Between the years
of 1467 and 1615, Japan's Sengoku
period was a time of war, political intrigue,
and massive change. Warriors were in high demand,
and samurai served the daimyo, who ruled the lands of Japan. The period marked a
shift in samurai culture and forever altered the
course of Japanese history. In 1579, an African
man arrived in Japan, catching Oda
Nobunaga's attention and rising through
to warrior classes ranks to become the first
foreign samurai in its history. Today we're exploring
the legendary story of Yasuke, one of the first
foreign samurai in Japan. But before we get started, be
sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel and let us
know in the comments below what other legendary
historical stories you would like to hear about. OK, let's head back to
the era of the samurai. Becoming a samurai in
Japan was no easy feat. Samurai were a unique
caste of warriors who serve the daimyo of Japan
and lived by the bushido code. They often trained
during childhood onward, and by 1603, samurai
only accounted for 10% of Japan's population. One couldn't just
grab a pair of swords and decide to be a member
of the elite warrior class. Yasuke came to Japan
in 1579 as an attendant to the Jesuit missionary
Alessandro Valignano. His strength and robust
stature made a massive impact on the famous
warlord Oda Nobunaga. By 1581, Nobunaga bestowed
the rank of samurai on Yasuke, making him the
first non-Japanese citizen to receive the high honor. During the Sengoku
period, Oda Nobunaga spent his entire adult
life waging a campaign to unite Japan. He managed to bring half
the country together under his rule, providing
political stability to chaotic regions
throughout the country. The country unified
after his death primarily due to the events set
in motion during his lifetime. According to scant historical
records from the period, Nobunaga learned about
Yasuke around March 23, 1581. Yasuke's arrival
at a Jesuit church generated great interest
among the Japanese locals who hadn't seen someone with
his size and darker skin. The daimyo was holding court
at the nearby Honno-Ji temple when the sounds of the
crowd disturbed him. The commotion led to
Nobunaga summoning Yasuke. According to Thomas Lockley,
the author of African Samurai-- The True Story of Yasuke,
A Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan,
Nobunaga may have believed Yasuke to
be either a guardian demon or a god of prosperity
like the ones represented by black statues in temples. When Nobunaga first
saw Yasuke's skin, he assumed he was painted black. He ordered Yasuke
to remove his shirt and made servants
scrub the man's skin to remove what the warlord
thought was black ink. You are being unreasonable. Once Nobunaga realized
Yasuke's skin wasn't painted, he immediately threw a
feast in the man's honor. Nobunaga was so impressed by
Yasuke's stature and demeanor that he made Yasuke his vassall,
retainer, and bodyguard. Yasuke's arrival in
Japan was sensational. It was rare to see
anyone in Japan who had his height,
stature, or skin color. He drew a crowd simply because
of his size and presence. Since so many Buddhist
statues were often portrayed with black skin, many
saw him as a divine visitor to their land. For some historical
accounts, buildings collapsed under
spectators' weight, and Yasuke had to ride a horse
through the crowd to escape. When he arrived at Kyoto,
things got more crowded. The crowd of curious
people became so large, people climbed over one another
to catch a glimpse of Yasuke. A massive riot broke
out in the city because people wanted to see him
and simply be in his presence. Yasuke had to take refuge from
the crowd inside the Jesuit church, but the group
grew out of control. According to Lawrence Winkler,
author of Samurai Road, several people were crushed
to death while attempting to get a look at him. Valignano ensured
his missionaries adapted to the culture
they were visiting. So Yasuke already
spoke some Japanese when he arrived in Kyoto. As he adjusted to
his new life, he became fluent in the
Japanese language and quickly learned
his new home's customs. (SINGING) Is there anyone
who speaks Japanese? Is there anyone who
speaks Japanese? It wasn't long before Yasuke
had a private residence and a katana sword. Nobunaga treated him like
family and directed his nephew to give Yasuke money. Yasuke eventually received
a most prestigious honor when he was invited to dine
with Nobunaga, something rarely attainable for all but
the most privileged samurai. Yasuke wasn't just
a great warrior in the service of Oda Nobunaga. He also met a few other
critical Japanese figures as he traveled with Nobunaga. Following the Battle of
Tenmokuzan, on the pair me Tokugawa Ieyasu,
who would later be the founder of the
Tokugawa shogunate and would rule over a unified
Japan from 1603 to 1867. At the time, however,
Nobunaga was Ieyasu's lord. Together Nobunaga
and Ieyasu were two of the great unifiers of Japan. Historical records are
unclear on whether Yasuke met the third unifier, Ieyasu's
predecessor Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It wasn't all pleasant meetings
with famous historical figures though. Yasuke had the
misfortune of running into Akechi Mitsuhide,
the general who rebelled against the Oda clan. Known as the
assassin of Nobunaga, Mitsuhide served a
13-day reign as shogun before being
defeated by Hideyoshi in the Battle of Yamazaki. Shortly after their meeting,
written records of Yasuke disappeared from
recorded history. Yasuke's true origins
are uncertain. There are no
contemporary accounts of his life before
arriving in Japan and very little
information beyond what was recorded at the time. No one really knows
where he came from or how he came into
Valignano's service, but he was likely an attendant
or slave to the priest. Some sources suggest
he was a victim of the European or
Arab slave trades. It's still the subject
of speculation in books and stories about Yasuke today. Some accounts from
the period suggest he came from the Congo,
Angola, or Ethiopia. He may have also been a member
of the Dinka from South Sudan as they are among the
tallest men in Africa. But it's most likely he came
from Mozambique according to information in a 1627
account published by Jesuit Pere Francois Solier. Solier's account is
also suspect, however, as the source of his
information is unclear. Yasuke's age and name
are also a mystery. Various sources
state his age to be anywhere between 16 and 28
with several primary sources contradicting each other. As for his name, Yasuke
may be a phonetic, translation also called a
Japanization of his birth name. Yasuke wasn't just a
magnificent warrior. He was also a giant among
men, standing 14 inches taller than the average Japanese man. Combined with his
strength and stature, he was undoubtedly an
intimidating warrior. He measured 6 foot 2 inches
tall or 6 shaku 2 sun in the period's measurements. He towered above the average
Japanese man who typically stood around five feet. To get an idea of
how tall he was relative to the average
Japanese person, consider this. Today the average American's
height is around 5 foot 9. Standing next to a
professional athlete as taller Shaquille
O'Neal, who is 7 foot 1, or LeBron James,
who's only 6 foot 9, would give you an idea
of how tall Yasuke appeared to the Japanese. Fighting alongside
Oda Nobunaga, Yasuke helped play a significant
role in unifying Japan. Nobunaga's success as a
military and political leader owed a great deal
to his interest in foreign ideas and cultures. This interest
directly influenced his positive relationship
and immense respect for Yasuke, which in turn made
Yasuke a significant player in Nobunaga's campaign. Nobunaga was kind of
obsessed with the West, and he had a taste for
the finer things in life. He liked to dress
in Western style occasionally and use
Western tables and chairs. He also holds the
distinction of being one of the first
recorded Japanese men to have sipped
wine from a goblet. I gotta pick up some goblets. But his West obsession
didn't stop there. Nobunaga's interest in the West
also revolutionized warfare in Japan. Not only did it
bring Yasuke to fight side but his adoption
of a long gun, known as a [INAUDIBLE] ultimately
changed some of his battle tactics. He'd employ multiple rows of
gunners to fire on the enemy while others reloaded,
giving him an edge in battle. Who said you shouldn't bring
a matchlock to a sword fight? In 1582, Oda Nobunaga and
Tokugawa Ieyasu combined forces engaged in a significant battle
against their bitter enemies the Takeda Clan led
by Takeda Katsuyori, the clan resisted Nobunaga's
unification efforts. Yasuke fought in the battle
and helped bring victory to the combined forces. Takeda set fire to the
castle and escaped only to die by his own
hand as he took a final stand at another
one of his strongholds. Later that year,
Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga at the
Honno-Ji temple in Kyoto. When Mitsuhide's army
of 13,000 surrounded and attacked the temple, Yasuke
fought alongside the daimyo. One of Mitsuhide's men
managed to shoot an arrow into Nobunaga's back. He pulled the arrow
out and because of the severity of the injury
realized death was imminent. Nobunaga then committed seppuku. Yasuke fought to
protect Nobunaga but ultimately escaped
to Azuchi castle with the daimyo's
son Oda Nobutada. The samurai intended
to serve Nobutada, but Mitsuhide's men ambush them. They were overwhelmed
and lost the battle. Nobutada committed seppuku just
as his father did before him. There are several
theories as to why Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga. Perhaps it was ambition
or a personal grudge. Maybe he was protecting
the imperial court or following secret instructions
from outside influencers. Regardless of why
he did it, Mitsuhide had to face the
music eventually. Just 13 days after the
coup, Toyotomi Hideyoshi allied himself
with the Mori Clan and rushed off to
avenge Nobunaga's death. With staunch allies from the Oda
Clan and an army of 20,000 men, Hideyoshi engaged Mitsuhide
day in the Battle of Yamazaki. Hideyoshi decimated
Mitsuhide's forces, routing the enemy a mere
two hours after the battle had begun. As Mitsuhide fled the battle,
bandit leader Nakamura Chobei struck him down. Just goes to show no one messes
with the second great unifier of Japan and lives
to tell the tale. The battle at Azuchi
Castle ended in defeat for Oda Nobutada's forces. After Nobutada
committed seppuku, Yasuke was expected
to do the same. Yasuke, however,
didn't realize that. Instead, Yasuke followed
Western tradition and handed his sword
over to the victors. Mitsuhide was not
impressed by the samurai and decided Yasuke
wasn't forced to end his own life for two reasons-- he wasn't Japanese, and he
was ignorant of the ritual. Mitsuhide also acted to
demeaningly towards Yasuke and did not treat him
with the same dignity or respect he received
from Nobunaga. Mitsuhide instructed
his men to take Yasuke to the Jesuit church,
which he referred to as the southern
barbarians temple. Reports from the period
indicate the Jesuits were grateful to see
him alive, thanking God for his safe return. Soon after Yasuke disappeared
from recorded history. The most potent legends
endure through the years, and Yasuke's story
still resonates today. His legend found new
life in the 20th century through an award-winning
children's book. Written by Kurusu Yoshio,
Kuro-suke creatively retells the story for
a younger generation. The book follows a
fictional version of Yasuke named Kurosan
Yasuke or Kuro-suke. Kuro-suke arrives in Japan
and becomes an attendant to Nobunaga. The hard-working cheerful hero
follows Nobunaga and fights in the Battle of
the Honno-Ji temple. At the battle's
conclusion, Nobunaga commits seppuku, a
scene you probably wouldn't find in most
modern children's books. The story ends with a poignant
scene of Kuro-suke silently crying as he dreams of
his parents in Africa. Though the book is a
fictionalized account of Yasuke's life, it
successfully brought the legend into the 20th century with
an exciting and poignant tale based on an amazing
historical figure. So what do you think? Could you have earned a
spot as a foreign samurai? Let us know in the
comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
Don't google translate 逃げる Bruh