The Untold Story of Black Samurais in Japan!

[Music] the surviving history of the black race has been established remarkably on several grounds one of these grounds is the samurai chapter in this chapter there is no other Nation known more for the Way of the Samurai than the Japanese it is a part of Japanese culture however there are two great remarkable personalities who lived in different timelines and left an indelible scar on the landmarks of history as Samurai in early Japan one in 758 ad the other's date of birth is unknown though many estimates point to the 1550s they are one Saku no tamuramaro and two Yas you will eventually get to know about these great figures in a moment but before we continue don't forget to support our works by hitting that like button in front of you you share with your families and friends to keep spreading our eye-opening black narrative and kindly subscribe to stay put and help build the rising membership of the channel Saku no tamuramaro the great Shogun of Japan of the black people of early Japan the most picturesque single figure was Saku no tamuramaro a warrior symbolized in Japanese history as a paragon of military virtues and a man who has captured the attention of some of the most distinguished Scholars of 20th century America perhaps the first such scholar to make note of tamuramaro was Alexander Francis Chamberlain from 1865 to 1914 an anthropologist Chamberlain was born in kenning Hall Norfolk England and was brought to America as a child in April 1911 the Journal of race development published an essay by Chamberlain entitled The contribution of the Negro to human civilization while discussing the African presence in early Asia Chamberlain stated in an exceptionally Frank and matter OFA Manner and we can cross the whole of Asia and find the Negro again for when in far off Japan the ancestors of the modern Japanese were making their way northward against the IU the Aborigines of that country the leader of their armies was Saku tamuramaro a famous General and a negro Dr web Dubois from 1868 to 1963 perhaps the greatest scholar in American history in his book The Negro first published in 195 placed sakuya tamuramaro within a list of some of the most distinguished black rulers and warriors in Antiquity in 1922 Carter G Woodson from 1875 to 1950 and Charles Harris Wesley 1891 to 1987 in a chapter called Africans in history with others in their book The Negro in our history quoted Chamberlain on tamuramaro verbatim in the November 1940 issue of the Negro history bulletin founded by Dr Woodson artist and illustrator Lois Mayu Jones from 1905 to 1998 contributed a brief article entitled Saku tamura Maro in the article Jones pointed out that the probable number of negroes who reached the shores of Asia may be estimated somewhat by the wide area over which they were found on that continent historians tell us that at one time Negroes were found in all of the countries of southern Asia bordering the Indian Ocean and along the east coast as far as Japan there are many interesting stories told by those who reached that that distant land which at that time they called chiango one of the most prominent characters in Japanese history was a negro Warrior called Saku tamura Maro very similar themes were expressed in 1946 in the orient the first section in distinguished Negroes abroad a book by beatric J Fleming and Maran J pride in which was contained a small chapter dedicated to the Negro general of Japan Saku tamur AR Maro in fact the list could just go on endless testification upon testification of the great negro Warrior and Samurai Legend of early Japan the great Joel Augustus Rogers 1883 to 1966 who probably did more to popularize African history than any scholar of the 20th century and had at some point devoted several pages of the first volume of his sex and race to the black presence in early Japan where he cites the studies of a number of accomplished Scholars and anthropologists and even goes as far as to raise the question were the first Japanese Negroes had also mentioned tamuramaro briefly in the first volume of world's great men of color also published in 1946 regrettably Rogers was forced to confess as follows I have come across certain names in China and Japan such as Saku tamuramaro the first Shogun of Japan but I did not follow them up he continued solemnly Saku tamuramaro was a warrior symbolized in early Japanese history as a paragon of military virtues could it be that this was what Dr Diop was alluding to in his first major book Nations neges at culture when he directed our attention to the tantalizing and yet profound found Japanese proverb for a samurai to be brave he must have a bit of black blood the peculiarity of tamur amaro's Daring Marshal exploits as a samurai in early Japan had given rise to the renowned Japanese proverb Rogers must have learned of things concerning the legend that shook his very thoughts it was said that tamuramaro had the strength of over a hundred men in him this was no exaggeration he often went out with few and came back conquering very many he danced in deadly battles with some terrible intelligence for War as though it was Game his eyes and rigid hands everywhere he was in tune with the air was often mistaken to be more than no less than 50 people in the battlefield killing and wounding many almost at once his strength was beyond human inexhaustible his speed untrackable leaving an un surp passable Legacy in the landmarks of History serving Emperor kmu tamuramaro was appointed Shogun and given the task of Conquering the emishi a people native to the north of honu which he subjugated Saku no tamuramaro was indeed an outstanding Japanese military commander and Samurai who lived an unsurpassable