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African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan
The remarkable life of history's first foreign-born samurai and his astonishing journey from Northern 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, and trained into a boy soldier in India, he had ended up an indentured servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he visited India, China and the budding Catholic missions in Japan. From the volatile port city of Nagasaki to travel on pirate-infested waters, he lived it all and learned more every day. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them viewed him as the embodiment of the black-skinned (in local traditions) Buddha or a local war god or demon. Among those who were drawn to his presence were 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, fighting in battles and ascending to 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, combining all the primary sources for the first time, 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, faith and war in medieval Japan.
480 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
January 29, 2019
This took me a while to finish, because it was trying to do two different things and ended up doing neither very well. It seems like this book wants to be an exciting historical fiction, about a warrior entering a strange country where his appearance and skills propel him to the heights of power; it also wants to be a serious historical look at Yasuke's life and era. Unfortunately, the historical discussions keep the narrative from building up to much, and the attempts at a colorful narrative make the history seem slanted towards racism and exoticism. My favorite part of the book was the last sixty pages or so, after the conclusion of Yasuke's story and which of the six black guys in Japan he might have ended up as (which is as awkward as that sounds) -- we get a series of end notes about each chapter where the author explains details about his sources, historical asides that didn't make it into the 'text,' and the thought processes that went into the research, all in a very nice conversational style. I can't say that I really learned anything from reading this -- beyond the fact of Yasuke's existence, I can't shake the feeling that any or all of the details might have been made up for dramatic effect -- but I enjoyed the historiography, and those end notes might be worth consulting for other sources if one was interested.
January 20, 2020
This book isn't a "True Story" as bannered. In fact, it's 480 pages of "historical" fiction, barely factual, almost entirely made-up, and, frankly, shallow, boring and pedestrian.
Replete with identity politics, the fabricated tale is agenda driven and loaded with overtones of racism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Japanese, misogyny and LGBTQ advocacy.
The only scant historical reference to a black retainer or servant in the service of Jesuits is from chronicles written by François Solier of the Society of Jesus in 1627.
Lockley's book depicts the proud black legendary warrior cum retainer as a sodomite engaged in a homosexual relationship, and contends that Samurai's were generally homosexual, that Catholic priests somehow dealt in kidnapping, child-trafficking and slavery, and that Japanese women were promiscuous and lewd in conduct during festivals - among many preposterous, baseless and historically inaccurate claims.
In Laura Hillenbrand's magnificent "Seabiscuit" and Jack London's "Call of the Wild", The Biscuit, the inarticulate horse and Buck, the dog, are given more personality, intelligence and soul than the author gives the legendary Mozambique warrior cum retainer.
Except for primal sentiments, not a single personal thought as a living, feeling intelligent human being is ascribed to Yasuke by the author. The protagonist is presented purely as an object of dehumanized racial curiosity noted for his size. Japanese are dumbfounded and in awe, as though size mattered to a real Samurai in a swordfight.
Historically, "Yasuke" was said to have arrived to Japan in 1579 supposedly in the service of Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. He is said to have been present two to three years later during the Honnō-ji Incident, the forced suicide on June 21, 1582, of Oda Nobunaga at the hands of his samurai general Akechi Mitsuhide
Therein lies a glaring inaccuracy. Any expert of the Japanese language would sense right away that Yasuke could not have coherently conversed with Nobunaga within two years, much less be that close to him, as written by the author.
In fact, in the historical chronicles of Alessandro Valignano, the missionary, and Oda Nobunaga, the daimyō (feudal lord), - the most historically prominent names mentioned in the book, there is not a single word regarding "Yasuke" or a black bodyguard, servant or warrior.
Furthermore, the term "Samurai", which is strictly based on caste, is liberally and inaccurately applied by Lockley. At best, the retainer would have been a foreign-born person who was allowed to wear two swords or daishō, if at all.
Finally, the author doesn't even know "Yasuke's" African name for someone who claims to tell a "True Story". In contrast, James Clavell's heroic character in "Shogun", John Blackthorne, respectfully named by the Japanese, "Anjin-san" (Honorable Pilot), is based on actual events involving a real sailor (William Adams) who reached Japan in the same period as the book and became involved with the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Sadly, the author took a potentially interesting legendary character and twisted facts to fit an agenda.
Don't waste your time on this one!
Instead, read a far more exciting story and accurate portrayal of the Japanese Sengoku period (c.1467-c.1600) "Age of Warring States" of feudal Japan: James Clavell's epic "Shogun" based on over two dozen historic persons with few questionable embellishments. Shogun, Blackthorne the "anjin-san", Mariko, Toranaga, and the entire cast of characters will reward and seize the reader's imagination and mind for years, as it has done to millions.
And far more enlightening:
- "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa, the classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman, which has been called Japan’s "Gone with the Wind"; and,
- the "Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi (c.1584-c.1645) , on swordsmanship and the culture of Samurais.
Review based on an Advance Reading Copy from Hanover Square Press though NetGalley.
Replete with identity politics, the fabricated tale is agenda driven and loaded with overtones of racism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Japanese, misogyny and LGBTQ advocacy.
The only scant historical reference to a black retainer or servant in the service of Jesuits is from chronicles written by François Solier of the Society of Jesus in 1627.
Lockley's book depicts the proud black legendary warrior cum retainer as a sodomite engaged in a homosexual relationship, and contends that Samurai's were generally homosexual, that Catholic priests somehow dealt in kidnapping, child-trafficking and slavery, and that Japanese women were promiscuous and lewd in conduct during festivals - among many preposterous, baseless and historically inaccurate claims.
In Laura Hillenbrand's magnificent "Seabiscuit" and Jack London's "Call of the Wild", The Biscuit, the inarticulate horse and Buck, the dog, are given more personality, intelligence and soul than the author gives the legendary Mozambique warrior cum retainer.
Except for primal sentiments, not a single personal thought as a living, feeling intelligent human being is ascribed to Yasuke by the author. The protagonist is presented purely as an object of dehumanized racial curiosity noted for his size. Japanese are dumbfounded and in awe, as though size mattered to a real Samurai in a swordfight.
Historically, "Yasuke" was said to have arrived to Japan in 1579 supposedly in the service of Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. He is said to have been present two to three years later during the Honnō-ji Incident, the forced suicide on June 21, 1582, of Oda Nobunaga at the hands of his samurai general Akechi Mitsuhide
Therein lies a glaring inaccuracy. Any expert of the Japanese language would sense right away that Yasuke could not have coherently conversed with Nobunaga within two years, much less be that close to him, as written by the author.
