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Biography & Autobiography. History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:Warrior. Samurai. Legend. The remarkable life of history's first foreign-born samurai, and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society. When Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traveled much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child, he had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned (in local tradition) Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, he was learning the traditions of Japan's martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society. In the four hundred years since, Yasuke has been known in Japan largely as a legendary, perhaps mythical figure. Now African Samurai presents the never-before-told biography of this unique figure of the sixteenth century, one whose travels between countries, cultures and classes offers a new perspective on race in world history and a vivid portrait of life in medieval Japan.… (more)
User reviews
This non-fiction work employs a novelistic style for most of its length, presenting its historical figures and scenes just as they would be portrayed in fiction. Speculation about thoughts and feelings, and many of the specific actions etc. are transparently fictional, but are used to set up the descriptive passages where the real meat lies and to alleviate the dryness. This is interspersed with considerable background information that interrupts the 'story'. I think it works for the most part, but it could be distracting and even disorienting until I was accustomed to it. This format made me especially curious about the sources, so it was very rewarding when Yakuke's story came full circle at the end to explore those in detail.
While the book is ostensibly about Yasuke, it is just as much a biography and history of Oda Nobunaga and all that he accomplished towards achieving a united Japan after a hundred years of chaos, prior to the Tokugawa Shogunate completing his work. I was more than happy when it did so, and anyone who wishes to learn Nobunaga's story would actually do well to begin here. There are so many other sidebars that go deep into exploring other elements of Japanese history and the period, I think this is a credible gateway to the subject in general. Even burdened with an enormous subtitle, this book's content is still far more than what the cover promises. Rarely does one of my spontaneous buys pay off this well.
The authors took license with parts of the narrative due to lack of documentation. They have made some educated assumptions. It gives the reader a “sense” of what life was like in Japan in the late 1500s. There are segments of fabricated dialogue and descriptions of what people are thinking, which contribute to a sense of adventure, but fall into the category of historical fiction. Samurai methods can be extremely brutal, so be prepared for horrific violence, including many beheadings and suicides by seppuku.