#matsudaira ietada

[odaclan]

Yasuke, as described in Matsudaira Ietada's diary

The entry is from the 19th of the 4th month, Tenshō 10 (21 May 1582).

The image with the brown paper is purportedly the original book (or at least an older copy), and the cleaner one is a later date copy.

上様御ふち候、大うす（デウス）進上申候、くろ男御つれ候、身ハすみノコトク、タケハ六尺二分、名ハ弥助ト云

Ue-sama (Nobunaga) was accompanied by a black man in his employ, whom he received from the Deus (European missionaries). His body was like ink, his height 6 shaku 2 bu (182.5 cm)/6 shaku 2 sun (188 cm), and his name was said to be Yasuke.

Previously I had heard of stories that Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga on his inspection of Iga, but it appears to be incorrect information, because I could not find the source of it anymore. This Matsudaira Ietada diary says that this occasion was when Nobunaga returned from his campaign against the Takeda.

[mias-playground]

Almost 500 years ago, a tall African man arrived in Japan. He would go on to become the first foreign-born man to achieve the status of a samurai warrior.

Kidnapped as a child, Yasuke 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 Buddha.

Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan. When Yasuke was presented to Oda Nobunaga, the Japanese daimyō thought that his skin must have been coloured with black ink. Nobunaga had him strip from the waist up and made him scrub his skin.

"His height was 6 shaku 2 sun (roughly 6' 2")... he was black, and his skin was like charcoal," a fellow samurai, Matsudaira Ietada, described him in his diary in 1579.

The average height of a Japanese man in 1900 was 5' 2" so Yasuke would have towered over most Japanese people in the 16th Century, when people were generally shorter due to worse nutrition.

Yasuke was not just different in height and appearance. He was also very muscular and well built. His strength can be compared to those of 10 men put together. He was indeed a born warrior, a hulk, and a samurai in waiting. One other feature that made Yasuke stand out was his level of intelligence. His mastery of the Japanese language in such a short time was a marvel to many. He was able to learn the culture and tradition of the people.

When Nobunaga realized that the African's skin was indeed black, he took an interest in him. Yasuke already spoke some Japanese and the two men got on well, according to academic Thomas Lockley, who has written a book on Yasuke. Nobunaga grew fond of Yasuke and treated him like family - the African was among a very select group of people allowed to dine with him.

Yasuke was taken in by the warlord to become his weapon bearer. To be a weapon bearer to the most powerful warlord in the whole of Japan was a great privilege and honor. The weapon bearer must also be one who can be trusted with secrets, especially those relating to affairs outside the state. Yasuke’s hard work and diligence paid off, and within a few months, he was rewarded with a home in Azuchi Castle, which was located in the north-eastern province of Kyoto. Yasuke also received a stipend and was gifted with a Katana sword. History has it that the Katana sword is regarded as the symbol of a samurai warrior.

When Nobunaga bestowed the rank of samurai on Yasuke the idea of a non-Japanese samurai was something unheard of. As the first foreign-born samurai, Yasuke fought important battles alongside Oda Nobunaga.

Yasuke at Wikipedia

[readyforevolution]

THE WORLD'S FIRST BLACK SAMURAI WARRIOR

Almost 500 years ago, a tall African man arrived in Japan. He would go on to become the first foreign-born man to achieve the status of a samurai warrior.

Kidnapped as a child, Yasuke 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 Buddha.

Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan. When Yasuke was presented to Oda Nobunaga, the Japanese daimyō thought that his skin must have been coloured with black ink. Nobunaga had him strip from the waist up and made him scrub his skin.

"His height was 6 shaku 2 sun (roughly 6 feet, 2 inches (1.88m)... he was black, and his skin was like charcoal," a fellow samurai, Matsudaira Ietada, described him in his diary in 1579.

The average height of a Japanese man in 1900 was 157.9m (5 feet 2 inches) so Yasuke would have towered over most Japanese people in the 16th Century, when people were generally shorter due to worse nutrition.

