Yasuke was in the service of the Japanese warlord Nobunaga Oda for a while.
His real name was "Yasufe" and hailed from the Makua tribe of Mozambique. He arrived in Japan in 1579 as a servant of the Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano.
Alessandro had been appointed the Visitor (inspector) of the Jesuit missions to South and East Asia, an extremely high position, so Yasuke must have been quite trustworthy.
He accompanied Valignano when he came to the capital area in 1581 and caused something of a sensation. In one event, several people were crushed to death while clamouring to get a look at him, the black samurai. Nobunaga heard about him and expressed a desire to see him.
He suspected the black color of his skin to be paint so he had him strip from the waist up and made him scrub his skin.
Later that year, Yasuke accompanied a group of Jesuits on a short trip to the province of Echizen. Yasuke could speak some Japanese, Nobunaga was also impressed by his strength.
At Nobunaga's request, Valignano left Yasuke with Nobunaga before Valignano left central Japan later that year. Nobunaga treated Yasuke with such great favor that people in Azuchi even said he would probably be made a 'tono' (lord).
This did not happen, but he was given the position of samurai (shikan). In June 1582, Nobunaga was attacked and killed in Honnรถ-ji in Kyoto by the army of Akechi Mitsuhide. Yasuke was also there at the time.
Immediately after Nobunaga's death, Yasuke went to the lodging of Nobunaga's heir Oda Nobutada and withdrew with him to Nijo Castle. When that too was attacked by Akechi, Yasuke fought alongside the Nobutada forces for a long time.
Finally Yasuke surrendered his sword to Akechi's men. They asked Akechi himself what to do with him. Akechi said that the black man was a beast and did not know anything, and also he wasnt Japanese, so they should not kill him but take him to the church [in Kyoto]
No more info on him after that.
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Yasuke, por un tiempo, estuvo en el servicio del jefe militar japonรฉs Nobunaga Oda.
Su verdadero nombre era โYasufeโ y venรญa de la tribu Makua de Mozambique. Llegรณ a Japรณn en 1579 como un sirviente del jesuita italiano Alessandro Valignano.
Alessandro habรญa sido nombrado como visitador (inspector) de las misiones jesuitas en el sur y este de Asia, lo cual era una posiciรณn extremadamente alta, por lo que Yasuke debiรณ de haber sido alguien digno de confianza.
รl acompaรฑรณ a Valignano cuando llegรณ al รกrea capital en el aรฑo 1581 y causรณ algo de sensaciรณn. En un evento, muchas personas murieron aplastadas mientras que lo rodeaban para poder verlo a รฉl, al samurai negro. Nobunaga escuchรณ acerca de รฉl y expresรณ que querรญa verlo.
รl sospechรณ que el color negro de su piel era pintura, asรญ que hizo que se desnudara de la cintura para arriba y le pidiรณ que se frotara la piel.
Mรกs tarde, ese mismo aรฑo, Yasuke acompaรฑรณ a un grupo de jesuitas en un pequeรฑo viaje a la provincia de Echizen. Yasuke podรญa hablar algo de japonรฉs y Nobunaga tambiรฉn estaba impresionado por su fuerza.
A solicitud de Nobunaga, Valignano dejรณ a Yasuke con รฉl antes dejar el centro de Japรณn ese mismo aรฑo. Nobunaga trataba a Yasuke con gran favor, tanto que las personas en Azuchi decรญan que รฉl serรญa convertido en tono (seรฑor).
Esto no sucediรณ, pero se le dio la posiciรณn de samurai (shikan). En junio de 1582, Nobunaga fue atacado y asesinado en el templo Honnรถ-ji ubicado en Kyoto por el ejรฉrcito de Akechi Mitsuhide. Yasuke tambiรฉn se encontraba allรญ en ese momento.
Inmediatamente despuรฉs de la muerte de Nobunaga, Yasuke fue a la casa donde se encontraba el heredero de Nobunaga, Oda Nobutada y se retiraron al Castillo Nijo. Cuando este tambiรฉn fue atacado por Akechi, Yasuke peleรณ a la par de las fuerzas armadas de Nobutada.
Finalmente Yasuke le entregรณ su espada los hombres de Akechi. Le preguntaron al mismo Akechi quรฉ es lo que deberรญan de hacer con รฉl. Akechi dijo que el hombre negro era una bestia y no sabรญa nada, y tambiรฉn no era japonรฉs asรญ que no deberรญan de matarlo sino que llevarlo a la iglesia [en Kyoto].
Despuรฉs de esto, no sabe nada mรกs de รฉl.
