Oda Nobunaga is a notorious warlord, with great military skills but also extremely monstrous and brutal. History records that he was the first of the three great men who had the merit of unifying Japan, ending the chaotic war.
Like a magnet that attracts heroes, under the Oda family, there are not many mutants under the Oda family. Among them, the most prominent in appearance must be the person claiming to be Yasuke – a samurai from Africa whose real name is unknown.
Yasuke – a samurai from Africa.
Some historians say that Yasuke was from Mozambique, others claim he was born in Sudan. They also didn’t give a convincing theory as to why Yasuke came to Japan
Particularly, Thomas Lockley – an author who has spent 7 years researching this mysterious historical figure – thinks that Yasuke has been exiled since childhood. The child was sold into slavery in Arabia and then “passed through” many slave owners, across the Atlantic Ocean to India.
As a teenager, Yasuke fought in the army in Goa (India), then was hired as an entourage for a highly respected Portuguese missionary – Alessandro Valignano. Meeting Valignano can be said to be the first important fateful milestone in Yasuke’s life.
Because at that time, Goa was a commercial center, where many army posts were located and also gathered many Portuguese missionaries in India. It is also the largest black slave trade center in the world.
But fortunately for Yasuke, he followed the missionary on a boat to leave the “black spot” of Goa to the port of Kuchinotsu in Nagasaki, southern Japan in 1579.
It is no coincidence that Valignano chose Yasuke as his servant. His trip to Japan was fraught with danger. The Warring States period at that time was a place of competition for warlords, with a force of ninjas, warriors and fierce samurai. Valignano needed someone to protect him, a tall man who did not spare his life and fought in the army. That was Yasuke.
The Portuguese fleet of black boats docked in Japan. One like this carried Yasuke – who later became a great assistant to the Oda family.
A famous Portuguese missionary has just arrived in Japan, bringing with him a bodyguard as tall as a protector, with black skin as shiny as a bronze statue. Breaking news how to beat the great lord Oda Nobunaga , who was occupying Kyoto at that time.
With a curious nature and like new things, especially from foreign countries, Oda invited Yasuke to debut. This is the most memorable fateful meeting in Yasuke’s life.
Lord Oda couldn’t believe his eyes, there is someone like Yasuke in this world, so different from Asians. Even Oda thinks that Yasuke is the embodiment of the “Great Black God” – the bronze god of wealth in temples in Japan.
Lord Oda Nobunaga…
…assume that Yasuke is the embodiment of the “Great Black God” in the legend! (photo: Wikipedia)
Lord try… rub Yasuke’s skin to see if the color fades. After confirming that this is a real person, Oda immediately treated Yasuke with nothing and kept it for entertainment. Many anecdotes say that Oda especially loved talking with Yasuke.
But just a month later, the lord realized Yasuke’s potential to become a mighty samurai, supporting the Oda clan’s cause of unification of Japan. However, the most glorious period of Yasuke’s life with his owner Oda Nobunaga soon ended.
In 1581, Yasuke joined the Oda army to attack Iga province. Nobunaga directly dominated the battle in this mountainous land, gathering 40-60,000 soldiers. In the end, the Oda family succeeded. This was the first campaign where Yasuke was served for the Oda family. However, he showed courage and the advantage of his “giant” physique.
The most glorious part of Yasuke’s life is associated with the hero Oda Nobunaga.
Yasuke’s second and final battle was in June 1582, which is also known as the Honnōji Temple Incident .
The important Oda general, Mitsuhide Akechi, rebelled, attacking Lord Nobunaga when he took a few people with him to the Honnōji temple in Kyoto.
When he knew he could not escape, Lord Oda committed suicide by slashing his stomach so that he would not have to die under the blade of a traitor. Many of the servants beside Oda also committed suicide next to their master to preserve the atmosphere.
As for Yasuke, not. Anecdotes say that Oda’s last order to Yasuke – the person he trusted most at the time – was to draw his sword to bring Oda’s head back to the lord’s son.
The assassination at Honnōji temple ended the Oda family’s dream of hegemony.
After the Honnōji Temple incident, no one knows about Yasuke’s whereabouts anymore. Will he also die in battle or return to the Portuguese missionary’s side, leave to be a sailor or pirate, serve Oda’s son, or become a masterless samurai?
The most glorious part of Yasuke’s life is associated with the hero Oda Nobunaga. So when the lord died, the vestiges of Yasuke gradually sank into oblivion.
However, later the character Yasuke appeared in many popular literary works in Japan. Earlier this month, “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman also announced he would play the lead role of Yasuke in a new Hollywood film project.