Yasuke was not just different in height and appearance. He was also very muscular and well built. His strength can be compared to those of 10 men put together. He was indeed a born warrior, a hulk, and a samurai in waiting. One other feature that made Yasuke stand out was his level of intelligence. His mastery of the Japanese language in such a short time was a marvel to many. He was able to learn the culture and tradition of the people.

When Nobunaga realized that the African's skin was indeed black, he took an interest in him. Yasuke already spoke some Japanese and the two men got on well, according to academic Thomas Lockley, who has written a book on Yasuke. Nobunaga grew fond of Yasuke and treated him like family .

[wuekka]

Omfg...I was thinking people who claimed Thomas Lockley who "fabricated Yasuke being a samurai" was some historian in 1800s, but no, he's born in 1978! 😂 To my knowledge he made a thesis about Yasuke, then later wrote BY HIS OWN WORDS A FICTIONAL BOOK about Yasuke :'D

There's primary sources of Shinchō Kōki and Matsudaira Ietada's diary which mention Yasuke mobilising with Nobunaga among other things, which really agree on Yasuke being a samurai. Stop being idiots people.

[yasbxxgie]

Yasuke: The mysterious African samurai Almost 500 years ago, a tall African man arrived in Japan. He would go on to become the first foreign-born man to achieve the status of a samurai warrior, and is the subject of two films being produced by Hollywood

Known as Yasuke, the man was a warrior who reached the rank of samurai under the rule of Oda Nobunaga - a powerful 16th Century Japanese feudal lord who was the first of the three unifiers of Japan.

In 1579, his arrival in Kyoto, the capital at the time, caused such a sensation that people climbed over one another to get a glimpse of him with some being crushed to death, according to historian Lawrence Winkler.

Within a year, Yasuke had joined the upper echelons of Japan's warrior class, the samurai. Before long, he was speaking Japanese fluently and riding alongside Nobunaga in battle.

"His height was 6 shaku 2 sun (roughly 6 feet, 2 inches (1.88m)... he was black, and his skin was like charcoal," a fellow samurai, Matsudaira Ietada, described him in his diary in 1579.

The average height of a Japanese man in 1900 was 157.9m (5 feet 2 inches) so Yasuke would have towered over most Japanese people in the 16th Century, when people were generally shorter due to worse nutrition.

Making of a warrior

There are no records of Yasuke's date or country of birth. Most historians say he came from Mozambique but some have suggested other countries such as Ethiopia or Nigeria.

What is known, however, is that Yasuke arrived in Japan with an Italian Jesuit named Alessandro Valignano on an inspection tour, and appears in recorded history only between 1579 and 1582.

Some experts say he was a slave, but it is hard to say.

Floyd Webb and Deborah DeSnoo, filmmakers working on a documentary about him, believe assertions that he was a slave to be speculative at best.

"It would have been impossible for Yasuke to rise to the rank of a samurai in just a year without a warrior background," Ms DeSnoo says.

Samurais often began their training in childhood.

Friendship with the warlord

Yasuke met Nobunaga shortly after his arrival in Japan and he piqued his interest, the filmmakers say, by being a talented conversationalist.

Yasuke already spoke some Japanese and the two men got on well, according to academic Thomas Lockley, who has written a book on Yasuke.

According to Mr Lockley, Yasuke entertained Nobunaga with tales from Africa and India, where Mr Lockley believes Yasuke had spent some time before going to Japan.

Mr Webb believes that because of his command of the Japanese language, Yasuke would have been viewed favourably.

"He was unlike the Jesuits, who had a religious agenda for the soul of Japan," Mr Webb says.

There are reports that Nobunaga instructed his nephew to give Yasuke a sum of money at their very first meeting.

French-Ivorian writer Serge Bile was so intrigued by Yasuke's extraordinary rise that he wrote a book about the warrior.

"It's part of the mystery surrounding this character. That's why he fascinates me," he told the BBC.

The African warrior and the Japanese warlord had a lot in common.

Nobunaga was a great fan of the martial arts and spent a lot of time practising them. He was also an eccentric person, who according to Mr Webb, often dressed in Western-style clothes and sought the company of highly disciplined and intelligent people.