icon During the hayan period from 794 to 1185 to say the least he was an unmatchable guard of the early hayen Royal Court and Imperial Palace known for his great military achievements and contributions to the early consolidation of power in Japan tamuramaro played a significant role in suppressing the emishi people who inhabited the northeastern region of Japan and resisted central government control appointed by the emperor sewa to lead campaigns against the emishi in the late 800s tamuramaro successfully LED his forces in battles and played a key role in subjugating the emishi resistance recent evidence suggests that a migration of emishi from northern honu to Hokkaido took place sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries perhaps as a direct result of this policy that predated tamur amaro's appointment however many amishi remained in the tohoku region as subjects of the expanding Japanese empire and later established independent fushu domains after Emperor cmu's death the general continued to serve Emperor he and Emperor Saga as major counselor Dagon and minister of War it is said that the famous tanabata festivals and parades of aomori prefecture also celebrated in the city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture which draw over 3 million people to the prefecture a year were popularized in remembrance of Saku no tamur maro's campaign to subdue the tribal societies then living in tohoku these annual Matsuri are called the nebuta festival in alori city and neputa Festival in hirosaki City they feature a number of gigantic specially constructed illuminated paper floats these huge Festival structures are colorfully painted with mythical figures and teams of men carry them through the streets as crowds shout encouragement Al mori's great nebuta lanterns are said to hark back to tamur amaro's Innovative strategy in that early 9th century campaign according to Legend the Tai Shogun is remembered for having ordered huge illuminated lanterns to be placed at the top of hills and when the Curious amishi approached these bright lights to investigate they were captured and subdued until the mid 199 90s the prize awarded for the best float of the parades was called the tamura Maro prize however there is no historical record that tamuramaro went farther north than he a prefecture tamura maro's name is linked with payments for construction projects at kiyomizu Temple kiyomizu Dera in the late 8th Century adwaa asanta B Monroe referenced tamuramaro in the 1981 publication what we should know about African religion history and culture and wrote that he was an African warrior he was prominent during the rule of the Japanese emperor kuamu who reigned from 782 to 806 ad in 1989 Dr Mark Heyman authored a booklet entitled black Shogun of Japan in which he stated that the fact remains that sakuya tamuramaro was an African he was Japanese he was a great fighting General he was a Japanese Shogun sakuya no tamuramaro is regarded as an outstanding military commander of the early hayen Royal Court the hyen period from 794 to 1185 CE derives its name from heyen Kio which means the capital of peace and tranquility and was the original name for Japan's early Capital City Koto it was during the hayan period that the term Samurai was first used according to papino the word comes from the very word samaru or better sabura which signifies to be on one's guard to guard it applied especially to the soldiers who were on guard at the Imperial Palace the samurai have been called the knights or warrior class of medieval Japan and the history of the Samurai is very much the history of Japan itself self for hundreds of years until the restoration of the mag emperor in 1868 the samurai were the flower of Japan and are still idolized by many Japanese the samurai received a pension from their feudal Lord and had the privilege of wearing two swords they intermarried In Their Own cast and the privilege of Samurai was transmitted to all the children although the heir alone received a pension the Paragon of milit AR virtues Saku no tamuramaro 758 to 811 was in the words of James Murdoch in as sense the originator of what was subsequently to develop into the renowned Samurai class he provided in his own person a worthy model for the professional Warrior on which to Fashion himself and his character in battle a veritable war god in peace the gentlest of manly gentlemen and the simplest and unassuming of men throughout his career tamuramaro was rewarded for his services with high civil as well as military positions in the year 797 he was named Barbarian subduing generalisimo SE Tai Shogun and in 801 to 802 he again campaigned in Northern Japan establishing fortresses at isawa and shiwa and effectively subjugating the Inu in 810 he helped to suppress an attempt to restore the retired Emperor he to the throne in 811 the year of his death he was appointed great counselor Dagon and minister of war huko in the year 811 tamuramaro died at age 54 to the great regret of Emperor Saga who expressed his sense of loss by Distributing large quantities of silk cloth cotton cloth and rice in honor honor of his dead counselor his bow arrows quiver and sword were placed in his coffin by order of the emperor Saku no tamuramaro was buried in the village of kurisu near Koto and it is believed that it is his tomb which is known under the name of Shogun zuka tamuramaro is the founder of the famous temple kiyomizu Dera he is the ancestor of the tamura Dao of mutsu tamura Maro was not only the first to Bear the title of seai Shogun but he was also the first of the warrior Statesman of Japan in later ages he was revered by military men as a model commander and as the first recipient of the title Shogun