Blacks in Japan
The other day I asked if anyone had information about the history of blacks in Japan, well my friend Junko sent more information about one black (samurai?) in particular who was taught personally by Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan’s great military dictators during the late 1500’s and played a crucial role in Nobunaga’s last battle “Honnou-ji no hen”.
Little is known about him other then the name given to him by Nobunaga, Yasuke.
She also pointed me out to url’s of old Japanese prints and screens of Dutch and traders in which you can see black servants carrying supplies.
http://kawa-k.vis.ne.jp/jyugyou/jipanngu/jipanngu4.htm
http://www.mirokuya.co.jp/bunka/bunka21.html
If anyone has more information, please send it my way!
Thanks Junko!
July 23rd, 2003 at 7:53 pm
I’m glad I could help.
July 30th, 2003 at 12:18 am
ejovi, you must have been japanese in a past life… your spiritual connection to japan is too great!
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November 14th, 2004 at 4:54 pm
Hello, Enjovi! Here’s some info on Yasuke, although it’s basically what you already have.
In the late 16th Century, the actual Gaijin were the merchants, priests and their butlers, black people brought from Africa. They brought many products from Europe & South East Asian countries. Some Italian merchants came to Japan after getting permission from the Portuguese. Only British and Portugese were allowed to visit Japan in those days.
Lord Nobunaga Oda hired one of the blacks as his retainer ( Named Yasuke ). The first thing he did was ask other retainers to wash him. Nobunaga really admired Yasuke’s superior strength & intelligence. Yasuke was dressed like a Samurai and allowed to wear sword at his waist. In 1582, Yasuke fought well during the attack of Honnoh Temple. Eventually Yasuke was killed. (The above info can be found @ http://members.aol.com/SFShinken/Shinken-Jutsu-Dojo.html)
There is claim by Runoko Rashidi & Ivan Van Sertima in African Presence In Early Asia (http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/east.html) that Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758 - 811), is a black man who became the first Shogun of Japan. I know of Tamuramaro being a general and shogun of the early Heian Period, but every picture (e.g. horse.shrine.net/ samurai/tamuramaro.html) I found of him makes this claim not probable.
November 17th, 2006 at 11:47 am
As an undergraduate at Amherst College in 1990, I wrote an honor thesis titled “The History of Blacks in Japan: The Japanese Response to the African Diaspora”. The thesis chronicles Japan’s interactions with Blacks from the 16th century to the 1990s.
January 25th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Can someone please inform me how I might contact Eric Clemons who indicated in his e-mail that he had written a thesis on Balcks in Japan when he was a student at Amherest College? We are co-editing a book on Black Polulations in the Diaspora and would like to include a chapter on the Black experience in Japan.
Thanks very much.
Kassie Freeman
Bowdoin College
February 24th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Shogun is an African (Nigeria) word that means warrior. It can also be spelled Shegun.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Obirin, Edo and ame are also Nigerian words. Ame means water or rain to the Edo people of Nigeria.