In fact, in the historical chronicles of Alessandro Valignano, the missionary, and Oda Nobunaga, the daimyō (feudal lord), - the most historically prominent names mentioned in the book, there is not a single word regarding "Yasuke" or a black bodyguard, servant or warrior.
Furthermore, the term "Samurai", which is strictly based on caste, is liberally and inaccurately applied by Lockley. At best, the retainer would have been a foreign-born person who was allowed to wear two swords or daishō, if at all.
Finally, the author doesn't even know "Yasuke's" African name for someone who claims to tell a "True Story". In contrast, James Clavell's heroic character in "Shogun", John Blackthorne, respectfully named by the Japanese, "Anjin-san" (Honorable Pilot), is based on actual events involving a real sailor (William Adams) who reached Japan in the same period as the book and became involved with the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Sadly, the author took a potentially interesting legendary character and twisted facts to fit an agenda.
Don't waste your time on this one!
Instead, read a far more exciting story and accurate portrayal of the Japanese Sengoku period (c.1467-c.1600) "Age of Warring States" of feudal Japan: James Clavell's epic "Shogun" based on over two dozen historic persons with few questionable embellishments. Shogun, Blackthorne the "anjin-san", Mariko, Toranaga, and the entire cast of characters will reward and seize the reader's imagination and mind for years, as it has done to millions.
And far more enlightening:
- "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa, the classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman, which has been called Japan’s "Gone with the Wind"; and,
- the "Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi (c.1584-c.1645) , on swordsmanship and the culture of Samurais.
Review based on an Advance Reading Copy from Hanover Square Press though NetGalley.
August 17, 2022
This work follows the life of Yasuke, a sixteenth-century retainer and Samurai of African origin.
This book touches on the presence of Africans employed in Japan and other parts of Asia during the same age. How Africans, in particular, and Black people, in general, have been viewed in Japanese culture is also covered. There has been a resurgence of Yasuke's story in modern Japan, and it can be found presented through things like Manga.
This is a fascinating read and another one of my recommendations.
This book touches on the presence of Africans employed in Japan and other parts of Asia during the same age. How Africans, in particular, and Black people, in general, have been viewed in Japanese culture is also covered. There has been a resurgence of Yasuke's story in modern Japan, and it can be found presented through things like Manga.
This is a fascinating read and another one of my recommendations.
April 6, 2019
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishers for this fascinating, and impressively researched account of the history, mainly focusing on events in medieval Japan. It includes many interesting facts little known to Westerners. It focuses on vivid descriptions of towns, fortifications and architecture. We learn about important Japanese warlords, Jesuit missionaries and their methods of converting people to Christianity. The book conveys an interesting picture of warfare, politics, mainly the upper echelon of society, culture and beliefs, race, slave trade and the class system. Some later historical events are included, as well as some well thought out speculation based on their research.
Central to the story is the real-life character of Yasuke. He was taken into slavery during a brutal attack by slave traders on his African village. He became a bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia. Travelling throughout Asia with the Jesuits, he spent time in India and China. During the journeys, he became proficient in several languages and also learned martial arts and warfare.
People rioted when he arrived in Kyoto in the late 1500s as they were excited to see a black man for the first time. He was taken before Lord Nobunaga, the most powerful and ruthless Japanese warlord. Impressed by Yasuke’s height, physique, manners, language ability, and insight into other countries, Nobunaga made him the first foreign samurai in Japan. This honour elevated Yasuke to the upper echelons of society. The authors have included some interesting drawings and maps to illustrate this period of history.
Recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about Japanese history and culture, the role of Jesuit missionaries, and the Asian slave trade. This book should bring Yasuke from legend to his rightful place as an actual, intriguing historical character.
Central to the story is the real-life character of Yasuke. He was taken into slavery during a brutal attack by slave traders on his African village. He became a bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia. Travelling throughout Asia with the Jesuits, he spent time in India and China. During the journeys, he became proficient in several languages and also learned martial arts and warfare.
People rioted when he arrived in Kyoto in the late 1500s as they were excited to see a black man for the first time. He was taken before Lord Nobunaga, the most powerful and ruthless Japanese warlord. Impressed by Yasuke’s height, physique, manners, language ability, and insight into other countries, Nobunaga made him the first foreign samurai in Japan. This honour elevated Yasuke to the upper echelons of society. The authors have included some interesting drawings and maps to illustrate this period of history.
Recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about Japanese history and culture, the role of Jesuit missionaries, and the Asian slave trade. This book should bring Yasuke from legend to his rightful place as an actual, intriguing historical character.
March 13, 2021
I had never heard of Yasuke before, and his life was fascinating. He was (presumed) born in Africa, stolen by slave traders, and eventually ended up in Japan in 1579 as part of a Jesuit missionary expedition. He attracted the attention of Nobunaga, leader of powerful Oda Clan. As Nobunaga’s retainer, Yasuke became samurai. Nobunaga bestowed honors and property upon him. Yasuke fought in series of battles with Nobunaga and (perhaps) witnessed his death. This book combines biography, history, and adventure.
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.
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.
October 24, 2023
The formidable Oda Nobunaga lived in 1500s Japan, and was on his way to conquering and uniting all of Japan. He took advantage of the Portuguese Jesuit presence in Japan. The Jesuit wanted to convert the entire country to Catholism, and a prominent member of their order, Alessandro Valignano, arrived in Japan with his well-travelled African-born bodyguard, whom Valignano eventually gifted to Nobunaga. This man came to be known as Yasuke, and became a retainer of Nobunaga, until the feudal lord's betrayal and death three years later. Yasuke soon afterwards falls out of historical records.
While the story of Yasuke is fascinating, including all the brutal politics and battles Nobunaga fought against other lords, this book felt a bit strange. The author takes certain facts about Yasuke and his possible actions for Nobunaga, and then gives us phrases like "Yasuke felt/thought". These made me uncomfortable, in that we'll never know exactly what this skilled fighter and bodyguard felt or thought, as these aren't captured.
While the story of Yasuke is fascinating, including all the brutal politics and battles Nobunaga fought against other lords, this book felt a bit strange. The author takes certain facts about Yasuke and his possible actions for Nobunaga, and then gives us phrases like "Yasuke felt/thought". These made me uncomfortable, in that we'll never know exactly what this skilled fighter and bodyguard felt or thought, as these aren't captured.
