Yasuke (Image Credit Nicola Roos)

Yasuke — The First Black Samurai

The first six-foot tall African slave to land in Japan stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of him and that almost caused a stampede. It was not a common sight in Kyoto.

Being among the first Africans on the island, a Japanese warlord had him strip and ordered servants to scrub off the “black ink”. The warlord had no idea that the slave would go on and become the first black samurai in the world.