The Warrior Life of Yasuke: The African Samurai 

If you are coming here regarding the new trailer for Assassins Creed Shadows and are curious or skeptical regarding Yasuke being a Samurai, I suggest you check out this recent post on r/AskHistorians where you will find that there is certainly evidence to suggest Yasuke can be considered a samurai. In the comments, ParallelPain examined historical documents which shed light on the evidence. I suggest you read it before commenting. www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1css0ye/was_yasuke_a_samurai/

Chadwick Boseman was working on a project to make a film about Yasuke. Sadly, his death likely has brought a complete stop to that.

He in fact was not a samurai, he was a temporary servant. Wakanda history at its finest

Chadwick Boseman was scheduled to play him a movie. Fuck this year man.

Fun fact, he's one of the historical characters in Nioh that William Adams/Miura Anjin interacts with during his journey to Japan.

This is probably how afro samurai concept was created 👍

Imagine how many languages Yasuke spoke...

Nobungaga was a brutal vicious leader and that's why he was betrayed by Akechi Mitsuhide. Nobungaga did come close to unifying Japan and ending the civil war before Toyotomi Hideyoshi did. Japanese history is amazing and I'm glad to hear about Yasuke's small short lived but interesting role in it.

Oda had a fascination with western clothing, food, culture ..... and moustaches

Oda Nobunaga was visionary, ahead of his time.. Unlike his sucessors

This is very deep because I love black history and us black people will never learn this in school or the history book

Interesting vid! I never new about this. Would make a great movie.

I hugely enjoyed reading the book. Love your work, a delight to discover this channel during lockdown.

They don't teach this during BLACK HISTORY MONTH 🤔

This channel a breath of fresh air away from the ordinary.

How have I just heard of this man today ? Fascinating story they should teach more about him .

This is great for "doubting Thomases ", who thought that yasuke is just a fable,----- pure history lesson.

Frist time hearing of Yasuke was in Nioh and was shock and in amazement oh hearing that he was real person

What really gets me about the comments on this post, is all the folks determining what it takes to be considered Samurai. Ive read that he wasnt trained as a samurai, didnt have a last name, was a novelty, and all other manner of things. If any of you read Japanese you would be able to read the first hand accounts of the man in 5 different works, I believe 3 are letters, and a few are various official documents. Do you have any idea how many documents the average samurai had about them? Ill give you a hint, the average is less than 1. You would also see that the words used to describe a lot of the mans life, including his stipend, the land granted to him, and even his actions as a warrior were all used to describe nobility.... Some of yall just want to go on about your culture wars. Get over it. Its a game. ALSO AC.... the first game was about the fall of a guild of assassins correct? From the mid east, notorious for their forts and being a key player in the region? Well in the game their fort is toppled by Christian Crusaders, which apparently ended their order. In the real world, it was the task of the mongols. Not the crusaders. But I dont see you bunch of racist going on about historically inaccurate that is.

You really explained well. I really enjoyed watching this video. There was a video from another channel about Yasuke, but I realized it didn't really explained these details. ✅✅✅✅✅

JUST TO LET YALL KNOW THERES AN ANIME ABOUT HIM COMING TO NETFLIX,SHIT IS FIREEEEEEEE!!!

Thomas Lockley look like a Tom Cruise who played a role "The Last Samurai" xd

Man. What an amazing life he led. And Yasuke didnt choose greatness. Greatness chose him!

Fascinating thank you 😊.

Amazing! Thank you

So I’m actually just learning about this because Lakeith Stanfield will be voicing Yasuke I guess in a animated Netflix series. But wow this is so cool.

Thanks for listening to all of the requests for this video!

What an awesome man to learn about.

Perfect. Thanks!

I feel like this should be a video game made about this and there's studios under the xbox umbrella to do so. This was very cool thx

I was having a bad day, but you uploading this changed my whole perspective. Very well put together, thank you for sharing this information.

This was great 👌

Very interesting and worthwhile video.

Yasuke, probably the officer I want to see added to Samurai Warriors as a playable character the most along with Joun Takahashi, Hideaki Kobayakawa, Otomo Sorin, Harukata Sue and William Adams

I’d love to see a video on the Wako, the Japanese pirates and how much of a problem the became for the area and for international relations between Japan, Korea, and China. Korea even went to Tsushima to confront the leading sago family about the problem.

Thanks so much just got the book on Amazon!

There is as much truth in all of this as saying that Erwin Rommel was a tactical genius and a gentleman that didn't do any war crimes.

This book is amazing. I've only recently received it as a gift and I've hardly put it down. The detail on the story combined with historical fact make it such an addictive read.

Imagine being a member of Nobunaga's retinue when Yasuke was introduced. A man with a skin color you had never even seen a hint of before, a whole foot taller than anyone around you, and broader than men who were nicknamed demon for their size and strength. It would have been like meeting an nba player/bodybuilder with purple skin.

Appreciated the video

I found you from Shogo's channel. Love this video. Liked and subbed.

i love how none of these desktop historians had any problem with all these documentaries 3 years ago

A rare and intriguing character , fine job as usual mate.

Wow thanks that was very interesting.

The REAL Afro Samurai!!!! Great vid!

Wow. I actually just subbed to your channel from Shogo's channel. I'm so glad you made a video based on Yasuke. I'm still learning about him

The story of Yasuke and Malik Ambar, that's would make a great movie.

