 Welcome everyone! Today, we wanted to kick off the beginning of Black History Month by honoring a unique and notable martial artist. Typically, February is dedicated to honoring the achievements of African Americans and their struggles throughout US history. Today, we wanted to roll the clock back a little bit. More than 500 years back, and tell the story of a man who found himself in a foreign land, facing war, victory, and ultimately betrayal. Today, we're going to tell you the story of Jasky, the world's first black samurai and why he's still talked about today. If you like martial arts history, then we invite you to check out our most recent look at the origin of Goju Ryu Karate and also to grab your own commemorative Goju Ryu shirt in our store or in the merch bar below this video. So, Jasky was not only the first black samurai, but also the first non-Japanese samurai in recorded history. We're going to look at who he was, his experiences in just the three short years that he's on record, and ultimately what happened to him, and why we still talk about him today. The historical record of him prior to his arrival in Japan in 1579 is hazy, and there is much debate on his name and origin. He arrived in Japan along with Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valiano on a mission to spread Christianity in Japan. Jasky is often referred to as a slave or servant of Valiano, but this is heavily questioned. Historian Thomas Locke argues that, while it is extremely likely that he was abducted as a child and trafficked by Arab or Indian slave traders, he believes that Jasky was not a slave when he arrived in Japan with Valiano, but rather in his employee as a valet or bodyguard. Locke is the author of the book, African Samurai, the true story of Jasky, a legendary black warrior in feudal Japan. We have included a link to it below in the description. There is also debate on the country of his origin. Many historians believe that he was from Mozambique of East Africa. Others claim that it was more likely he was from Sudan or even Ethiopia. Without having concrete record of his birth and early life, it's a game of trying to track Portuguese trading and missionary routes that could possibly have helped Valiano and Jasky cross paths. Standing at an impressive six foot two, Jasky was known for his strength and fighting skills. Now, missionary priests were not permitted to have the protection of soldiers or guards at the time, so it wasn't uncommon to hire valets who were also well versed in this combat skills. It was when they arrived at what was then the capital city of Kyoto, Japan, where Jasky first met Lord Oda Nobunaga and everything changed. The relationship between Jasky and Lord Nobunaga transcended the history books and Jasky is actually fairly saturated in the modern media. At the end of this video, I'll show you where you can find even more information about the samurai, both historical and fiction. Also, please like and smash that subscribe button. That's how we know you guys want to see more videos like this. Now, Japan was in a very different state in the 1500s and during this time, there in what was known as the Sengoku period, translated simply to period of war in states. The feudal system had collapsed and Japan was fractured into many smaller individual states, all competing for power of the country in a power vacuum. Lord Oda Nobunaga was one of the most notable lords of this time, initiating the movement to unify the country of Japan back together by force. He was one of three lords pursuing this cause and they were known together as the three great unifiers. The moment of Aliano and Jasky arriving in Kyoto, Lord Nobunaga was immediately fascinated with the latter. Jasky absolutely towered over the average Japanese man and his dark complexion baffled the Lord. It is said that this may have been the first dark-skinned man Nobunaga had ever seen before. Jasky was instructed to scrub his skin, believing to have been inked black. Now when it was apparent that this was not artificial coloring and indeed his natural skin, Nobunaga looked at this man before him, unique, tall, well-versed in combat and took an immediate liking to him, putting him under his own employ. Jasky apparently also had a command of the Japanese language because he and Nobunaga were known to have engaged often in conversation. In his book, Lockely noted that, Jasky was initially viewed as a source of entertainment as he was a novelty, but within the month he'd become a valued samurai and member of Oda's entourage. In 1581, Jasky formally joined Nobunaga's forces as the campaign for unification continued. Now the fact that Jasky was designated samurai also serves as an additional argument as to why he was not a slave while traveling the Valiano. Slaves were not typically taught combat skills and it is highly unlikely that Jasky would have been able to learn combat in that short of time enough to earn the title of samurai. Samurai were very often warriors of noble classes who were raised young in the combat arts. And the fact that Jasky already possessed his skills as well as being described as having the strength of 10 men leads researchers to believe that he was under employment and not servitude by the time he shows up on history records. In what was probably his first military campaign, Jasky served by Nobunaga's side during the successful invasion of the mountain ringed Ega province. Their friendship grew closer and it was said that Nobunaga was a great fan of the martial arts, particularly Sumo and the two men would often attend competitions. A painting from 1605 depicts a Sumo match with a dark-skinned