Yasuke The Black Samurai? Did He Really Exist?
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- čas přidán 19. 10. 2021
- 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/gp/product/133...
www.amazon.com/Chronicle-Nobu...
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 CZcams 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 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.
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
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.
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 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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
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.
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?
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 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!
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.
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.
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? 😂
* 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.
I am loving the content lately, sir! I'm appreciating bringing some awareness to some of the historical facts around the real stories of our diaspora!
I've been looking forward to this, epic video Metatron!
I just love, appreciate, and cherish your meticulous objectivity. This was, again, a great video!
Dario was a great addition to the video. Thanks, Dario!
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.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?
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
Great video as always. Thx to both of you.
Great video, that touches on not just the title subject, but the adjacent ones! Thank you very much!
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
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.
Thank you Maestro, another excellent video!!
Your friend looks great in the Samurai armour.
He really does!
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
Always enjoy Metatron's well researched videos. Great job, and very informative.
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.
Great vid many blessings to you and your friend
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
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.
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.
Yusuke is great stories where a dude turns a little bit of luck into an amazing life. Dario looks awesome too.
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
I love your video keep it up my friend your the best
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.
You know what will be nice? Metatron releasing books about his history knowledge.
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。
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.
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
I think it's funny how Dario sounds more Italian than Metatron.
It's the Latin
It gave him a British accent
Thank you Metatron! Finally someone addressing the reality of the romanticism.
Banzai,muggafugga,gnomesayne!?
@@stewpitt8388 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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
Very well presented and unbiased.
Awesome video, my guy.
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.
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
Man your friend's shirt in the end is super cool. Dude's got style.
Excellent work, and thanks to Sr. Dario for tolerating the cramped armor!
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.
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
Thank you sir for unearthing the myth and the insight of the legendary yasuke.
been looking for a video about him since i found out that there was a black samurai some time ago but i only found the few mentioned videos and i am psyched that the Metatron is covering it 🤩
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.
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.
Great video Metatron! Regardless of what the nuances about Yasuke were he was a dope character in the pages of history.
Dear Metatron (or Raf?)🖖🖐 thank you, I really enjoy your channel. Very informative and entertaining videos. 👍👍👍👍🏯btw...today on the 421st anniversary of the battle your Sekigahara video appeared first thing in my newsfeed..youtube algorhythms be thanked. Keep it up 👺
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 😄
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
"Did you see that Takeda?" 8:25 you got me there, at the enactment! Magnificent! And funny. 😁
I very much enjoyed this video. Even though I haven't seen the anime series yet I think I might actually check it out for kicks and giggles
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
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
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
Amazingly accurate and informative content as always! Is Dario lusophone, like me by any chance? If so, how appropriate if Yasuke was from Mozambique 😊
I haven't read that many historical novelizations, but by far the best ones were also the most historically accurate. Granted, its easier to get diaries and first hand accounts from WW2 (one of them was basically a guy rewriting his diary).
In case you guys also want to read them: Last Stand of the Tin Car Sailors and Those Devils in Baggy Pants.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
Thank you, Metatron, for so concisely and precisely covering this topic, and doing so honestly. It's becoming increasingly rare to have objective discussions about history, in my experience anyway. Speculation is fine, but I get annoyed when people treat their hypothesis like it's a proven fact.
As someone who loves Japanese history, and history in general, the subject of Yasuke gets brought up occasionally and it's never a discussion of the primary sources. It's almost always that African Samurai book, and a couple of people have even cited some videogame he's a character in. He's a fascinating historical figure, but people ignore the actual history in favor of what they think is a cooler story. As if not being a samurai would make his story any less incredible.
So, Metatron, while you're on this journey of looking into the historical reality surrounding legendary figures, such as Jesus and Yasuke, what do you think of King Arthur Pendragon and his possibly Roman roots?
Found out he may have not been a Samurai after doing some research on him. Didn't bother me one bit it's still a very interesting place of history to see how someone who had not even known the black race even existed would react positively, made me want to learn about Oda which made me want to learn about his clan and feudal Japan a bit more. So the real reality of history is always better.
@@admirekashiri9879 I agree. I find the real stories of history, insofar as we know them based on primary sources, to be far more intriguing than the romanticization of an author. Truth is stranger than fiction, as the saying goes. Not to discredit the works of authors, since I greatly enjoy reading. Historical fiction entertains me, but historical sources inspire me.
Yasuke was a slave who traveled halfway across the globe and became a close personal acquaintance of one of the most powerful men in a foreign country, during a civil war. Then he was granted freedoms, a home and stipend, so he was likely living a quality of life above that of his slavers, and was absolutely of a higher status than them. Samurai or not, he fought alongside other warriors to protect Nobunaga and his family. His story is incredible and awe inspiring. Yasuke doesn't need the title of samurai to be a legend, and I think the debate surrounding it overshadows Yasuke's accomplishments.
I do not believe Yasuke was a samurai, however, I do believe that if Oda Nobunaga had survived the Honnō-ji incident, he would have made Yasuke one. This is merely speculation on my part, but it's interesting to think about.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
Love the little break into italiano at the end 😄
Great vid!! Please do a video about the English Samurai.