April 23, 2020
To say this book is "bad" is unfair, but I have a hard time saying it was "good". The premise was better than the execution. I love the idea of a narrative nonfiction or a historically-accurate novel based on this intriguing historical person, but I wish it had been one or the other...the book tried to be both at once. Thus you end up with something like Netflix's "The Last Czars" with a few scenes of novelization interrupted by scholarly exposition.
There were definitely parts I liked: I liked how the book was unafraid of rabbit holes, including lots of information on things like sailing, slavery, posthumous head-dressing, and other tangentially related topics. It added richness. I liked the ending, where the authors speculate on different paths Yasuke could have taken after the historical record stops. I really liked the epilogue, which shared how many people today find inspiration in Yasuke's story. (I did NOT like speculating on the biracial features of a photograph from the 1870s, two hundred years after Yasuke's death. That made me very, very uncomfortable. But the rest of the epilogue was great.)
I disliked how clumsy the writing was, how sparsely annotated it was, and perhaps most irritating of all, the clunky Japanese translation(s) like Age of the Country at War for 戦国時代, commonly called by almost all other English sources the Warring States period. The one that really set my teeth on edge was claiming that Akechi Mitsuhide wrote a treasonous hokku (haiku) shortly before his attack on Honno-ji...and verifying this claim in romaji. I would've really liked to see a source on that, bro.
I did enjoy the book as a whole and more importantly, I think it's wonderful there's a book about this intriguing figure. I think it was wonderfully researched, but not so wonderfully written.
There were definitely parts I liked: I liked how the book was unafraid of rabbit holes, including lots of information on things like sailing, slavery, posthumous head-dressing, and other tangentially related topics. It added richness. I liked the ending, where the authors speculate on different paths Yasuke could have taken after the historical record stops. I really liked the epilogue, which shared how many people today find inspiration in Yasuke's story. (I did NOT like speculating on the biracial features of a photograph from the 1870s, two hundred years after Yasuke's death. That made me very, very uncomfortable. But the rest of the epilogue was great.)
I disliked how clumsy the writing was, how sparsely annotated it was, and perhaps most irritating of all, the clunky Japanese translation(s) like Age of the Country at War for 戦国時代, commonly called by almost all other English sources the Warring States period. The one that really set my teeth on edge was claiming that Akechi Mitsuhide wrote a treasonous hokku (haiku) shortly before his attack on Honno-ji...and verifying this claim in romaji. I would've really liked to see a source on that, bro.
I did enjoy the book as a whole and more importantly, I think it's wonderful there's a book about this intriguing figure. I think it was wonderfully researched, but not so wonderfully written.
September 12, 2020
Yasuke was a kidnapped as a child from his home in Africa. Sold as a slave, he ended up working as a servant/bodyguard for the Jesuit missionary in Japan in the late 1500s. He learned Japanese at the Jesuit compound before traveling with the Jesuits to Kyoto. His large statue and black skin caused many Japanese to see him as an embodiment of the black-skinned Buddha. Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, made Yasuke a samurai in his court.
Why I started this book: I was eager to learn more Japanese history.
Why I finished it: Interesting, but I didn't care for the historical fiction gloss that they gave to this historical figure. It was such an interesting time, they could have fleshed the story out with more context about Japan, Jesuit missionaries, mercenaries and/or the Indian trade patterns. I did appreciate the bibliography in the supplemental materials that highlighted where all their research and information originated. I appreciated that it was pointed out that in the late 1500s the Japanese culture and society was still in flux and eager to learn from outside sources... it wasn't until later that the Japanese withdrew and decided that only Japanese sources and influences would be allowed in the country.
Why I started this book: I was eager to learn more Japanese history.
Why I finished it: Interesting, but I didn't care for the historical fiction gloss that they gave to this historical figure. It was such an interesting time, they could have fleshed the story out with more context about Japan, Jesuit missionaries, mercenaries and/or the Indian trade patterns. I did appreciate the bibliography in the supplemental materials that highlighted where all their research and information originated. I appreciated that it was pointed out that in the late 1500s the Japanese culture and society was still in flux and eager to learn from outside sources... it wasn't until later that the Japanese withdrew and decided that only Japanese sources and influences would be allowed in the country.
June 19, 2019
I waffled between giving this a 3 or 4 stars. I ended up giving it 4 stars since I loved the history but the writing style was problematic as it alternated between solid history and historical fiction. I say historical fiction because the author puts words and thoughts into the subjects mouth that can not be cited by a source not that it was made up.
It is a book about Yasuke (Issac) a black body guard for the Jesuits who became a samurai and retainer of probably the most import figure in Japanese history, Nobunaga.
This is an interesting story that ends up being more a primer on the history of Japan, and a good one at that, then a good biography on Yasuke. The problem is while there are plenty of primary sources that place him at events and give a general outline of his actions he is never a primary subject in any of these sources so he is mentioned in passing this forces the author to fill in the details with the history of the period. This results is the subject of the biography becomes a side character in the book that is nominally supposed to be about him.
Still a good book and if you are interest in getting a fairly good understanding of the history of Japan and to learn a bit about someone you probably have never even heard about this is worth reading.
It is a book about Yasuke (Issac) a black body guard for the Jesuits who became a samurai and retainer of probably the most import figure in Japanese history, Nobunaga.
This is an interesting story that ends up being more a primer on the history of Japan, and a good one at that, then a good biography on Yasuke. The problem is while there are plenty of primary sources that place him at events and give a general outline of his actions he is never a primary subject in any of these sources so he is mentioned in passing this forces the author to fill in the details with the history of the period. This results is the subject of the biography becomes a side character in the book that is nominally supposed to be about him.
Still a good book and if you are interest in getting a fairly good understanding of the history of Japan and to learn a bit about someone you probably have never even heard about this is worth reading.
May 13, 2019
I'm not much one for historical biographies, although I do enjoy historical fiction from time to time. Yasuke, frustratingly, is often both and neither of these things.
I bought the book on hearing the news that a film is being planned about Yasuke's life. I hadn't heard of Yasuke before and am partial to a samurai story, so off I went.
Overall, I think it's a good book. Yasuke's story is interesting, there's a lot of court intrigue (anyone who has read Shogun will find themselves at home here) and it is thrilling to know that this person once existed and lived such a varied life.
