Yasuke The Black Samurai? Did He Really Exist?

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...

[@xariasfury5782]

So yasuke didn’t dfight mechas and shoot laser beams? Netflix lied to me

[@bestia2.063]

Netflix caters to the woke and allows people to exaggerate and lie about their history in order to indoctrinate the masses

[@silverkip2992]

@@bestia2.063 I can't even tell if you're serious

[@65firered]

@@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.

[@bestia2.063]

@@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

[@bestia2.063]

@@65firered I am not Native American but I've been following their KZbin channels and a lot of these guys are out to claim that they are the real natives of America🤣

[@justinmeader]

So uhh... you guys are here because of the Assassin's Creed game too, huh?

[@Markeveli237]

Yeah

[@JimTheKnight01]

Guilty. 😂😂😂

[@dariusolivia18]

Hahaha...yep...😆😆

[@goro_vl390]

🙋‍♂️🤣😂🤣

[@goro_vl390]

I'm actually interested on his take on this AC controversy 🤔

[@eduardoferreiradesa5716]

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!

[@metatronyt]

Ahah thank you we all appreciate

[@coolmanjack1995]

Shout out to Metatron's mom for producing Metatron

[@stefanfranke5651]

@@coolmanjack1995 Content-creator creator :D

[@baconsarny-geddon8298]

The Meta-Mum has spread her wings.

[@alejandrolievano5573]

Meta-mom was the best part of the video

[@せんべいさくさく]

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.

[@dnaseb9214]

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.

[@LudwigVaanArthans]

Shhh, metatron is never going to cite BS sources, he always factchecks the factchecks

[@rosso757510]

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.

[@dguthrie1]

Y’all need to get a life

[@katajiro8178]

William Adams was the first historically recorded weeb, Oda Nobunaga was the first historically recorded reverse-weeb.

[@kelvinferreira3767]

Oda Nobunaga - The First Westeaboo. Someone has to write that book.

[@shogun_arasaka]

I wish there was the same attention paid to Adams, his story is extremely interesting.

[@antorseax9492]

Ol' Samurai Bill He's from Gillingham

[@shogun_arasaka]

@@antorseax9492 Samurai Bill, haha, I like that.

[@antorseax9492]

@@shogun_arasaka It's what he's known as

[@jovif.spemudaindonesia1841]

Thomas Lockley whole source is based from his own imagination and wild assumption.

[@white-noisemaker9554]

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.

[@helikos1]

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.

[@stefanfranke5651]

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.

[@yomauser]

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!!

[@lamwen03]

Sounds like he might have been the equivlent of a man-at-arms. All the gear of a knight, but not a noble.

[@helikos1]

@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.

[@なぞなくん]

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……

[@ye4ry2so5t]

Additionally he was no name person in reliable properties in Japan. Ya-suke is just like a kuro-suke in some animation.

[@itseveryday8600]

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.

[@axellyann5085]

Hideyoshi was a farming caste? Learning something new everyday.

[@davidcervantes9336]

@@axellyann5085 Yeap, he was FROM a farming cast. He was an ashigaru.

[@insiainutorrt259]

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...

[@michael3088]

as a novelty that's still no reason to beleave they were best buds

[@OtaniNoAsagi]

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.

[@kaimagnus5760]

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.

[@Olav_Hansen]

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.

[@-Wade-]

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.

[@fentanyl_weed]

@@-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.

[@calebeakin6742]

@@-Wade- Stay in your zone and try elementary again.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

@@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.

[@Chitose-stone]

弥助は侍ではなく、敵に屈して刀を渡した臆病者です。

[@JoystickJockie]

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

[@memeuridedimineata]

he made an update on this

[@JoystickJockie]

@@memeuridedimineata thank you!! Imma go watch now

[@keselekbakiak]

@@memeuridedimineata where is the update?

[@LudwigVaanArthans]

​@@keselekbakiaknowhere to be seen His "update" was 3 months ago, where he c*cksucked Lockley some more.

[@fringer6]

The end result is that Yasuke "The Samurai" was a Thomas Lockley fantasy, which he worked tirelessly to fabricate.

[@enterurnamehere27]

No he wasn't a fantasy lol

[@calcifur]

Netflix kinda disappointed they didn't do about more of a exaggerated realism approach like samurai Champloo.

[@65firered]

No instead it went full magical girl with mechs and robots.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Nope LeSean added Mechs and magic 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@helikos1]

I had the exact same reaction, such a shame. Samurai Champloo is so good. R.I.P. Nujabes

[@thepunishersequence291]

yeah I expected something in the lines of vinland saga with samurai but I guess I have vagabond for that

[@tiawheeler1153]

I definitely would have watched it if they went the Champloo route...

