The Backstory: Yasuke: The only black samurai

There is so much fascination and mystery in the history of feudal Japan. The true story of the only black samurai in Japanese history will be brought to life in the coming week with the release of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. But who was he, how did he become a samurai and what happened to him?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, So this is the story about the central
figure in the new video game Assassin's Creed Shadows. It's
five hundred years ago. Imagine you're a brilliant, healthy, strong,
young black man from Mozambique in Africa. You're in service
to a Jesuit priests whose job it is to introduce
Catholicism to Japan. You arrive there in fifteen eighty, when

(00:22):
you're about twenty five years old. Then one of the
most powerful men in Japan wants to see you simply
because he wants to see a black person. In the
next two years, you become one of the most powerful
foreign figures in Japanese history. I'm Patti Steele, the only
black samurai. That's next on the backstory. The backstory is back.

(00:49):
A deep look at ancient Japan can be mind boiling,
to say the least. Last year, the FX on Hulu
series Shogun, based on a fifty year old novel about
feudal Ja Japan, won eighteen Emmy Awards, including Best Drama,
the most awards in one season for any TV show
in Emmy history, and it won four Golden Clothes as well.

(01:11):
In its first six days of release, it had almost
ten million viewers, and the theme continues to be super popular.
This coming week, the controversial Assassin's Creed Shadows is going
to be released, also set in Japan in the fifteen hundreds,
one of its two main characters is Yusuke, based on
the real life African warrior Yusuke. He wasn't just the

(01:34):
first foreigner to be made a samurai. In fact, he
was also the only black samurai in Japanese history. Despite
being there for just two short years, Yusuke became a
trusted associate of one of feudal Japan's most respected and
feared samurai lords. So what do we know about how
this individual became such a powerful presence. Born around fifteen

(01:58):
fifty five, probably in Mozambique, Africa, Yusuke was a tall,
powerfully built guy, but there's no documented history about how
he wound up as a bodyguard and assistant to Italian
Jesuit priest and missionary Alessandro Vleignano. They arrived in Japan
around fifteen seventy nine or fifteen eighty. People were enthralled

(02:22):
with the exotic look of Yusuke, over six feet tall
with deep ebony skin which they'd never heard of much
less seen. Soon after they arrived, the priest decided to
head to Kyoto, a city with a vibrant tapestry. It
was the imperial capital. He had Yusuke by his side.
His presence causes a scene with crowds anxious to catch

(02:44):
a glimpse of this stranger. Some people questioned whether his
skin was painted with ink. News of this amazing man
reached one of Japan's most powerful samurai lords, Oda Nobunaga.
He's fascinated and summons Yusuke to his court. When he arrives,
Nobunaga is totally overwhelmed. He's amazed by Yusuke's skin color.

(03:06):
He orders him to take off his jacket and shirt
and scrub his skin with soap and water to proof
it is an ink. Finally satisfied that Yusuke's complexion is natural,
Nobu Naka becomes even more fascinated with him. Yusuke speaks
some Chinese and the two begin talking. Before long, Nobu
Naka is captivated with Yusuke's intelligence, his strength, and loyalty.

(03:31):
He asks the priest if he may have Yusuke become
part of his household, and it's agreed. As months go by,
nobu Naga takes the unprecedented step of making Ysuke a samurai,
a position of honor and privilege almost never given to foreigners.
Right away, Yasuke is given a house, a ceremonial sword

(03:51):
called it katana, and the incredibly important role of Nobunaga's
personal retainer and bodyguard. Ysuke is ascending to the top
in no time, from foreign servant to samurai, a testament
to his character and intelligence and the unique bond he
was able to form with Nobunaka. Now is fifteen eighty two.

(04:12):
Nobunaka has gotten into a fierce territorial battle with Yusuke
by his side again. After being betrayed by one of
his generals. Surrounded and clearly facing defeat, Nobunaga commits seppuku,
a ritual suicide to preserve his honor. Ysuke continues to fight,
but is finally captured. His life, however, is spared, and

(04:35):
he's handed over to Jesuit missionaries in Kyoto. At that point,
Isuke's trail completely fades from history, leaving his fate unknown.
He was just twenty seven years old, but what an
incredible life. I hope you like the backstory with Patty Steele.

(04:57):
I would love it if you'd subscribe or follow or
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to dm me if you have a story you'd like
me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on
Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a
production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and

(05:18):
Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer
Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Feel free to reach out to me with comments and
even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and
on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the
Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't

(05:40):
know you needed to know.