We all know the samurai: elite warriors of feudal Japan, masters of the sword, and paragons of unwavering discipline. Becoming a samurai was both an honor and an arduous challenge that only a select few in Japan could achieve. However, there was one man who attained this prestigious rank despite not being a native of the Land of the Rising Sun. His name was Yafuse (later adapted to the more Japanese-sounding Yasuke), an African man—likely from Mozambique—born during the period of Portuguese colonization of the continent.  

Yasuke first arrived in Japan in 1579 as a servant to an Italian Jesuit missionary. He was among the first people of African descent to set foot in the land of the samurai. One of the samurai, Matsudara Ietada, described him as “black as coal and about 190 centimeters tall”. His striking appearance and imposing stature did not go unnoticed, especially by Oda Nobunaga, one of the most powerful warlords of feudal Japan. At the time, Nobunaga was deeply involved in the civil wars that plagued the country in his quest to unify Japan.  

Impressed by Yasuke’s physical prowess and combat skills, Nobunaga took him into his service and eventually elevated him to the rank of samurai. Yasuke was granted the right to carry the two swords—a long one and a short one—symbolic of samurai status (the daisho). Along with this honor, he received a katana, traditional clothing, armor, and even a residence. Yasuke rose from being a mere servant to becoming one of Nobunaga’s personal bodyguards as the warlord continued to consolidate power across much of Japan.  

However, Yasuke’s fortunes crumbled alongside those of his lord. In 1582, Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by one of his generals, defeated, and forced to commit suicide (the infamous *seppuku* or *harakiri*). Yasuke initially managed to escape with Nobunaga’s son, Oda Nobutada, but he was eventually captured by the conspirators. Nobutada was also forced to commit seppuku, while Yasuke, derided for his foreign origins, was handed over to Portuguese Jesuits. From that point on, Yasuke disappears from historical records, leaving his ultimate fate a mystery.