"[Yasuke] carried the warrior spirit," Mr Webb says. He understood the cultural language of Japan and loved to dance and perform Utenzi - a historic form of Swahili narrative poetry celebrating heroic deeds, Mr Webb adds. This suggests Yasuke could have come from Mozambique, as some historians believe, given that Swahili is still spoken in some northern parts of the country.

Similarly, Nobunaga was a lover of Noh Drama - a form of classical Japanese musical drama - and it is widely reported that he was a patron of the arts.

Nobunaga grew fond of Yasuke and treated him like family - the African was among a very select group of people allowed to dine with him.

"Nobunaga praised Yasuke's strength and stature, describing his might as that of 10 men," Ms DeSnoo says.

The legend lives on

When Nobunaga bestowed the rank of samurai on Yasuke the idea of a non-Japanese samurai was something unheard of. Later, other foreigners would also obtain the title.

As the first foreign-born samurai, Yasuke fought important battles alongside Oda Nobunaga.

He was also there on the fateful night one of Nobunaga's generals, Akechi Mitsuhide, turned against him and set the warlord's palace alight, trapping Nobunaga in one of the rooms. Nobunaga ended his own life by performing seppuku, a ritual suicide.

Before he killed himself, he asked Yasuke to decapitate him and take his head and sword to his son, according to historian Thomas Lockley. It was a sign of great trust.

The legend of Yasuke comes to an end shortly after this, in 1582. The fall of Nobunaga at the hands of a treacherous general resulted in the exile of the first black samurai, possibly back to a Jesuit mission in Kyoto.

Though his fate and the last years of his life remain unknown, Yasuke has lived on in the imaginations of many Japanese who grew up with the award-winning children's book Kuro-suke (kuro meaning "black" in Japanese) by Kurusu Yoshio.

The book, which dramatises Yasuke's life, ends with a bittersweet note: after Nobunaga kills himself, Kuro-suke (Yasuke) is taken to a temple where he dreams of his parents in Africa and weeps.

Entertainment industry newspaper Variety reported in May that Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman is set to play Yasuke in a forthcoming feature film.

It will be the second Hollywood film being developed on the life of Yasuke.

In 2017, Hollywood studio Lionsgate announced it was developing a film on the life of the black samurai.

Nearly 500 years later, his unusual life continues to awe and inspire people.

[h/t]

[tatipsique]

Quase 500 anos atrás, um homem alto e africano chegou ao Japão. Ele se tornaria o primeiro estrangeiro a alcançar o status de guerreiro samurai. Sua trajetória virou tema de dois filmes ainda em desenvolvimento em Hollywood. Conhecido como Yasuke, o homem era um guerreiro que alcançou o posto de samurai sob o domínio de Oda Nobunaga - um poderoso senhor feudal japonês do século 16 que ficou conhecido como o primeiro dos três unificadores do Japão. Em 1579, a chegada de Nobunaga a Quioto, a capital do país na época, causou tanta sensação que as pessoas subiram umas nas outras para vê-lo, segundo o historiador Lawrence Winkler. Alguns dos fãs morreram pisoteados. Em um ano, Yasuke havia se juntado aos escalões superiores da classe guerreira japonesa, os samurais. Em pouco tempo, ele falava japonês fluentemente e cavalgava ao lado de Nobunaga em batalhas. Sua altura era de 6 shaku 2 sol (aproximadamente 1,88m). Ele era negro e sua pele era como carvão". Foi assim que um colega samurai, Matsudaira Ietada, descreveu-o em um diário de 1579. A altura média de um homem japonês em 1900 era de 1,57 m, então Yasuke teria se destacado sobre a maioria dos japoneses no século 16, quando as pessoas eram geralmente mais baixas devido a uma nutrição pior. Fonte: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-50022956.amp Uma estátua de Yasuke, um escravo africano, que chegou ao Japão em 1579 e se tornou o primeiro samurai negro. (em Santo André, Brazil) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO4_LSXlyeB/?igshid=pqloke11wkvb

