LOL. Yeah, exactly how many black Africans were in Japan at the time?
“ Yeah, exactly how many black Africans were in Japan at the time?”
It’s quite likely the Portuguese had African slaves on their ships and as laborers in their colonies and outposts, but I’m not sure if any made it to Japan. However, since this is fiction, I won’t be surprised if somebody sues the writers for some DEI slight.
There’s a thesis topic for your Ph.D. in Afro-American Studies. You’d probably get a full-ride scholarship to cover that one.
who-was-yasuke-japans-first-black-samurai
"Though Yasuke was the only Black samurai in Nobunaga’s army, he was by no means the only African present in Japan at the time. “Several hundred African people lived in Japan during the 16th century,” says Doan. “[They] worked as interpreters, soldiers, entertainers” and more. She says that Kyoto’s Japanese residents would have been surprised by Yasuke’s “foreignness” but likely wouldn’t have exhibited prejudice based on his skin color. According to Lockley, Nobunaga was a powerful man whom few were willing to challenge, so his decision to employ Yasuke wasn’t controversial. In fact, the samurai proved to be quite popular among locals, who flocked to catch a glimpse of him."