African Samurai, Thomas Lockley
African Samurai, Thomas Lockley
4 Rating(s)
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African Samurai
The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan

Author: Thomas Lockley, Geoffrey Girard

Narrator: Gary Furlong

Unabridged: 10 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/30/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Warrior.

Samurai.

Legend.

The remarkable life of history’s first foreign-born samurai, and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society.

When Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traveled much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child, he had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned (in local tradition) Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, he was learning the traditions of Japan’s martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society.

In the four hundred years since, Yasuke has been known in Japan largely as a legendary, perhaps mythical figure. Now African Samurai presents the never-before-told biography of this unique figure of the sixteenth century, one whose travels between countries, cultures and classes offers a new perspective on race in world history and a vivid portrait of life in medieval Japan.

About Thomas Lockley

Thomas Lockley is Associate Professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, where he teaches courses about the international and multicultural history of Japan and East Asia. He co-authored African Samurai, the first book in the world about Yasuke, the African warrior who served the Japanese warlord Nobunaga, in 2019. While Visiting Scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he did much of the research behind his new book, A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court. He and his family live in Chiba, Japan.

About Geoffrey Girard

Geoffrey Girard is the author of more than a dozen books. Born in Germany and shaped in New Jersey, he currently teaches in Ohio. He was selected for a Writers of the Future prize in 2003, and his debut novel was nominated for a Stoker award. He has an MFA from Miami University.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bentgaidin on January 29, 2019

This took me a while to finish, because it was trying to do two different things and ended up doing neither very well. It seems like this book wants to be an exciting historical fiction, about a warrior entering a strange country where his appearance and skills propel him to the heights of power; it......more

Goodreads review by Ashley on April 23, 2020

To say this book is "bad" is unfair, but I have a hard time saying it was "good". The premise was better than the execution. I love the idea of a narrative nonfiction or a historically-accurate novel based on this intriguing historical person, but I wish it had been one or the other...the book tried......more

Goodreads review by Maria on September 12, 2020

Yasuke was a kidnapped as a child from his home in Africa. Sold as a slave, he ended up working as a servant/bodyguard for the Jesuit missionary in Japan in the late 1500s. He learned Japanese at the Jesuit compound before traveling with the Jesuits to Kyoto. His large statue and black skin caused m......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on June 19, 2019

I waffled between giving this a 3 or 4 stars. I ended up giving it 4 stars since I loved the history but the writing style was problematic as it alternated between solid history and historical fiction. I say historical fiction because the author puts words and thoughts into the subjects mouth that c......more

Goodreads review by Martha on May 13, 2019

I'm not much one for historical biographies, although I do enjoy historical fiction from time to time. Yasuke, frustratingly, is often both and neither of these things. I bought the book on hearing the news that a film is being planned about Yasuke's life. I hadn't heard of Yasuke before and am parti......more