Yasuke: In Search of the African Samurai

February 1, 2019
Biography of an African slave who rose to fame and fortune in 16th-century Japan.Making his literary debut, Lockley (Nihon Univ. College of Law) teams up with Girard (Mary Rose, 2018, etc.) to create a fast-paced, novelistic history of Japan's feudal past, centered on the life of Yasuke, who arrived in Japan in 1579 as the indentured bodyguard and valet of Alessandro Valignano, a wealthy and influential Portuguese Jesuit missionary. Drawing on abundant sources, including archival material, the authors offer a panoramic view of politics, sex, religion, and war. They recount in horrifying detail the massacre of African families and kidnapping of boys by Arab, Persian, and Indian slave merchants that resulted in Yasuke's enslavement. Growing up in India as a boy soldier, he was "trained in violence, as well as comportment and service," making him an appealing servant for the Jesuits, who fanned out across Japan, determined to save souls. Over six feet tall, strong and muscular, Yasuke was an intimidating presence and protector as the Jesuits battled religious and political factions in a nation beset by endlessly warring factions. Blood and gore ooze from the pages as the authors describe ruthless slaughter, beheadings, disembowelment, rapes, and torture. Ninjas, who "killed only for money, and had no honor beyond what they were paid," were hardly the most vicious, and Yasuke proved himself a valiant fighter. Seeking favor with the mighty warlord Oda Nobunaga, Valignano handed over Yasuke as "a weapon bearer and novelty." Delighted, the warlord awarded Yasuke the elite status of samurai. "You are my black warrior," Nobunaga proclaimed. "The demon who will ride beside me into battle, the dark angel who protects me and my family." Because black skin, although unusual in Japan at the time, carried "entirely positive" connotations, Yasuke became revered, and his prowess became legendary. "People in the streets did not only gape at him," the authors write, "they bowed, heads to the earth, as they addressed him."A rich portrait of a brutal age.

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March 11, 2019
Academic Lockley and novelist Girard (Mary Rose) combine their talents in this eminently readable but somewhat speculative biography of Yasuke, the only known African samurai. The few records that exist indicate he arrived in Japan in 1579 as bodyguard to the Jesuit Alessandro Valignano, the pope’s “Visitor to the Indies.” One Japanese account describes Yasuke as unusually tall and dark and thus of fascination to the Japanese of the time, so much so that when the Catholics met the great lord Oda Nobunaga, the general summoned Yasuke before summoning Valignano and later took Yasuke into his service as one of his samurai. The authors flesh out the scant data points with supposition about Yasuke’s life before Japan (for example, the uncomfortable slog of sea travel he endured with Valignano), details about Japanese life in the 16th century (what it must have been like to look up at the town of Kuchinotsu from the beach; descriptions of clan flags), and more novelistic passages imagining Yasuke’s actions and thoughts. The final third of the work considers the possible paths his life may have taken after records cease. The solid scholarship on and imaginative treatment of Yasuke’s life make this both a worthwhile and entertaining work.

Starred review from March 1, 2019
The title may seem rather implausible, but Lockley and Girard dispel any doubts as they tell the remarkable story of this legendary, world-traveling African warrior in the war-torn islands of sixteenth-century Japan. Yasuke's journey progresses from slave soldier, Jesuit bodyguard, and court novelty to a samurai and respected vassal of Japan's most powerful warlord. Along the way, the reader learns a great deal about Yasuke's world, and what it meant to be a rare entity, a Black man in Japan. The authors also discuss how this was the age of exploration, in which European traders and missionaries sailed far and wide in search of markets and souls, and Japan provided both. Lockley and Girard deftly survey the cultural and geopolitical aspects of feudal Japan, providing historic facts underlying the popular fictional accounts of this age in everything from comic books to computer games. The authors make excellent use of primary sources, creating an engaging narrative, and use reasoned speculation when discussing Yasuke's later years after those sources end. This fact-checked portrait of a mythologized warrior often featured in manga and anime is an exciting and illuminating tale of action and intrigue.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

Starred review from March 1, 2019

A kidnapped African child who was trained as a soldier in India and eventually made bodyguard to the head of the Jesuit mission in 1500s Asia, Yasuke caused a stir when he landed in Kyoto, where the populace saw him as the embodiment of the black Buddha, or war god, of local legend. The head of Japan's most powerful clan claimed him for his court, making him Japan's first foreign-born samurai. From Lockley, a professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, and Bram Stoker Award nominee Girard; with a national tour.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2019

A kidnapped African child who was trained as a soldier in India and eventually made bodyguard to the head of the Jesuit mission in 1500s Asia, Yasuke caused a stir when he landed in Kyoto, where the populace saw him as the embodiment of the black Buddha, or war god, of local legend. The head of Japan's most powerful clan claimed him for his court, making him Japan's first foreign-born samurai. From Lockley, a professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, and Bram Stoker Award nominee Girard; with a national tour.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.