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African Samurai
- The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Warrior. Samurai. Legend.
The remarkable life of history’s first foreign-born samurai and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society.
When Yasuke arrived in Japan in the late 1500s, he had already traveled much of the known world. Kidnapped as a child, he had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China, learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned (in local tradition) Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. Soon, he was learning the traditions of Japan’s martial arts and ascending the upper echelons of Japanese society.
In the 400 years since, Yasuke has been known in Japan largely as a legendary, perhaps mythical figure. Now, African Samurai presents the never-before-told biography of this unique figure of the 16th century, one whose travels between countries, cultures, and classes offers a new perspective on race in world history and a vivid portrait of life in medieval Japan.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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- Air Max Jr
- 2021-10-13
Amazing novel
Great read / listen, worth every penny. Has a lot of historical value, will re read in the near future
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-02-17
Black Bushido
A bold attempt to chronicle the life and times of the legendary African Samurai Yasuke. Although informative and fairly well written, the book ultimately comes across more as a work of fiction than a genuine historical account. Many scenes are dramatized to an absurd level and contain details that even the most dedicated historian wouldn't know. Since there are so few factual accounts about the life of Yasuke the author(s) are forced to make banal speculations which quickly become grating. Yasuke himself is not the only one to receive this treatment, as even Akechi Mitsuhide's betrayal of Nobunaga is portrayed in a particularly ridiculous fashion rife with bias and speculation. The portrait of Yasuke presented in this book never rises above the most superficial cliches. He's big, he's black, he's honorable and good with a sword and a spear. That's about it. Maybe they should have just written a book about Oda Nobunaga instead and kept Yasuke as a footnote because the book seemed much more preoccupied with relating the story of the infamous Demon King's rise and fall than anything else. Narration was pretty weak as well, way too dry and academic for the tone the prose was trying to convey.
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- PWL
- 2023-09-06
Okay…but not Great
I had known nothing of 16th century Japan so started out being fascinated, particularly by the depiction of the role of the Jesuits in the 1500’s but there was WAY too much speculation by the authors and WAY too many boring details, especially because so much of it was speculation.
Narration wasn’t terrible but certainly could have been more interesting.
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