurred in the situations. When I was able to suspend my disbelief in those moments it helped me enjoy the book more.

I was really hoping the attached PDF contained maps, artwork and the mentioned photograph, but alas they did not. Again, maps would have been very helpful. Also maps.

JUST LISTEN- Thank me later.

This account was exceptionally informative and inspirational. I commend the authors on their attention to detail and honesty. Anyone interested in historical accounts will find this book an absolute joy and possibly forget it’s a history book and not a novel. I see myself listening to this several times in the near future.