Well as an old subscriber, an admirer of your work, and being a black guy, I must say this video has not disappointed me. On the contrary. Even I wished that all the romanticized version was fully true. Even in this era, it's pretty difficult for people like me(read as any "out of standards" people) to get highlighted positions in the society, imagine back then. But now I am in love with Nobunaga's tale even more, cuz if someone could make that true, it was him. Thank you for this excellent piece of study, Metatron.
My pleasure and thanks for watching!
As a One Piece fan I would love to see a video about Ishikawa Goemon, I'm not even sure if he was a real person or just a legend.
He lived August 24, 1558 - October 8, 1594 and was a legendary Japanese outlaw hero who stole gold and other valuables to give to the poor. He and his son were boiled alive in public after their failed assassination attempt on the Sengoku period warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Your friend looks bloody scary in that armor! He looks awesome! :)
oh man, Dario really pulls of that cold samurai look. 3:48
I thought being a high ranking guard & one of the most loyal retainer kinda made Yasuke a samurai already. What if it's not something official, but more in the spirit of being a samurai?
Also, since we know that Nobunaga is a very eccentric man to the point of making common pleb like Hideyoshi rose into a high ranking samurai because of his loyalty & merits in skills, I am far more in support of Yasuke being a samurai. It's just feels right imo. It would have been totally different matter if it's other clans imo.
Not really
This isnt about how you feel bud. Its about facts.
Your feelings are just feelings. The sooner you learn this the better.
Science and facts are what other people and everyone should rely on when trying to define truth.
He probably wasn't made part of the Samurai class but I am sure he commanded the same respect.
Facts... yes I love that great video 👍
Good video!
I doubt he was ever made a samurai through some kind of official ceremony, but I think that to the people at the time as long as he was in Nobunaga's retinue he was probably treated like a samurai and thus would have been indistinguishable from any of the other samurai under Nobunaga's direct command to an outsider.
So like not on the level of people who had their own armies and lands like Hideyoshi/Mitsuhide/Katsuiie, but probably on the level Hideyoshi was at the start of Nobunaga's career.
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
your friend has such a wholesome smile
Quite interesting ... didn't know about this story.
I think Yasuke is a quantum object in a superposition of being both samurai and not at the same time, until we discover a way to measure his status in Japan. And of course this will cause a collapse into 2 separate universes, one where he is a samurai and one where he isn't... because fizziks.
More seriously though, I'm relatively sure he wsn't a samurai but it's still a cool story.
If he was provided with weapons and armor and service as a retainer, and given a household, it's likely he was samurai in the same sense that someone who is knighted by modern monarchs is a "Sir" or "Lord" ... but that probably wasn't made hereditary. If there were evidence of him having left heirs, then he was probably Samurai in the formal sense. It would have required some kind of documentation because he was a foreigner.
So than he wasnt a samurai at all... Because samurai is a social status granted by a lord. Being around a lord doesnt make someone a samurai.
You have to admit that it's a very fascinating story. Just wish we knew more about this. Who knows maybe we may have a historian that finds a document that will further shed light on this man.
subtitles pls!!!!! love ur channel men subtitles in english at least pls!
P.D: Spanish would be cool
The story of Yasuke is so fascinating
Way to go we need history not glamorization and dramatization
Our Italian Samurai Sensè and a modern Black Samurai in the same vidio, I think that just made my week if not my month lol. My children continuing to bring their grades up and finishing this school year with their heads held high and with smiles and laughter instead of the depression of last year will make my year. None of them are Noble Ones (yet) but we are working on it ;~)
I hope you do a video on William Adams, even though there are plenty others on CZcams.
I've always enjoyed hearing about people who go to a faraway land and actually manage to flourish in the strange world they've arrived in and being Oda Nobunaga's retainer is certainly a high honour in it's own right. This man doesn't need the title of samurai to be someone worth talking about,so let's not claim that he has said title unless it's proven.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
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. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.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
That Flying Lotus album is fire though. Beautiful compilation of sound.
That anime started so good... Needed more time to experience that universe
"Yasuke (弥助) was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga originally from Portuguese Mozambique, Africa. Weapon bearer of Nobunaga, He served in the Honnō-ji incident. According to Thomas Lockley's African Samurai in the 'Oda vassal clan, the Maeda [archives]' there was mention of him receiving 'a stipend, a private residence ... and was given a short sword with a decorative sheath.' However, there is no mention of him being allowed to wear a daishō pairing as a samurai." A retainer is a servant. "The samurai constituted about 10% of the population and functioned as soldiers in the employment of a lord in a master-warrior feudal relationship. Other classes were prohibited from possessing long swords such as the tachi or katana, and carrying both a long sword and a short sword became the symbol of the samurai class." Yasuke was gifted a short sword only therefore signifying that he was not samurai. As an FYI, ethnic minorities in Japan were generally excluded from the class system, though certain individuals in service of the Shōgun or daimyō were included.
I think Yasuke was kinda like a Samurai but never officially got the rank of one, him not having a surname as a Samurai would have been really odd.
He was definitely a respected warrior in the ranks of Nobunaga, don't get me wrong, but I could easily see that even if Nobunaga saw him as a Samurai, others did not, especially after the death of Nobunaga.
well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. czcams.com/video/MFbL9pf08ec/video.html
The only completely honest video on this subject I’ve seen on the subject.
I believe he was a samurai, even if there was no official declaration.
Your friend must have had so much fun