The issue that I had with this is that the writer doesn't seem able to pick a party line and stick to it. Hence we have sequences where Yasuke mops his brow standing at a ship rail, interspersed with author conjecture because sources are unclear as to what happened next. I doubt it's written down anywhere that Yasuke was particularly sweaty on a ship one day... I personally would decide whether or not you're writing a biography or a piece of fiction.
I bought the book on hearing the news that a film is being planned about Yasuke's life. I hadn't heard of Yasuke before and am partial to a samurai story, so off I went.
Overall, I think it's a good book. Yasuke's story is interesting, there's a lot of court intrigue (anyone who has read Shogun will find themselves at home here) and it is thrilling to know that this person once existed and lived such a varied life.
The issue that I had with this is that the writer doesn't seem able to pick a party line and stick to it. Hence we have sequences where Yasuke mops his brow standing at a ship rail, interspersed with author conjecture because sources are unclear as to what happened next. I doubt it's written down anywhere that Yasuke was particularly sweaty on a ship one day... I personally would decide whether or not you're writing a biography or a piece of fiction.
April 15, 2024
There is much to learn from this book, or at least that was the case for me. I had never heard of this tall African who arrived in Japan in the late 1500s with Portuguese Jesuits — and caused a sensation! "Yasuke" was his Japanese name, and he became a favourite of a powerful regional warlord and was made a samurai. It helped that Yasuke had been in Japan for 2 years when he met the warlord and spoke Japanese quite well.
Overall, though, the book was frustrating. The content was interesting but the presentation was lacking. Sentence fragments littered the text. There would be one idea. Another idea another sentence. Why use a comma. When you can deploy a period? There were no dashes. Or semicolons. Nary a comma. Sentences piled on top of each other. Sentence fragments everywhere. Littering the text. See what I mean?
Also tripped over the misuse of principal/principle. By my count, these words appeared 4 times, and 3 of those were incorrect.
Unfortunately the book peters out at the end. There are gaps in this story, and what happened to the African samurai after a certain point is unknown. The biography wanders off into speculation, and then digresses into a lengthy detailed section on the character's depiction in various 20th century stories and manga. I'm afraid I skipped and skimmed here. The nuances of fictional treatments are not at all interesting compared to what is known about this person, who was abducted from his village by slavers and trained as a warrior before being employed by an important Jesuit in Goa, India.
I'm glad I read this book, though, in case my pettiness has overshadowed my enthusiasm.
Overall, though, the book was frustrating. The content was interesting but the presentation was lacking. Sentence fragments littered the text. There would be one idea. Another idea another sentence. Why use a comma. When you can deploy a period? There were no dashes. Or semicolons. Nary a comma. Sentences piled on top of each other. Sentence fragments everywhere. Littering the text. See what I mean?
Also tripped over the misuse of principal/principle. By my count, these words appeared 4 times, and 3 of those were incorrect.
Unfortunately the book peters out at the end. There are gaps in this story, and what happened to the African samurai after a certain point is unknown. The biography wanders off into speculation, and then digresses into a lengthy detailed section on the character's depiction in various 20th century stories and manga. I'm afraid I skipped and skimmed here. The nuances of fictional treatments are not at all interesting compared to what is known about this person, who was abducted from his village by slavers and trained as a warrior before being employed by an important Jesuit in Goa, India.
I'm glad I read this book, though, in case my pettiness has overshadowed my enthusiasm.
June 22, 2019
Honestly I had a hard time getting into this book because of its formatting (which I'm sure has been fixed now that it's published), I find it a little distracting.
Putting that aside I think the authors did an amazing job researching and writing this book. The way it was written made this book accessible to readers, history lovers especially, who are interested in knowing more about the slave trade, warfare and politics, Jessuit missionaries and the effort they made to convert people to Christians during that time period.
I was very intrigued by Yasuke's life and how he started as a slave then became a bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, Valignano. When he arrived in 1579, in Japan, I can imagine the ruckus that surrounded him when he was first seen, as Japanese people have never seen an African man before, let alone one that commanded strength and presence. Not only was he good at his job, but he was able to learn the Japanese language easily too.
Researching about Yasuke wasn't easy as the author had indicated, as there weren't much information and resources available pertaining to him. Despite that, this book made for an interesting read.
I'd highly recommend this to history lovers. Take your time in reading this tome. It's worth it! And the pictures definitely helped bring me back to that time period! I'm getting a copy of this for my dad for his birthday! Oh! Apparently there'll be a movie made about Yasuke too!
Thank you Netgalley and Hanover Square Press for providing me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Have you read this? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan to read it? Please share with me your thoughts!
Putting that aside I think the authors did an amazing job researching and writing this book. The way it was written made this book accessible to readers, history lovers especially, who are interested in knowing more about the slave trade, warfare and politics, Jessuit missionaries and the effort they made to convert people to Christians during that time period.
I was very intrigued by Yasuke's life and how he started as a slave then became a bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, Valignano. When he arrived in 1579, in Japan, I can imagine the ruckus that surrounded him when he was first seen, as Japanese people have never seen an African man before, let alone one that commanded strength and presence. Not only was he good at his job, but he was able to learn the Japanese language easily too.
Researching about Yasuke wasn't easy as the author had indicated, as there weren't much information and resources available pertaining to him. Despite that, this book made for an interesting read.
I'd highly recommend this to history lovers. Take your time in reading this tome. It's worth it! And the pictures definitely helped bring me back to that time period! I'm getting a copy of this for my dad for his birthday! Oh! Apparently there'll be a movie made about Yasuke too!
Thank you Netgalley and Hanover Square Press for providing me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Have you read this? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan to read it? Please share with me your thoughts!
August 6, 2019
I wanted to rate this 4 stars, but there were some things I couldn't let go. The biggest one, and the reason this book lost a star, was the lack of citation. I realize this book is more targeted towards the causal history reader rather than the scholarly historian, but I would have liked some end notes at least, so I could tell what was know for a fact, and what was educated speculation on the part of the author based on what was known at the time. Also, without proper citations, I could not tell through which lens I was seeing this information. Everyone has implicit bias, everyone. If you know a person's implicit bias, then you know how someone is going to spin something, or what their prejudices, cultural or otherwise, are. I don't think end notes would have interrupted the casual reader much, unless they chose to pursue the end notes, but it would have been incredibly useful for a historian.
