Yasuke The Black Samurai? Did He Really Exist?
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- On this video we'll talk about Yasuke the legendary African warrior who lived in Japan in the 15th century. Is he a myth? Or is he a real historical figure? Did he really work for Oda Nobunaga? And most importantly, was he a samurai? Let's find out.
link to Kings and Generals video • Yasuke: Story of the A...
Link to the Shogunate's video • The Warrior Life of Ya...
Link to Weird History's video • Yasuke | The Black Sam...
The books I mention
www.amazon.com...
www.amazon.com...
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So yasuke didn’t dfight mechas and shoot laser beams? Netflix lied to me
Netflix caters to the woke and allows people to exaggerate and lie about their history in order to indoctrinate the masses
@@bestia2.063 I can't even tell if you're serious
@@bestia2.063 I think they just wanted to make a fantasy story and chose a real historical figure for the main character. They just went a few steps too far with that. I mean, some magic and mythology is cool but we have mechs and robots too... in feudal Japan.
@@65firered the problem is that it's not just happening with one or two stories it's happening everywhere in currently groups of these afro Centrist are targeting other communities especially those vulnerable one in the Native American communities which are being bullied and even threatened by these groups
@@65firered I am not Native American but I've been following their RUclips channels and a lot of these guys are out to claim that they are the real natives of America🤣
Just wanted to give a thumbs up to Metatron, to Dario and of course to Metatron's mom, for being in this video. All of you are amazing!
Ahah thank you we all appreciate
Shout out to Metatron's mom for producing Metatron
@@coolmanjack1995 Content-creator creator :D
The Meta-Mum has spread her wings.
Meta-mom was the best part of the video
Speaking as both an Asian historian and someone raised in Japanese culture, one of the things that I have observed is that Westerners constantly confused the term 'Samurai' with that of the profession of arms "budoken' and those that practiced it, the "Bushi'. Samurai was a caste, filled with accountants, artisans, and courtiers, not just the warriors. It's historically likely that Yasuke was elevated to the status of Bushi and enjoyed the benefits of favored status that came with that. However there is no historical proof that he was ever elevated into the samurai caste. In fact Nobunaga's era was the beginning of end of upward mobility, for native Japanese, much less outsiders. It's highly improbable that Yasuke was made Samurai, for the reasons that Metatron already pointed out.
Agreed. I suspect he was treated with the status similar to Samurai but never actually made one. He would have been above the common peasants but not on equal footing with a Samurai devoted to Nobunaga. He's not going to given the Japanese equivalent of a fief or made into a Daimyo, had Nobunaga claimed victory in the sengoku era.
Thank you for the insight! Japanese feudalism is really often painted with a broad brush in fiction and in documentaries sadly too, just like european feudalism. But like it's european counterpart it has so much nuances, special rules and exceptions.
For I can understand, ninjas were also samurais, or ashigarus, or none of those, but the daimyos hired them as their most trusted bodyguards too, and even in some castles the ninja headquarter was next to the daimyo private room. So Yasuke was in reality... a shuriken thrower ninja!!
Sounds like he might have been the equivlent of a man-at-arms. All the gear of a knight, but not a noble.
@Hitroman Bushi is a social class, akin to the aristocracy. A Samurai is a warrior noble. Not all of the Bushi class were warriors
*You cannot be Samurai if you're not Bushi. Please correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I always thought.
i'm Japanese but to me, whether Yasuke was a samurai or not isn't too important, as he was clearly in Nobunaga's inner circle, which means more than being a samurai. There are levels to being a samurai, but Yasuke was in Nobunaga's trusted group, who he kept by his side, which in practical terms made him a more important person than being, for example, a mere lower level samurai (of which there would've been many working under Nobunaga).
Yasuke was even at Nobunaga's side when 'Hon-nou-ji-no hen' (the coup at the Honnouji temple) happened, which is one of the most well known & important historical event in Japan during the Medieval/feudal period.
Nobunaga was a military genius who massively expanded his territory in central Japan, and noted for creating the 3 line rifle shooting strategy, as well as winning battles that were against the odds, using his smarts. He was definitely not a traditionalist, which gave him an edge, as he was willing to incorporate new things, and I could imagine him being interested in any information that Yasuke could share with him, regarding his culture that may have been useful to Nobunaga in the future.
Dont' forget, Nobunaga is the guy that gave 'Toyotomi Hideyoshi' his big break, promoting him from the most lowest rank (as he came from a peasant/farming caste), to a samurai war lord, and who eventually conquered much of Japan.
Hideyoshi was a farming caste? Learning something new everyday.
@@axellyann5085 Yeap, he was FROM a farming cast. He was an ashigaru.
Always remember being ''close'' to a high up person or whatever may just as well mean nothing more than the designated ass wiper.... without proper actual info and details...
as a novelty that's still no reason to beleave they were best buds
You make a valid point and something I honestly didn't really consider. So many are hung up on the title that they forget what he was actually allowed to do.
So even if he wasn't Samurai he was allowed do things and be apart of things that even certain Samurai weren't.
And knowing how Nobunaga was it makes sense.
So uhh... you guys are here because of the Assassin's Creed game too, huh?
Yeah
Guilty. 😂😂😂
Hahaha...yep...😆😆
🙋♂️🤣😂🤣
I'm actually interested on his take on this AC controversy 🤔
William Adams was the first historically recorded weeb, Oda Nobunaga was the first historically recorded reverse-weeb.
Oda Nobunaga - The First Westeaboo.
Someone has to write that book.
I wish there was the same attention paid to Adams, his story is extremely interesting.
Ol' Samurai Bill
He's from Gillingham
@@antorseax9492 Samurai Bill, haha, I like that.
@@shogun_arasaka It's what he's known as
Netflix kinda disappointed they didn't do about more of a exaggerated realism approach like samurai Champloo.
No instead it went full magical girl with mechs and robots.
Nope LeSean added Mechs and magic 🤦🏿♂️
I had the exact same reaction, such a shame. Samurai Champloo is so good. R.I.P. Nujabes
yeah I expected something in the lines of vinland saga with samurai but I guess I have vagabond for that
I definitely would have watched it if they went the Champloo route...
I didn't know there was a problem with Yasuke this long ago.
I really feel Thomas Lockley is guilty of this.
Lockley Thomas published the Japanese version of "Nobunaga and Yasuke: Black Samurai Who Survived the Honnoji Temple" in 2017, two years before he published "African Samurai".
It is noteworthy that the book was published in Japanese translation with a translator in between.
Lives and works in Japan,Language learning specialist working at a Japanese university,
self-styled historian,But he cannot write a book in Japanese on my own.
I don't believe that a person who is not even highly proficient in modern Japanese can read and understand 450 year old Japanese material.
There are many situations where even native Japanese born and raised in Japan need a high level of expertise to read the language and writing of the time.
Great video man! And thank you so much for mentioning my video as well, it really means a lot!
My pleasure! You make some great quality content keee It up!
It's funny that now the Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Shadows just launched and I was recommended this video considering that I usually watch history information here. Thanks RUclips! LOL
Same for me. lol
and many racist already calling game woke just because black samurai!
@@Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_dawell there never was a black samurai.
@@raskolnikov6443 neither there was aliens or any assassins creeds game. They aren't historical games!
@@Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_da They are historical games just not full history class games. Historical doesn't mean accurate or not just that it is concerning history.
I've always read of him refured to as Nobunaga's Retainer. That in and of itself would have given him a lot of freedoms the Japanese commoners wouldn't have had. But unless he was adopted into the Oda Clan, I dont see how he would have been made a Samurai, aka a Japanese Noble.
Being the retainer of someone significant immediately makes you pretty important, and thus of high note. It's possible he was given a title, but without any records of him being rewarded a title it's still highly unlikely in my opinion.
I'm a hard guy but i say the truth why you are deleting my comments ? yo the Medievil Night do you like to be ruled by Black people everywhere? i dont hate black people so much i think there is always good and bad but when you see they include them in everything i mean everything you know they wanna heights them to rule everyone including you Metaton so save your race + me i think the right thing is everyone is special on his own way so everyone should stay in his zone european for europe and africans for africa.
@@-Wade- stay in your zone don't comment. And don't tell others what to do. You're a simple-minded racist who wants attention. You want to feel important. Bc, you feel inferior so you want to down others. You speaking about who you think is bad. Shows your privilege like others are supposed to care how you feel. Your not superior or important. I think you know that, that's why you commented like you did. Your racism is based in fear. And you feeling inferior.
@@-Wade- Stay in your zone and try elementary again.
@@Olav_Hansen That is not a complete argument though. We are talking 500 years ago. There have been both earthquakes and massive firestorms in Japan. Just because we do not have a record now does not mean it was not written at one time. Records do not universally survive. There are even massive amounts of records missing in the USA due to fires in the 20'th century and that is without war on their teritory at the time.
Let me just express our gratitude to the wonderful woman in this video for such a great job in raising a great son.
Thank you, Meta-mother!
I was thinking metamom or mothertron personally.
@@jimball4901 well actually I like your "mothertron" better XD
Metamom
It's clearly Mamatron you fools
Jim Ball. Lol nice, sounds like megatron. Is his mother leader of the decepticons?
The end result is that Yasuke "The Samurai" was a Thomas Lockley fantasy, which he worked tirelessly to fabricate.
No he wasn't a fantasy lol
Good presentation of both sides of the coin. The facts leaning towards Yasuke being non-samurai is more compelling
This topic has blown up in Japan. Lockley is an English teacher. ( Professor that teaches English to Japanese students) In the English classes he requires the students to buy his book. There is evidence of him changing the Wikipedia page as tottoritom from 2015 to basically single handedly create the legend of Yasuke and promote his book. There is only a few lines in actual historical records and everything else is his creative creation. Also what is presented in Japan is vastly different from what he was presenting outside of Japan. (Japanese are angry). There are lines in his book that says Yasuke populized owning black slaves among the Japanese and the Jesuits reluctantly supplied this. (Japanese are super angry) There is a politician that has launched an investigation into this issue and how the Yasuke narrative has spread around the world. Japanese are mad due to this agenda they think is leading to the west blaming black slaves (North Atlantic slave trade) on Japan.
Only 8% of slaves ever came to America.
We aren't even that stupid to blame it on Japan. But the Japanese have had interactions with black slaves. Was not apart of it but have seen it.
@@grumpysloth7928 12,00,000 slaves went to the Americas in the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade
Where you git sources for these claims tho?
That's hilarious
Thomas Lockley whole source is based from his own imagination and wild assumption.
The size thing is a great point. Imagine having a mountain of a man as your bodyguard? Even if he weren't especially good as a fighter that's a great deterrent due to intimidation.
I think he did fight in two of the wars though.
Intimidation wouldn't stop super fast 5ft Japanese men with horses that have better weight, balance and the Japanese samurai being expert bowmen from having a larger, slower, target who would struggle on a horse compared to the shorter japanese warriors. Horses and Bows won wars, not a foot of height, probably why people were shorter in the times of horses too.
@@Jamble it would still be intimidating, being intimidated never stopped someone from doing things, it just affect ppl psychologically fro a short time, which is still something
@@daeith1233 agreed
Samurai or not, the story of Yasuke is still cool. And if Yasuke was "own" a bodyguard he was still given gear by Nobunaga that had to made for Yasuke...
@Great White Still a cool storyline though. I would want to see it
@Great White In real history? Sure. In a historical fiction TV show? Why not.
@Great White No, we don't know for sure if he was a samurai or not. there is no certainty on both sides. Do you even watch the video mate?
The story was impressive indeed.
@@crozraven we don't know for sure, just like we don't know for sure how whales evolved. Point being we have clues that would lead us to the most possible conclusion. That being, he wasn't a samurai anymore than Tom Cruise was the last samurai.
Other than Yasuke existing, NONE of the "historical" events in the anime happened the way it happened in history. They pretty much tried to push Yasuke was a super hero instead of someone of extraordinary circumstances
The anime was trash
And even then, using that stance could've been a gret anime to watch. Yusuke is an interesting character to observe and an interesting historical figure, even if he didn't have as a major a role. There was no need to make him out to be this hero-esqu person and eliminate all nuance from his honestly enriching story. I wish that guy who directed it, didn't use so much ham-fisting of mecha anime tropes and have the ENTIRE plot focused on a magical girl. Like....wtf? 6 episodes was probably too short a limit to have any relevant pacing of a plot. That's why it felt so rushed to me
@@admirekashiri9879 It's not an anime. It's a cartoon in the STYLE of anime. Being animated by Mappa does not MAKE it an anime. It was not made by Japanese people or written by Japanese people or had input. That's ok if they adhere to the culture but they didn't. Afro Samurai is better.
@@Excalibur01 errrm its anime mate produced in Japan by a Japanese studio. If it was produced in America fair enough. Mappa is full of Japan animators it was made by Japanese people its just the writer and director LeSean Thomas isn't Japanese.
Plus going by your logic that means certain anime scenes aren't anime because for example One Piece uses D'art Shtajio studio to animate certain portions of scenes, that Japanese studio which is owned by two black American brothers so I guess those scenes make One Pieve not an anime anymore huh? 😂
@@Excalibur01 but Afro Samurai is voiced by Americans like Samuel L Jackson doesn't that make it not anime? 😂
Dario was a great addition to the video. Thanks, Dario!
本能寺で主人のために討ち死に又は自害してない奴が侍を名乗るなんてありえないって言うの、わかってほしいなあ……
Additionally he was no name person in reliable properties in Japan. Ya-suke is just like a kuro-suke in some animation.
As someone who also studied Japanese history and know a bit of Yasuke, I’m impressed that you got it down correctly. Thanks!
Shibata katauie was 185 cm, maeda toshie was 182, nobunaga had some large samurai serving him. the largest japanese busho is miura yoshioki with 227 cm.
Notice how currently we are experiencing a black wash of history? not just in the Yasuke situation, but european kings and warriors etc.
I don´t think this is merely coincidence.
when you don't have history or you're to lazy to search for it , you tend to steal from others
And it's fricken annoying. This doesn't help black people. It actually opens them up for ridicule for being part of a false historical narrative. Cleopatra comes to mind.
@@memeuridedimineataI always get a chuckle when they say Africa built the west......yet they didn't build anything in Africa. 🤔
@@memeuridedimineata "when you don't have history" lol what? The amount of history in Africa alone is insane, you do know civilization began in Africa right? Blacks probably have more history than just about any other race. Please don't say ignorant things like that again.
These have been done by the hands of persons, who have no proudful history but with much money.
I completely agree with your thoughts: Historically existing person, probably rewarded with a house, etc, for good service, and of course, would have been outfitted with the arms and armor of the day. Doesn't mean he was actually 'made a samurai' (as in Social Class) I'm reminded of the conversation in Game of Thrones between Lommy, Hot-pie and Gendry, where Hot-pie says that the guy was a knight because he wore armor, to which Gendry replies anyone can buy armor, and he knows this, because he sold armor. Yasuke may indeed have had armor, but that doesn't mean that he was elevated to samurai status, just that his eccentric master wanted him properly outfitted for his duties as a bodyguard/warrior.
I would have thought that if such an elevation had taken place, there would have been some kind of court/social records of it occurring.
Still an interesting footnote in history though ^_^
It's possible the records were lost, but yes, I wouldn't think he would be a full proper samurai. Being a well liked and respected retainer? I can totally buy that, which a lot of us would probably call a Samurai.
It's entirely possible that any record was lost if it happened... *but* .... I think the failure to commit seppuku seals the deal. I find it difficult to believe that the historical record wouldn't comment on that failure if he had been made a samurai.
wasnt he the one in charge of protecting the armory etc?
if that was the case it would be weird that he wouldnt be outfitted himself.
He fought in the wars though which showed he had skill to contest with real Samurai of the day. Nobunaga also had him as his personal bodyguard and after he died he entrusted yasuke to his son which is very telling of the skill he must have had.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
* A little reference story
Knowing the real group called "Shinsengumi" makes it easier to understand the position Yasuke was given.
The Shinsengumi was a group of samurai, but it was a group that valued "samurai dignity" rather than pedigree.
It was possible to join the Shinsengumi even if they were not from the samurai family but from other occupations that they longed for.
In fact, Shinsengumi's No. 2 came from the merchant's family.
There were rules that were much stricter than the samurai who were born natural.
Those who failed to maintain their dignity as samurai were severely punished within the group.
Of course, the punishment includes death.
Even so, there were people who longed for being samurai.
The Shinsengumi was made up of young people.
Those who were not born into the samurai family lived with their lives as collateral in order to become samurai.
By referring to that fact, we can imagine more of the position Yasuke was given.
In actual history, there were young people who died trying to reach Yasuke's position.
If you are interested in this story, you can easily find out.
"Shinsengumi" is a very famous group in Japan, so you can easily find it on the web.
I mean those two are also completely different time periods tbh. During the Edo period the caste system was much more enforced than the Sengoku period.
He is closer to his fellow Nobunaga retainer in Hideyoshi. An oddity, who got the trust of a powerful lord became one of his closest retainers and rose through the ranks.
The BBC website states he's samurai because of the book, then USA Today fact checks this as true citing BBC as evidence. Shows how easy BS is spread
Thank you Metatron! Finally someone addressing the reality of the romanticism.
@Mack Magilligutty that's tight, urrrwuurrrrr gnomesayne.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
How long does it take to become a Samurai warrior? Because he was only in service for approx a year. Are we to believe that you can become a Samurai warrior in a matter of months seeing as the story took place in a year?
Maybe yasuke is a samurai because there is no evidence that he wasn't, is basically saying maybe yasuke is a flying spaghetti monster because there is no evidence that hes not.
If he wasnt there would be evidence
@@macvadda2318The evidence is that he was a famous man in Japan. But somehow they forgot to record he was a samurai.
@@3Overhaus because samurai werent recorded, and a lot of stuff about him was destroyed most likelu
Hey, the flying spaghetti monster fought Godzilla on film so Godzilla is Japanese, samurai and real therefore so is Yasuke since there is a statue of him 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
There are historical records of the retainers of the Oda clan, and Yasuke’s name does not appear on those lists.
First of all, what people other than the Japanese need to know is the basic knowledge of Japan. There are four Samurai conditions. 1. Enter a master -slave relationship with a noble person. 2. Receive land 3. Absented to hold sword on your waist. 4. Has a family name. These four conditions are required. Rather, you can become SAMURAI as long as this condition is met. In other words, there were tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of Samurai in Japan at that time. Perhaps you imagine Samurai is a level that you can operate in the game. But it is a very limited human resource. In Japan, it is called daimyou or a warlord. You need to know that Samurai has many ranks.
Now, back to Yasuke's story, his materials are very few. Let's consider whether what is written there is the condition of Samurai.
◯ 1. Enter a master -slave relationship with a noble person. → He served Nobunaga.
△ 2. Get land. → He has a record that he has received a support, but the support (Fuchi) is land, food or money. There is no clear record of getting land.
△ 3.Absented to hold sword on your waist. → He has a record of receiving the sword, but he has not allowed him to hold it on his waist. Nobunaga and the power of the time sometimes gave a sword to those who were not Samurai. Therefore, this point cannot be stated.
☓ 4. Has a family name → He has no record.
However, the definition of Samurai in this era is ambiguous. I personally believe that he may be the lowest Samurai, which may be about 0.3 %. In other words, it is impossible to determine his status. He was not Samurai as most of the possibilities. That may be just right. And he has never influenced Japan's history. He was very rare. However, I think it was meaningful for the history of the world. He is definitely a black man who first appeared in Japanese history books. Finally, we will summarize the records of his actions.
1. Nobunaga took over the black slave owned by the Portuguese.
2. Nobunaga treated him as a vassal, not a slave.
3. When the change of Honnoji Temple happened, he was protected by Akechi forces in Myoji Temple, which is not a battle area.
4. Akechi instructed a foreigner who could not speak to Nanbanji Temple.
Only 4 points above.
If you are a person who wants to gain knowledge, please refer to it.
Ultimately, no is likely the correct answer.
Samurai was a very specific title, and the watering down of what the title means in popular culture has made it difficult to explain to someone who's done no research why he likely wasn't a samurai.
Samurai were some of the highest in society, behind Daimyo and their Shogun, for military respect. They were expected to live for their lord, fight for their lord and die for their lord.
There are plenty of cases of Nobunaga's own japanese-born samurai becoming Ronin when he and his sons died, and this wasn't the case with Yasuke. There's no record anywhere that states he became a ronin after Nobunaga's death, or his sons'.
And, whilst Nobunaga may have bent and broken rules for the fun of it, this was a decision that came down to traditionalists that despised what Nobunaga was doing to their culture, so it seems incredibly unlikely that they would have allowed Yasuke to remain a samurai and simply assigned him to another Daimyo. We also have no record of this either.
Retainers, on the other hand, since they weren't samurai, were given a larger degree of freedom when it came to what they could do with themselves after their lord was defeated, which is exactly what Yasuke shows in the period's records.
So no, for this main piece of evidence alone, or lack of evidence, rather, I think we can confirm that he wasn't a Samurai.
He may have been well respected and well liked, but he ultimately didn't adhere to the Samurai's way of life at critical points, which gives it away.
From what I remember reading somewhere, it's like a military system, so for the American viewers, it will be easier to explain and understand if you use an American military terms like... Colonel, General, Marshal, and what-not and kind of "pair them up?"
I don't know the military terms all that well, and I don't really feel like that would be actually right, but it would be kind of easier to understand. As let's say, a Samurai=Colonel, not everyone with a gun is a Colonel...
I suppose... Whatever I guess. :D
The definition of samurai is more ambiguous during the sengoku period. It was more defined through prior (pre-onin) or latter (edo) periods, but the mid/late sengoku period was when farmers, slaves, merchants can become a samurai, lord, or even a kampaku depending on their capabilities
@@yn5568 The point is that once they became samurai, there would have been some record or at least certain rules would attach. In the case of Yasuke, not only do we not have any records of him being made samurai, he also doesn’t seem to have been treated as a Nabunaga’s samurai after the latter’s death. I don’t think anyone is questioning whether he _could_ have been made a samurai, beyond just an armed retainer, just the actual evidence for or against it.
@@keoghanwhimsically2268 even leading up to meiji, you still had defacto samurais (merchants who purchased the right to carry two swords, shouya families, etc). I wouldnt be surprised if Yasuke did have defacto samurai status, as it was hard to prove “being a samurai” during sengoku period. In specific terms, you’d have to be from certain clans to become a bushi back in the heian to kamakura period. You know thats not the case for most “samurais” by Azuchi momoyama period
@@yn5568 It certainly won't be a surprise for Yasuke to be a "defacto" Samurai, after all, there was a British dude who got promoted to such status(can't remember his name though) but that still does not change the fact that Yasuke having a status of a Samurai in the historical records ranged from being slim(if we are being generous with the interpretation and definition of Samurai) to non-existent.
Metatron did point out a rather important point though, all Samurais tend to have surnames, and I believe that remains true even in the Sengoku period and the rest.
Not entirely relevant but I want to voice my opinion about the Yasuke anime. My main problem with the anime is that it goes a little too far with the fantasy elements. Some magic and mythology are fine but once you introduce mechs, robots, and guns, you lose me. It's supposed to be historical fantasy but at that point, it's just fantasy.
Yeah I thought it was awful. Not sure why they bothered making it.
@@helenline1790 It had potential but completely wasted all of it.
oof, I haven't seen it, but it sounds pretty bad lol
@@Nerobyrne It's pretty bad. It even has a magical girl who becomes the main focus of the "plot".
@@65firered now, all that would be missing is; A little fluff ball that doesnt know how to shut up by the side of Yasuke & we'd have another isekai-esque mess-
Great video, you probably covered everything but you could revisit this since everyone is talking about yasuke again because the new assassins creed game has him as the protagonist and potentially a samurai.
The protagonist ?
Isn't he a npc ?
@@ParlonsAstronomieNo, he is one of two protagonists.
Thank you Maestro, another excellent video!!
Despite the armour obviously being too small for him, Dario looks very impressive. I'd love seeing him wear a "harness" that's tailored to fit him
Good News !!
It turns out Yasuke wasn't a samurai!
The cause of this commotion is the "Yasuke" written by a fraudster named Thomas Lockley. And an even more shocking fact has come to light! Thomas himself has been writing lies about Yasuke on the English Wikipedia since 2015, coinciding with the publication of his book. The English Wikipedia is filled with all sorts of fabrications about Yasuke, who has no record in Japan, but it was Thomas himself who wrote these lies. His user name is "Tottori Tom." Thomas himself has admitted that Yasuke was not a samurai.
Y’all need to get a life
While Akechi Mitsuhide is respected in Japan, Yasuke is not particularly respected.
How can a person be respected when documents are scarce, no surname is given, and his real name, date of birth, family structure, place of birth, ethnicity, and native language are unknown?
If any Japanese says that Yasuke was respected by the Japanese, he is just flirting with Western political correctness.
“The vassal asked Akechi what should be done with the black man, and he said, "A black slave is an animal (bestial) and knows nothing, nor is he Japanese, so do not kill him, and place him in the custody at the cathedral of Padre in India.” Luís Fróis November, 1582
Since Lord Akechi Mitsuhide is said to have been this way, he was no more and no less.
Very informative! Acknowledges the known information about yasuke and doesnt spiral into historical fanfiction.
This video needs to be revisited. Yaskue might not have been Samurai, but many people's counter to UBI's DEI agenda in the latest Assasin's Cree game is to call the man a "shoe shiner", "jester", and basically a nobody that never held a sword, never fought and was relegated to a pet.
This does the man a real disservice.
He never did though. People are saying this because he never had a Last name so he was never seen as full Samurai. He was a Curiosity but nothing more.
@@arnowisp6244 "Nothing more" does the man a huge disservice. The answer to Ubi soft's DEI agenda is not to then dismiss everything the man was. Countering lies with lies is not the answer.
Metatron articulates the point very well.
He was a warrior and most likely a personal bodyguard to Oda Nobunaga.
That is hardly "nothing more" than a curiosity.
The thing is, because almost nothing is know about Yasuke, he could be anything from an exotic oddity Oda shows to guests, to a "squire", to a bodyguard, to a fierce and recognized warrior who fought in battles.
@@Gilsao157 that’s honestly probably why Ubisoft chose him as the main character. He’s mysterious, a foreigner who appeared suddenly in historical records only to disappear as suddenly as well. This gives Ubisoft a lot of room to write his story without contradicting the historical records.
@@gamer7916 But that begs the question of why this is the first time ubisoft used a real historical figure as protagonist? They could simply make a fictional japanese protagonist. Yasuke could be a character, an important one, he could even get his own dlc and I don't think that would be any controversy.
In the eyes of Ubisoft, feudal japan lacks diversity, so they appropriate their culture in favor of a black protagonist. At the same time Ubisoft deems that African culture and history are not worth of its own game. Yorubas, Zulus, Congo, Angola, Etiopia, all of these incredible histories, but Ubisoft don't wanna make an all black game.
It's insulting for the japaneses, it's insulting for anyone who care about african history or is black
I think it's funny how Dario sounds more Italian than Metatron.
It's the Latin
It gave him a British accent
Always enjoy Metatron's well researched videos. Great job, and very informative.
I just love, appreciate, and cherish your meticulous objectivity. This was, again, a great video!
There is no samurai in Japanese history who did not have a family name.
For example, English samurai William Adams was given the Japanese name of Anjin Miura when he became a samurai in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Miura was Adams' family name in Japan.
Yasuke was given the Japanese name of Yasuke when he entered the service of Nobunaga, but was not given a family name. This means that Yasuke's status was lower than that of a samurai.
Wrong the ruler during that time , really didn’t care about those things . He gave him a title of samurai and a house and other things . You just made some shit up .
He didn’t really need to be a samurai as he reached a peak position to be in without having to risk his life. His story is amazing enough as is without creating myths around him. A true story of a downtrodden hero reaching heights unheard of in a strange new world.
Man will never cease to amaze me
No not a “downtrodden hero”. So damn silly. Stop elevating average myths because of your cringey delusional sympathy for black people.
@@freckleheckler6311 you sound like a racist
@@babypuncher2787 He is right tho. His tale is not that well documented and there isnt even any real feats that you can attribute to him. We only know that he was close to a Japanese noble, nothing more. The only reason this story is important for people is because he is Black.
@@jijijijijiji44 no hard to see that he is a snowflake on anything black.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
Yusuke is great stories where a dude turns a little bit of luck into an amazing life. Dario looks awesome too.
I didn't expect that there is going to be no evidence that he was a samurai, great video.
It's just common sense. Being samurai is a great privilege, people wouldn't like it if they give the tittle to a foreigner.
@@frankjames7272 yeah but there was a samurai from england.
He was a slave brought by the Portuguese lmao
@@frankjames7272 Not just that, it would be a pretty big deal for a foreigner to be made a samurai and something like that would surely have been written down as being something noteworthy.
Same, I was surprised as well
Yasuke's story might certainly be greatly romanticized, I agree with that. I don't really know Japanese history that much other than from what I've gleaned from modern stuff based on it, but Nobunaga often has this imagery of a warlord who thought outside the box of the norm and judged a person by his worth rather than by his social standing alone. This was one of the reasons why he was often referred to as the Fool, apparently. If that holds some credible truth, then I do think there's at least some level of truth in Yasuke being bought as a slave first, then later rising up to the rank of being called a retainer.
However, we should also consider the fact that the victors inevitably write history. While Nobunaga might have indeed given Yasuke some level of treatment like he would his other retainers out of pure evaluation or the plain thought of "owning" a big black foreigner samurai, the fact of the matter remains that the Oda clan was defeated and eventually got wiped out of the stage during the warring states period. I would assume the traditional samurai back then had qualms in treating an outsider--more than that a slave, as one of the enemy's high ranking officials, especially in records that would go down in Japanese history. I can vaguely imagine them being against treating Yasuke like a warrior of the same level as they are, and thus would reject the notion of having him commit seppuku like the other samurai under Nobunaga's command as that would be equivalent to them admitting he is indeed a samurai.
I was thinking the same thing, especially when you look at how much they value tradition in Japan today, one would have to agree that it would have been even stronger back then. So even if it was one of Nobunagas people that wrote these historic accounts what’s to say they were as open minded enough like Nobunaga to admit he was samurai as let’s say hypothetically, Nobunaga and Yasuke were really close and was elevated to samurai status, it’s almost guaranteed their would be jealousy among Nobunagas other men/retainers/samurais. I don’t find it hard to believe yasuke could potentially rise up the ranks almost instantaneously since Nobunaga would definitely see the potential in him. What if animosity was to grow among those that worked hard to get where they were or worked hard and never rose up while yasuke gets to rise because of the simple bases of race/him being a westerner(not to say this is correct, just to say this is a highly possible mindset they could adopt) For the most part we will probably never know and like others have said, even if he wasn’t samurai, the fact that Nobunaga made him a retainer and gave him all those benefits and most likely was fond of having yasuke by his side in my opinion does make him something greater than a samurai.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
弥助は侍ではなく、敵に屈して刀を渡した臆病者です。
I was guided here after reading the comment section of Assassin's Creed: Shadow. Damn! Some people there are hell bent on making Yasuke a samurai. Thank you for giving your unbiased account of his story.
they are also hellbent on saying he was nothing but a slave and clown.
@@supremeblackkai1229 that is true too. Expect extremes in response to extremes.
@CleverGirlAAH ah yes. Calling him a samurai is as extreme as baselessly saying he was a clown and slave only.
Sounds like cope to me and people making excuses to be vile.
Also funny to me how the lead writer is a white woman and people are making racist memes of the character as if Yasuke put himself in that role
assassins creed: the game where you fought and killed the pope who was also a wizard. if you truly care that much about “historical accuracy” these are not the games for you. let yasuke be a samurai, it does not matter what he was or was not in real life
@@Zippy_Zero25 Indeed, if "historical accuracy doesn't matter" then why do they cling to this Yasuke guy so desperately?
Or you can be inaccurate only when it comes to claiming that he was a full-fledged and trained samurai with katana and kabuto; but when it concerns the very choice of protagonist then you must be 100% historically accurate and pick the only black dude that existed in the medieval Japanese records, even though not once before in AC series its protagonist was a historical character?
Cmon, show me how that brain of yours works.
I've been looking forward to this, epic video Metatron!
wow metatron you respect the guy who lied about all of this and his book is made up? can we get a update on this video please xD
he made an update on this
@@memeuridedimineata thank you!! Imma go watch now
@@memeuridedimineata where is the update?
@@keselekbakiaknowhere to be seen
His "update" was 3 months ago, where he c*cksucked Lockley some more.
@@keselekbakiakon the channel.
There are not many records remaining regarding Yasuke.
He was given to Nobunaga as a black slave by missionaries.
Yasuke is very prominent in the Warring States period. Nobunaga would have Yasuke walk the streets with Nobunaga's entourage to show off his ownership of Yasuke.
When people in the town saw Yasuke walking around with Nobunaga's entourage, they gossiped that Nobunaga might eventually make Yasuke a lord.
Nobunaga gave Yasuke a residence, a dagger, and rice.
This is similar to when Nobunaga took a favorite sumo wrestler under his wing.
Nobunaga must have liked Yasuke.
Nobunaga sometimes had Yasuke serve as a tool bearer for daimyo's processions and other occasions. It is possible that he gave Yasuke a part of the role of a peasant, but it is also possible that he wanted to show off his ownership of Yasuke by keeping him by his side.
Yasuke was not by Nobunaga's side at the time of the Honnoji Incident.
He was at Myokakuji Temple, the stronghold of Nobunaga's eldest son, Nobutada, where he resisted against the Akechi forces.
He gave his sword to the enemy and surrendered.
Akechi Mitsuhide decided that Yasuke did not need to be killed and had him transported to Nanban-ji Temple.
The above is what we know from the existing records.
We do not know anything else about Yasuke.
If there is more to the Yasuke story, it is speculation and creation.
Did Yasuke come to Japan as a slave under the Jesuits?
@@gq_barry There is no document that explicitly states that he was a slave.
However, because of the actions of the Jesuits at the time and the record of the Jesuits offering Yasuke to Nobunaga, the idea that he was a slave is common in Japan.
@yukauni thank you for the straightforward answer.
As an African teenager it really offends me when black people are used as pawns for whatever political agenda the Western Media is trying to push. Lately there has been a lot of hate towards black people in media post-covid, for example the low rating of Black Panther 2, the Romeo and Juliet play, Tanya's looks in MK1 (this one especially hurts because Tanya was introduced in MK4 and she was clearly black, but after MK4 she was whitewashed to fit white beauty standards) and others I can't think of right now.
Nowadays the media is being woke, and that is hurting the communities it is trying to uplift. Why use an ugly face model for Tanya when the ACTUAL face model is hot as hell? Oh, just because game companies want to kill two birds with one stone and appeal to an audience of ugly people? I won't even talk about Romeo and Juliet, you should've seen the comments on tiktok. I can imagine poc kids will be hesitant to play Juliet from now on... how disappointing.
What's your opinion on this?
@@yukaunicareful there before you verge into the reverse Lockley territory of creative writing. The short answer is NO. Not a samurai. The long answer is Noooooooo. Not a samurai. 😂
The Japanese claim they have no record at all of this guy being a samurai warrior.
「アフリカ人侍弥助」という歴史的な記録は日本には存在しません。さらに言えば、弥助には家名がありません。日本では、侍になるためには家名を持つことが必須条件です。したがって、家名のない弥助は侍とみなすことはできません。
There is no historcal evidence that "African samurai Yasuke" in Japan. Moreover Yasuke doesn't have family name.
Having a family name is essential condition to be a Samurai in Japan. Thus, Yasuke, who does not have a family name, cannot be considered a samurai.
Wait the sources you say here are from that fictional book "African Samurai". Written by the now disgraced Thomas Lokley, fake historian and fantasy book peddler. Yasuke never had servants or a house.
Shhh, metatron is never going to cite BS sources, he always factchecks the factchecks
This video is 2 years old, and he literally states here that the book he references is full of fictitious material, much like quite a few ancient historical sources. He also has recent videos covering a deeper analysis of Lockley and his credibility.
@@TheMasterblah
He still references it.
@@dnaseb9214 yeah, on a 2 year old video before all the Lockley stuff came to light. Do you expect him to do more than make a follow up video about the specific author? 😂
I wonder if Metatron has more to say about this after the Assassin's Creed Shadows trailer.
I dunno, I feel like he goes through everything.
AC taking extreme liberties with history? Not even sure if it's worth commenting on. No one (hopefully) takes AC literally and understands it's basically history fantasy.
@@PariahPsypomp6775 Tell that to the Wiki editors having a war with the Yasuke page, lol.
@@bigzed7908 He did!
What's to say? Historical accuracy isn't the source of the controversy. What's controversial is we know exactly why they're doing it and that the final product isn't going to be very good. If the Japanese were to put out their own romanticised depiction of him, do you think people would accuse them of being 'woke'? We can better trust the intentions of Japanese media, we can not trust the intentions of a generally loathed published such as Ubisoft. I don't see what Metatron can really add to that.
Even if for whatever reason he was not given the title, he was still clearly treated as one, both as a formidable warrior and as a high standing man in society. He had his own property, his own gear made for him, a servant and defended the life of a key figure of the realm.
Idk about you but if someone is given the title of "Bushi" then there ain't nothing beating that.
That's true we have to ask ourselves if we're getting distracted by semantics like learned profession are so apt to do and see if he was emotionally treated like a samurai or a man of potentially higher position
a bit like knights in Europe. Knighthood was a title of nobility, with all the rights and responsibilities associated. But not all fighting men were knights and not all men in high positions were knights. Not impossible for someone trusted by the Lord to arm and train a "commoner", especially one that exotic. Reminds me of that one king who was really into tall guys so he build himself an elite unit of really long guys.
A strong, intelligent, black man in feudal Japan would clearly something special, and having someone like that in your service would set you apart as a lord. As Metatron said, Nobunaga liked to show off his exotic, western things. and Yasuke proved to be a great warrior and was treated well. It doesn't take the actual title and position of Samurai to be treated like one.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
this issue reminded me of nioh. in the game, despite being called "obsidian samurai", yasuke says that nobunaga died before his title had been actually bestowed onto him (maybe their way of letting the question remain unresolved, which is fine). also, nobunaga in the game is shown to be an excentric warlord with harsh methods and an unconventional reasoning, instead of a bloodthirsty demon
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
Kimemon Kondo (?), whom we often hear about in the legend of Yasuke.Who is he?
I've recently been researching the legendary Black Samurai Yasuke, and this is the first time I've heard of him.
I don't remember hearing about him from any famous warlord.
This is actually quite well done. In the end was Yasuke a Samurai? No, there is 99% percent certainty in this. Is there a tiny vague amount of uncertainty well, kinda maybe, I guess.
The main point is the absolutely insane romanticized history because of one novel. The revising of history is a serious problem we face today. Call him a samurai and make him a final boss idc. Just dont call it history, which ubisoft and manu other people are.
He's more likely to be Nobunaga's pet than a Samurai lol
@@dennischen2642 pretty much
If Japanese peasants were unable to become samurai then there is almost no way a foreign slave can be one. People forget that Japan had a super strict caste system.
He was not a slave when he was in Japan he was a hired guard
@@Anedoje please watch the wideo again. He started as a slave.
@@JarosawKovacs He was a slave in his younger years. However by the time he arrived to Japan he was a free man. When the Japanese met him, he was a free man. I recommend you reading his biography by Thomas Lockley
@@wayne47able ofcourse not was free but You can say and again that woknes story but it will not fakt.
@@JarosawKovacs Dude I have no idea as to what you’re trying to say because your grammar is terribly off. However let me educate you on this man. When he came to Japan, he came in the company of a Jesuit Priest named Alessandro Valignano. Valigano was extremely well known on his stances against slavery. He did not believe in it at all so it would be extremely contradictory for him to come to Japan with slaves. Thomas Lockleys book talks a great deal about this and even has quotes on Alessandro Valignano’s stance on slavery. This is the clearest proof without a shadow of a doubt that by the time Yasuke came to Japan he came as a free man. Secondly, he was made a retainer, granted a stipend, personal servants and granted a ceremonial Katana from Oda Nobunaga. This is documented by several sources within the book. The only people who are questioning his status as a samurai are literally white folks butt hurt about the idea of an African man becoming a samurai.
The only way for us to really know if Yasuke was considered a retainer or a member of the Samurai class would be to ask Nobunaga himself. As Metatron mentioned, there is evidence for both sides here...
That being said, I am not too bothered by it either way... the history (and mystery) surrounding the man is awesome and I am just looking forward to playing him in Samurai Warriors 5.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
Thank you for sticking to the history on this! Being unable to read Japanese myself, I was impatiently waiting for this to see if you found something showing he was. Even without proof of samurai status, he's legendary, he met and likely worked for Nobunaga, he was at Honnoji, all around interesting guy for sure.
I wonder if some of the debate over being samurai or not is grammatical / translation? There is the samurai class, of which there's no record that he was. There's the translation of samurai (saburai, "to serve") and he did serve under Nobunaga. There's a fine distinction between "acted like a samurai" (or our common perception of one) and holding the official class / title of samurai, though.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
Thank you so much for this video!
On the topic of non-Japanese Samurai, have you considered making a video about William Adams? He was the first Englishman in Japan, and was partial responsible for modernizing Japan's navy for the time.
Yasuke must have been a terrifying sight on a battlefield. Imagine you charge the enemy, you passed the first arrow barrage and the melee has started. Suddenly you face down a man, taller in stature than most of the Japanese, his ebony skin and muscular face frames his piercing furious eyes and he has decided that you are the next obstacle in his path to his lord's victory. I am a South African, I have friends trained in traditional Zulu combat, and they are terrifyingly intimidating. Now I can just imagine that ferocity encapsulated in Japanese armor on a battlefield... Truly stuff of legend and myth.
to be fair I doubt that any warrior would be much more than startled, I mean Japanese warrior doctrine is brutal, they usually beheaded enemy leaders, it was kill or be killed and if you shamed yourself you could have to kill yourself and they also did it
Well this became relevant again didn’t it
If he had been named samurai at the time, contemporary sources would have specifically mentioned it.
Don't you think if a Japanese, in the XIIIth century, had visited France and been knighted by the king, French sources of the time would have mentioned it ?
they would go bat s**t crazy about it. just like in this case of yasuke. if he was made a samurai instead of a shiny pokemon to show around, the japanese documents would all jump on it
Great video, that touches on not just the title subject, but the adjacent ones! Thank you very much!
Excellent work, and thanks to Sr. Dario for tolerating the cramped armor!
Voices of the Past did the best video on Yasuke as it uses only the period sources. Kings and Generals has good videos on various battles etc. but their Yaskue video is fanfiction.
So is part of Kings and Generals “mongol invasion of Japan” video. They claim that, because of the mongols, the Japanese developed the KATANA to beat mongol armor despite the first few katana not being made until roughly 50 YEARS LATER in the 14th century. I hate it when people change history to fit a narrative and when people talking about samurai don’t give the tachi enough credit.
@@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699 Katana = "modern" take on the Tachi, which was a Warblade. The Katana is a shorter version of the tachi, because during the time it was created, bearing War-oriented armamends was probably prohibited. I Think. might be wrong.
@@natsukimasamune7766 the katana is pretty far from being considered “modern”
Can you elaborate on your comment?
@@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699 modern compared to the Tachi which was used Prior to the invention of the katana.
@@natsukimasamune7766 oh gotcha. you could’ve said something like “it appeared and was used after the tachi was”.
The only problem is, the tachi was still used far more than the katana on the battlefield even after the katana started to appear. The transition to using katana was gradual but it only really overtook the tachi in popularity among the samurai in the early 17th century which was Japans period of peace.
The fact remains that the tachi was a better battlefield sword while the katana was more optimized for civilian combat and we have proof of this in iconography and surviving blades.
I don't bite the romantic stuff but overall the whole story is interesting and who knows, there might be a chance he indeed achieved the rank of samurai due to good service :) which even if he didn't doesn't change the fact he made quite the impression.
If it were true then Yasuke would have been the fastest man to have gained that rank (his service time under Nobunaga was only slightly more than a year) whereas it took Hideyoshi around nine years and William Adams, more than ten.
And even if he didn't he would have still been very well off.
@@tobiasthesecond5605 Still possible - as Metatron says - having someone so "exotic" (hate using this term on people, but I can't fault Japanese people who never seen Black Person before to have such a reaction) could be the reason he would be made Samurai. Especially with Nobunaga. Also why no Seppuku? Might have been the same reason: being seen as too out of the ordinary to basically kill him.
And of course no one knows and at least I don't care. It would be cool if it was true, but there are enough cool things happening throughout time that I don't think we need to Romanticize history.
@@jannegrey593 Yes possible, though unlikely, yet still possible, since Nobunaga was already an oddity amongst the Daimyos in terms of personality. Also, Thomas Lockley's book, having read it a few years ago, in summary is barely factual and 90% fiction, as if intended for a Hollywood movie deal.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
I really believe if this “exotic” person was made Samurai,it would have been officially recorded!
Propaganda against Nobunaga, it is an easy way to prove he was not. Imagine what his enemies would have said about making foreign slaves into samurai if he were to do that.
@@Raximus3000 you are over thinking this, the Japanese were a civilized/organized society. I don’t think a “Lord” in their ruling class was worried if he made someone a samurai or not especially a “exotic “ person!
@@petemisc4291
A few decades later the country went into a lockdown of a few centuries.
Xenophobia and racism would not be a new thing for Japan, do not assume because they are "civilised" that makes them openminded and accepting of everything. They had and still have a different way of looking at things, patriotism especialy is one of them. Seeing how this is not in the long list of things Nobunaga did i have to assume he was never made samurai but was put to use the best way Nobunaga thought of, be it as an intimidating bodyguard or/and a novelty.
@@Raximus3000 lol,man you are deep into the progressive mindset. Western European countries who have been and are civilized nations are all rethinking the “Diversity/inclusion “ aspect of what you believe and what Germany shoved down their throats. Better start saving civilization before it’s all gone and we find ourselves back in caves looking for pointey sticks
@@Raximus3000 well, call it “divine intervention “, can you imagine what Japan would have become if they embraced the West, they would have become the undisputed superpower in the Pacific and perhaps beyond!
I am put in mind of a scene in The Dragon Knight series by Gordon R. Dickson. The series is about a late 20th century American who has found himself in a Fantasy version of 13th Century England (during the time of Prince Edward the Black Prince). The American, James Eckert, claims to be a Barron from another country. He also has - due to an accident of chance/fate - the ability to turn into a dragon, as well as magical powers. Initially, he also admits to a local knight, who has become a friend (Brian), that he lacks the usual training in arms most knights have - said friend agrees to help James to correct said lack.
Anyways, early on in the second book, The Dragon Knight (the first one was called The Dragon and the George), James, whose dragon and magical abilities having just started awakening - and is now an Apprentice to a certain powerful Magickian, is reminded by his local friend, Brian, that, as a knight, James must have a squire. Of course, James doesn't know the local families that have suitable sons too well to take on the training of (especially given his own lack of knowledge), so his friend advises him to promote one of his own men-at-arms, in this case, a man named Theoluf, who used to be the Chief Man-at-Arms. During the discussion, James - who had studied Medieval History - remembers that England, unlike other European countries, would allow the common man to rise to nobility, and that it was not unheard of for a man-at-arms to become squires, though it would take something exceptional to make them a knight.
As for Theoluf, while he never makes it to knight (author died 200+ pages into book 10), he puts in more than a bit of effort - working on doing proper bows, his manner of speech being more proper around those of higher rank, does certain jobs for James (protecting tax money that's on its way to be paid), and other squire-duties.
To think times were simpler just 2 years ago
They weren't.
Try a bit further back.
@@Ash_Hudson I didn't say simple... I said simpler
Thank you Metatron's mother for providing this comparison, and to Dario too, can't have been easy squeezing into that armour.
As for the Japanese perspective, imagine seeing someone who is 50% taller than you when you're a reasonably sized person (for the place and era) Must have been a little surreal.
Chadwick Boseman was supposed to play Yasuke in a movie about his life, but he passed away before the movie could even go into production. A real shame, I think he would have been perfect in the role.
What a loss 😔
Thank God
@@jiggerinokobalis609 Oh wow, check out the edgelord over here! Yes, I'm sure everyone is very impressed.
that might've made an interesting movie but yeah sad to see bro Chadwick passed away. 😔 it was quite a year...
@@jiggerinokobalis609 oh the insensitive committee strikes again shame.
Your mother is so adorable and shout out to your friend too thanks for all the information I do like listening to your videos while working.
I don't think Yasuke was a samurai, but at the end of the day who cares? He lived a cool life and was a badass, that's enough.
Who cares?
People should be HONEST when it comes to reporting history, not molding it to suite their tastes because of mainstream culture.
@@rinzler9171 the point is that if even if he wasnt a samurai (the most probable option) Nobunaga trusted him and he had a servant and a house. That is still a huge
achievement. Also being Nobunaga's bodyguard is not less important than being a Samurai. If a samurai were a limited group, Nobunaga's trust group was smaller.
obviously to say that he was a samurai is not true, but his position is already achievement enough and thats what Pointi probably meant
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
@@toxicanalytics9966Doesn't matter. Facts matter
@@toxicanalytics9966i mean a pet and a servant is not that important tho. He is oda's pet and weapon carrier servant, ofc he get to be close with him but does that means he is important? no. NPC love to catch on whats msm and align with current western woke agenda. Instead of that, why not focus more on people who are actually important in japan with lots of sources backing it up instead vague random bs?
Japan has historical records reaching back to Samurais like Kusunoki Masashige from the 1300s. If Yasuke was a Samurai there would be records of it or at least mentions of him being a samurai. He was trusted and loyal to Oda Nobunaga which that in itself is respected. The first documented foreign born Samurai was Wakita Naokata (Kim Yeo-cheol) from what is now South Korea.
I personally believe that he wasn't officially a samurai. A black man in feudal Japan would have stood out so much, so one would think that if he was made into samurai, there would be a lot of records of him, he would have been well-documented, considering how the Japanese were so good at record keeping, even very minor samurai had their records stored. The records for Yasuke are very vague. He also only stayed for a very short time in Japan. I seriously he would have mastered the Japanese sword fighting by that time.
Or the language.
Yasuke was favored by Nobunaga for his exotic appearance, stature, and strength. Fact. If Nobunaga granted someone a title, no one would argue it. In title, it's very plausible Yasuke was samurai. Aside from title, Yasuke probably didn't learn the extensive skillset that other samurai needed. It's an honorary title, and we still give them out today to favored people.
@@liquididentity101 Nobunaga favoring him is all the more reason that his records should have been kept well if he was officially a samurai. I have a Japanese ex who's a descendant from samurai and her ancestor is virtually unknown but their family knows details about him like how much exactly his koku (salary) was, his weapons, etc. That's how good the Japanese were, and still are, at record keeping. The fact that we don't know almost anything about Yasuke tells me that, while he was favored because of his different appearance, he was still not that of high status. Still more of a servant.
@@iconoclast6555 the most ignorant take. More of a servant? Paid, given land, and had law enforcement privileges? But a servant?
Your ex, knew facts about her ancestor because he was, and she is JAPANESE. Yasuke had NO family. So there is no one to carry his memory. But they still did in Japan. Because he was that important. The reason you are even having this debate is because JAPANESE people kept the idea of him being a samurai alive.
@@TheActionHank Idea is very different from fact. Like Metatron said, there's just simply no conclusive or factual evidence that he was officially a samurai. Yes, he had no family to keep his records, but he was, as you yourself said, someone who was favored by Oda Nobunaga, one of the most famous warlords in the history of Japan. Historians from that era, as also evidenced by Chinese historians, even at a much earlier time, were not slackers. They'd record important details in history, and the fact that pretty much they only recorded was Yasuke's skin color and strength, and not his official samurai status is very telling. You gotta remember that historians from this era recorded details even down to the number of swords and other weapons were in the army during a certain year. For me, the lack of evidence, records, and his very short time spent in Japan, point more towards him not having been an official samurai.
I read something a little while ago, can't remember where i read it, but it was talking about Yasuke and Nobunaga's Relationship and it made it seem like Nobunaga made him a Retainer in order to Protect Yasuke from those who sought harm upon him...
I firmly believe that Yasuke was never a Samurai but i also believe that he did have a rank of some sort in order to protect him.
I heard it was kōsho and he had the potential to become lord
@@void-rj8hb honestly, I just don't think there's enough information on the man tbh...
Everything I've ever read on him says he definitely was given a Rank but nothing that says he was a Samurai...
The Western world struggles to differentiate for some reason...
As a westerner myself I still don't fully understand it but I think I understand it enough to see how being one thing doesn't exclusively make you the other thing also...
I think the discussion on whether he was a Samurai or not is more or less similar to questioning whether or not God Exists...
There just isn't enough information about the guy and there's nothing that says he was either.
@@void-rj8hb
Unlikely, if he held any sort of rank it would put him in more danger and Nobunaga's enemies would have used it as propaganda against him.
In all likelyhood he kept him as a "novelty possession" so if somone were to hurt him then it would be disrespect toward Nobunaga, effectively like kicking his dog, you would have to at least be on Nobunaga's level to do that.
Dario looks super cool dripped out with the Samurai gear.
I Just love the fact you really do your homework. Great Job sir keep up the Awesome work. I love your stuff very very educational.
I would think it possible that Nobunaga called him a samurai even made him one, but that the other Diamyo didn't recognize him as such being non-japanese. As such they may have denied him the right to seppuku and the honorable death that implies. I am just spitballing here.
I think you are exactly right.
I do think I recall Mitsuhide being asked what to do with him when they captured him and him saying he was just a beast who didn't understand anything to return him to the Jesuits.
I think this is possible too
I think it probably went the other way - everyone treated him as a samurai, and he had all the rights and respect, but without the official title.
You made a good point. Even if he wasn't samouraï, as someone said in the comment section, he was in the inner circle if Nobunaga, so he was part of a selected few trusted retainer.
I really appreciate that you just look at the facts and don't care about political correctness. I have watched the 3 videos you said to watch on the topic
The civil war at Wikipedia was interesting 🤔
He was definitely just a retainer.
What's wrong with fiction in games ? Or are you the one of the person who learn history by games lol
@@kriegsmann5145 They should say at the start of the game that the story is inspired from hystory, and do the game how they like. If they never pretend to be hystorical accurate its fine by me. Anyway its not realistic for a single man to beat hundreds of enemies alone and often 1 vs 3-5.
@@gadabo87 you know this is the same series with aliens and fighting gods? It was never meant to be real history.
@@kriegsmann5145 It's not about it. It's about him being black and inserted for obvious DEI reasons. There's a much better and more fitting person, who ACTUALLY did a lot of important stuff -- William Adams. But he's white, so a no-go for Ubisoft. They had to make a game with a hard r.
@@vincentwolf1456 that's only in your head
By seeing how Yasuke blown the whole internet I can tell Ubisoft doing everything right
One thing is wrong with a new AC it's the fact that those like you care about MC skin color in a first place but not about gameplay
Now "the real anti soy chads" acts as "soy liberals", what a great show
Your friend looks awesome in that armor. I could see the Japanese giving an impressive warrior a house and other perks usually reserved for a samurai without actually making him one. I can see making someone so different as Yasuke a samurai may potentially caused problems for Nobunaga. It sounds as if he had problems enough without that. This, and the absence of positive proof leads me to suspect he was not a samurai.
But he had the strength of Ten Men and had the gear though. So he was definitely a strong warrior in feudal Japan.
@@ricardofrench8708 Yes, and probably well respected too.
@@rtyria If the shogun dines with him, and treats him like he's a samurai lord, *I'm* not going to say otherwise. *looks pointedly at the armed guards everywhere and rubs neck*
@@muninrob 😄
客観的で正確。オリエンタリズムもほとんど入ってない。そうとう良質な動画だな。大学の教授とかになってほしいわ。
Not taking away from Yasuke's accomplishments as a warrior, but I agree with people that say that he was a retainer and not be granted Samurai-status.
It's just part of the 'black-washing' of history that we see nowadays that insist on him being the black Samurai.
I see your point, I mean yeah he was black so not blackwashing but it is again a case of historical revisionism that you see constantly today,
@@istoppedcaring6209 Exactly, and this is problematic. Didn't Hitler claim there Germans descent from the greeks? When facts are being altered in favor of the feelings for some groups, we are in deep sh...
In the Southern US, they've got a bad habit of whitewashing history, but it's just as cringe when people try to go the opposite direction and place minority figures where they historically don't belong. Just tell things like they were, don't try to bring ideology into it where it has no place being.
Being a retainer would have made him a much higher rank than a Samurai. The Samurai would have had to bow to him and could not speak in his presence. I think it would have been politically easier to make him a Samurai. well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
@@clementmckenzie7041samurai isnt a rank. To be one, not only "someone" or "you" given that title nor "owning" a katana, but you got to practice the samurai code. How about those peasents who have katana? Are they suddenly a samurai? Or one that happen to be very skillful than average samurai? Are they suddenly samurai or above samurai? No. You dont even know the hierarchy dum dum
The issue is this a game to represent Japanese history and culture . Not a particular individual. But they are using an exception of an individual to represent a whole culture and history . A Japanese male protagonist is what is expected and rightfully so to represent the culture and history of the time . This is just tokenism.
This video was made two years ago.
I guess the Japanese woman in fully assassin clothes and gear doesn't exist
@@TheMiklos
*who is masculine as hell
@@davidwilson6577 Can't argue with stupid
Ugh did you get your sources from Thomas Lockley? You know he is in hiding now for lying about a black samurai exhisting and Nihon University firing him.
I want to believe that he was so precious to Nobunaga that in order to preserve him in his family he decided to not make him a samurai, Nobunaga probably came to know him and appreciate not just for being exotic but also for his knowledge of the world ans experiences, I can see the long conversations about the places he came across and cultures etc. and as you said he stayed with his son. I think is a beautiful story. I hope we have more like this kind of videos
Thank you for approaching this matter in such a respectful manner. Now, obviously I have to point out that there is no such thing as “cold, hard facts” in history (given that every single written account ever made is colored by beliefs, assumptions, and perspective of the writer), but of course it’s best to refer to written sources from the time rather than to extrapolate from what little we do know (so far as that is possible, at least). There are too many people who would decry your healthy skepticism as racism, and conversely too many who would label your statement that Yasuke COULD have been a samurai as “libtard propaganda;” both accusations are, of course, childish and ignorant, and do not apply to your video. There are arguments for Yasuke being a samurai, and arguments against; ultimately, we may never know. At the end of the day, you’ve approached this matter in the best way I can think of.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. ruclips.net/video/MFbL9pf08ec/видео.html
I have reported this as misleading.
he did really exist.However, he was not a legendary samurai.
He served as a chamberlain and carried Nobunaga's belongings.
Usually, when someone with military achievements is appointed as a samurai,
they are allowed to use a surname.
Yasuke did not have a surname, his military achievements are not recorded in history books,
and his name is not included in the list of Nobunaga's vassals,
so it is generally believed that he did not have any notable military achievements.
He only served Nobunaga for one year and three months.
Don't think he was a chamberlain. Just an attendant.
Yasuke was never a Samurai. This is a historical FACT!
Prove it
You can't be talking if it wasn't about the controversy event
Such a terrific and amazing video as always Metatron and I love how you brought your mom and your friend on the video that was an excellent addition and big shout out to Dario for putting on the armor and arms and giving us an amazing visualization of what Yasuke would’ve looked like thanks man! And as far as my thoughts on the matter if Yasuke was Samurai or not. I think personally it is a very grey area and if not Samurai, Yasuke was still most certainly not the run of the mill infantry of the line or grunt and he was definitely an honorary warrior. No doubt earned through his time serving his lord. And given the fact he was given a house and a sword as well as a servant. With just this evidence alone it could be properly assumed and Metatron I would love to know if you agree or not that he may have well could’ve been on his way to become a samurai. And given that his lord liked to talk this man and was extremely curious of him and where he was from as well as who he was it wouldn’t be too far fetched either to assume or theorize that the lord and his black warrior may have grown to become very good friends. At least brothers of the sword. I feel that maybe if his lord hadn’t died when he did and maybe lived just a little longer and Yasuke under his service a little longer he could have been made samurai. There’s also a lot of theories I think of as to maybe why he wasn’t officially made samurai and something I was thinking is perhaps that the general elite would’ve refused to acknowledge this unknown foreigner as samurai at the current era given the very traditional nature of the samurai of course this would be excluding the I guess you can say untraditional or taboo nature of Yasuke’s lord. So maybe he was going to be samurai if his lord had lived longer or maybe he although I don’t think too likely but maybe he was made samurai secretly by his lord as a way to bestow the honor on to Yasuke without putting Yasuke in danger with other traditionalist samurai or not to tarnish the lords already taboo reputation in the eyes of the elite. Or maybe both? But I can say whole heartedly just based on the facts we posses and that have been presented in this amazing video that without a doubt that Yasuke was at the very least an honorary warrior that stood out from the rest. His story although very mysterious is certainly an interesting one and I love to see that he as well as other foreign samurai get this attention more considering how amazing it is to see that even those not of Japanese blood or decent could receive such honorary status or maybe even possibly become samurai. Thank you again Metatron for such an interesting video and for covering this amazing historical figure.
Awesome Video!! A cool friend!! Great job!! Thank you for book recommendation. I get them both.