Pop Japan

This is an artist's rendition of the portrait of Yasuke, an Afriacan slave who is said to have become Japan's first African samurai. He arrived in Japan in 1579 together with the Jesuit missionaries. Because of his heaight of around 6 feet and 3 inches (to around 6 feet and 5 inches), it was said that upon his arrival, people gathered around him, which cause a commotion. Because of this, he created a buzz in the area and news of him reached the then feudal Lord, Oda Nobunaga. It is the world-renowned Japanese warlord that ordained him into becoming a samurai.

Tags: history, yasuke, african samurai, samurai, bushido, black, tradition, oda nobunaga, jesuit missionaries, ordination, warlord, feudal lord