reclaims

This Yasuke review contains no spoilers. What’s supposedly last known about Yasuke, the documented 16th-century Black samurai of Japan, is that he was brought back into the hands of his former Jesuit owners after his samurai employment was cut short. From there, the African-originated warrior, who remarkably rose to impressive status under the warlord Oda Nobunaga despite his being a foreigner, appears to vanish from history. Both historical and legendary, Yasuke had nary a chance to grace onscreen media, although he allegedly inspired the protagonist of the densely shaded neo-noir Afro Samurai manga-based anime. He was the star of an…