Now the good things. This is a book about an African man in Japan who rose to the rank of samurai, the only one we know of. Hollywood needs to wake up because this is a golden opportunity for a historical action flick. Remember how popular Black Panther was. This book is also another testament against the idea that all countries were 'isolated' until relatively recently in history. I've heard so many people complain at my job (public library) about how if we all went back to everyone just staying in their own country, we wouldn't have the trouble that we have now (both in America and other countries). At which point I feel like I need to point out that this was NEVER an actual thing. See: Silk Road, a cross continent trade system that connected Africa, Asia, and Europe, and spanned an enormous period of time, from 200BC to the early 1700's, almost two millennia! It was also interesting to read about how race was viewed then, especially that the Jesuits considered the Chinese and Japanese to be 'white', and that the Japanese, which have significant xenophobia today, did not display such a discriminatory mindset in the 1500-1600's.
And for any African/African-American nerds out there, there were Africans in Japan, and they were samurai, so if you want to make your own story with a black samurai, you have history to back you up against the haters.
And on a side note: Dear Mr. Lockley, kudos on trying to explain manga and anime (although saying manga comics is redundant, like saying graphic novel comics), however you make one error; POWER RANGERS IS NOT ANIME!!! Power Rangers is a tokusatsu, a live action production with a ton of special effects (see: guys in monster suits), not an animated (anime) series. Although you are spot on in describing it as an insanely popular import from Japan.
And this is what happens when a layman tries to explain anime/manga to an otaku.
Now the good things. This is a book about an African man in Japan who rose to the rank of samurai, the only one we know of. Hollywood needs to wake up because this is a golden opportunity for a historical action flick. Remember how popular Black Panther was. This book is also another testament against the idea that all countries were 'isolated' until relatively recently in history. I've heard so many people complain at my job (public library) about how if we all went back to everyone just staying in their own country, we wouldn't have the trouble that we have now (both in America and other countries). At which point I feel like I need to point out that this was NEVER an actual thing. See: Silk Road, a cross continent trade system that connected Africa, Asia, and Europe, and spanned an enormous period of time, from 200BC to the early 1700's, almost two millennia! It was also interesting to read about how race was viewed then, especially that the Jesuits considered the Chinese and Japanese to be 'white', and that the Japanese, which have significant xenophobia today, did not display such a discriminatory mindset in the 1500-1600's.
And for any African/African-American nerds out there, there were Africans in Japan, and they were samurai, so if you want to make your own story with a black samurai, you have history to back you up against the haters.
And on a side note: Dear Mr. Lockley, kudos on trying to explain manga and anime (although saying manga comics is redundant, like saying graphic novel comics), however you make one error; POWER RANGERS IS NOT ANIME!!! Power Rangers is a tokusatsu, a live action production with a ton of special effects (see: guys in monster suits), not an animated (anime) series. Although you are spot on in describing it as an insanely popular import from Japan.
And this is what happens when a layman tries to explain anime/manga to an otaku.
January 20, 2020
The author researched this book for 8 years. He went to Japan as a teacher and while there heard stories of a black samurai. The samurai had become something of a legend. So he began to research. He found information in diaries and such that had been locked away in old family archives and a movement had begun in Japan to publish these in an effort to make more history known. He also found information in old Jesuit letters.
Yasuke came to Japan as bodyguard to a Jesuit Visitor, the head of the missionary effort, answerable to the Pope. He became known to the people and attracted the attention of Nobunaga, head of the Oda clan, who was trying to unite Japan into one country. Yasuke was over 6 feet tall and very strong and very good with weapons. When the Visitor left Japan, he left Yasuke to the employ of Nobunaga, who made him a Samurai and gave him a house of his own in his castle grounds and servants. So Yasuke became a member of the Samuarai bodyguard and warriors close to Nobunaga.
Some of the story is of necessity speculation, but Lockley gives his reasons for his conclusions in the background notes if not in the story itself.
Very interesting and makes me want to know more of the Samurai and the conditions and customs in Japan.
Yasuke came to Japan as bodyguard to a Jesuit Visitor, the head of the missionary effort, answerable to the Pope. He became known to the people and attracted the attention of Nobunaga, head of the Oda clan, who was trying to unite Japan into one country. Yasuke was over 6 feet tall and very strong and very good with weapons. When the Visitor left Japan, he left Yasuke to the employ of Nobunaga, who made him a Samurai and gave him a house of his own in his castle grounds and servants. So Yasuke became a member of the Samuarai bodyguard and warriors close to Nobunaga.
Some of the story is of necessity speculation, but Lockley gives his reasons for his conclusions in the background notes if not in the story itself.
Very interesting and makes me want to know more of the Samurai and the conditions and customs in Japan.
April 5, 2023
The good: (1) the information presented was interesting, (2) the authors listed quite a few sources along with notes in the back, and (3) I think I learned a lot about medieval Japan. (That adds up to three stars, I think.)
The bad: (1) this wasn't so much a biography of Yasuke — the title character — as it was historical fiction extrapolated from the handful of known facts about Yasuke and (2) most of the book was a history of Japan in the late 1500s CE, with a few forays into the deeper past. From what I gather, based on the authors' notes at the end, the known facts about Yasuke would fill only half a dozen pages. Though the actual story of this African man transplanted to Japan by the Jesuits would no doubt be extremely fascinating, it simply wasn't documented at the time (not enough to fill an entire book).
I think this is the third book I've read in the past couple of years that purports to be biography but simply didn't have enough source material to fill the pages; the other two were Never Caught (about Ona Judge, a runaway slave) and The Three Mothers (by Anna Tubbs). There really ought to be a note on the cover and/or in the description, warning the reader ahead of time that "much of this is assumed; we simply don't know."
May 31, 2019
an excellent book about the warring states era of Japan and the three warlords that ended it - it covers mostly the last years of Nobunaga as Yasuke - the hero of the (extremely fascinating) story got to be Nobunaga's personal bodyguard and (it is assumed) survived the assassination to help the Christian daimyo of the Nagasaki area win a famous battle - but it has forays in the past, the immediate future of the storyline and the present day
highly recommended
highly recommended
May 26, 2022
Lulu' - per RFS
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Care Fenici, quello che oggi vi recensisco è un romanzo storico ambientato nel Giappone antico all’epoca di Oda Nobunaga, grande signore della guerra e riconosciuto come uno dei personaggi più rilevanti della storia giapponese. Il tutto si svolge in un periodo cruento e di lunghe battaglie in cui i grandi condottieri si fronteggiavano per il controllo dei territori e gli occidentali avevano libero accesso al paese del Sol Levante ove importavano armi, religione e schiavi. In questa realtà fa la sua comparsa Yasuke, un uomo dalla pelle nera come la notte che arriva grazie ai monaci e da uno di questi viene donato a Nobunaga, il quale lo farà divenire il primo Samurai di colore.