[aion-rsa]

Yasuke: The Real History Behind Japan’s Black Samurai

https://ift.tt/3e2tnz1

Yasuke is a groundbreaking new anime that fuses fact and fiction. The six-episode original series streaming on Netflix now is the brainchild of comic artist and animation director LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters, The Boondocks). The titular role in Yasuke is voiced by Oscar-nominated LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry To Bother You, Knives Out) who is also one of the producers. Yasuke comes from Japan’s animation house MAPPA (Maruyama Animation Produce Project Association) who also produced noteworthy animes like Attack on Titan, Rage of Baphomet, and Punch Line. Grammy-nominated artist Flying Lotus (a.k.a. FlyLo) provides the soundtrack and is also another producer.

Yasuke is somewhat in the same vein as Afro Samurai or Samurai Jack in propelling an iconic Samurai figure into a rich fantasy world. 

“It just sits right alongside Afro Samurai and Samurai Jack,” acknowledges Thomas, “They’re going to be compared regardless because those are the only three that are being pushed to the Western entertainment. So, it’s inevitable.”

However, where those two were set in alternate futures, Yasuke takes in an alternate past. 

Yasuke combines bots, mechs, werebears, and sorcery with actual Japanese history. There was a real historical figure named Yasuke. He was a Black samurai who lived in the late 1500s. His story is somewhat murky, but there are still some important things we do know about the legendary warrior.

The Real Black Samurai

The real Yasuke lived during Japan’s Sengoku period (1467-1615) when the country was torn by feudal war. This was the glorious era of samurai, Japan’s legendary military nobility. 

Many of the exact details of Yasuke’s life history are muddled. Yasuke is mentioned in passing in a few different accounts chronicling his time in Japan and there are a few images of a dark-skinned warrior in period paintings that are assumed to be him. The most significant reference is a surviving journal that was kept by a samurai contemporary to Yasuke named Matsudaira Ietada (1555-1600). The journal, known as the Ietada Nikki (Nikki means ‘diary’), documented Ietada’s experiences from 1575 to 1594. Ietada describes Yasuke as standing “6 shaku and 2 sun (roughly 6’ 2”)” and that his “skin was black like charcoal.” Thomas used the Ietada Nikki as a jumping off point for the anime.

“There are only the diaries that are mentioned and even those are interpreted,” says Thomas. 

The dates of Yasuke’s birth and death, as well as his country of origin, are unknown. There are many theories about his nationality. Some theorize he hailed from Ethiopia, Mozambique, or Sudan. Yasuke opts for the Yao people of Southeast Africa, which is a valid theory. The ‘Ya’ in Yasuke may have been a Japanese phonetic translation of Yao and ‘suke’ can mean ‘assistant’. 

Yasuke landed in Japan in 1579, an event that is dramatized in Yasuke. He came to Japan in the service of Alessandro Valignano (1539-1606), an Italian Jesuit missionary who was among the first to propound Catholicism to China, India, and Japan. After arriving, Valignano and Yasuke travelled to Kyoto to pay respects to Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582). 

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Nobunaga is one of the most colorful feudal lords of Japan. History paints him as both champion and villain – champion for being the ‘great unifier’ of Japan and villain for the brutal bloody path he cut across the country to unify it. Nobunaga was open to free trade during a time when Japan was traditionally dismissive of outsiders. He was fascinated by the outside world and was known to dress in foreign attire and preferred European red wine over rice wine. When Nobunaga met Yasuke, he was convinced that his skin had been dyed with ink and ordered him to be stripped and washed. Once he discovered that Yasuke was indeed Black, he took great interest in him and by some accounts, gave him some money.

Yasuke takes liberties with this story. After all, there were no bots or mechs in the 16th century. 

“Since Yasuke doesn’t have an owned estate, no one owns his character – his story was up for interpretation,” Thomas says. “And for me, by the time Flying Lotus came on board, I knew I wanted to tell a story that was removed from history so that we can create a new action hero and celebrate him through this adventure story.” 

