The Unlikely Samurai
A gaijin prevails across time, a comments section goes wild, Netflix’s pile of content & more.
Konnichiwa, earthlings. A recent video game franchise spurs today’s main piece, which takes us back to a time just before Shogun. Then you can always count on some Aussie humour to bring you right back!
The Unlikely Samurai: a gaijin whose story reaches out across the centuries
Friday Find: Comments suck!
The Endless Library: on Netflix’s pile of content
With: Scams, Timothee & Information Gods
1. The Unlikely Samurai
Kyoto, April 1581.
In the hall of a feudal lord or daimyo stands a tall, powerful man, stripped to his waist. The daimyo looks on expectantly, as his servants scrub the man’s skin with soap and oils. In some time, it becomes clear to all present- there is no ink nor paint, this is no illusion. The man’s black skin is indeed black.
The daimyo is impressed.
Exotically Improbable
This is the Sengoku period in Japanese history. A state of relentless civil war and social upheaval, where feudal lords wield all the authority. Oda Nobunaga is one the most powerful of these warlords, a brilliant military commander hailing from a minor province. Over many years, using a combination of partnerships and force, Nobunaga consolidated enough power to march into Kyoto in 1568, ousting the last Ashikaga Shogun and asserting his dominance. He is known for his military nous and his vision of unifying Japan. “His life’s work laid the foundational steps toward the unification of Japan, a monumental achievement that would be realised fully by his successors.” He will be known, also, for an openness to innovation and foreign influences. He engaged with Jesuit missionaries from Europe, and with them came firearms and other technologies.
In that hall in Kyoto, Oda Nobunaga is fascinated enough with this powerful black man to bring him into his service, on a retainer no less. The man will be known to history as Yasuke.
The Sakoku period- Japan's two centuries of self-imposed isolation- was some decades in the future yet. Now, Japan's ports bustle with international trade, Portuguese traders haggle in Nagasaki's markets, Christian converts number in the hundreds of thousands, and Western knowledge- from astronomy to medicine- has found eager students among Japan's elite. It is not yet a hermit kingdom, making this story possible, if not probable.
Yasuke’s unconfirmed origins are likely in Mozambique. He reached these alien shores in 1579 with the Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano. Likely a slave to this ‘Visitor of Missions in the Indies’, he is said to have been a bodyguard, indicating martial skills. The two made their way from the southern island of Kyūshū, eventually reaching Kyoto in the spring of 1581, and so to the daimyo’s hall.
A blackamoor came from the Kirishitan Country. He appeared to be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. Black all over his whole body, just like an ox, this man looked robust and had a good demeanour. What is more, his formidable strength surpassed that of ten men.
-from ‘The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga’ by Ōta Gyūichi
The African man is described as being ‘6 shaku 2 sun’ tall (roughly 6ft 2in/ 1.88m). The average height of a Japanese man even in 1900 was 5ft 2in, so Yasuke surely towers over most in 16th century Japan. With his bodyguard/ warrior status, he makes an imposing figure. Possibly it is this, and a natural penchant for the exotic, that leads Nobunaga to demand that Valignano’s man enter his own service.
Remarkably, Yasuke goes on to become part of the daimyo’s inner circle. He is given a stipend and granted residence in Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle, he is even given a katana sword. He learns Japanese enough to engage in lengthy conversations with the warlord, even sits at the same dinner table on occasion. After all, his name itself seems to have been given by Nobunaga.
Yasuke might just be the first Japanese samurai hailing from Africa. But we can’t be certain. In fact, we don’t even know his real name.
The Legend Continues
Yasuke’s unprecedented status in 16th century Japan spurred his legend- the gaps in his unlikely story have proved irresistible to storytellers through the centuries. An award-winning children's book in the 60s, Kuro-suke is a fictionalised account about a black young man and the Honnôji Revolt, and is considered a masterpiece. His story appears in many manga, and books have been written on him by both Japanese and Western authors (taking considerable creative license, in some cases). In anime, Yasuke’s story inspired ‘Afro Samurai’ (2007) and Netflix’s ‘Yasuke’ (2021), which throws in some supernatural elements. The late Chadwick Boseman was to star in a Hollywood retelling, which was dropped when he passed; murmurs on other feature film adaptations continue.