Very very informative

Very good.....i love it

I noticed a lot of the people that tend to deny Yasuke's existence tends to be Foreigners( mainly white dudes, no offense intended), people not of Japanese decent , and people that don't know much about Japanese history whereas the actual Japanese people have no issue claiming him as apart of their culture as that is their history and that the man was real. Example the man you shouted out in this video. He also brought me to this channel much love from Shogo's viewer. Hopefully Japan does a movie on Yasuke. I don't trust the western media with this, I mean have you seen the anime live actions? Nope Nope Nope. Plus this is Japan's culture and history after all best it come from them. EDIT: because people keep commenting this. I'm not implying Yasuke is Mitushide levels in terms of importance or anything like that but if people want to learn about one of the first non Japanese samurai then why not? There's nothing wrong with it, I get it not much is fully known about him but even still the Japanese felt he was important enough to include in their history instead of ignoring him and I think that says something. If you're going to comment to say I'm pushing an agenda please don't. You and the person accusing me already are wrong in that regard. I don't need to push an agenda.

Did anyone noticed the resemblance of Dr. Thomas Lockley to Tom Cruise?

Wouldn’t believe it unless someone told you thank you sir!

I knew about him before and he was brought up again during the secret meetings we would have and when we watched the Naruto series(Sasuke) and Afro Samurai.

Sucks that Chadwick never got to see this grow in a live action film. Hopefully they'll get michael jait White

Got here by force of destiny. Anthony Cummins is Indeed precise and honest giving of his squired talent for arduous study work. Thanks to All👊🏾✊🏾💪🏾

Some interesting info about Yasuke nice video

Wow!! Make this a movie or series. What a cool history lesson.

This book as you so ably described it, is a great read. You took this material, and made a superb video on this subject. You turned it deftly inserting it in it's place in the Sengoku Jidai. Overall all of a minor note, but a lasting historical place in Samurai lore.

Yasuke was in Malabar India where a lot of Israelites were at. The Portagues invaded that land in 1498 and capture only black men of that land to convert them. So Yasuke was an Israelite that went to Japan.

This is great. Knowing your positive past gives you positive power with in your self, and helps you move forward with your good deeds. USMC respected

one good turn deserves another 😁 you "featured" Shogo's channel and some of your subscribers subbed to him; he "featured" your channel so I watched this video liked it and subscribed to yours. This is how a good community of you tubers work 😁 may you never have trolls bothering you

The Obsidian Warrior

I've often felt with the movement of people and cultures for various reasons, in the early ages of our planet. The story of Yasuke the African Samurai . Validates what l've been thinking for some time.

Thank you.

Great video

can you link the media objects you mentioned there in the end? The manga, anime, tv shows and so on plis :)

It seems more likely that at 19 he was a convert and a servant rather than already a great warrior

Great Video

Thank you for this I love hearing about Japanese History I hope I go there one day

Oda Nobunaga was a reverse weeb

"In order for a samurai to be brave he must have a bit of black blood" -Japanese proverb

the book is very good I have read it like 5 times nows and now re reading my 6th time

Has anyone heard of the Twin Pilipino Samurais called Sinuka and Nasuka and their sister warrior Tinae?

I've always wanted to asked if you would do a video about Yasuke. But I was hesitant because of I can't write well in english. Thank you for the video... I found it most informative.

There's another argument against considering him a samurai. After nobunaga's death akechi had him returned to Jesuit custody. It doesn't sounds like he had a recognised status

This is badass

Thanks for your help with my own interests about HIM.

Had this recommeneded and all Im gonna say is the current yasuke discourse because of assassins creed is so dumb..Like when Nioh came out, there was a little controversy having william adams as a protag but it is not nearly as overblown as this current so called controversy..Assassins creed has great attention to detail but its still a fictional story set a fictional version of real history..so yes, they are gonna take liberties with yasuke just like William Adams..its no different from how movies take liberties with their historical figures..(ahem William Wallace)..I just can't believe people are gonna die on this hill..

Yasuke is the perfect role for samurai... at early age he was sold to become a slave warrior... so he doesnt have strong connection memory with family or homeland.... He can only feel peace/success/rewarded by being the best bodyguard...

I can imagine this guy getting really annoyed trying to explain to Nobunaga that his skin is naturally black while Nobunaga keeps trying to wash the "paint" off

I am impressed by how well you were able to "get inside the head" of this historical figure we know so little about. That takes empathy, inference, and consideration. You aren't just regurgitating facts, you're cutting to the heart of what makes a story worth telling.

Damn Chadwick would have done this such an honor.

Is there historic artwork of Yasuke? I can't find it.

Indeed

19:08 I'm interested to take a look at the stories and shows and games you found involving Yasuke. Happen to have a that list still?

Wow that's kind of amazing because in all my Years of Living I never heard of him once something that was never taught in public schools for minority kids it's such a shame how they would not let you know about this type of History of a black man thank you very much for putting that out there

Thomas Lockley does look like Thomas Cruise.

I enjoyed this, and grateful to Black Widow's Hidenori Onishi for telling me about him back in 2011 or so about him.

This is cool af

まぁ苗字もないし小姓なので侍じゃないんですけどね。

Interesting!!!

I would love to see you do a video about Tomoe Gozen.

One thing interesting, he was given only a short sword wouldn't that be what would exclude him from being a samurai? Everything I've seen about it has shown that being a samurai allowed you to wear Daisho why would Nobunaga not have given him both? Eitherway he's a really interesting figure.

Isnt there a movie in the works on Yasuke?

It's kind of funny that you mention scrubbing. My dad was a merchant marine and told me that somewhere in the Middle East (I forget where) came across a man who had never seen a Black person. In his words the man, "tried to scrub the black off me." The novelty of him was quite a hit with the ladies apparently.

This will bang if they make a movie of this

I have to recommend African Samurai! It's very very good! Also great video!

Afro samurai approved this.

They need to make a great movie about this fast as possible

The descendants of Habshis can easily be found in Pakistan and India. I know several that live in karachi and in villages nearby. They were mostly purchased by rich land lords and nawabs in Sindh. Slavery was banned in the 19th century and thy were freed. Also known as the sheedi community