African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan - Geoffrey Girard

nA readable, compassionate account of an extraordinary life. --The Washington Post n nThe remarkable life of history's first foreign-born samurai, and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society. n nWarrior. Samurai. Legend. n nWhen Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traversed much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child in Northeast Africa, he served as a bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, traveling to India and China, and eventually arriving in Japan, where everything would change. n nMost Japanese people had never seen an African man before. Some believed he was a god. Others saw him as the black-skinned Buddha. n nAmong those drawn to him was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, Yasuke was learning the traditions of martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society, where he would live on to become a legend for the centuries to come.