The Legendary Black Samurai

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In the video today, we're looking at a legendary figure commonly known today as "The Black Samurai". This man, initially a slave, is thought to have been the first foreigner ever been made a Samurai in in Japan. So how did he rise from slave to elite Samurai? Well, watch the video to find out. :-) In the Bonus Facts, how Samurai and the Japanese gave the world Star Wars.
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[@TodayIFoundOut]

Help support our research and writer monkeys who allow us to keep this channel daily and get 10% off by checking out Squarespace using the link www.squarespace.com/brainfood *Edit: Also thanks to squarespace for sponsoring this one as KZbin decided it should be demonetized because it discusses, to quote their explanation of the manual reviewer, "Discussions of modern acts of terror, events resulting in the catastrophic loss of human life, or controversial social issues..."

[@TheTruth-xp2of]

Hello from Japan. Slight correction to the video. At the time of Nobunaga, the Katana was not strictly restricted to the Samurai class, and as such the being awarded a Katana does not in itself prove someone was a Samurai. The Katanagari edicts strictly disarming non-Samurai came under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who seized power in the aftermath of Nobunaga's assassination. To be fair, the fact that Yasuke seems to have been awarded a salary and land does suggest he was at some point elevated from a simple servant to a Samurai though I have never seen any historical documentation that points to a specific rank.

[@TimelapsedArk]

Another thing about the video I wanted to clear up as well. Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga because of the latter's careless tactics taken during the Isshiki Campaign where Akechi Mitsuhide's mother was put to death, because people will use what little power they have to stick it to their conquerors. Nobunaga knew this and continued anyways and Akechi Mitsuhide never forgave him for it. Clearly. It is also unclear that the Black Samurai was there at Honnoji when Nobunaga killed himself, since it's a very well documented event by the chroniclers of Ranmaru Mori and his other personal bodyguards. Just my two cents.

[@Flakjacket96]

Is Google trying to kill KZbin? You cant make either Educational,Gaming or News Videos because of there Content Policy and you cant do stuff like animations because of how the algorithm works. Not only that they cant make money off of the Kid Videos. KZbin keeps shooting themselves in the foot its almost like they enjoy it.

[@josephtabar492]

@@Flakjacket96 You are definitely right in your assessment of thier communist policies. What is the statute for thier crimes including punishment, even capital offence?

[@mrwarr]

Wtf seriously? I hope you guys fight that demonetization bs. Because it’s BS! I really hate this platform sometimes for giving you creators such a hard time. PS I’ll have need of SquareSpace’s services in about 2 months so tell them to keep sponsoring you! (I like discounts.)

[@peterlane1391]

The black pirate samurai? How the hell isn't that a movie.

[@ATheMansa]

They're actually working on one now. Chadwick Boseman was cast to play him last year.

[@StoneCoolds]

That will be an amzing movie !

[@jonbodhi]

I definitely want to see it!

[@Future_Imperfect]

They did. It's called Afro Samurai

[@BlackBullRising]

How is it not a movie?... Becuase he's Black. Just like The Lone Ranger being White despite based on a Black man (Bass Reeves).

[@神の兵]

It sucks that Yasuke’s history wasn’t so well documented.

[@maxbrandt6]

I find this fascinating, I never learned this in any history class and yes, it really sucks we don't know more about this man. He had an action packed life!!!

[@omgitsclinton]

Maybe I’m not looking hard enough but I find a lot of prominent Japanese historical figures not very well documented.

[@xmaverickhunterkx]

Max Brandt One man. One. With a history that isn't clear. That's not something to be taught IMO, but merely mentioned as a curiosity.

[@josephtabar492]

@@omgitsclinton that's because the Japanese culture is based on fantasy for the most part! For instance, take their historical cultural stance on the act of suicide.

[@GrandElemental]

But you have to admit that it also adds a bit of mystique to the character. :)

[@JFJD]

Quick note: in Japanese it’s common to emphasize the first syllable in words, rather than the second. Also, the “su” part of “Yosuke” is not meant to be so much spoken as hissed - so the correct way to pronounce it would be “Yo’s-ke” The more you know!

[@woofcat9363]

Thankyou

[@jasonakers6538]

While your note on Japanese pronunciation is correct, the name was actually Yasuke. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke

[@JFJD]

Jason Akers Oh, bum.

[@BansheeVanRaven]

Thanks

[@craigcrawford6595]

Actually, from what I read about Japanese, the pronunciation of the second syllable wouldn't matter, like sukoshi, one can pronounce all or one can say suk'oshi, both are correct in Japanese...

[@NathanCassidy721]

It’s interesting learning the origins of a boss character from game Nioh. For those who don’t know, there’s a boss called the Obsidian Samurai who is based on the Black Samurai who has an Atlas Bear as a sprit aiding him.

[@maximaldinotrap]

I love that fight because the two most famous samurai that were not born in Japan or Japanese descent were able to give us such a great boss fight in the game.

[@NathanCassidy721]

​@@maximaldinotrap What I liked about it is it shed a light on a couple historical oddities that very few people know about. Heck, they could do an entire episode on William Adams.

[@xXSamir44Xx]

A lot of the information in this video was actually in the game. It had pretty extensive biographies for every important character.

[@NathanCassidy721]

@@xXSamir44Xx I'd say to take the in-game "biographies" with a grain of salt the game narrative is a historical FANTASY. Yes it is based on real-life people but for certain characters, like our said Black Samurai, there is very little known about them and thus they have to fill in the blanks. Even the presentation of the main character is not accurate as he wasn't made a samurai due to his martial prowess but rather for being a phenomenal DIPLOMAT. He's largely remembered for establishing trade hubs for the Dutch and English in Japan. Now historical inaccuracies doesn't make Nioh a bad game, not in the slightest, but it does serve as a reminder to not take everything you read at face value.

[@marcusvachon845]

I agree with the idea of Yosuke becoming a pirate, and being called The Black Pirate would have been awesome.

[@johnv6806]

Eh. Blackbeard was better

[@urielandbb9725]

John V Blackbeard wasn’t black

[@johnv6806]

@@urielandbb9725 naawww, really?! I was talking about the name.

[@ikinoktace1280]

The Black Pirate Samurai sounds awesome as The Black Pirate probably does exist since black pirates were a thing e.g. Black Ceasar

[@johnv6806]

@@ikinoktace1280 except "pirate" and "samurai" are kinda opposing ideals.

[@retroambassador2945]

I'd love to hear you talk about the legend of the 47 ronin

[@darryljack6612]

I'm sorry for the wave of insane people that are going to pass by this video.

[@asch7906]

* Hidden Blade sound *

[@Rayzorbladez]

His real name is Samuel L Jackson.

[@bio_the_manokit]

Not its afro samurai XD

[@Jblast252]

No no Samuel is his great grandson And Mace Windu is his decedent

[@Mephistophocles]

Enough is Enough!

[@andrewbeneche6319]

Big Lou Ah but is the absence of evidence the evidence of absence? There are known knowns and known unknowns. Iykyk

[@otorishingen8600]

Omg 🤣

[@rrrrrp]

Fake

[@reynaldolunajr.6909]

If he had saved the son this would have made a great story.

[@deemariedubois4916]

Reynaldo Luna Jr. I thought he was going to be given another head, the son, and his sword and travel with two heads to the next relative in line.

[@alicewilloughby4318]

This is really interesting. I'd never even heard of this guy before!

[@shane7615]

When I beat this guy in Nioh yet again I will now show greater respect in the single strike the task requires, and find a witness.

[@jonbodhi]

Shanye West should I be pleased that he’s in the game, or insulted they he’s one of the easiest bosses?🤔

[@AmericanLord]

This great man is getting drug through the mud right now smh

[@_MrTrue]

Name a single feat worthy of the title of Samurai that is historically confirmed.

[@adreabrooks11]

Haha! At this point, given the various ways that you mispronounced "Mitsuhide," I suspect that your pronunciation has become a running gag. XD

[@AB-fs8jl]

Bit mean bro

[@adreabrooks11]

@@AB-fs8jl Not at all; I think it's great! In early videos, people used to simply comment on his butchery of foreign words. Round about 2017, Simon started posting disclaimers to the effect of: "I don't speak the language, and sometimes I can't find the correct pronunciation - but feel free to have a go at me in the comments section." Nowadays, it seems like he's doing it on purpose, to troll the word-Nazis. If so, I think that's kinda hilarious.

[@ZOB4]

2:57 - I didn't know MC Hammer lived in feudal Japan.

[@yondaime500]

"MC Hammer turns 600 this year. Feel old yet?"

[@JohnDoe-re4qy]

Oh woah woah oh woah woah oh...

[@Textile_Courtesan]

The first time I watched 'The Hidden Fortress' was at my Sensei's studio, she had it on during my Okeiko. It was not subtitled but the directing and acting was very easy to follow and extremely engaging that it was difficult to pay attention to my lesson.

[@noytelinu]

Really need to include him in one is those oda anime since there are so many of those

[@awesomeok960]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ-8qox6pahjZrs This video is a final answer you guys are looking for. You can watch this with English subtitles. He is Japanese, but explaining in German. As a Japanese, I have to say this, all books ,including the one written by Thomas Lockley, are fiction. Because there is few historical materials about Yasuke exists in Japan as the video above shows. Yasuke was in Japan for three years in 1580's. Photograph was imported to Japan in 1850's. There is no picture about Yasuke exist. 最後に、日本文化に関心を持ってくれてありがとう。

[@pedroportillo1585]

Not really a final answer. He doesn’t deny nor confirm if Yasuke was a samurai. He does give other explanations as to what Yasuke could have been (like a Sumo Wrestler) but doesn’t deny the very likely possibility that he was a samurai.

[@DeusGladiorum]

Wow! Not only was he a black samurai in the 16th century, but apparently he was also able to time travel all the way to the 1800s to have a photo taken of him!

[@grapeshot]

Obviously that was a photo of another black person in Japan in the 1800's. Whether you like it or not black people do get around.

[@jlfuwafuwa]

4:18 Nobunga! 6:22 Mitt-sue-hide?

[@NotHPotter]

For real!

[@AMagrow]

I'm STILL loving your presentations. Thank you

[@PagingMaxHeadroom]

So, after all this time we discover that casting Richard Pryor in the Samurai Hotel sketch with John Belushi wasn't outrageous after all.

[@tomoyuki-e3e]

I see, you guys think that around 1540, photographic machines and photographic paper were already so widespread in Japan that family photos could be taken using wet plate photography, not copper plate or silver plate. The quality of the paper also seems to be different from that of Japanese paper. It appears to be high-quality paper. This means that photographic equipment and paper, both of which are said to have been invented in the 1800s in Western Europe, were so widespread in Japan that common people could use them for entertainment. The Industrial Revolution must have started in Japan, not in England. The Industrial Revolution had not yet started in England at that time. Japan was a rich country with tremendous science and technology, the most advanced science and technology in the world. I am Japanese, but I did not know that. You can consider all countries except Japan as backward countries, right? This is political correctness, isn't it? I know this may sound like a long shot, but I will ask you one more time. Are you sure about this?

[@VashGames]

The little jingle that plays before and after an announcement in buildings. Where did it come from? When did the practice start?

[@blueberrymcphuckerson9821]

Thanks to Adult Swim and SpikeTV, I 100% believe he listened to sick hip-hop beats when he did bushido and shit.

[@MillaNine]

“His strength was greater than 10 men “ wtf 🤭

[@rinalay7192]

I mean...Japanese men at that time only were 5’0 tall. Yosuke was over 6 feet, young (early to mid twenties) and toned. I can see how his strength was greater than 10 men at that time.

[@tristanbackup2536]

He must've been built like a brick. On top knowing how to fight like a Samurai, other Samurai fighting on the battlefield against him would've sh*t themselves seeing a dark tall figure right coming at you.

[@Tatsumaru117]

Hey Simon, I'm a long time fan (your videos are great to have downloaded for long drives across Washington State in U.S.) and I was wondering how one would go about sending you fan mail? I recall NicePeter used to have his info listed to do "viewer mail" on his Monday show, and I have always regretted not sending him anything, given how much impact he has on that part of my life. I'd very much like to send you a letter or parcel, and not have that regret repeated with another one of my favorite youtubers. I don't much care for television, and your handful of channels make up a significant portion of my entertainment. All the best, -David in Seattle

[@mechasentai]

Someone HAS to make this into a movie.

[@dae316]

It’s Murder to us today, but it wasn’t murder to them in the past, just a way of life.”

[@ThePROFESS10NAL]

It’s this way on the west side of Chicago today. Savages.

[@charmainej4820]

Mozambique makes sense, since they traded with the Portuguese a lot

[@TheRomanticDarkness]

"Speaking of badass: SQUARESPACE! Smooth..." 🤣

[@finalrenderanimationstudio]

Good research, love this episode... One thing tho, (don't think you noticed ) his name is pronounced "Yas-Kee" lol, sounds fun with pronouncing (Yah-su-ke) tho ;) (Yes, his name is spelt Yasuke)

[@Yardie1682]

Was Tom cruise depicting this guy in the Last samurai?

[@jerohenry8523]

🤔

[@kevinrod7501]

Basically yes

[@madmanga64]

Thanks!

[@oslonorway547]

Title: _The Legendary Black Samurai._ ...That's it? Did you guys just merge/convert a _Biographics_ into a _Today I Found Out_ videi, hoping we won't notice? 😁

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Biographics has nothing to do with TodayIFoundOut other than the same host. :-) -Daven

[@mrhalliburton293]

Now you guys need to know who Sakanoue no Tamuramaro is. This is centuries before Yusuke. He was the very first Shogun of Japan. He represented the Anui Clan.

[@derrickmitchell39dm]

This shit gotta be made into a big movie. Wow!

[@zzz-nu2re]

0:40 Following the passing of a law in 1629, samurai on official duty were required to practice daishō (wear two swords). Samurai were granted kiri-sute gomen: the right to kill anyone of a lower class in certain situations. This was after Yasuke surrendered his sword

[@zawwin1846]

Dude is looking for the One Piece after his time in Wano.

[@stephjovi]

OK I'm convinced now. I'll get square space. I don't need a website but I wanna be a Samurai pirate 😂

[@amdreallyfast]

It would be great if you and Extra Credit history got together for curious stories from history!

[@platonian2421]

Got to get back - back to the past... *Samurai Black*

[@grapeshot]

Sounds like a good idea for a movie The Black Samurai Pirate.

[@ravenmarine2015]

Sam Jackson : a Black Samurai in Fudal Japan? , Waltz hold my sake, get Tarantino on the phone

[@davebee70]

There is no mention in Japanese historical records of the time of Yasuke being samurai. He was indeed brought into Nobunaga’s court. He was given a short sword, no mention of Katana as far as I know. He wasn’t given a surname, all samurai were given a surname. There is mention of him being Kosho, which is a page of sorts usually given to younger boys of a family but still an honourable position, but no mention of samurai. All samurai are bushi, but not all bushi are samurai. Maybe he was samurai maybe he wasn’t, but there is no mention of that honour being given. Mitsuhide’s words regarding Yasuke were hardly flattering if you actually go read them, contrary to what you say here. It’s clear he thought Yasuke had no idea what he was doing, wasn’t Japanese (and said much worse about him) and so let him go. To call him a “ronin samurai” is a bit of a stretch. He spent a year with Nobunaga and then was back with the missionaries as you say. The black pirate samurai is wild speculation and nowhere to be found in Japanese history of the time. As I said there is little to read about Yasuke, the information is scarce but the title of samurai or heroic deeds in battle are simply not mentioned by Japanese chronicles of the time. Thomas Lockley caused a lot of confusion and misunderstanding (to put it mildly) about Yasuke. There is no problem with a black samurai if it was in Japanese history, it would be an interesting piece of history and if Nobunaga had lived maybe that story would have developed, but it didn’t. There has a lot of unfortunate embellishment of this story, some who just don’t know and run with a story they hear without fact checking, but also others who are bad faith actors and have more political motives for twisting the narrative. Or for selling books like Lockley.

[@zakbreeze5625]

Mitsuhide committed the biggest dishonor one could in that time. He scrambled around looking for allies and was killed only two weeks after he betrayed his lord. Not sure why he's always brought up in this context as someone with integrity.

[@worldofjoseup]

So, the book Scythe was born a bit on the Black Samurai. Nice to know.

[@LorrTube]

Why isn't there an anime about this guy? I'd watch it!

[@sirsavagethe21st56]

Afro samurai

[@DontreadPimpBoy]

Like the aforementioned dude wrote: Afro samurai

[@Desmohenry]

I can see the shitty Harveywood movie now...they will portray him as the most noble samurai that ever lived, that all Japanese samurai wanted to be like him, that he was the best samurai and swordsman of his time , that today's Japanese revere him and have monuments to him all over Japan even though 99.9% of all Japanese have never heard of nor care about this person.

[@builditright9923]

@Simon Dear Sir, I just saw this video on kings abd generals. Fyi this is not the first time ive seen this trend with other youtubers and you. Are they copying you or the other way? I did see this just recently on kings and generals.

[@noobiusmaximus6314]

This would make a great film. I'm sure it would have oscars thrown at it.

[@tomoyuki-e3e]

Just to correct this, Nobunaga did not become a "征夷大将軍 (shogun)" during his lifetime. Even Hideyoshi did not receive the position of Shogun from the Emperor, but became "関白 (regent)". It was Ieyasu who finally became Shogun. To become a Shogun, one had to have an official rank. By the way, a Shogun is not a king. In the U.S., it is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Nobunaga is a Daimyo. A Daimyo is a position similar to that of a state governor in the United States. In Japan, a state has the same meaning as a country. Therefore, in the Warring States period, the military commander-in-chief received his position from the Emperor. By the way, the character "侍" means one who is allowed to be around noblemen. This refers to a close associate. The character "士" also means an aspiring person. In this period, it refers to a soldier. Note that both 侍 and 士 are read as samurai. It is true that Yasuke may have gotten a "sayamaki" (a small sword without ricasso), a mansion, and money. But this is also given to the winner of a sumo tournament. Yasuke is physically superior. So perhaps he could have been a soldier. But he is not a samurai in the sense of "侍". To become a samurai, you need to have the Order of Merit. If a person has earned a number of merits, he or she is given a surname. After that, you are allowed to have a family. After that, you are allowed to become a samurai. Of course, these rules were not established until 1600, so it is not a rule that must be followed. However, at the very least, a samurai must be appointed as a feudal lord, and if he is appointed, his family will increase, so there must be a record of his appointment. If a person is appointed who does not have the required merits, there will be complaints from those around him. There is no record of Yasuke receiving a family name. Therefore, Yasuke is not a samurai. This level of knowledge is learned in compulsory education in Japan. So, if you graduated from junior high school, you would know what I am talking about. When modern experts say that Yasuke can be called a samurai, they are saying that he may not have the merits of a samurai, but he may have the abilities of a samurai, so we should tolerate him and read him as such. He. is saying. Nobunaga did not appoint him to be a samurai.

[@scabcrawler632]

He always pops up in my ps2 game way of the samurai. I think he listens to wu tang clan alot

[@catsupchutney]

I bet he was popular with the ladies.

[@sirsavagethe21st56]

M A N D I N G O

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

@@sirsavagethe21st56 SAMDINGO

[@Ginger_vitis]

CAN YOU DO A VIDEO ON WHERE THE PHRASE "MIND YOUR P'S AND Q'S" ORIGINATED?

[@brisketbbqbob8306]

William Onieal it means to mind your beer. Ie. pints and quarts

[@Ginger_vitis]

Brisketbbq Bob thank you so very much!

[@vanaals]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Afro Samurai among the bonus facts.

[@oracleofdelphi4533]

I can't help but imagine a Tyler Perry movie from this title.

[@DontreadPimpBoy]

Oh please no

[@TorquemadaTwist]

Madea Takes Tokyo. You're welcome.

[@KeikoKeepSmiling]

Didn’t know Afro Samurai was real.

[@chrisb8918]

Like so many other pages out there, the covering of Yasuke is full of alot of misinformation and theory/conjecture. Yasuke existed, he was most likely not bought or enslaved but was a freeman like the majority of Africans at the time and was a trained warrior and a hired body guard to one of the jesuit missionaries from India. Him being a slave is conjecture at best based on some slavery going from Africa to the middle east and india at the time, but many Africans also traded and traveled to those lands for work and as mercernaries. When the Jesuit went to Kyoto to see Nobunaga after 2 years in Japan thats when Nobunaga desired to see his body guard who he then desired to hire for himself from the Jesuit missionary who obviously was not gonna tell him no, so he became a retainer. This is where many people believe he became a Samurai but thats where the conjecture and miss information begins. He was given payment and a house because he was hired as a retainer to Nobunaga. This was not unheard of for anyone under a lords retinue. He was also gifted a sword at some point but it was only a single sword and by most accounts a ceremonial sword most likely a wakizashi. To be a Samurai, they had to have the symbolic two swords. A katana and a wakizashi. Since he never recieved the symbolic two swords nor has any account ever mentioned him being Samurai, its unlikely he was ever officially a Samurai. He was most likely seen as a "bushi" which is a Japanese warrior. To add, Samurai were not just warriors. They were considered a level of nobility and were required to handle managerial responsibilities and were usually craftsmen or held other administrative skills. Another thing to add is that the account of Yasukes surrender has him handing over his sword and being returned to the Jesuits to be taken back to India because he was not considered apart of Japanese culture or Japanese. This makes sense since he had only been directly involved with Japanese culture under Nobunaga for about a year and probably was not fully adapted to their societal expectations so he was not recognized as a Samurai and expected to commit suicide like Nobunaga and his son or their Samurai. He also would not be considered Ronin as he did not have the two swords that would distinguish him as a Ronin Samurai. Ronin Samurai would still have their weapons. This is not to discredit Yasuke, but there is a lot of fantasy, conjecture, and recent folklore being fabricated to exaggerate Yasukes time in Japan for more recent political and ideological reasons that undercut reality and history and the little we actually know about this historical event and Yasuke.

[@alexpaul7918]

Why isn't this a movie !!!

[@nilsiomanjate3987]

Yasuke was from northen mozambique

[@1mikeburns]

Some people also say he could’ve been from Ethiopia

[@primuspilusfellatus6501]

You have to imagine, for a 5 foot feudal japanese man to encounter a 6 foot 5 black man is like seeing the hulk in modern days.

[@ReturnOfSith]

I'm in the process of writing a modern story of a person in NY being related to the samurai and him learning how to be a samurai from the last relative of Oda.

[@steeljawX]

Hey Simon, I know you're trying your best + a "college try" on these Japanese names, but please try to stay somewhat consistent with them, even if you are mispronouncing them. You, somehow changed Nobunaga's name to "Nabunga" at 4:18. I'm only making a point of this because, while I'm not 100% sure, there might have been a descendant of Nobunaga who's name was Nabunga. Feudal Japanese lords tended to have a way with naming their sons. Nobunaga's direct sons, that I can recall, were Nobutada, Nobukatsu, and Nobutaka....so Nabunga isn't too far off and could lead to further confusion rather than education. Beyond that, I had heard bits and traces of this, but never a "fuller" account of Yasuke. Thank you for this.

[@GrandisArcanum]

Get a life

[@potatomatop9326]

His name is Afro Samurai.

[@akumaking1]

Where did the Black Knight trope originate?

[@blackerpanther3329]

Josh there were no black knights

[@TheElectra5000]

I would love to see this story turned into a movie. In japanese, of course.

[@twotimesbam]

They want us to be servants so bad

[@ekang9612]

Ahh yes the victim mindset is strong with this American also.

[@twotimesbam]

@ekang9612 nothing in my statement hinted towards being a victim. The statement was pointed at the mindset of racists. So to THAT point, the racist mindset is strong with this imbecile.

[@YurRedRooster]

All samurai were servants. Yasuke served by carrying Nobunagas sword. Warrior Samurai( I know redundant) served by fighting battles. That's the truth

[@twotimesbam]

So just disregard what every historian including this youtuber is saying and listen to the countless people commenting saying otherwise? I should listen to yall instead of them?

[@malcolmgilliam7022]

Yeah a lot of people feel some kind of way probably because this man was highly regarded and lived like a samurai instead of just being a commoner lolol

[@DoesNotEqual]

As always, Simon neglects even a quick look at Wikipedia, giving way to such mispronunciations as... Yasuke: "yuh-SEW-kay" Mitsuhide: "MIT-suh-hyde" jidai-geki: "JEH-dye-GEE-kee"

[@CovfefeDotard]

Waiting for all the right wingers being offended somehow

[@MajesticSkywhale]

Why would we? This is cool!

[@woofcat9363]

Nah they left this channel a while ago.

[@lealpq]

We, the Portuguese: we were always few, but the immensity of the world did not frighten us. We, the Portuguese, despite being so few, it was so much that we did. An empire of five hundred years. First of all, we arrived!

[@MadersPie]

Ah. This is where Ubisoft got it.

[@michaelmorales5435]

mad gamer boi

[@georgehh2574]

Why did I instantly think of the Scoody Doo movie with the samurai? 🤔😆

[@BearTheMerc]

Their needs to be a movie

[@shizuwolf]

To those that are upset about the recent AC game: what are you really upset about?

[@Nka893]

I am an African and I feel I can still answer that question. If they made an assassin's Creed game set in sub Saharan Africa and then the main character instead of being African is instead an Arab merchant who just landed on the shores of Kenya. It's extremely tone deaf

[@shizuwolf]

@@Nka893 wasn’t that Origins?

[@Nka893]

@@shizuwolf the game is set in Egypt and your character is Egyptian. Being from Africa does not mean black that's why i specified SUB SAHARAN African

[@shizuwolf]

@@Nka893 but Yasukei was an actual guy. How accurate he is to the IRL person shouldn’t matter in this series since this is the same series that gave us a mind controlling magic apple and god being held prisoner by the pope. You really haven’t given a good reason why this bad.

[@Nka893]

@@shizuwolf dude till this game they made characters who were actually from the place where the game is happening. I understand that he was real but he should have been the main character of the DLC not the main game.

[@_MrTrue]

7:19 He did no such thing. He was approached by a Samurai under Akechi and coaxed into surrendering his sword. Akechi said, and i have to paraphrase because of youtube, "....is bestial and knows nothing and is not Japanese. Return him to where he belongs". To which he promptly returned to the Jesuits.

[@notslucis9977]

Lol William is not Japanese too, but a lot of people think his samurai too. 😅 lol

[@levantz]

Where does that quote come from?

[@_MrTrue]

@@levantz That quote comes from a report by Luis Frois that was created during Nobunaga's time. I actually paraphrased it heavily because YT wouldn't like the original.

[@jayoh2023]

He wasnt a samurai. He was a sword bearer 🤦‍♂️. The book that says he was a samurai made it up. japanese historians has said he was a sword bearer and also believs he was portugese with dark complexion so he might not even be african

[@wa-bu3ke]

Samurai are sword bearers Japanese say he’s a samurai in museums and gaming magazines

[@jayoh2023]

@wa-bu3ke the museum statue is made how the artist "vision". And I don't know about the gaming magazine but there is a book from Japan the author made up the samurai part to make the book more interesting. Even just look up wiki and sword bearer are not samurai they are servant holding swords for their master

[@wa-bu3ke]

@@jayoh2023 I have and wiki doesn’t say it’s made up. All Japanese media calls him first foreign samurai or black samurai

[@jayoh2023]

@wa-bu3ke well if you actually know how to read it says attendance. You can actually do the research yourself

[@wa-bu3ke]

@@jayoh2023 it says many words. Attendance does not mean not samurai. I have researched this. You have not.

[@Adventures-vy9jz]

Why is this not a movie!?

[@jayalbertcastigador9274]

A foolish samurai warrior welding a magic sword, stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal to the future where my evil is law. Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the evil that is Aku

[@berniekatzroy]

Yeah you mean the sammoorai, best technique the turkey carve

[@MatthewSchooley94]

Okay, now I wanna see this guy in the next Samurai Warriors game. Also, that mispronunciation of "Akechi Mitsuhide" hurt me.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Me too. I want Yasuke in Samurai Warriors. But what would his weapon be and who would give him his voice.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

@Mr420Spy That would actually work. Now his Seiyu. It would have to be someone with a deep voice to convey Yasuke’s toughness.

[@BlaqueCzar]

Lets not pretend Japan doesn't have its own race issues. The Samurai warriors games had many chances to include him.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

@@BlaqueCzar They included him in Nioh

[@JusticeforLiberty]

Nah , he was an umbrella holder.

[@kingjames4886]

jedi are totally space samurai... pretty sure lucas has said as much, it's not a conspiracy or something.

[@NetherStray]

We really need an episode about Jesus' Japanese brother who took his place on the cross and allowed Jesus to escape to Japan. Because that's apparently a thing. Shingo, Japan is apparently Jesus' true burial place, according to some.

[@MrCaptainA]

Will you be doing a Biographics video about Yusuke?

[@DontreadPimpBoy]

Not much is known about Yasuke And since Simon made a video about him on this channel I doubt he will make another on Biographics.

[@poloshirtsamurai]

Samurai for the purely delusional. He's just a mascot that gladly fled Japan when Nobunaga died.

[@a35362]

0:22 How is there a photo of him if he lived in the 1500s? What are we seeing here? *confused*

[@KDH-br6hy]

I don't think that's him

[@jovansierra5607]

Hi

[@d4mdcykey]

How bizarre that I've been an avid fan of Samurai culture for so many years and have never even heard of this man. Once again TIFO not only enlightens me, but gives me yet another fascinating person from history to go and research.

[@samsterling8015]

How is this guys story not a Tarantino movie? #blacksamuraimovie

[@bolabillargmail]

: "I took the plot of the film from Dashiel Hammett's 'Red Harvest'". : "That's my story, and I will keep to it, thank you".

[@l1zard7]

Beginning with your pronunciation of Yasuke the whole video is bullshit.

[@czaczaczar]

Today I Found Out tottoritom lied about Yasuke being a samurai. Thanks, Thomas Lockley! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 William Adams was the first non-Japanese samurai.

[@CensorTube84]

Sounds like a yt man

[@grapeshot]

There is supposed to be a movie in the works staring Chadwick Boseman as the Black Samurai.

[@kobil316SH]

Hes too short

[@grapeshot]

@@kobil316SH That's what CGI and practical effects are for.

[@kamenwaticlients]

@@grapeshot I would prefer it to star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

[@FaerieDust]

@@kamenwaticlients my mind instantly went to Winston Duke

[@kamenwaticlients]

@@FaerieDust Ooh also a very good choice.

[@pickinpickens2291]

No one's talking about Afro Samurai. smh

[@krimisanidiot]

This video could pop off again very soon xD

[@AmericanLord]

😂😂😂 right

[@malcolmgilliam7022]

Maybe those people will finally learn something 😂

[@OkamiSatsujin]

Nah...cognitive dissonance is a real thing.

[@malcolmgilliam7022]

@@OkamiSatsujin your right damn 🫣

[@OkamiSatsujin]

@@malcolmgilliam7022 What's worse is that in Japan it's known that him being made Samurai was one of the reasons they turned on Oda Nobunaga. He was not only a foreigner, but also an oddity due to his appearance.

[@yumemirai4419]

"he looked about 26, 24, or 25 ... or 27" ... Were numbers not in order back then?

[@twincast2005]

I'd have to look up the original, but this strikes me as an extremely literal translation with insufficient punctuation. My guess as to what's actually meant is: "He looked about 26 (24 or 25 by Western count) or 27 years old." Note that the Japanese (like the rest of the Sinosphere) used to count people's ages starting with 1, not 0, and added years not on their individual birthdays, but on a fixed date for everyone (IIRC simply on the (Chinese) New Year).

[@HiragamaIkunai]

@@twincast2005 Japan also used a calendar different from the Gregorian one

[@Jblast252]

Black don't crack

[@shakiMiki]

Gosh what a fascinating point.

[@marcusclark1339]

he wasn't a samurai and all info that would say so is made up most made up by THomas Lockley who has no sources and is his own source

[@elijahhoward588]

1. This video has a link to a article with sources and he didn’t use lockley book for reference. 2. Thomas lockley book has multiple references for each chapter. If you actually read stuff instead of just copying other ppl on the internet maybe you would learn something lol

[@pedroportillo1585]

You are wrong. It is very easy to prove Yasuke was a samurai, you just have to check a Japanese dictionary. I searched for 侍・士 (samurai) on the Japanese online encyclopedia コトバンク (Kotobank), which produced a result from 精選版　日本国語大辞典 (Carefully Selected Edition of the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, aka Shogakukan’s Japanese Dictionary). (3)鎌倉幕府では、侍は僕従を有し、騎上の資格ある武士で、郎従等の凡下と厳重に区別する身分規定が行なわれた。しかし、鎌倉中期以降、その範囲が次第に拡大、戦国時代以降は、諸国の大名の家臣をも広く侍と称するようになり、武士一般の称として用いられるようになる。 (3) In the Kamakura Shogunate (1185 - 1333 AD), samurai were professional warriors who had servants and were qualified to ride on horseback, and their status was strictly differentiated from ordinary subordinates such as roju. However, from the middle of the Kamakura Shogunate onwards, its scope gradually expanded, and from the Sengoku Period (1467 - 1615 AD) onwards, vassals of feudal lords in various provinces came to be widely referred to as samurai, and it came to be used as a general term for professional warriors. Now we have to ask three questions to see whether Yasuke met this definition: Q: When did Yasuke work for the feudal lord Oda Nobunaga? A: From April 1581 to June 1582. We know this from multiple eyewitness accounts, which I also mention below. Q: Was Yasuke a vassal of Oda Nobunaga? A: Yes, as evidenced by the fact that he was given a stipend, a house, and a job as spear-bearer (a type of bodyguard for the leader of a samurai family). He was also given a short sword called a koshigatana, which was worn as a status symbol and weapon for self-defense at all times by high status samurai. This we know from the Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, written by Oda Nobunaga’s vassal Ota Gyuichi. Q: Was Yasuke a warrior fighting for Oda Nobunaga? A: Yes, as evidenced by the fact that he fought in three important conflicts. One, Yasuke fought in the Second Tensho Iga War in September 1581. This we can infer because the Jesuits said Oda Nobunaga took Yasuke everywhere with him and he led his own troops into this war. Two, Yasuke fought in the Koshu Conquest from February to March 1582. This we know from the Diary of Ietada, written by Matsudaira Ietada, a vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was himself a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. Three, Yasuke fought in the Honno-ji Incident of June 1582, in which he tried but failed to save the lives of both Oda Nobunaga and his son Oda Nobutada until Yasuke was the last Oda man standing and surrendered to the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide, who spared his life and returned him to the Jesuits. This we know from letters written by the Jesuits, who were glad to have Yasuke back. According to the Oda family today, Nobunaga’s final order was for Yasuke to help him commit seppuku (ritual suicide by stomach cutting) by decapitating him and bring his head to a courier that returned it to the Oda family, so it could not be used as evidence of victory by Akechi Mitsuhide. So there you have it. Yasuke was a vassal and a warrior for the most powerful feudal lord in all of Japan, during the Sengoku Period. He even assisted his lord’s suicide, a role strictly reserved for samurai. Therefore, he was a samurai.

[@mianhaeioi]

Yasuke is pronounced "Yass-keh"

[@gphjr1444]

Yeah those pronunciations were brutal.

[@mianhaeioi]

@Handsome B. Wonderful You're most certainly welcome. Take care of that cough!

[@305savage]

@Handsome B. Wonderful lol your cough makes you type funny words

[@JCLlindo]

Sumimasen Nani the fuck

[@jordinhocharles]

I’m glad you said it.

[@benjaminlamptey1867]

A mainstream channel actually did a vid on Yasuke?! Wow, never thought this'd happen. Good job @Today I Found Out YT . For those after more info, there's several such videos on history channels such as @HomeTeamYT and @HistorywithCy

[@thomasdemay9805]

also @KingsAndGenerals

[@benjaminlamptey1867]

@@thomasdemay9805 yes, I liked the one Kings and Generals did most. I wanted to mention them but I couldn't find this comment when I remembered.