Now, the fourteenth major instalment of the hugely popular Assassin’s Creed video game franchise has been set in the Sengoku period, with Yasuke at the centre of the narrative. The Black Samurai has come a long way.
In an age where everything can and often does court controversy, there has been a backlash since the trailer dropped last year. The developers Ubisoft have been accused of riding a woke bandwagon to include a black man in 16th century Japan; of historical inaccuracies around Yasuke’s samurai status; and of offending Japanese sensibilities. These complaints, I must add, should be considered in light of the rest of this series. Assasin’s Creed has been an amazing, and generally well-researched franchise. Yet it frequently takes liberties with the various historical settings it has placed itself in. I mean, the premise of the games includes ancient all-powerful beings, artefacts that can override free will to control people's minds, a device whose users can relive the memories of their ancestors through their genetic material, and the use of said device on descendants of past Assassins, to locate the missing pieces of the ancient artefacts.
And are we all gathered here for historical accuracy?!
Of course, Yasuke is not alone in capturing the imagination of those fascinated by the trope of ‘outsiders’ in Japan. Maybe most famously James Clavell's "Shogun," based on the real English sailor William Adams who became a samurai two decades after Yasuke; modern works like ‘The Last Samurai’ and ‘Tokyo Vice’. Western audiences return repeatedly to tales of foreigners navigating Japan's complex cultural waters.
Endings
Yasuke’s story reaches a violent crescendo; his last known act comes amidst the chaos of betrayal.
It is 1582. Nobunaga is staying at the Honnō-ji (temple). The great warlord is betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide. Overcome by his forces and faced with the inevitability of defeat, Nobunaga chooses to commit seppuku, a form of ritual suicide.
Yasuke finds himself at Nijō Castle, fighting by the side of Nobunaga’s son. He fights bravely- “the negro samurai fought like a lion”, but eventually his comrades are overrun by Akechi’s men. He surrenders, handing over his katana. The men take him to the general, who dismisses Yasuke as a barbarian, “a beast who was undeserving of the rank of samurai”. His life thus spared, he is returned to Kyōto, back to the custody of the Jesuits.
And just like that, Yasuke’s story ends. He simply disappears from all historical account. Like most of his early life, his final chapters are also tantalisingly out of reach.
The Japan that emerged from the chaos of Nobunaga's death would be different. Under the subsequent Tokugawa shogunate, the nation would seal its borders, expel most foreigners, and forbid Japanese from leaving. Christianity would be banned, trade restricted to a tiny Dutch presence in Nagasaki harbour, and the fluid social construct that allowed a foreign nobody to serve a Japanese lord, would calcify into rigid hierarchies.
This might be what makes Yasuke’s tale all the more enduring. It is at odds with a complex culture that has often grappled with inclusion. Here was an African man who, for a brief time, found himself at the center of Japanese history during a crucial turning point. We don’t know anything about what drove him, his likes and loves, where he came from… or where he went.
Maybe we can just play the new video game when it releases in March. Or maybe, we can make do with the bittersweet ending in the children’s book, where Kuro-suke (Yasuke), sent to the Namban temple in Kyoto, finally sleeps that night. He dreams of his parents in Africa, and cries silently.
Addendum
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Nobunaga’s key generals, rallied the troops, eventually defeating the traitor’s forces at the Battle of Yamazaki. Mitsuhide himself was later killed by a peasant armed with a bamboo spear.
Hideyoshi ultimately completed the unification of Japan. His methods, relying on diplomacy and strategic alliances, differed significantly from Nobunaga's militaristic and often brutal tactics.
2. Friday Find: Comments Suck
No Hate In the Comments, please!
In a spot that’s wonderfully timely, even more so than the makers could have known when they made it, here’s a manifestation of many social media comments sections. Brought to life, it looks and sounds about as absurd as it sometimes actually feels, when we wade through a sh*tstorm of comments wondering, “how do people have so much time and energy to leave such inane/mean/vile/vacuous comments?”.
Watch ‘The Comments Section’!
"Out of the comments and into the cutlets"!
Once you’ve seen it, you’ll know this is for Australian Lamb. What, wait- why lamb you might well ask. Every year the Aussies produce a sprawling ad for lamb, its like a cultural marker. There is a history of taking themes that might matter to the (Aussie) population at large, and contrasting any discord with the harmony that good lamb brings to all (on, of course, a good Aussie barbie). They’ve all released during the summer- the interesting but slightly heavy-handed Generation Gap, the un-Australians, Australia is Real and Gods of the World (which ruffled some old feathers).
*I am reliably informed there are leaves for the vegetarians.
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Bonus Find.
The first tennis Grand Slam of the year is upon us, and Nike chose to smash their way in with the defending champion.
Watch Out!
3. The Endless Library
The well-known depth and oft-forgotten breadth of Netflix’s content offering is delved into in a riveting piece toward the end of last year. Its a fine read that covers genesis of the content proposition, how it grows, how it is reviewed, how it (probably) works, and what it means for entertainment, culture, and the individual viewer. It is a journey across funding stories, the “Debtflix” days, venture capital 101, Uber, creative hits, cable channels, peak TV and mid-TV.
It includes this wonderful 1993 insight from David Foster Wallace,
Television is the way it is, simply because people tend to be really similar in their vulgar and prurient and stupid interests and wildly different in their refined and moral and intelligent interests.
And hence, author Willy Staley says, “the SVOD model (subscription video on demand) liberated TV from the law of averages and the prison of time and made it seem as if our refined, moral and intelligent interests might now be found on the other side of the screen.”
Plus there is a take on how Prestige TV- the premium, high quality, even sometimes cerebral fare we have been indulging in especially from the likes of HBO, FX, Hulu & Netflix, is giving way to something not necessarily dumber, but content that tends to be less particular, less careful or considered.
“The rise of so-called Mid TV: shows that look expensive, are reasonably smart and packed with talent and somehow manage to be, in the Times TV critic James Poniewozik’s words, ‘... fine?’ ”
Read Netflix’s ‘Endless Library’ here.
And so on to a slightly larger serving of-
Masala Peanuts
(where I share stories or tidbits I find interesting).
Look: Scam Alert! Over in Singapore, consistently top work continues from Eyeyah! , this time with a special issue on scams. Eyeyah aims to build awareness in young people, using art in the magazine but complementing it with wider education efforts like talks and workshops. The Straits Time had the lowdown, and you can get a glimpse here.
Peek: The utterly charming Timothee Chalamet arrived for the London Premiere of his Dylan film ‘A Complete Unknown’ not in a limo, not in a London bus, not in black cab, but on a bicycle from bike-share app Lime. Rode across the Westminster Bridge on it too.
Read: Like him or be put off by him, its hard to ignore Piers Morgan and his brand of interviews. This piece in Variety tries to understand his latest reinvention, looking to become a major player in the new-media landscape with 'Piers Morgan Uncensored'.
Read: In Behind the Curtain: The Information Gods, Axios looks at the emerging news & information landscape which is being propelled forward with recent events. Especially, IMO, with the big election year 2024 has been in not just the USA, but many others including the most populous country on the planet. While they opine with a US-centric lens, the piece finishes with this sobering and daunting truth that many of us already know in may of our geographies & societies. “The burden now falls on you to find sources of information you trust for reliable truth. That means better scrutinizing not only the publications you choose, but the individuals you follow on social media. That's a lot to ask- but it's the new necessity.”
Talking of News: resharing this one that for some was a broken link last week. Because we should all seek out the good news- there’s plenty of good folk doing good things, but its the high-on-views low on feel-good that makes its way to our feeds. Here are 86 Stories of Progress from 2024.
Thanks for reading. Arigato gozaimasu!
Totally loved The unlikely samurai. Bravo!