Yasuke (?-1582)

Summary Label

Yasuke was a man of African descent originally from Mozambique who traveled to Japan in the 15th century. He is documented as the first black samurai.

Title

Yasuke (?-1582)

Date of Death

1582

gender

Male

Hometown or Region

Mozambique

Freedom Status

Transitional

Occupation

Samurai

Biography

Yasuke was born in Mozambique Africa in the 15th century. Yasuke first traveled to Japan with an Italian Jesuit missionary named Alessandro Valignano. Yasuke’s role at the time was Valignano’s bodyguard as Japan was in the midst of a civil war. The civil war would end in the mid 1500s when leader Nobunaga unified half the nation. Nobunaga was fascinated by Yasuke’s skin as the Japanese hadn’t encountered a lot of Africans. Yasuke was then recruited to be Nobunaga’s bodyguard. Yasuke was the first foreign born samurai to enter the ranks. Yasuke is important because he shows the early influences the Japanese and Africans had on each other. Yasuke passed away while defending Nobunaga from an ambush. Although there is not a lot of info about Yasuke, he is known as the first black samurai.

Click here to review the map on Yasuke.

Connected Historical Actor(s)

Nobunaga

Alessandro Valignano

Student Researcher

Michael Lewishall