Instead of travelling with a missionary, Yasuke arrives in Japan in the service of a European trader. He meets Nobunaga by chance as the warlord is examining the trader’s wares at the docks of a Nanban trade port. Nanban trade refers to a period when Portuguese merchants and missionaries landed in Japan in the mid-16th century. Portuguese sea trade was prevalent at that time. 

In the anime, Nobunaga is impressed by Yasuke after witnessing him in a street fight where he demonstrates great honor. The incident of Nobunaga having Yasuke washed is reenacted, and then Nobunaga takes him on as a retainer. History is unclear about exactly when the real Yasuke entered Nobunaga’s service. However, Yasuke may have been Nobunaga’s only non-Japanese retainer and perhaps for that reason, he was one of Nobunaga’s favorites. 

Ninjas Like Snake Eyes

The narrative of Yasuke jumps back and forth through time as it retells its titular hero’s backstory under Nobunaga. Yasuke is depicted as having a pivotal role in the Tensho Iga War in 1581. With their unusual face masks, the defenders of Iga resemble Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe, a nod to animated ninjas. Historically, some 10,000 Iga defenders fought off 42,000 of Nobunaga’s troops using fierce guerilla and stealth tactics. These warriors became the foundation of ninja legends in this region. Famous among them was Iga ninja leader Hattori Hanzo, who is also referenced in Yasuke. If the name Hanzo rings familiar (and you are unfamiliar with ninja history), it’s because Tarantino poached it for Kill Bill. In that film, Hanzo was the sword maker played by veteran Japanese action star, Sonny Chiba. 

It’s not clear if the real Yasuke participated in the Tensho Iga War, but given his timeline, it’s certainly plausible. He is documented as fighting for Nobunaga in the Battle of Tenmokuzan the following year. It was after that battle when Yasuke met Ietada who documented it in his journal. Yasuke was present at the Honno-Ji, the temple where Nobunaga committed seppuku. In the anime, Yasuke serves as Nobunaga’s kaishakunin – the person appointed to behead whoever is undertaking seppuku. No one knows who Nobunaga’s kaishakunin really was, but by some accounts, Yasuke was charged to deliver Nobunaga’s head and sword to his son, Nobutada. 

Ritual Suicide and Sacred Beheading

In cinema, as in this anime, seppuku beheadings are graphic. However, it was a sacred ritual that required an exceedingly difficult cut. That cut is still practiced, just in case, by contemporary practitioners of Iaido, the art of sword drawing and cutting. Given the hallowed nature of seppuku, a head skittering across the floor is tacky. The kaishakunin’s cut must be exact. It must sever the spine but not the windpipe, so the head falls gently into the lap. One of the last recorded instances of seppuku was by acclaimed writer Yukio Mishima (1925-1970). His kaishakunin failed three times attempting to make that final cut, and another had to take over. 

Following the incident at Honno-Ji, the true fate of Yasuke is unclear. Yasuke did join Nobunaga’s son Nobutada, but that didn’t last long. Nobutada was forced to commit seppuku that same year. Some accounts allege that Yasuke was captured and exiled to a Jesuit mission in Kyoto. There is a story about him fighting for the Jesuits in the Battle of Okitanawate in 1582, but that is his final chapter in the history books. Yasuke takes place twenty years after the Honno-Ji but given that the anime has him battling giant robots, such liberties are allowed. 

To Be a Samurai is To Serve

Despite being fantasy, Yasuke captures the essence of samurai culture well. The most notable digression is how Yasuke is constantly berated by other samurai about his servitude. The word ‘samurai’ derives from saburau, which means ‘to wait upon’ or ‘accompany,’ essentially ‘to serve.’ The legends of samurai being great warriors eclipses their fundamental role as servants to their lord. Not only did samurai serve as swordsmen, but they also performed more mundane tasks for their lords like tax collecting. 

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That intense dedication to servitude, a commitment to the death, is what made them legendary. Throughout Yasuke, the titular hero honors this ideal of servitude to Nobunaga, and to others, which preserves the core samurai principle. The only awkwardness is that other samurai wouldn’t berate him for such behavior. They would respect that because it’s a goal to which they all aspire. 

Yasuke has been depicted in movies, books, and anime before. Last year’s African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan by Geoffrey Girard and Thomas Lockley was a scholarly documentation of his life. And there are some children’s books including Kuro-suke by Kurusu Yoshio and Yasuke: The Legend of the African Samurai by Jamal Turner. 

In 2017, Lionsgate began developing Black Samurai, which was originally to be scripted by Gregory Widen (Highlander). The project progressed with Doug Miro (Narcos) replacing Widen under a cooperative effort between Erik Feig’s Picturestart, Mike De Luca’s De Luca Productions and Stephen L’Heureux’s Solipsist. Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) was cast as Yasuke but production ceased with his untimely passing. 

While fantasy, Yasuke pays homage to one of history’s most remarkable warriors. This fortifies this anime’s depth. Not only is it an entertaining introduction to a glorious piece of history, Yasuke has heart. It captures the spirit of an outstanding real-life hero who is often overlooked and brings him to an entirely new audience with dignity and honor.  

Clearly, Thomas’s Yasuke is entertainment, not a history lesson. However, he’ll be delighted if it brings more spotlight to one of the most intriguing samurai warriors of all.

“Even through Covid, we worked really, really hard with all the restrictions and limitations and voice acting. I’m just really happy that we got it done,” he says.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Yasuke is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post Yasuke: The Real History Behind Japan’s Black Samurai appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3e1k9mx

[dorianvanity]

KABUKI - KITSUNE - ANBU Unidade Curricular 6 - Realizar Caracterização de Personagem Tema Geral: Teatro na Ásia Foto e tratamento por @velocidadeemfoco Professora @maquiadoralu Edição de imagem, figurino e maquiagem por mim. Yasuke (apresentado como 弥助 ou 弥介, 彌助 ou 彌介 em diferentes fontes) era um retentor de origem africana que serviu sob o daimyō japonês Oda Nobunaga do período Sengoku. Pouco se sabe sobre sua vida, e a principal fonte para a sua história no Japão foi escrita pelo missionário jesuíta Luís Fróis. "O homem era saudável e de boa aparência, com um bom comportamento." Além disso, Oda elogiou a força de Yasuke, descrevendo-a como dez vezes superior à dos homens normais. Yasuke foi com Oda para o seu castelo em Azuchi e os rumores populares dizem que ele pode aí ter-se tornado nobre. Matsudaira Ietada, descreveu-o como uma pessoa de 6 shaku 2 (1,88 cm). Se assim for, a sua alta estatura era muito imponente para os Japoneses daquele tempo. Ele parece ter se tornado muito próximo, e foi, talvez, o único "guerreiro" não japonês que Oda tinha na sua comitiva, o que poderia explicar o seu rápido crescimento em estatuto e classe social. Terá assim sido por esta altura, que segundo fontes, Yasuke ter-se-á tornado Samurai. O primeiro samurai estrangeiro, segundo a lista de samurais no Japão nascidos no exterior. De acordo com os arquivos do Clã Maeda, foi concedida uma residência própria a Yasuke, assim como o cerimonial da katana por Oda Nobunaga. Oda atribui-lhe também direito e dever de porte de arma. Fonte: Wikipedia (em Senac Lapa Scipião) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNnYpibHh4A/?igshid=1mbsa3jxk5m8b

[warriorsouljah-blog]