Il racconto della vita di Yasuke è frutto di una minuziosa ricostruzione ricavata dalle diversi fonti dell’epoca e, sebbene non sia molto il materiale da cui attingere, gli autori riescono a trarne un volume denso di riferimenti storici e una rappresentazione quanto meno probabile della vita di questo samurai nero.
Nonostante vi siano tutte le premesse per godersi un’avventura nel Giappone antico la vicenda non decolla. La narrazione risulta a tratti didascalica e perde di brio sino a diventare una mera lezione di scuola che, per quanto interessante, non è quello che cerchi leggendo un romanzo, il quale, a mio sommesso avviso, dovrebbe addentrarsi di più nel punto di vista del protagonista e di quanti lo circondano e non solo rendere un quadro storico perfetto, ma carente di quella forza narrativa che deriva dal tratteggio emotivo e psicologico dei personaggi.
I fatti raccontati ricoprono un arco narrativo che, sebbene non sia temporalmente lungo, è sicuramente denso di episodi significativi e segue con pedissequa attenzione il periodo di massima ascesa di Oda Nobunaga sino alla sua morte in battaglia e alla fine del suo potere.
Come detto, è un libro per gli appassionati di ricostruzioni storiche fedeli e precise, ma non per coloro che amano immergersi nella psicologia e nel carattere dei personaggi che compaiono come figure statiche prive di una forza emotiva che avrebbe reso, sempre a mio avviso, il racconto più fluente e gradevole.
Cosa sappiamo alla fine di questo Samurai? Beh, la rievocazione ci dona un ritratto in cui troppo spesso gli autori non osano immaginare cosa pensi in prima persona il protagonista formulando una serie di ipotesi sulle sue idee ed emozioni che, private della finzione di farle scaturire da lui, finiscono per restituire un’immagine sbiadita.
Sicuramente pregevoli le digressioni sugli usi e i costumi del Giappone di quell’epoca e sulle vicende afferenti quei tumultuosi anni, come anche la puntuale raffigurazione storica della vicenda e le spiegazioni sugli eventi stessi le quali evidenziano un’attenzione pregevole alla storia del Giappone senza tralasciarne le contraddizioni e le brutture.
Nel complesso una rappresentazione dettagliata e puntuale che preferisce i fatti avvenuti realmente e non scivola mai nella finzione, togliendo alla vicenda quel brivido che viene da un costrutto romanzato, ma restituendo un prodotto notevole dal punto di vista storico.
Un meraviglioso quadro ricco di dettagli, eppure incapace di farmi davvero vibrare l’anima, con informazioni a volte sciorinate come mera lezione di storia.
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Care Fenici, quello che oggi vi recensisco è un romanzo storico ambientato nel Giappone antico all’epoca di Oda Nobunaga, grande signore della guerra e riconosciuto come uno dei personaggi più rilevanti della storia giapponese. Il tutto si svolge in un periodo cruento e di lunghe battaglie in cui i grandi condottieri si fronteggiavano per il controllo dei territori e gli occidentali avevano libero accesso al paese del Sol Levante ove importavano armi, religione e schiavi. In questa realtà fa la sua comparsa Yasuke, un uomo dalla pelle nera come la notte che arriva grazie ai monaci e da uno di questi viene donato a Nobunaga, il quale lo farà divenire il primo Samurai di colore.
Il racconto della vita di Yasuke è frutto di una minuziosa ricostruzione ricavata dalle diversi fonti dell’epoca e, sebbene non sia molto il materiale da cui attingere, gli autori riescono a trarne un volume denso di riferimenti storici e una rappresentazione quanto meno probabile della vita di questo samurai nero.
Nonostante vi siano tutte le premesse per godersi un’avventura nel Giappone antico la vicenda non decolla. La narrazione risulta a tratti didascalica e perde di brio sino a diventare una mera lezione di scuola che, per quanto interessante, non è quello che cerchi leggendo un romanzo, il quale, a mio sommesso avviso, dovrebbe addentrarsi di più nel punto di vista del protagonista e di quanti lo circondano e non solo rendere un quadro storico perfetto, ma carente di quella forza narrativa che deriva dal tratteggio emotivo e psicologico dei personaggi.
I fatti raccontati ricoprono un arco narrativo che, sebbene non sia temporalmente lungo, è sicuramente denso di episodi significativi e segue con pedissequa attenzione il periodo di massima ascesa di Oda Nobunaga sino alla sua morte in battaglia e alla fine del suo potere.
Come detto, è un libro per gli appassionati di ricostruzioni storiche fedeli e precise, ma non per coloro che amano immergersi nella psicologia e nel carattere dei personaggi che compaiono come figure statiche prive di una forza emotiva che avrebbe reso, sempre a mio avviso, il racconto più fluente e gradevole.
Cosa sappiamo alla fine di questo Samurai? Beh, la rievocazione ci dona un ritratto in cui troppo spesso gli autori non osano immaginare cosa pensi in prima persona il protagonista formulando una serie di ipotesi sulle sue idee ed emozioni che, private della finzione di farle scaturire da lui, finiscono per restituire un’immagine sbiadita.
Sicuramente pregevoli le digressioni sugli usi e i costumi del Giappone di quell’epoca e sulle vicende afferenti quei tumultuosi anni, come anche la puntuale raffigurazione storica della vicenda e le spiegazioni sugli eventi stessi le quali evidenziano un’attenzione pregevole alla storia del Giappone senza tralasciarne le contraddizioni e le brutture.
Nel complesso una rappresentazione dettagliata e puntuale che preferisce i fatti avvenuti realmente e non scivola mai nella finzione, togliendo alla vicenda quel brivido che viene da un costrutto romanzato, ma restituendo un prodotto notevole dal punto di vista storico.
Un meraviglioso quadro ricco di dettagli, eppure incapace di farmi davvero vibrare l’anima, con informazioni a volte sciorinate come mera lezione di storia.
July 15, 2020
2
An interesting story.
I didn't like the author's writing style though; he adopts a high, omniscient, third-person perspective much more common to fiction writing. Frequently he offers opinions, feelings, thoughts, sensations, and highly detailed thoughts and actions of Yasuke and at times other characters, things that are clearly speculative, and well beyond the scope of knowledge typical of the type of historical account I would have expected. While at times he does acknowledge his speculations and conjectures into the internal lives of his characters, he's inconsistent about this. And when he drops down into this full omniscient writing style, his POV shifts are sloppy; typically he centers on Yasuke, but he drifts into the thoughts and feelings of other characters as well, often in the same scene, creating an uneven focus.
The subject is certainly interesting, making this style of speculation and conjecture seem unnecessary. It seems like the story should be able to carry itself, to stand on its own without the author having to make things up. It feels like fluff, filler, extraneous material. While I don't know the sorts of primary sources he was dealing with and how he went about researching the subject, I couldn't help but wonder if these additions were made to fill gaps in the primary sources he had to work with. If that were the case, I think he should have been more straightforward and consistent about the kind of speculation he was doing, or he should have acknowledged up front that he was creating a fictionalized account. On the other hand, if he wasn't lacking for primary source material, then the style choice doesn't seem to serve the story well and is not particularly well executed.
An interesting story.
I didn't like the author's writing style though; he adopts a high, omniscient, third-person perspective much more common to fiction writing. Frequently he offers opinions, feelings, thoughts, sensations, and highly detailed thoughts and actions of Yasuke and at times other characters, things that are clearly speculative, and well beyond the scope of knowledge typical of the type of historical account I would have expected. While at times he does acknowledge his speculations and conjectures into the internal lives of his characters, he's inconsistent about this. And when he drops down into this full omniscient writing style, his POV shifts are sloppy; typically he centers on Yasuke, but he drifts into the thoughts and feelings of other characters as well, often in the same scene, creating an uneven focus.
The subject is certainly interesting, making this style of speculation and conjecture seem unnecessary. It seems like the story should be able to carry itself, to stand on its own without the author having to make things up. It feels like fluff, filler, extraneous material. While I don't know the sorts of primary sources he was dealing with and how he went about researching the subject, I couldn't help but wonder if these additions were made to fill gaps in the primary sources he had to work with. If that were the case, I think he should have been more straightforward and consistent about the kind of speculation he was doing, or he should have acknowledged up front that he was creating a fictionalized account. On the other hand, if he wasn't lacking for primary source material, then the style choice doesn't seem to serve the story well and is not particularly well executed.
June 6, 2019
I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
An interesting examination of someone not many may know about. The book is very well researched with many notes which were useful throughout. It's not necessary to read the notes, though, to get the complete picture. While Lockley does drift into 'historical fiction' a little (describing how Yasuke 'feels' at certain points) it's not done excessively, nor does it really distract.
I really didn't know much about feudal Japan, so the history within was interesting and new to me, which I appreciated. It's not only an account of Yasuke, but also of the time in which he lived. Warlords, battles, and plenty of historical content throughout. Pick it up if you are interested in specific eras of Japanese history, or just history in general.
An interesting examination of someone not many may know about. The book is very well researched with many notes which were useful throughout. It's not necessary to read the notes, though, to get the complete picture. While Lockley does drift into 'historical fiction' a little (describing how Yasuke 'feels' at certain points) it's not done excessively, nor does it really distract.
I really didn't know much about feudal Japan, so the history within was interesting and new to me, which I appreciated. It's not only an account of Yasuke, but also of the time in which he lived. Warlords, battles, and plenty of historical content throughout. Pick it up if you are interested in specific eras of Japanese history, or just history in general.
February 23, 2020
Disclosure: I'm about a quarter into the book but it's difficult to read because it's clearly fiction as opposed to a historical book. Don't get me wrong, I think that this take on the story would make for a tremendous movie... but for a book titled "The True Story of..." to clearly be fiction, it's difficult for me to get into.
My wife is Japanese and she had never heard of Yasuke before I mentioned him. In fact, the first time I did mention him, was early into our relationship, and she thought I was simply misspelling her name (her name is Yasuko)... point being that for the sake of the book, the importance of Yasuke is greatly exaggerated.
Anyway, the descriptions are purely a figment of the Author's imagination. How can you know what the characters were thinking or feeling? What was said? How can you describe with details, how the weather was etc...
My wife is Japanese and she had never heard of Yasuke before I mentioned him. In fact, the first time I did mention him, was early into our relationship, and she thought I was simply misspelling her name (her name is Yasuko)... point being that for the sake of the book, the importance of Yasuke is greatly exaggerated.
Anyway, the descriptions are purely a figment of the Author's imagination. How can you know what the characters were thinking or feeling? What was said? How can you describe with details, how the weather was etc...
September 23, 2019
1.5 stars
Positive: Fascinating subject.
Thoroughly researched. I liked that the writer included some pictures.
Negative: Too much unnecessary detail that made this a lengthy book. (I got bored after a while)
Not enough about Yasuke who is the actual person the book is about.
Overall, I was disappointed by this. In my opinion, this was more a book about that time period in Japan w/a few snippets about Yasuke. Instead,the writer should have done a historical fiction book using that info as background with Yasuke as the protagonist in the story.
Positive: Fascinating subject.
Thoroughly researched. I liked that the writer included some pictures.
Negative: Too much unnecessary detail that made this a lengthy book. (I got bored after a while)
Not enough about Yasuke who is the actual person the book is about.
Overall, I was disappointed by this. In my opinion, this was more a book about that time period in Japan w/a few snippets about Yasuke. Instead,the writer should have done a historical fiction book using that info as background with Yasuke as the protagonist in the story.
August 5, 2019
Great History
A Dinka man is kidnapped by slavers in the 16th century. He ends up in Gujarat India where he becomes a warrior slavery to royalty. Sold to Jesuit priests, he ends up in Japan and becomes a Samurai. The story is told very well and exciting. Not your usual academic text. Loved it.
A Dinka man is kidnapped by slavers in the 16th century. He ends up in Gujarat India where he becomes a warrior slavery to royalty. Sold to Jesuit priests, he ends up in Japan and becomes a Samurai. The story is told very well and exciting. Not your usual academic text. Loved it.
July 25, 2021
The basic outline is truthy, but all we really know about Yasuke is a handful of paragraphs from a few sources. The authors have augmented it with a lot of related history, which is great, and a heavily fictionalized timeline for Yasuke himself, which is quite good. The book slides back and forth between fictional narrative and historical exposition, not in alternating chapters, but within chapters, effectively breaking the "fourth wall" and winking at the camera. For me, it actually works quite well, it's always obvious which is which and the exposition never becomes tedious. A good chunk of the book winds up being about Oda Nobunaga, with whom I wasn't as familiar as I should have been; there is jaw-dropping stuff in there.
