Long before the publication of Assassin's Creed Shadows the Internet discussed the main character Yasuke. A samurai of African descent with dark skin colour. Some people could hardly believe it and the conspiracy theory quickly emerged that it was a deliberate rewriting of history.
Many people who know little about the subject, such as Elon Musk, commented on this. What they apparently didn't know is that the character is based on a real person from Japanese history.
What is the story of the real Yasuke?
The real Yasuke was a follower of the famous warlord Oda Nobunaga. At the end of the 16th century, he created the basis for the later unification of the divided empire of Japan by clearing all his opponents out of the way and securing great influence in the country. Oda Nobunaga is one of the most famous personalities in the history of Japan.
An important part of his quest for power was the import of foreign firearms, which were used in battle. There was therefore trade and exchange with foreign nations such as the "barbarians from the south", as the Europeans were called. This name came from the fact that Europeans arrived in Japan from the south in their ships.
According to tradition, Yasuke arrived in Japan on just such a ship. In addition to his dark skin colour, his height of almost 1.90 metres also irritated the Japanese population. Both are very unusual for Japan and caused quite a stir.
He made such an impression that Oda Nobunaga took him as a follower and he was even given his own estate. After Oda Nobunaga's death, Yasuke's trail was lost.
Was Yasuke really a samurai?
There is also a great deal of discussion about whether the real Yasuke was really a samurai. This can be answered with yes and no! Unfortunately, there is no correct answer.
The term samurai was only introduced after Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power in the Edo shogunate, i.e. from the early 17th century. Before that, the fighters were called bushi (warriors) or buke (sword nobles) as a social class.
At the time when Yasuke was in Japan, there were no samurai in Japan according to the name.
As he received an estate from Oda Nobunaga, his status was comparable to that of the later "samurai".
How many facts have been handed down about Yasuke?
Unfortunately, there are few surviving facts about Yasuke. Historical records do not contain much more than what is described above.
From the 17th century onwards, there were several depictions of dark-skinned people in Japanese art that did not exist before. It is therefore assumed that the depictions are of Yasuke. However, this is pure conjecture.
Yasuke was more or less a pop culture figure even before his appearance in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Since his existence in Japan is a good story, historical facts and fiction are mixed together and much of what is "handed down" about Yasuke is no longer based on real events.
Does his role in Assassin's Creed correspond to the historical figure?
The plot of Assassin's Creed Shadows is only loosely based on the real Yasuke. Like the historical figure, he is a warrior of African descent in Japan. But that and the name are pretty much all they have in common.
According to tradition, Yasuke worked primarily as a weapon bearer for Oda Nobunaga due to his strong stature. In the game, he has a completely different role, which is fictitious.
Similar to the figure Anjin A real name and the framework conditions were taken from the series "Shogun" and a fictional story was built on this.
You should keep in mind that this is entertainment. The aim is therefore not necessarily the accurate portrayal of historical figures.
