loyola llothta
☭☭☭
He was described as healthy and good-looking with a pleasant demeanor. He was also said to be tall (at least 6 ft. 2 in.) and very strong, and was likely an intimidating presence for the Japanese at the time. He would rapidly rise in favor and status, until his became Nobunaga’s chief warrior, given his own residence and a ceremonial katana by Nobunaga.
Nobunaga made Yasuke his bodyguard. He was eventually made a samurai in 1581 and stationed at Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle. During this time, he learned to speak Japanese fluently as well.
Yasuke’s career as a samurai would not last long, however. In 1582, Nobunaga’s general, Mitsuhide, tried to overthrow him in a coup. Mitsuhide stormed the temple where Nobunaga was staying in Kyoto. Nobunaga, convinced of his imminent defeat at the hands of his treacherous general, committed Seppuku, ritual suicide. After Nobunaga’s death, Yasuke fled to the Azuchi castle and entered the service of Nobunaga’s son Odo Nobutada. His son however also committed suicide after suffering defeat at the hands of Mitsuhide.
Victorious, Mitsuhide dismissed Yasuke as “a beast” and not a true samurai, because he wasn’t Japanese. Yasuke apparently offered his sword to Mitsuhide, as was customary, and returned to the service of the Jesuit Valignano, before soon falling into obscurity.
Now that you have a little bit of his story, you should know that, announced today, Lionsgate has put into development, a feature film based on Yasuke’s life, with “Highlander” creator Gregory Widen on board to script the project which they are currently calling “Black Samurai.”
Described as an action drama, Mike De Luca and Stephen L’Heureux are producing, and the film is a co-production between Solipsist Films and De Luca Productions.
“[Black Samurai] is based on the true story of an African whose journey to Japan comes with conflicting background stories,” Gregory Widen tells Deadline, who first reported the news today. “The one I’ve chosen is that he was a slave soldier after the fall of Abysinnian Bengal, a black kingdom run by Ethiopians. He was sold into slavery and found himself in the care of Alessandro Valignano, an Italian missionary. They formed a bond, and when there were complications in Rome, he was sent to Japan and took Yasuke with him. There he met Oda Nobunaga, who was interested in all Western things, and through a series of bizarre events, the Jesuit left Yasukie with the warlord.”
Last edited: