The African Samurai by Craig Shreve

(34. - 1173.) - The African Samurai by Craig Shreve - In 1579 Isaac is 24. For his first 12 years he had lived free in Africa. For the last 12 years he has been a slave in India, Portugal and China. He is a deeply black man, a head taller than most Europeans - two heads taller than most Asians, with broad shoulders and an imposing presence. Now given to the Catholic Church he is serving as a bodyguard to Father Alessandro Valignano, a Jesuit priest, who is on his way to Japan intent on trading guns for the right to preach the Word of God to the Japanese - “Guns in exchange for souls”. Valignano’s authority, as the Visitor to the Indies, is absolute in Asia with the Pope a two year round trip away.

Valignano has brought gifts for Oda Nobunaga, a Daimyo (a great lord), seeking to unite Japan by whatever means necessary. Valignano shocks and dismays Issac, Yasuke to the Japanese and for the rest of his review, by gifting him to Nobunaga. Yasuke feels shame and embarrassment over being gifted. He vows never again to think he is anything other than property.

He travels to Nobunaga’s majestic castle, Azuchi, which has seven levels around a golden keep and sits atop a mountain.

What is Nobunaga to do with this giant? He speaks passable Japanese. He is a formidable warrior. He is obviously neither European nor Japanese.

Yasuke wants to be useful. Proving his value to his owners in the past was crucial to his survival. While Nobunaga makes no demands upon him, Yasuke trains diligently improving his martial skills as he adapts to Japanese approaches to fighting. His primary talent is combat.

Nobunaga, a brave and brilliant leader, is poised to complete a unification of Japan under his leadership. Campaigns to the west and east of Azuchi await. Each of the opposing daimyos is significantly weaker than Nobunaga.

There is action aplenty and abundant drama as the campaigns unfold.

Upon seeing the title I thought of Shogun by James Clavell - that wonderful saga of the Englishman, John Blackthorne, wrecked in Japan who, through his fierce spirit and keen intelligence, becomes deeply valued by Lord Toranaga. While Blackthorne is a free man he is far more manipulated and used than the slave Yasuke.

With 269 pages The African Samurai lacks the sweep of a Shogun. It is more like The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell which deals with the individual adventures of De Zoet in Japan 200 years later than The African Samurai.

I would like to read more of Yasuke’s adventures in Japan. Shreve keeps the narrative moving briskly. It is an accomplished first novel.

Of greatest surprise to me was that the story is based on the true life story of Yasuke, an African brought to Japan and given to Nobunaga and was a participant in the wars to unite Japan in the late 16th Century.