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kevlarknit's review against another edition
3.0
Absolutely fascinating subject that was given a mediocre treatment. I did enjoy learning about Yasuke but reading this book was a challenge. It couldn’t decide whether to be a historical fiction or nonfiction book (citations?!?!). Glad I read, won’t reread.
latad_books's review against another edition
3.0
The formidable Oda Nobunaga lived in 1500s Japan, and was on his way to conquering and uniting all of Japan. He took advantage of the Portuguese Jesuit presence in Japan. The Jesuit wanted to convert the entire country to Catholism, and a prominent member of their order, Alessandro Valignano, arrived in Japan with his well-travelled African-born bodyguard, whom Valignano eventually gifted to Nobunaga. This man came to be known as Yasuke, and became a retainer of Nobunaga, until the feudal lord's betrayal and death three years later. Yasuke soon afterwards falls out of historical records.
While the story of Yasuke is fascinating, including all the brutal politics and battles Nobunaga fought against other lords, this book felt a bit strange. The author takes certain facts about Yasuke and his possible actions for Nobunaga, and then gives us phrases like "Yasuke felt/thought". These made me uncomfortable, in that we'll never know exactly what this skilled fighter and bodyguard felt or thought, as these aren't captured.
While the story of Yasuke is fascinating, including all the brutal politics and battles Nobunaga fought against other lords, this book felt a bit strange. The author takes certain facts about Yasuke and his possible actions for Nobunaga, and then gives us phrases like "Yasuke felt/thought". These made me uncomfortable, in that we'll never know exactly what this skilled fighter and bodyguard felt or thought, as these aren't captured.
dorothearthur's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.75
antiauk's review against another edition
3.0
Ehhhh, I think I would have preferred a historical fiction.
colinandersbrodd's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating account of an African man brought to feudal Japan by Jesuit missionaries who became a samurai . . .
Yasuke is a legendary figure, subject of novels, manga, anime, and movies. But he was a real historical figure, an African man who became the bodyguard and servant of a high-ranking Jesuit missionary to Japan, who "gifted" him to a Japanese lord . . . Who made him a samurai. This book recounts what is known about Yasuke's life and times, and offers conjectures about his life after he disappears from the historical record. Absolutely fascinating!
Yasuke is a legendary figure, subject of novels, manga, anime, and movies. But he was a real historical figure, an African man who became the bodyguard and servant of a high-ranking Jesuit missionary to Japan, who "gifted" him to a Japanese lord . . . Who made him a samurai. This book recounts what is known about Yasuke's life and times, and offers conjectures about his life after he disappears from the historical record. Absolutely fascinating!
ryzar's review
informative
medium-paced
Really interesting look at a little known story. Always good to remember that people have been traveling the whole world as long as the world has had people on it.
iamannemarshall's review against another edition
mentions children being sold into sex slavery
thedarkloon's review against another edition
slow-paced
I loved reading through this book, but its veracity is highly suspect. The author uses weak evidence to fit his narrative without disclosing it, and has edited the Wikipedia page about Yasuke with unsupported information. I would have given it a 5 star rating if I had known that the author did his due diligence, but unfortunately you cannot trust his word.
calamity_114's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not much one for historical biographies, although I do enjoy historical fiction from time to time. Yasuke, frustratingly, is often both and neither of these things.
I bought the book on hearing the news that a film is being planned about Yasuke's life. I hadn't heard of Yasuke before and am partial to a samurai story, so off I went.
Overall, I think it's a good book. Yasuke's story is interesting, there's a lot of court intrigue (anyone who has read Shogun will find themselves at home here) and it is thrilling to know that this person once existed and lived such a varied life.
The issue that I had with this is that the writer doesn't seem able to pick a party line and stick to it. Hence we have sequences where Yasuke mops his brow standing at a ship rail, interspersed with author conjecture because sources are unclear as to what happened next. I doubt it's written down anywhere that Yasuke was particularly sweaty on a ship one day... I personally would decide whether or not you're writing a biography or a piece of fiction.
I bought the book on hearing the news that a film is being planned about Yasuke's life. I hadn't heard of Yasuke before and am partial to a samurai story, so off I went.
Overall, I think it's a good book. Yasuke's story is interesting, there's a lot of court intrigue (anyone who has read Shogun will find themselves at home here) and it is thrilling to know that this person once existed and lived such a varied life.
The issue that I had with this is that the writer doesn't seem able to pick a party line and stick to it. Hence we have sequences where Yasuke mops his brow standing at a ship rail, interspersed with author conjecture because sources are unclear as to what happened next. I doubt it's written down anywhere that Yasuke was particularly sweaty on a ship one day... I personally would decide whether or not you're writing a biography or a piece of fiction.