the highest rank to which a warrior could Aspire tamur amaro's Legacy is celebrated in Japanese history and culture many stories Legends and artistic representations depict his exploits further solidifying his status as a historical figure of significance in Japan's early history looking forward centuries later in the 1550s another great black samurai would rise in the heart of Japan yasuke arriving on the shores of Japan in 1579 during an era of strife and War a black slave to Portuguese Jesuit monks would rise through the ranks to become a fig of Legend remembered only by his Japanese name yasuke would find himself at the side of one of Japan's most famous historical figures Oda Nobunaga The Demon King so great was the warlord's Trust In His African Samurai retainer that he was one of only a handful at his side when he was assassinated in 1582 at the hanono G temple in the annals of History few Tales resonate with such audacity and defiance as that of yasuke the slave Who Rose to become a samurai a warrior in the heartland of feudal Japan not much is known about Yuk's early life some historians would say he was a native of Portuguese mosambique others say somewhere in the Congo while other historians would say Nigeria some historians would insist that he was a slave but others say that he could not have become an accomplished Samurai so quickly without having come from a warrior background but the truth however remains that he was certainly from somewhere in central or western Africa as that was the region where most slaves came from Thomas lley co-author of African Samurai the true story of yasuke a legendary black warrior in feudal Japan says it's possible yasuke was enslaved and trafficked as a child but believes he was a free man by the time he met alesandro Valen o an Italian Jesuit missionary visitor of missions in the Indies in India valano had been appointed the visitor inspector of the Jesuit missions in the Indies which at that time meant East Africa South Southeast and East Asia the duo had traveled from India to Japan in 1579 with yasuke essentially serving as Vino's bodyguard while he and his party spent the first two years of their St in Japan mainly in kushu yasuke was employed as muscle because missionaries aren't allowed to have weapons lley says Japan at the time was in the middle of a brutal Century of Civil War and therefore valano needed somebody to look after him however yasuke found himself at a somewhat peculiar time in history not only for himself but also involving the world two separate yet unique world events took shape during the time of his arrival in Japan the transatlantic slave trade HIIT its stride while the slave trade boomed in Western and central Africa and the new world political and social upheaval was taking place across Japan with Warlords vying for control of the country During the sangoku period this was soon brought to an end by the steel determination and Military decisiveness of Oda Nobunaga the Japanese warlord who laid the foundation for the unification of Japan entering 1581 valano together with Luis fre who had arrived in Japan earlier decided to visit the capital as an Envoy they wanted to have an audience with Oda Nobunaga the most powerful man in Japan to ensure the jesuit's missionary work before leaving Japan and yasuke is said to have accompanied them as an attendant reports State yasu's skin was as dark as an ox surprising to the Japanese he towered over those around him even the Italians as he was rumored to stand over 6 ft tall between 63 to 65 there are conflicting reports as to how old yasuke was when he arrived in Japan some sources claim he was just a boy of 16 or 17 other sources claim he was 26 or 27 but a more substantial source which was found in the shincho koki manuscript of the son Kaku Buko archives a Chronicle of Oda Nobunaga which was compiled after nobunaga's death by OT guichi a vassel of Nobunaga describes him as follows a black boou from the Christian country has arrived he appears to be 26 or 7 years old the Blackness of his body is like that of a bull and he is healthy and of fine physique moreover he has the strength of more than 10 men the Padres came with him and thanked Lord Nobunaga for his permission to prooze in fact he created such a sensation that the news of this dark-skinned Foreigner reached the ears of even noaga himself who requested Yuki's Presence at his castle Luis Frey's annual report on Japan states that Nobunaga had also longed to see a black man and summoned him when yasuki appeared before Nobunaga seeing a black man for the first time the warlord refused to believe that his skin color was natural and not applied later and made him remove his clothes from the belt upwards valano describes how Nobunaga thinking that yasuke might have ink on his body made him take off his clothes and wash his body but the more he washed and scrubbed the darker his skin became yasuke intrigued Nobunaga the more he spoke with him the tales of this Fantastical land he came from were surely appealing to the warlord he supposedly was very intelligent and understood the basics of the Japanese language so Nobunaga requested the missionaries sell him over though yasuke was nobunaga's servant or vassel it was a step up from before when Yas was merely seen as property and a beast of burden Yas had a set of Standards he probably never encountered before he ate not only at a table with the other Japanese but often ate with Nobunaga and his family and received money from Nobunaga and his brothers either Oda nukan or Oda nagam masu Nobunaga was also impressed with y's great strength within a year's time yasuke had become an Inseparable and very noteworthy part of nobunaga's inner circle many different