Something of a legendary figure in Japanese history, knowledge of the real Yasuke’s life is sparse and experts do not always agree on the details. Even the place of his birth is contested. Accounts written close to the time of Yasuke’s life suggest he was from Mozambique in southeast Africa where the Portuguese were active traders. But more recent scholarship posits that Yasuke could have been born further north, either in Ethiopia or closer to the Nile in Sudan.

Whatever his origins, Thomas Lockley, an associate professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, is certain that in his youth Yasuke’s village was attacked by slave traders and that the young boy was sold into captivity.

From there Yasuke was likely brought to India, which at this time was a fragmented polity of different princely states. The Mughal Empire, which would eventually unify much of the subcontinent, was beginning its rise to predominance and there was almost constant warfare throughout the region.

It was into this maelstrom that a young Yasuke was eventually thrown as part of a group of African mercenaries. Lockley posits that Yasuke ended up fighting for Ibrahim Husain Mirza, a Persian lord who controlled a southern district of Gujarat on the western coast of India. It is believed that Yasuke was involved in the defence of Surat, and that after its fall he retreated south down the coast to the Portuguese territory of Goa.

Here Yasuke would fall in with the Jesuits, the missionary order who would take him to Japan. The first Jesuit missionaries had arrived in Japan in 1549 and had continued to build their presence ever since. At this time, Christianity had a small but significant presence in the country. By the end of the 16th century Japan would have the largest Christian community of any country that was not under European rule, and a number of important lords had converted too.

Yasuke came to Japan in 1579 as a bodyguard for the important Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, a nobleman born in the Kingdom of Naples and appointed visitor of missions in the East Indies.

It is believed that Yasuke would have been in his early twenties by the time he arrived. The world was a larger place in the 16th century so Yasuke’s dark skin, while notable, was not a complete novelty. Around the busy ports in southern Japan where the Jesuits were based, residents would have seen African and Indian sailors before. Yasuke’s size – he was reportedly tall for the era – however, added to his spectacle.

But dark skin was not necessarily a burden in Japan at that time. In fact, many Japanese revered it due to the fact that the Buddha was sometimes portrayed as black-skinned. There’s also Daikokuten, a Buddhist manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva, a deity of wealth and prosperity who was traditionally portrayed with ebony black skin.

After over two years guarding Valignano on tours around Kyushu, Yasuke would finally be introduced to Oda Nobunaga, which would cement the former slave’s fame.

The meeting came in 1851 as Valignano was beginning preparations to leave Japan the following year. At this time Oda was the paramount lord in Japan, and Valignano needed to visit Kyoto for audience. There he would request formal permission to depart Japan and secure approval for his remaining colleagues to continue their missionary work. Naturally, Yasuke came as his guard.

Oda was renowned as a connoisseur of novelty. He was interested in the use of guns before their adoption became widespread in Japan, he prized a suit of European-style body armour, enjoyed Portuguese and Chinese clothing and was interested in exotic Western curiosities like globes and wine glasses.

When Valignano arrived for his audience, Oda took particular interest in Yasuke. One tale recounts how, uncertain whether Yasuke was truly black or if he had coloured his body with black ink, Oda ordered Yasuke to strip to his waist while his servants scrubbed him with water and brushes.

Later, Valignano would offer Yasuke to Oda, perhaps hoping to indulge the Japanese lords penchant for curios and to gain favour. After all, the Jesuit was soon to return to Goa and, so he thought, Europe where he would no longer have need of his bodyguard’s services.

Whatever the motives, Oda accepted and Yasuke was attached to his household. Some two months later, Yasuke was made a samurai. His rank is not known but Lockley believes that it would likely have been equivalent to hatamoto: “The hatamoto saw to the lord’s needs, handling everything from finance to transport, communications to trade. They were also the bodyguards and pages to the warlord, travelling with him and spending their days in his company.”

Yasuke would soon disappear from the pages of history, however, along with his new lord, Oda.

In 1582, Oda was betrayed by one of his vassals, Akechi Mitsuhide, for reasons that remain unclear. Akechi’s samurai attacked Oda’s base at the Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto. Overwhelmed, Oda committed ritual suicide rather than be captured or killed by his enemies.

Yasuke fought Akechi’s forces at Honnō-ji and again soon after at Nijo Castle when Akechi defeated Oda’s son, Nobutada. After this last battle, Yasuke was captured and presented to Akechi, but was eventually released. Not Japanese and deemed an animal, Yasuke was supposedly released to a Christian church in Kyoto.

After that, there are no more clear references to Yasuke in Japanese history. Despite the relatively brief documented history that exists for his life, just three years in Japan, Yasuke continues to be a source of fascination. Netflix’s new show is just the latest in a long line of entertainments that have featured the man, from the anime Afro Samurai to games like Nioh and Samurai Warriors 5. And you can be sure Yasuke won’t be the last.

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