man in combat with another Sumo wrestler as a notable samurai stands by watching. It is believed that this man may have been an artistic depiction of Jasky and the samurai being Nobunaga. Now this is just one of possible historical depictions of him. However, some artifacts are debated as to whether or not it is Jasky as the warrior featured. Unfortunately, their run together was short-lived. In 1582, Lord Oda Nobunaga was ambushed by his own general in an act of mutiny. General Mitsuhide Akechi, in an effort to claim power for himself, attacked Nobunaga in his own residence in Kyoto in what is known as the Battle of the Honouji Temple. Akechi had tens of thousands of men while Nobunaga merely had dozens and the scales tipped pretty quickly. Faced with imminent defeat, Lord Nobunaga decided to commit seppuku. In this ceremonial act of suicide, a person retains their honor by literally taking in terms of their own death into their own hands, stabbing a short sword into their abdomen and slicing horizontally. As gruesome as that is, there's also the follow-up that a sign of victory over an enemy was to take their head and display it in triumph. As an occasional secondary part of seppuku, sometimes the individual will designate a second partner, typically someone close to them, to behead them afterwards. Some accounts say that Yasuke was Nobunaga's chosen second, but it is more likely a man by the name of Mori Ranmaru, a close friend, and by some accounts a possible lover, who was the chosen second. However, it is widely believed that in an attempt to prevent Akechi from claiming his trophy, Yasuke was either instructed or instinctively took Nobunaga's head and sword, fleeing and preserving his lord's honor. Lockely addresses this by saying, there's no record, but tradition holds that Yasuke was the one who took Nobunaga's head to save it from the enemy. If Akechi, the enemy, had gotten the head and he'd been able to hold up the head, he would have had a powerful symbol of legitimacy. Yasuke, therefore, by escaping with the head, could have been seen and has been seen as changing Japanese history. Is that the case? Perhaps. Shortly after the Honogi incident, Akechi was not able to hold on to his power. In 1603, the country of Japan is unified and by 1615, this Ngoku period officially ends. So what happened to Yasuke after this? At this point, he would have become a Ronin or a samurai without a master. No one really knows for sure, but it is possible that he may have joined up with Oda Nobunaga's son, Nobotara, in an effort to rally forces and continue to fight until finally being captured. The last known record of Yasuke in history are mentions of him last being seen being sent back to a Jesuit mission house. Did Yasuke continue to serve other missionaries or was his fate met on the battlefield? We may never know the answer as there have been no more historical accounts of him after 1582. What we do know, however, is the oppression he left on not only the Lord he served, but the legacy of the samurai in the history of Japan. History is important because he was not only the first Black Samurai in recorded history, but also the first non-Japanese. And as I mentioned earlier, he is the subject and or inspiration for a lot of media and there's a chance you may have already encountered some of the reach of his influence. He is the subject of several manga comic series, novels, and in 1968, a children's book written by Yoshio Kurusu. This book won an award for the Japanese Association of Writers. He appears in video games such as Samurai Warriors 5 as himself and he's believed to also be the inspiration of characters in the games of Nio and Guilty Gear Strive. There are two motion pictures that have been announced in recent years to be in production on Yasuke's life, one by Lionsgate and the other by MGM. The former was in talks with late actor Chadwick Boseman to play the legendary samurai before his unfortunate passing in 2020. Most notably, however, was the Netflix series simply entitled Yasuke that premiered last year in 2021. Now, even though this is inspired by historical events, as we've discussed in this episode, the show takes extreme creative liberty and attempts to craft a fantastical story that takes place after 1582 and involves magic, robots, and supernatural enemies. But then again, since we don't know anything about them after 1582, who am I to say it didn't happen? But why is this story worth telling? Why should we remember Yasuke? The unfortunate reality is we do live in polarizing times and the subject of multiculturalism is a hot one, race, culture, discrimination, and even just pure survival saturates the news these days. In any case, Yasuke serves as an example of someone who came from rough beginnings and worked hard, served honorably, earned himself respect, and a prestigious title, and deserves to be remembered for his place in history. He transcended his circumstances and became an important historical figure, one that we are still talking about 500 years later. Now, if that isn't worth something, then let me ask you this. How many of us feel like we're doing something that will still be remembered five centuries from now? I'm curious to know what you guys think about him. Did you already know the story of Yasuke or encountered him in previous media? And what do you think of the Netflix show? Maybe we'll do a Sindojo episode on it at some point. Now, if you guys like this video and you enjoy martial arts history, then please be sure to check out our History of Goju Ryu Documentary. Like, subscribe, grab your Goju Ryu to remember to share it down below, and we will see you next week.