[@animedan6954]

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?

[@Cosecant18]

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.

[@BrotherPatrix]

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 KZbin! LOL

[@gamer2101]

Same for me. lol

[@Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_da]

and many racist already calling game woke just because black samurai!

[@raskolnikov6443]

@@Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_dawell there never was a black samurai.

[@Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_da]

@@raskolnikov6443 neither there was aliens or any assassins creeds game. They aren't historical games!

[@antonakesson]

@@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.

[@no9Lucas]

「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.

[@ben7932]

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

[@kagenoshinobimono]

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.

[@macvadda2318]

If he wasnt there would be evidence

[@3Overhaus]

​@@macvadda2318The evidence is that he was a famous man in Japan. But somehow they forgot to record he was a samurai.

[@macvadda2318]

@@3Overhaus because samurai werent recorded, and a lot of stuff about him was destroyed most likelu

[@eduardocruz4341]

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 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kabayakiunagi3936]

There are historical records of the retainers of the Oda clan, and Yasuke’s name does not appear on those lists.

[@sanchokihana6341]

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!

[@jimball4901]

I was thinking metamom or mothertron personally.

[@sanchokihana6341]

@@jimball4901 well actually I like your "mothertron" better XD

[@lordmegatron4789]

Metamom

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

It's clearly Mamatron you fools

[@abrahemsamander3967]

Jim Ball. Lol nice, sounds like megatron. Is his mother leader of the decepticons?

[@nobu0192]

Yasuke is not a samurai

[@JacobyoftheWest]

How do u know?

[@jimmatsuda8710]

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.

[@shogun_arasaka]

Thank you Metatron! Finally someone addressing the reality of the romanticism.

[@shogun_arasaka]

@Mack Magilligutty that's tight, urrrwuurrrrr gnomesayne.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@mr.joedirt8583]

Fun fact: Zero historical evidence that he was ever a samurai. None. Zip. Zero. The only historical documents about him say that he came over as a slave with missionaries and was made a "sword bearer." The myth about him being a samurai came from a pseudo historical book written by an ultra liberal westerner who also wrote the Wikipedia page about Yasuke. Be careful of revisionist history.

[@macvadda2318]

Do you have proof of thisv

[@tobiasthesecond5605]

@@macvadda2318 Yasuke is not included in the Shirin Sokai (Origins of Owari retainers) which documents all the Samurai clans who serve in the province where the Oda family ruled dating from before the Sengoku period till the 1700s. He is not even in the official list of Oda Pages (those with the same role/rank as Ranmaru Mori). Yasuke being a swordbearer is an intentional mistranslation from Thomas Lockley as the kanji/characters referring to that role was never described on Yasuke, he was described as "He sometimes carried Nobunaga's tools" and swordbearers were always underage youths not grown men. The fact that even in the Jesuit sources, he was never given a name but consistently referred to as a Cafre/Kaffir, indicating his slave roots.

[@macvadda2318]

@@tobiasthesecond5605 weaponbearer and tool bearer are practically the same thing, they both share 道具, the rest of what you said is kinda nothing to me, and thats not true at all

[@mr.joedirt8583]

@macvadda2318 Yasuke was a slave. He was in Japan for a couple of years. To be a samurai takes decades of training in their ways and martial arts. They come from a special class and bloodline where they start training as soon as they can walk. Yasuke wasn't even in Japan long enough to earn that title of samurai. Thomas Lockley was a historical revisionist trying to push multiculturalism in Japan with his false historical interpretation. It's insulting to the Japanese and their culture to push this nonsense about Yasuke.

[@tobiasthesecond5605]

@@mr.joedirt8583 It took both Hideyoshi (peasant) and William Adams (foreigner) nearly a decade to acquire their Samurai status. Both of them served their respective lords to at a high capacity. Yasuke only served Nobunaga for 15 months and if he truly became Samurai, that would have been a Guinness record for speedrun. Yasuke never served Nobunaga in a military capacity. Whatever battles Lockley put in his book are fabrication, supported by the fact that during the time Yasuke served Nobunaga, Nobunaga never participated in a military campaign till his death in Honnoji as years prior, the headship of the Oda clan was transferred to his son, Nobutada. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga in the Takeda territory ONLY after the hostilities ceased, just to inspect the newly acquired territory. As for fluency? the Jesuit, Florenco Mexia describes Yasuke as "sabia mediocremente a lingoa de Japão" ("he knew mediocrely the language of Japan"). The total opposite of how Lockley portrays him in his book.