officials generals and visitors would take note of this massive African Samurai at the Dao's side often mentioning him in their Diaries his imposing stature of almost 2 m meant that he towered above those around him and was often praised by Nobunaga as possessing the strength of 10 men yasuke was not just a novelty item for Nobunaga he allowed yasuke to Dawn Samurai armor and weapons during several instances of battle this is truly impressive as traditionally only those born into samurai families could become Samurai let alone wield their weapons and wear their uniforms regardless if they were warriors elsewhere Nobunaga made yasuke his weapon Bearer a complex role combining senior Aid trusted advisor and keeper of State Secrets yasu's time as a samurai was brief by 1582 only 2 years since yasuke had become a Japanese warrior Nobunaga had become the most powerful warlord in the country in his quest to unify the country under his rule he had destroyed the Rival takada Clan earlier that year at the Battle of ten mokoan giving him control of central Japan nobunaga's only remaining Rivals were the Mori wugi and Hojo Clans each Clan had internal problems of its own as a samurai retainer yasuke was expected to accompany his Dao everywhere and in the summer of 1582 he would depart the Capital East with Nobunaga to inspect the recently conquered lands of the teada clan there he would continue to meet with high ranking and prominent members of the era including Tokugawa yasu who would ultimately unify all of Japan and claim the mantle of Shogun the trip would be cut short by a request for military assistance in the west by one of nobunaga's generals and the pair would quickly depart Westward stopping briefly in the hono Shrine in Kyoto to rest here Nobunaga found himself betrayed by one of his trusted generals Aki mitsuhide and the shrine came under attack by the 13,000 soldiers who came with him only a few dozen retainers and servants including yase who are no more than 30 were with noaga at this point it's a foregone conclusion it's 13,000 against 30 mitsu heid's men slaughtered many of the soldiers in nobunaga's entourage during the initial Ambush eventually Nobunaga yasuke and an attendant named Mori ranmaru the feudal Lord's lover at the time retreated to one of the Temple's Chambers it was here that Nobunaga performed seppuku using a sword to slice open his abdomen before Ron Maru beheaded him Ron Maru then also performed seppuku asking yasuke in turn to decapitate him once both Nobunaga and Ron Maru were dead yasuke escaped from the temple with his Lord's head in tow yasuke had gone to nio Shin goho the residence of nobunaga's Heir nobutada where he engaged the akachi forces Again by protecting nobunaga's remains yasuke denied mitsu the chance to seize his enemy's head and display it as a way of establishing legitimacy and power however the warrior had fought for quite some time until he and nobunaga's Son were soon outnumbered nobutada at this point committed suicide and yasuke was captured mitsu was not very impressed with yasuke and dismissed him as a beast and not a true samurai there are no historical documents to show the true meaning of mitsuhide's statement and it is not known whether it was a sign of his discriminatory mindset or an expedient to save Yuk's life but some would claim that the reason for this was that rather than committing honor suicide the norm after defeat in Japanese culture yasuke apparently offered his sword to mitsu heed following Western custom it was undoubtedly because of this rejection that yasuke returned to the service of valano and soon returned to obscurity the Jesuits however were glad to see that he had survived and thanked God for his return Beyond his relationship with the famous warlord yasuke was a barrier breaking figure in his own right though his life is poorly documented his story speaks to the surprising cultural connections that existed in 16th century Japan yasuke crossed Geographic cultural and linguistic barriers to create whether by necessity or design a new life in a foreign land says Natalia Doan a historian at the University of Oxford the Deeds of yasuke were so great and his Conquest for Nobunaga profound that his story lives on particularly in Japan where he is best remembered in an award-winning children's book He has been the subject of documentaries more books and even featured in comic books and video games in closing this history of these great personalities is a testament to the human spirit's resilience a testament to how courage can bloom in the most most unexpected soil so the next time you stand beneath the Ancient Cedars of Japan remember the tale of the great Saku no tamuramaro the SE Tai Shogun of Japan and the tale of the warrior yasuke the unlikely Samurai remember that within each of us lies the potential to break free from our shackles to forge our own Destinies and to become beacons of courage in a world that often seems seems shrouded in darkness this indeed is a testament to the boundless possibilities that lie within us all that brings us to the end of yet another interesting video segment did you learn a thing or two share your thoughts with us in the comments section below we are always delighted to pick from them also don't forget to support our works by always hitting that like button in front of you share with your families and friends to keep spreading our eye-opening black narrative and kindly subscribe to help in building the rising membership of this channel your support means a lot to us thank you for [Music] watching

Channel: Black Journals

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Length: 28min 58sec (1738 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 13 2024