The end notes are extensive and helpful, but it would have been nice to be a little more explicit about the sources for some things.
A fair number of foreigners come to Japan, get enamored of some aspect of the country, and write a book. Unfortunately, a lot of those are by untrained writers, and they range from mediocre to truly dreadful. This book escapes that trap; the writing is engaging and literate, though "erudite" might be going a bit far. I gather the book went through an earlier self-published edition before a major publisher picked it up; I'm guessing the coauthor was added then and the writing no doubt improved. But there is one habit they have that drives me up the wall: incomplete sentences, noun phrases with no verb. Used very sparingly, they can provide a staccato feel to writing, strobe light insights and thoughts, things of that nature. But they substantially overuse this device.
Overall, a breathtaking story, well told. Recommended.
The end notes are extensive and helpful, but it would have been nice to be a little more explicit about the sources for some things.
A fair number of foreigners come to Japan, get enamored of some aspect of the country, and write a book. Unfortunately, a lot of those are by untrained writers, and they range from mediocre to truly dreadful. This book escapes that trap; the writing is engaging and literate, though "erudite" might be going a bit far. I gather the book went through an earlier self-published edition before a major publisher picked it up; I'm guessing the coauthor was added then and the writing no doubt improved. But there is one habit they have that drives me up the wall: incomplete sentences, noun phrases with no verb. Used very sparingly, they can provide a staccato feel to writing, strobe light insights and thoughts, things of that nature. But they substantially overuse this device.
Overall, a breathtaking story, well told. Recommended.
December 25, 2023
This might be the worst written book I've ever read, and for multiple reasons. First off, one of the most distracting examples of poor writing is how frequently the book goes back and forth between boring, textbook style fact listing, saying how they can't be sure of what happened in multiple situations, and then making massive assumptions and passing them off as fact, or worse, passing off lies as facts. I've seen numerous people stating the surprising inaccuracies of this book, and the assumptions they take liberally for the story. That normally isn't a problem, if it was an inspired story or historical fiction. But again, it tries to pass itself off as factual, reads like a textbook for 2/3rds of the book and then goes back to fiction. Either make this historically accurate, or make it a more interesting inspired work of fiction. On top of all of that, the book titled after yasuke barely even follows him for large portions of the book. The entire first part of the book is more about the political and religious aspects of 16th century Japan, and barely talks about yasuke. The last part of the book talked about things mostly unrelated to yasuke, some of it speculation about his twilight years, some of it about his legacy. Part 2 of this book, and some moments in part 1, were the only interesting parts of the book. And here's a crazy surprise; those were the sections that actually talked about yasuke. Almost like this book should have been about yasuke or something.
August 18, 2019
A well-researched piece on a character largely unknown due to his non-noble status in Japanese history, yet one who ascended into the upper echelons of the hierarchy. One of the things that I respect about the author's work is that, despite a airport bookstore flavored historically fictionalized account (you'll pick it up while walking through an airport because it looks interesting enough to keep your attention on a flight), it includes endnotes and a selected bibliography to document his work.
I do have an issue, though, with the presentation of this as a "true story" on the cover. While certainly heavily researched, this is a fictionalized account, with inclusions that are obviously exaggerated at best and created at worst. To label this as true or completely historical is insincere.
I do have an issue, though, with the presentation of this as a "true story" on the cover. While certainly heavily researched, this is a fictionalized account, with inclusions that are obviously exaggerated at best and created at worst. To label this as true or completely historical is insincere.
March 12, 2021
I would give this book five stars as it is an engaging read, if not for the fact that the author deviates into really unsubstantiated speculation and even some distortions when dealing with aspects of African culture and other areas where such things undermine his veracity as a source. It would be nice to investigate more of the original source material as well to understand how much of this narrative was fictionalized to make it more interesting. I suspect it is a considerable amount, and I don't really have a problem with that, but it would be better if the authors just admit that in places so you can distinguish between what is based on actual sources and what is "poetic license". They do this in the end of the book in the last chapter, but it would be more informative if they did it more consciously before as well.
May 21, 2020
This is one of those books that leave a deep impression upon the reader; it is non-fiction at its best. The depth of learning about cultures, times, and samurai, in particular, was both enlightening and entertaining. The fight scenes were as good as any fiction I've read. From starving slave to soldier to warrior to samurai, it was a journey that required authors to lift the man out of the forgotten dust into the modern consciousness, and it was done with aplomb. Yes, the end was unsatisfying but that is the difference between 500-year-old fiction and real life. The authors turned over many stones remarking on the possibilities of that path or this, which broadened not only the story, but my breadth of history.
July 7, 2021
A slave out of Africa, bodyguard to the Jesuits in the Far East, deeded to a Japanese ruler, only to be raised to the level samurai to the powerful warlord Nobunaga of the Oda clan, and ever after known as the Black Samurai. Takes place in the tumultuous years of the late 16th century in the microcosm of feudal politics with multiple warlords striving to become the Shogun. Occurs only a few decades before the events captured in James Clavell's book, Shogun. Outstanding and uplifting and a strong voice against racism.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2021
While this book took time to read it is definitely worth. I didn't know that there was an African samurai till I read this book and it was fascinating to find out about Yasuke and now he came to be a samurai in a time when Africans weren't really seen in Japan yet except in a few select circumstances.
I enjoyed this book a lot so I would recommend you check it out should you want to know about mid-1600s Japan when samurai were highly thought of and nearly the ruling class at the time.
I enjoyed this book a lot so I would recommend you check it out should you want to know about mid-1600s Japan when samurai were highly thought of and nearly the ruling class at the time.
February 11, 2024
Felt like this book never knew what it was; at times it read like non-fiction and others historical fiction. My other main gripe is its persistence of offering speculatation rather than evidence. The entire final third of the book is speculative and unnecessary.
This book could have been 300 pages total and offered way more than this final product.
The narrative, when actually focused on Yasuke's story kept me engaged enough at times but the rest felt like excess fat and was bland.
This book could have been 300 pages total and offered way more than this final product.
The narrative, when actually focused on Yasuke's story kept me engaged enough at times but the rest felt like excess fat and was bland.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews