Yasuke (弥助 or 弥介) was a man of African origin who came to Japan in the Sengoku period and became a retainer in the household of Oda Nobunaga. He was employed by the Japanese Sengoku daimyō Oda Nobunaga and served as a koshō (小姓, page or sword-bearer). He was valued as a retainer who was given a stipend by Nobunaga.
Among those whose names have been ascertained, he is the earliest African to appear in Japanese historical records, but his confirmed period of stay in Japan was very short – about three years, from 17 August 1579 to 21 June 1582. There are few historical documents on Yasuke, with only fragmentary accounts in the letters of the Jesuit missionary Luís Fróis, Ōta Gyūichi’s Shinchō Kōki (信長公記, Nobunaga Official Chronicle), Matsudaira Ietada’s Matsudaira Ietada Nikki (松平家忠日記, Matsudaira Ietada Diary), Jean Crasset’s Histoire de l’église du Japon and François Solier’s Histoire Ecclesiastique Des Isles Et Royaumes Du Japon.
The name Yasuke was given to him by Nobunaga. His real name is unknown, and it is also unclear what he was called before that. Few details are known about him, including his date of birth, family structure, place of birth, ethnicity and native language. However, there seems to be no doubt that he had African roots, and Luís Fróis wrote of Yasuke as Cafre in his Letters. Jean Crasset’s Histoire de l’eglise du Japon states that Yasuke was a servant brought from India when Alessandro Valignano came to Japan, while François Solier’s Histoire Ecclesiastique Des Isles Et Royaumes Du Japon states that he was from Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique). It is not certain where Valignano and Yasuke met, but it seems likely that it was either in Mozambique or India, as Valignano had made a stopover in Mozambique before coming to Japan, followed by a long stay in India. It is not clear whether Yasuke was a slave or a follower, but if he was enslaved he likely obtained his freedom before meeting Valignano.
A statue of Yasuke by Nicola Roos. Yasuke was an enslaved African who arrived in Japan in 1579 and may have been the first black Samurai.
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