"Yasuke" - Samurai name [given name lost to history] Origin: disputed but most likely Mozambique of the Yao or Ethiopian of the Habesha Yasuke is thought by some to have been the first African that Nobunaga had ever seen and he was one of the many Africans to have come with the Portuguese to Japan during the Nanban trade. He was also present during the Honnō-ji Incident, the forced suicide of Nobunaga at the hands of his samurai general Akechi Mitsuhide on 21 June 1582. It is likely that Yasuke could speak or was taught Japanese, perhaps due to Valignano's efforts to ensure his missionaries adapted well to the local culture. Yasuke arrived in Japan in 1579 in service of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, who had been appointed the Visitor (inspector) of the Jesuit missions in the Indies (East Africa, South and East Asia). He accompanied Valignano when the latter came to the capital area in March 1581 and his appearance caused a lot of interest with the local people. Matsudaira Ietada, the retainer of Ieyasu described Yasuke as "6 shaku 2 sun (6 ft. 2 in., or 188 cm.) In June 1582, Nobunaga was attacked and forced to commit seppuku in Honnō-ji in Kyoto by the army of Akechi Mitsuhide. Yasuke was there at the time and helped fight the Akechi forces. Immediately after Nobunaga's death, Yasuke went to join Nobunaga's heir Oda Nobutada who was trying to rally the Oda forces at Nijō Castle. Yasuke fought alongside the Nobutada forces but was eventually captured. When Yasuke was presented to Akechi, the warlord allegedly said that the black man was an animal as well as not Japanese and should thus not be killed, but taken to the Christian church in Kyoto, the Nanbanji (南蛮寺). However, there is some doubt regarding the credibility of this fate. There is no further written information about him after this. #BlackHistory #WorldHistory #japanesehistory #AfricanHistory #Black #Samurai #Bushido #MartialArts #Japan #feudaljapan #warrior #Blackhistoryfacts #BlackHistory365 #blackhistorymonth2021 #blackhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CLroDzoh_qT/?igshid=1g4w93mwjttcm

[odaclan]

Since this was also mentioned in the article with the Frois citation, I thought I'd revisit this.

Back when I first posted this clip, someone had asked if this was based on true account (the comment seems to have since disappeared, so maybe the person deactivated their Tumblr).

It was indeed based on a reliable account, as it was mentioned both in the Shinchoukouki and in the diary of Matsudaira Ietada (a Tokugawa vassal).

I really feel silly to have forgotten this was there, but here's the passage from the English translation of the Shinchoukouki:

On the 20th of the Fifth Month, Nobunaga ordered Korezumi Gorōzaemon (Niwa Nagahide), Hori Kyūtarō, Hasegawa Take, and Suganoya Kuemon to prepare a feast for Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. A chamber of the Kōunji Palace was where Lord Ieyasu, Anayama Baisetsu, Ishikawa Hōki, Sakai Saemon no Jō, and their house elders were served a meal. Lord Nobunaga himself placed the trays before his guests, a gracious act indeed, and their reverence for him was out of the ordinary.

(The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, page 465-466)

Someone posted a clip featuring Nobunaga from the Naotora Taiga. 

The context of the scene was the famous story where Mitsuhide blundered when in charge of a banquet to welcome Ieyasu. After that, apparently in the drama Nobunaga decided to then personally serve Ieyasu’s meal himself. Naturally Ieyasu and his vassals becomes mortified by it. 

[npb-en]

Meet Yasuke, Japan’s First Black Samurai Warrior

#npb #samuraijapan [openculture.com]“His name was Yasuke. His height was 6 shaku 2 sun” — roughly six feet, two inches — “he was black, and his skin was like charcoal.” Those words come from the 16th-century samurai Matsudaira Ietada, and they describe one of his colleagues.

[jculture-en]

Meet Yasuke, Japan’s First Black Samurai Warrior

#npb #samuraijapan [openculture.com]“His name was Yasuke. His height was 6 shaku 2 sun” — roughly six feet, two inches — “he was black, and his skin was like charcoal.” Those words come from the 16th-century samurai Matsudaira Ietada, and they describe one of his colleagues.

[odaclan]

The death of Ieyasu’s son and wife was not ordered by Nobunaga

As with many other things, this is a story that is recently being shot full of holes and its veracity called into question.

The story that went around was such:

Tokuhime, Nobunaga’s daughter, fought with her husband Nobuyasu, who was Ieyasu’s son. She then wrote a letter of twelve accusations, accusing Tsukiyama-dono (Nobuyasu’s mother) of trying to sow discord between her and her husband, as well as being in communication to rebel with the Takeda. She also accused of her husband of being cruel. She entrusted this letter to Sakai Tadatsugu, who delivered it to her father Nobunaga. Furious about this, Nobunaga ordered the deaths of both Tsukiyama-dono and Nobuyasu. Nobuyasu was ordered to seppuku, and Tsukiyama was essentially assassinated. 

The problem with this is its source. 

The account of Nobunaga’s meddling was written in Mikawa Monogatari 三河物語. This is recently considered to be a biased narrative, written approximately around the time of the shogun Iemitsu. As it is meant to prop up the budding new shogunate, its contents is dubious. Other Mikawa Monogatari accounts have been called into question, such as Ieyasu’s presence in the Kanegasaki Retreat. 

The account of Nobuyasu and Tsukiyama-dono’s cruelty and immorality was documented in Mikawa Gofudoki 三河後風土記. This is likewise suspected of being a Tokugawa propaganda, written approximately in 1610. 

The killing of family members is actually considered scandalous if there is no good reason for it. Therefore some sort of excuse needs to be made to explain Ieyasu’s action, lest it becomes a stain in the shogunate’s records. “Excessive cruelty” and “treason” makes for a valid reason for the order of execution. 

In accounts that are considered more reliable, such as the diary of Matsudaira Ietada, only the fact that “Nobuyasu and his wife fought” was corroborated. 

Even then, some parts of the relevant texts has been ruined, so it’s rather difficult to verify the claim today. It was written that Nobuyasu had a fight with “御xx”. With two kanji damaged, it’s hard to tell who he fought with. It could have been his wife, sure, as her name is usually written as such in documents: 御新造. On the other hand it could also have been “senior vassals” 御家門, “his grandmother” 御前様, or even his mother Tsukiyama-dono 御母様.

In Azuchi Nikki 安土日記 (Azuchi Diary, an earlier draft of Oota Gyuuichi’s Shinchoukouki), it was recorded that Nobunaga only said “Ieyasu should do whatever he wants”. In fact, Oota Gyuuichi originally wrote in Azuchi Nikki that “Nobuyasu was plotting a rebellion, and Ieyasu’s vassals told Nobunaga this”. Later, this was edited out of the final Shinchoukouki, presumably out of fear of the Tokugawa (the “final” edition of the Shinchoukouki would’ve been completed/finalized during the time of Tokugawa shoguns)

It seems like what actually happened was that due to concerns of treason, Ieyasu had them both killed. Nobunaga’s name was thrown in post-mortem as a scapegoat to preserve Ieyasu’s “clean” image. 

Ieyasu has been described as a paranoid person, after all, so I wouldn’t put it past him to have overreacted and making a rash decision. After subjugating the Ikkou-shuu (Honganji sect) riot in Mikawa, Ieyasu banned the faith from his lands altogether. Anyone who is a follower of this faith must convert to another Buddhist sect. Later, he launched the Sieges of Osaka over a convoluted offense in the arrangement of words engraved on a bell donated by the Toyotomi. 

[npb-en]

Meet Yasuke, Japan’s First Black Samurai Warrior

#npb #samuraijapan [openculture.com]“His name was Yasuke. His height was 6 shaku 2 sun” — roughly six feet, two inches — “he was black, and his skin was like charcoal.” Those words come from the 16th-century samurai Matsudaira Ietada, and they describe one of his colleagues.

[jculture-en]

Meet Yasuke, Japan’s First Black Samurai Warrior

#npb #samuraijapan [openculture.com]“His name was Yasuke. His height was 6 shaku 2 sun” — roughly six feet, two inches — “he was black, and his skin was like charcoal.” Those words come from the 16th-century samurai Matsudaira Ietada, and they describe one of his colleagues.

[npb-en]

Meet Yasuke, Japan’s First Black Samurai Warrior

#npb #samuraijapan [openculture.com]“His name was Yasuke. His height was 6 shaku 2 sun” — roughly six feet, two inches — “he was black, and his skin was like charcoal.” Those words come from the 16th-century samurai Matsudaira Ietada, and they describe one of his colleagues.