The Only African Samurai in History is Getting a Film Made About Him Called YASUKE
MGM is producing an awesome new film project called Yasuke, which is based on the true story of the only African Samurai in recorded history in feudal Japan. This is the kind of film project that has the making of a hit because it’s such a great and interesting story.
There’s no director attached to Yasuke yet, but the script is being written by Stuart C. Paul, and these are the story details that were shared:
A native of Portuguese Mozambique, Yasuke was taken captive and brought to 16th-century Japan as a slave to Jesuit missionaries. The first black man to set foot on Japanese soil, Yasuke’s arrival arouses the interest of Oda Nobunaga, a ruthless warlord seeking to unite the fractured country under his banner. The script focuses on the complex relationship between the two men as Yasuke earns Nobunaga’s friendship, respect — and ultimately, the honor, swords and title of samurai.
There’s also a book that is going to be released on Yasuke called, African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan. The book was written by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard and it will be released on April 30th.
Here’s the description of the book:
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.
I’m excited about this project and I hope that the studio hired a talented director to bring this story to life. I can’t wait to see how this flick turns out!
Source: Deadline