[@クロエクロエ-d7m]

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.

[@kagenoshinobimono]

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.

[@grumpysloth7928]

Only 8% of slaves ever came to America.

[@annb2586]

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.

[@whoisjoe5610]

​@@grumpysloth7928 12,00,000 slaves went to the Americas in the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade

[@enterurnamehere27]

Where you git sources for these claims tho?

[@ShaddySoldier]

That's hilarious

[@Excalibur01]

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

[@admirekashiri9879]

The anime was trash

[@innitbruv-lascocomics9910]

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

[@Excalibur01]

@@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.

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@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? 😂

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@Excalibur01 but Afro Samurai is voiced by Americans like Samuel L Jackson doesn't that make it not anime? 😂

[@65firered]

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.

[@helenline1790]

Yeah I thought it was awful. Not sure why they bothered making it.

[@65firered]

@@helenline1790 It had potential but completely wasted all of it.

[@Nerobyrne]

oof, I haven't seen it, but it sounds pretty bad lol

[@65firered]

@@Nerobyrne It's pretty bad. It even has a magical girl who becomes the main focus of the "plot".

[@natsukimasamune7766]

@@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-

[@badgamemaster]

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...

[@innitbruv-lascocomics9910]

@Great White Still a cool storyline though. I would want to see it

[@minutemansam1214]

@Great White In real history? Sure. In a historical fiction TV show? Why not.

[@crozraven]

@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?

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

The story was impressive indeed.

[@doms.6701]

@@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.

[@butaudo1918]

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.

[@memeuridedimineata]

when you don't have history or you're to lazy to search for it , you tend to steal from others

[@easyislander]

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.

[@3Overhaus]

​@@memeuridedimineataI always get a chuckle when they say Africa built the west......yet they didn't build anything in Africa. 🤔

[@BatmanisBatman]

@@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.

[@spocky2014]

These have been done by the hands of persons, who have no proudful history but with much money.

[@TheShogunate]

Great video man! And thank you so much for mentioning my video as well, it really means a lot!

[@metatronyt]

My pleasure! You make some great quality content keee It up!

[@thearisen7301]

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.

[@ricardofrench8708]

I think he did fight in two of the wars though.

[@Jamble]

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.

[@daeith1233]

@@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

[@Jamble]

@@daeith1233 agreed

[@kagenoshinobimono]

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.

[@Eddman368]

Well this became relevant again didn’t it

[@ジェラシー侍-m2c]

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.

[@kennethlewis3881]

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 .

[@InterstellarKev]

Here from all the twitter Controversy, I love how all the EXPERTS on twitter. People get dates and periods wrong. They don't understand how class systems worked and even evolved or changed (or they stay ignorant on this) and to me after years and years read up on Yasuke Yes I too don't think he was a samurai in the traditional sense but more along of a Unofficial man at arm type of role but with the blessings of nobunaga to dawn a sword and be his protector. Guess it really dont matter but I'm black myself but still won't be buying that new assassin creed game as I don't enjoy them plus its ubisoft (steps in shit) ew . I do feel like some of these media releases nowadays is pandering yes and I do feel like it was a weird choice in a most politically charged time to me anyway my opinion. I have no prob at all with him in any game or media hell I welcome that tbh! but a company as big as Ubisoft knew what kind of attention this would get, bad or good and lets not even talk about the pricing (sicking). I do think there is a lot of CAP on twitter though from people claiming they want FULL accuracy from a series that's known to be a 1. a GAME. 2. Takes creative liberties from historical figures no matter their status. It's just weird to me. Lol seems like they are trying to treat it like its Illegal to make a story about someone you barely have any information about or even if there is not a lot of info to get mad if they choose to go with one of the views that have been documented? So are all people off limits now? I'm just saying in general I know ubisoft may fuck up the story but on principle is this the route we want to take?

[@TimParker-Chambers]

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 ^_^

[@hawkticus_history_corner]

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.

[@paritybit7830]

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.

[@siekensou77]

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.

[@ricardofrench8708]

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.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@oktusprime3637]

I wonder if Metatron has more to say about this after the Assassin's Creed Shadows trailer.

[@bigzed7908]

I dunno, I feel like he goes through everything.

[@PariahPsypomp6775]

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.

[@ryantheanimator1156]

@@PariahPsypomp6775 Tell that to the Wiki editors having a war with the Yasuke page, lol.

[@oktusprime3637]

@@bigzed7908 He did!

[@viktoriyaserebryakov2755]

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.

[@chappooo3641]

Please stop spreading this misinformation. He was never a samurai. He’s real story is like 2 mins long. Some American made it more epic and remade and it became more popular. But all the Japanese ppl hate this made up story trying to be labeled Japanese history.

[@kitla6947]

Good presentation of both sides of the coin. The facts leaning towards Yasuke being non-samurai is more compelling

[@thomaschristopherwhite9043]

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.

[@Anedoje]

He was not a slave when he was in Japan he was a hired guard

[@JarosawKovacs]

@@Anedoje please watch the wideo again. He started as a slave.

[@wayne47able]

@@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

[@JarosawKovacs]

@@wayne47able ofcourse not was free but You can say and again that woknes story but it will not fakt.

[@wayne47able]

@@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.

[@NinurtahRS]

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.

[@Petq011]

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

[@yn5568]

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

[@keoghanwhimsically2268]

@@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.

[@yn5568]

@@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

[@Warren_Peace]

@@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.

[@Debochin86]

He wasnt a samurai, end of story.

[@Hollow_illusion]

I take it you didn’t watch the video end of story

[@TheHellleader]

If he is a samurai then what's his surname? Thomas Lockley forgot to make a surname for this fictional "samurai" ​@@Hollow_illusion

[@Hollow_illusion]

@@TheHellleader did I say he was genius

[@Hollow_illusion]

@@TheHellleader there’s not enough evidence to say he was or wasn’t

[@TheHellleader]

@@Hollow_illusion enough evidence of not having a surname AND survives Honnoji, tell me which samurai in sengoku jidai that doesn't have a surname? You're just defending this fiction character

[@kagenoshinobimono]

Training in india, how is it that we know this if the first mention of him in historical records is after he arrives to Japan and no reference to india? (Answer: Enter fiction)

[@MetroCop2077]

Whos here to verify after new assassin's creed trailer dropped 😂😂😂?

[@bayek9869]

Did you verify Ezio?

[@MetroCop2077]

@@bayek9869 wat

[@Ash_Hudson]

All the normies have finally showed up. Can't wait for the Wikipedia Source/Trust Me Bro debates to begin.

[@MetroCop2077]

@@Ash_Hudson ???

[@nurrohmatadiputra5378]

​@@bayek9869ezio is a real historical person? I didn't know that. I am pretty sure most Assasin Creed MC are fictitious. Sorry if i am missing the point

[@_MrTrue]

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.

[@dennischen2642]

He's more likely to be Nobunaga's pet than a Samurai lol

[@_MrTrue]

@@dennischen2642 pretty much

[@capuchinhelper]

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.

[@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699]

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.

[@natsukimasamune7766]

@@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.

[@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699]

@@natsukimasamune7766 the katana is pretty far from being considered “modern” Can you elaborate on your comment?

[@natsukimasamune7766]

@@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699 modern compared to the Tachi which was used Prior to the invention of the katana.

[@outsideiskrrtinsideihurt699]

@@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.

[@Theiron2142]

The Japanese claim they have no record at all of this guy being a samurai warrior.

[@sirarnie9837]

So at best you could call him an armed man or bodyguard, but you can't definitively call him a samurai.

[@Raximus3000]

If he was, i am quite certain he would have left a bigger footnote in history. Nobunaga had enemies and they would have used this obvious of a peculiarity against him in a propaganda.

[@anas-432]

Didn’t you hear in this video that there is evidence that say that he was a samurai, you guys are going extra hard just because he was black.

[@macvadda2318]

A samurai wasnt some giant rile

[@obiwanshinobi87]

To think times were simpler just 2 years ago

[@Raximus3000]

They weren't.

[@Ash_Hudson]

Try a bit further back.

[@obiwanshinobi87]

@@Ash_Hudson I didn't say simple... I said simpler

[@pablovergaratelechea]

he was no samurai.

[@SapiaNt0mata]

he was a samurai, but he was not a warrior and didn't participate in battles. he was a weapon bearer of Oda Nobunaga and his job was to hold his gear.

[@craftcocktail-z1k]

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.

[@letospeace270]

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.

[@davidwilson6577]

This video was made two years ago.

[@TheMiklos]

I guess the Japanese woman in fully assassin clothes and gear doesn't exist

[@Raximus3000]

@@TheMiklos *who is masculine as hell

[@cephydash1533]

​@@davidwilson6577 Can't argue with stupid

[@RainGunslinger]

The civil war at Wikipedia was interesting 🤔 He was definitely just a retainer.

[@kriegsmann5145]

What's wrong with fiction in games ? Or are you the one of the person who learn history by games lol

[@gadabo87]

​@@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.

[@ShigKnightTV]

@@gadabo87 you know this is the same series with aliens and fighting gods? It was never meant to be real history.

[@vincentwolf1456]

@@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.

[@kriegsmann5145]

@@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

[@_Love_And_Peace]

I have reported this as misleading.

[@burningknuckle26]

He was never a real Samurai. He was a servant.

[@Xmasparol]

You started saying that because of your favorite game is not Japanese man

[@kaguth]

Samurai were servants bro. It would be more accurate to say "We don't know if he was a Samurai, at the least he was a lower level Bushi"

[@scarecrow2097]

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.

[@tobiasthesecond5605]

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.

[@adambielen8996]

And even if he didn't he would have still been very well off.

[@jannegrey593]

@@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.

[@tobiasthesecond5605]

​@@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.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@petemisc4291]

I really believe if this “exotic” person was made Samurai,it would have been officially recorded!

[@Raximus3000]

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.

[@petemisc4291]

@@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!

[@Raximus3000]

@@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.

[@petemisc4291]

@@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

[@petemisc4291]

@@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!

[@Vickiehou]

Yasuke was never a Samurai. This is a historical FACT!

[@metatronyt]

Prove it

[@dimasthefox9410]

You can't be talking if it wasn't about the controversy event

[@kamikaze00007]

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.

[@overlordwarlordtheomnilord9473]

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.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@lilahdog568]

I think it's funny how Dario sounds more Italian than Metatron.

[@leofwulf268]

It's the Latin It gave him a British accent

[@pointynoodle]

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.

[@rinzler9171]

Who cares? People should be HONEST when it comes to reporting history, not molding it to suite their tastes because of mainstream culture.

[@toxicanalytics9966]

​@@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

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@DatcleanMochaJo]

​@@toxicanalytics9966Doesn't matter. Facts matter

[@pz_faust6866]

​​@@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?

[@Delgarothe]

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 ?

[@draatrom]

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

[@YurRedRooster]

I don't see enough talk about how xenophobic Japan was at that time. That needs to taken into account when debating this. A black man made samurai in 15 months? Its a reach at best

[@RaiosSephi]

William Adams arrived 1600 and was bestowed the title for 4 years. I suppose, it ain't easy

[@YurRedRooster]

​@@RaiosSephiWilliams Adams trade connections were valuable. I think that's why he was made samurai more than anything else.

[@RaiosSephi]

@@YurRedRooster Yes, and due to the fact that he joined Tokugawa army… but he was recognized by his navigational skills first and foremost, bearing the name “Anjin”

[@AJGress]

Can't wait for the AC Shadows response video where you'll have to repeat everything you said in this video again because people are too lazy and incompetent to properly do their own research 😂 Edit: Called it.

[@todoje12212]

* 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.

[@Thomazbr]

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.

[@werrkowalski2985]

I didn't expect that there is going to be no evidence that he was a samurai, great video.

[@frankjames7272]

It's just common sense. Being samurai is a great privilege, people wouldn't like it if they give the tittle to a foreigner.

[@beatnik6806]

@@frankjames7272 yeah but there was a samurai from england.

[@MrSeekerOfPeace]

He was a slave brought by the Portuguese lmao

[@Riceball01]

@@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.

[@Peecamarke]

Same, I was surprised as well

[@l.av.h7812]

Yasuke could never officially be a samurai because of the fact that he wasn't from japanese noble descend which was the most important criteria at his time period to officially be a samurai.

[@MaaZeus]

But during Sengoku Jidai period a commoner Ashigaru rise to the rank of Samurai if he did well in battle, manage to get a lot of heads etc...? 🤔 Not that it was common but there was a chance your lord could do it.

[@michaelwhite8031]

Will Adams was promoted to Banner man (Hatamoto) which is a high ranking Samurai.

[@admirekashiri9879]

There were some foreign Samurai though.

[@l.av.h7812]

@@MaaZeus That's an interesting info that you brought up and Im happy that you brought it up as I believe it is good if you can fill in the gaps of my knowledge on this subject and improve my understanding in this subject so I welcome any more info on this subject while preserving and improving on my own info on this subject.

[@minutemansam1214]

@@l.av.h7812 Yeah, basically it was possible prior to the rise of Toyotomi Hideyoshi for someone not born into the samurai class to be placed into that class since social mobility was a thing. But Toyotomi ended up fixing class structure and getting rid of any social mobility. Ironically he was born a peasant and was made a samurai by Oda Nobunaga, so he got rid of the system that allowed him to rise in the social ranks.

[@Eric_Von_Yesselstyn]

NOPE... There was never a Black Samurai... Not one, not ever.. Yasuke We will begin with the fact that Yasuke was a real person, he did exist, he was of African descent and he was put into the service of Oda Nobunaga. This is fact, and is not disputed. What is disputed are all the revisionist stories of Yasuke as a great warrior, as having been awarded Samurai status, and earning respect of the Japanese people and other Damiyo that he encountered in the service of the Oda... THIS IS NOT FACT. Romantic stories of the famed Black Samurai are nothing more than fables no more real than the futuristic comic book land of Wakanda. Recent books by authors such as Thomas Lockley provide a plethora of speculation portrayed as fact, typically referencing historical documents and then interpreting them in a way to fit the narrative that sells books. However we won’t go to far into the motivations of authors and commercialization of romantic stories, these have their purpose and remaining true to the historical records is rarely one of them. Here is a high level overview based upon known recorded facts... Yasuke arrived in Japan in 1579 in service of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, who had been appointed the Visitor (inspector) of the Jesuit missions in the Indies (East Africa, South and East Asia). He accompanied Valignano when the latter came to the Kyoto area in March 1581 and his appearance caused a lot of interest with the local people. According to Histoire ecclésiastique des isles et royaumes du Japon, written by François Solier of the Society of Jesus in 1627, Yasuke was likely from Mozambique however this is not confirmed. When Yasuke was presented to Oda Nobunaga, the Japanese Daimyō thought that his skin must have been coloured with black ink. Nobunaga had him strip from the waist up and made him scrub his skin. These events are recorded in a 1581 letter of the Jesuit Luís Fróis to Lourenço Mexia, and in the 1582 Annual Report of the Jesuit Mission in Japan, also by Fróis. These accounts were also published in Cartas que os padres e irmãos da Companhia de Jesus escreverão dos reynos de Japão e China II (1598), normally known simply as Cartas. "When Nobunaga realized that the African's skin was indeed black, he took an interest in him." According to a Japanese accounting of Yaskue states: "On the 23rd of the 2nd month [23 March 1581], a black page came from the Christian countries. The man was healthy with a good demeanour and Nobunaga praised Yasuke's strength. Some say that Yasuke could speak or was taught Japanese, and it is stated Nobunaga enjoyed talking with him. However, it is more likely that a Jesuit missionary translated for them, in order to control the dialogue as they were not ones to miss an opportunity to interact with Nobunaga in order to advance their mission. Reportedly, Nobunaga's nephew gave him a sum of money at this first meeting, for his travels, and on 14 May, Yasuke departed for Echizen Province with Fróis and the other Christians. During this trip, they met local warlords such as Shibata Katsutoyo, Hashiba Hidekatsu, and Shibata Katsuie, They returned to Kyoto on 30 May. At some point, although when is not exactly clear, Yasuke entered Nobunaga's service. Yasuke was also mentioned in the prototype of Shinchō ki owned by Sonkeikaku Bunko , the archives of the Maeda clan. According to this, the black man named Yasuke was given his own residence and a short, ceremonial katana by Nobunaga. Nobunaga also assigned him the duty of weapon bearer (much to the annoyance of actual samurai) Here is where the facts morph from what is known, to what is "wished for"... Nobunaga had a propensity for the unique, and he was particularly interested in all things foreign. Clearly he was fascinated by Yasuke, and this was documented to be to the chagrin of many of his top generals such as Akechi Mitsuhide, who is reported to have been disgusted by the site of Yasuke, and saw him as nothing more than a wild beast. After the Battle of Tenmokuzan, Nobunaga led his force, including Yasuke, and inspected the former territory of the Takeda clan. So people make the assumption that Yasuke actually fought in this battle, and that he donned Samurai armor and fought valiantly as a samurai hero. Fact check: A sword bearer stays behind with the general camp, near to the lord, they don't go out on the battlefield, and there is ABSOLUTELY POSITVELY NO RECORD OF YASUKE FIGHTING IN ANY BATTLE! There is also NO RECORD of Yasuke receiving martial arts training, or use of the Japanese sword, either when in the service of Nobunaga or the years prior. The truth is that his time with Nobunaga was limited, as they first met in 1581 and Oda Nobunaga was dead a year later. This is hardly enough time for Yasuke to be trained to be the great warrior all the Waukanda dreamers want him to be. Yasuke as a Samurai? Sadly, for either commercial purpose, or some social equity rationale, some people attempt to equate Yasuke as a non Japanese Samurai in the same way the English sailor William Adams (Pilot) was later viewed. However Adams was actually presented Samurai status, and there is no record of Yasuke being bestowed similar Samurai status. The FACTs are that Oda Nobunaga made him a servant for a few months. A few months... not a lifetime of service dedicated to serving his lord, ready to give his life in the service of the Oda. Another fact that is clear; Yasuke was kept around as talking piece, an oddity for Nobunaga to show off, much in the same way he enjoyed irking other Daimyo by showing them Azai Nagamasa's gold plated skull. Fate of Yasuke They say that Yasuke was present at Honnoji and took part in the fighting that lead to Nobunagas death. However it is recorded that perhaps only a single individual from the Oda survived the Honnoji incident and it wasn't Yaskuke. Yasuke was alleged to have been taken by Mitsuhide troops soon after the Honnoji incident, but Akechi had his men return him to the Christian missionaries stating that you don't kill the beast, for the fault of his master. Was he an Honorable Samurai? Despite modern romanticized versions of Yasuke, if he was this great Samurai some would have you believe, then it stands to reason that he would have either fought to the death at Honnoji, or at the very least he would have committed Seppuku. Nope.... didn't happen. Or if he was an honorable Samurai like the 47 Ronin, at the very least he would have begged to join Hideyoshi in the fight against Mitsuhide and gotten revenge.... don't you think? Nope, didn't happen All that is known about the fate of Yaskue , is that he was seen with the Christian Missionaries after Nobunagas death and reportedly fled the country soon after. So while people may attempt to romanticize the story of Yasuke to suit their agenda, the truth is that such blatantly false attempts to rewrite history are pure revisionism and nothing more. Faking history because it makes you "feel good" does nothing but a disservice to all students of the culture, the Japanese nation and the historical record. There was no black samurai, no great Yasuke, no hero.... just a man who was a victim of circumstance and the times he lived in.

[@jaxthedisintegrator8096]

Damn, seek therapy man 😕

[@aveongreen2368]

And a very interesting story which looking forward to playing in the new AC game 😆see you there

[@Eric_Von_Yesselstyn]

@@aveongreen2368 Facts.. I don't play AC

[@RaiosSephi]

You can add the info of Akechi Mitsuhide describing Yasuke as a lowly figure, according to Luis Frois Report

[@mushroomanjcc1954]

​@RaiosSephi Its a biased sorce, it would only make his argument look weak. There's also no reason to add that, since plenty of ppl thought certain shoguns were lowly

[@iconoclast6555]

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.

[@Raximus3000]

Or the language.

[@liquididentity101]

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.

[@iconoclast6555]

@@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.

[@smugnick5458]

​@@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.

[@iconoclast6555]

@@smugnick5458 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.

[@shinjofox]

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.

[@knytrydr73]

I think you are exactly right.

[@just_radical]

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.

[@bloodyhell574]

I think this is possible too

[@muninrob]

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.

[@BStial223]

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.

[@tiawheeler1153]

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.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@goma3639]

Be careful, because in English-speaking countries, there are many false Yasuke books written by historical revisionists who want to please black people. In the real world, Yasuke was a European slave who came to Japan, was later presented to Nobunaga, and was a black man who worked as a porter until Nobunaga's death in a rebellion by his subordinates. After Nobunaga's death, he was sent to the Jesuits and disappeared from Japanese history. Thomas Lockley became an authority on Yasuke in English-speaking countries by falsifying Wikipedia and Britannica, but in Japan he is treated as a historical revisionist. The Black Samurai book is a ridiculous book that has not been peer-reviewed, it is a category of fantasy novels based on Yasuke, not historical fact. If it had been fiction, it wouldn't have been an issue, but since it has been confirmed that the character Yasuke is being used for political purposes internationally, a member of the Japanese House of Councilors is currently in 2024 gathering information and conducting a preliminary investigation for how to respond. It wonder how many people have been fooled by him?

[@thefatefulforce8887]

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.

[@arnowisp6244]

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.

[@thefatefulforce8887]

@@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.

[@Gilsao157]

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.

[@gamer7916]

@@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.

[@Gilsao157]

@@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

[@michaelm6384]

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.

[@thebeatle2621]

"And I got a real black person myself just to show you how they look." Lol, jk.

[@admirekashiri9879]

🤣🤣🤣

[@QwertyBoredom122]

Depends on your definition of "black", Dario is clearly of African decent but he is actually rather pale by African standards, the real Yasuke would have likely been MUCH darker potentially almost tar black depending from where on the continent he came from.

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@QwertyBoredom122 There are light skinned Africans if you didn't know.

[@QwertyBoredom122]

@@admirekashiri9879 Hence why I said "depending from where on the continent" Though I will stand on the point that all of the African's (mostly from commonwealth countries) that I know and have met have been on the darker side so this is very much bias on personal experience.

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@QwertyBoredom122 that was in reference to Yasuke's dark skin. You should know Africans are more diverse than you think there are people in both South Africa and Nigeria as light as the guy in the video some even lighter strange enough.

[@thechrisofsomething2780]

What does nonbinary samurai do with their enemies? They/them

[@silverkip2992]

oh my that joke is terrible I love it

[@silverkip2992]

@@thegamingwolf5612 they slash them

[@ishadowxhunter-0135]

Wtf is "Non binary"? I'm sorry I just don't understand post-modern, attention seeking, socialistic insanity.

[@kaijuslayer3334]

@@ishadowxhunter-0135 My man is just trying to start a fight

[@XMitrilXPL]

I can also edit a wiki to base my book of

[@Betterthenme]

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

[@freckleheckler6311]

No not a “downtrodden hero”. So damn silly. Stop elevating average myths because of your cringey delusional sympathy for black people.

[@babypuncher2787]

@@freckleheckler6311 you sound like a racist

[@jijijijijiji44]

@@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.

[@factsandworldknowledge2654]

@@jijijijijiji44 no hard to see that he is a snowflake on anything black.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@koshthe1701d]

No! Turns out, everything about him is fake.

[@yukauni]

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.

[@gq_barry]

Did Yasuke come to Japan as a slave under the Jesuits?

[@yukauni]

@@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.

[@gq_barry]

@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?

[@Chiarobscur]

@@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. 😂

[@GrumpyBeluga]

Johnny Somali is the new samurai hahaha

[@padalan2504]

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.

[@danielantony1882]

Idk about you but if someone is given the title of "Bushi" then there ain't nothing beating that.

[@MadMax22]

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

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

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.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@trueblue2523]

=== All historical records of Japan === Yasuke, a Portuguese slave, was sold to the military commander Nobunaga. He served Nobunaga as a caretaker (a person who carried Nobunaga's luggage). When Nobunaga was attacked, Yasuke was not killed. There are no records after that. All historical records about 16th century Japan about Yasuke

[@alexanderren1097]

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

[@yuya5679]

Yasuke is not samurai

[@quenched3st893]

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.

[@ParlonsAstronomie]

The protagonist ? Isn't he a npc ?

[@pl0xie494]

​@@ParlonsAstronomieNo, he is one of two protagonists.

[@tshikaraproject2661]

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.

[@istoppedcaring6209]

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,

[@tshikaraproject2661]

@@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...

[@BlackEpyon]

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.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

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. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U

[@pz_faust6866]

​@@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

[@T.J.S.]

Ubisoft sent me here

[@Clark_Kent_ZA]

Assassin's Creed anyone?

[@marcoasturias8520]

Ye, it made me curious about him

[@camilofonseca2073]

Yep. KZbin algorithm 🤣

[@LM-vq7ju]

Need an update for this one haha

[@ryantheanimator1156]

More like Ass Creed.

[@lildippy1257]

Yeah. Still don’t like Ubisoft lol

[@壇まゆみ]

From Japan. I hope my friends will not be fooled by false history.

[@senarmstrong03]

Aight, get ready for this video to blow up😂

[@GrimrDirge]

Yusuke is great stories where a dude turns a little bit of luck into an amazing life. Dario looks awesome too.

[@Smoker5739]

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.

[@jshlstn1]

There's also white samurai. There's been a lot of samurai, but in today's racially motivated time, we're told the forget history we're told that facts don't matter and for matter of racial sensitivity, we're supposed to ignore that those who came up with a term like cultural appropriation seemed to want to. Interject themselves into everyone else's culture. Including usurping, other nations and culture's history. Also, they can attach themselves to it and claim that everything great is because of black people.

[@winterfox2240]

He was real but he was never a samurai

[@rlsxs4ever]

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

[@clementmckenzie7041]

well lets just see what the author of the book he references in this video has to say for himself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fFfWymm5Vrm8U