Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Yasuke Was Really a Samurai Japanese Historian Confirms
The fact that Ubisoft presented Yasuke as the first real-life Assassin’s Creed protagonist has angered a good portion of users, who are sure of the character’s historical inaccuracy. But then, did Yasuke really exist or not? Was he really the first black samurai? A Japanese historian has had his say.
Referring to the most widespread historical sources, Ubisoft has presented us Yasuke as the first African samurai in history . It is said that he was a member of the Macua, a population settled in the north of Portuguese East Africa. He would have landed in Japan in 1579 as a servant of the Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano, making him most likely the first black person, or at least one of the first, to arrive in the Land of the Rising Sun. Amazed by his size, the color of his skin and his fighting skills, the warlord Oda Nobunaga (who at the time ruled a good part of Japan devastated by civil war) would have freed him and elevated him to the rank of samurai by making him wear the Daisho and giving him a katana and a house. Many historians agree in defining Yasuke as the first samurai of non-Asian origin, having preceded even the Europeans William Adams and Eugène Collach.
This information, however, is based on scarce sources , so according to some it should not be considered certain. For this reason, Ubisoft has been criticized for having passed off as real a character of which there is no exact information just for a question of inclusivity.
So what is the truth? Japanese historian Yu Hirayama weighed in on the issue , saying that “there is no doubt that [Yasuke] was a samurai in the service of Nobunaga Oda .” In his speech to X.com, the historian first admitted the scarcity of information on Yasuke, but then said he was certain of his existence because “the available historical documents state that Nobunaga paid him a salary, gave him a house, and gave him a sword .” He then added that in Japan at that time (the Sengoku or Warring States period) “social status didn’t matter, if your master treated you like a samurai, then you were a samurai . “
On the other hand, the title of samurai bestowed upon him by Oda Nobunaga did not protect him from discrimination. According to Hirayama, after the Hanno-ji Incident (during which Oda Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide by the traitorous general Akechi Mitsuhide) Yasuke was spared by Akechi’s faction because he was considered an “animal” and an “un-Japanese “, not because he was not a samurai.
Hirayama’s intervention certainly represents a valuable contribution to the discussion on the character of Yasuke, which perhaps should be put aside once and for all since it is a work of fiction .
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Yasuke Was Really a Samurai Japanese Historian Confirms
Japanese Historian Yu Hirayama says that Yasuke was a samurai 🥷🏾
"There seems to be a lot of talk about Yasuke, a black man who served Nobunaga Oda. Historical records about him are quite scarce but, there is no doubt that he was a 'samurai' serving Nobunaga"
"I can say this… pic.twitter.com/DGyPCCXLSV
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 20, 2024