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Written by Illmatical | @Masternever
Yasuke has gained international notoriety for being the first foreign samurai despite the fact that his story has been in the atmosphere for more than half a century. In the wake of Black Panther, the entertainment industry sees the potential for movie bling and has expressed increased interest in the African warrior’s story.
The telling of Yasuke’s tale, it’s part of a larger story, one that reveals a great secret. The telling of Yasuke’s story is a return to the beginning.
Al Yisrael, martial artists turned master storyteller, has teamed up with Robert Parham, champion martial artist turned movie maker. Through their film project, they plan on revealing a great mystery associated with the samurai — the question remains, are you ready for The Soul of the Sword?
Al Yisrael, soul brother number one, is a former Marine with over 35 years in martial arts. During his time acquiring black belts and expertise in various disciplines, becoming the Sho’nuff of all kinds of kill-a-ninja-shit, a great teacher, named Master Instructor Ian Tagawa, dropped science on Yasuke way back when. Master Tagawa dropped bombs yo and with liquid sword science, he told Al about an African warrior who ventured to Japan, rose to the rank of samurai with rhythm and soul.
Speaking on when he first started working on his Yasuke script, and sharing the knowledge about the Black presence in Japan, Al said “Over 12, 13 years ago, a lot of people thought I was just making up something… But I knew better. Before Yasuke, you’re talking Sakanouye No Tamuramaro who was the first Shogun of Japan.”
Notable scholars Ivan Van Sertima and Runoku Rashidi have identified Sakanouye No Tamuramaro as an African man, claiming that Sakanouye was indeed the first Shogun of Soul, in their book THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN EARLY ASIA.
Ironically, it was Sakanouye who was responsible for driving off Japan’s indigenous people, the Ainu, who at one point in time had significant amounts of pigmentation in their skin. Al went in, saying “Even when you’re talking about Japan, you don’t hear about the Ainu, who Sakanouye No Tamuramaro helped defeat. They were dark skinned… People need to understand, there was no one place on this planet that people of color weren’t. We were all over. I have pictures of generals in China during the war, that are darker than me.”
Al’s knowledge of Yasuke developed during his personal journey in the world of martial arts. Several grandmasters suggested that beyond the blade, the African warrior’s story was associated with a greater secret. Professor Ronald Duncan, gave Al a plug in Japan that would further his research. Al built and did the knowledge. Al realized that beyond Yasuke’s legend, there was a secret linked to the bloodline of many of Japan’s samurai.
Despite the number of Yasuke projects in the atmosphere, Al’s version is also unique due to his connects in Mozambique and a greater understanding of the warrior’s origin. Speaking on the Yasuke’s name he explained, slaying and saying “Yasufe (pronounced YAS-SUE-FEY) was his name before it became Yasuke… Yasufe of the Makua people of Mozambique. Actually, people think the name comes from the Mozambican name Issufi (pronounced E-SUE-FEY)… A lot of people say Yasuke is from East Africa, South Africa, from Ethiopia, but when the movie comes out, they’re really going to get the full story…
There’s a lot of stuff I want to debunk… A lot of people say, ‘When they said ‘You gotta have a drop of Black blood to be samurai or ninja… It is almost like a Jedi, you have to be a bit on the dark side!’ It means exactly what it means… The pictures of the samurai that I have, a lot of them are darker than me!”
There has been debate concerning Yasuke’s journey before arriving in Japan and how he hooked up with the original Jesus thugs — the Jesuits. ‘The Internets’, say that Yasuke was all souled out by the time he got to Japan and that he had the word “Slave” written on the side of his face. The Internets be buggin yo.
But, fuck that, Al knows better, and based on his research, based on his understanding of warfare, based on his soul, he’s going to deliver a different narrative. Al swung his sword, slashing the shit out The Internets saying “He was not a slave… Mozambique young boys had dances they learned with the sword. I have videos of the dances. They move rhythmically, those swords are sharp. They knew how to respect the blade.
The Jesuits knew he was intelligent when they hired him to be a bodyguard. There was a lot of trade through Southeast Africa. He was very intelligent, he spoke several languages… He knew how to communicate on various levels.
A lot of people don’t know he traveled with the Jesuits. When you’re employed, you’re going to go wherever they go. The Jesuits had missions in the Indies, East Africa, East Asia, South Africa, they had missions all over the place… The Jesuits were skilled men. They were known as God’s Marines. When they went places, they went with skilled people.”
Yasuke touched down in Japan in 1579, and while traveling within the country he became an instant celebrity, not only with the Japanese people but with one of the most significant figures in the country’s history — Oda Nobunaga, who was impressed with Yasuke’s physical appearance, knowledge and of course, his soul.
Al continued, bombing the shit out of The Internets, saying “Remember a lot of their [Japanese] gods were dark skinned… When people saw him [Yasuke] they thought he was a god in the flesh. Some people died when going to the temple where the Jesuits were, just to see him. That’s how Oda Nobunaga found out about him… He would have talks with Nobunaga, and Nobunaga began to actually like him. This guy [Yasuke] has strength, good demeanor, he’s knowledgeable. He was able to tell him [Nobunaga] things about Christians that Nobunaga did not know about.”
Al did the knowledge to Nobunaga and by understanding the great lord’s mental, he understood why and how Yasuke became samurai.
“They [Japanese] definitely were not going to make a sword for you. They did that for Yasuke and gave him a castle! There’s a lot of things that people won’t mention or don’t know. He was very well respected to the point where one of Oda Nobunaga’s generals was jealous of him… He was given the duty of weapon bearer. Akechi [Mitsuhide] was very jealous… He didn’t like him at all! Nobunaga’s nephew gave Yasuke a lot of money, made him wealthy” explained Al.
Tying in with the title of the film project, Al suggests that there is something key in the creation of Yasuke’s sword, saying “The maker of the sword was just as important. There was a soul in that. The swords carried a frequency. The sword vibrated with the samurai. Once you learn the science, you learn that the soul is just as important of the soul of that samurai… You just didn’t make a sword for anybody. You just didn’t give anybody the title of samurai.”
Beyond the information in the atmosphere, Al will provide closure regarding the events during the battle at Honno-Ji Temple and Yasuke’s life afterward.
There have been many offers for his script, but Al didn’t want someone who’s a mountain climber and plays an electric guitar. Al knows the meaning of dope, and he was determined to place the story in the hands of a genius with soul.
He explained saying “It’s an awesome story and I couldn’t just put my script in the hands of just anyone. I cannot tell you about your great grandfather… Timing is everything and I think that Black Panther movie opened doors.
The world is ready to hear other stories. They want it with some truth and when you tell the truth, the truth is exciting. People will not believe some of the things that these people have done. Let the people tell their own stories… The world is ready for it!”
In order to bring the project to fruition, Al turned to soul brother number one — Robert Parham. Kickboxing world champion turned actor, turned movie director, turned movie producer.
Reiterating the impact of Marvel’s hit, Robert stressed the need to have the story told from the correct perspective, saying “History needs to be told, we as a people, have been stripped and devoid of our culture, our creed, our real history. Al brought this project to me and it’s a win. It’s time. Black Panther did so well… Hollywood has a stigma that Black films do not do well. It’s not true. They’re just not marketed properly!”
Robert also realizes that timing is key. There are a number of Yasuke projects on the horizon and their performance will play a role in Yasuke’s impact. He explained saying “It’s all going to depend on how people receive the first one or two projects…It’s going to be a movie of epic proportions. Much like Bruce Lee filled up all the martial arts schools in the 70s I think this movie will inspire children and youth who look like us, to do other things besides football and basketball.”
Al and Robert are hush regarding the directors and talent they’ve spoken to, however, they’re determined to not only tell Yasuke’s story but also reveal a greater secret associated with Japan’s greatest warriors.
The question remains, are you ready for Yasuke’s epic tale? Are you ready for the secrets that lie within the Soul of the Sword? Even if you ain’t, and you stay believing The Internets, Al and Robert are going to swing that shit anyway, and cut your head off.
~Illmatical 無敵將軍
Clarke Illmatical (@masternever) is a writer from Queens, NY. He is the
creator of the martial arts fantasy story, MASTERNEVER AND THE FLOW OF DEATH.
His writing has appeared in The Amsterdam News, The Norwood News, Harlem
Community News, and Queens Politics in New York City. In Asia, his work has
been featured in The South China Morning Post, China Global Daily, TimeOut
Hong Kong, The Phnom Penh Post, and E-China Cities.
To learn more about
- Web: Yasuke: The Black Samurai
- Twitter: @yasukesamurai1
- Instagram: @yasukeblacksamurai
- Facebook: Yasuke The Black Samurai
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This is a much anticipated film project.
We are truly ready for this epic tale to be told.
High salute is due my big bro. Shihan Warrior Al Yisrael and Master Martial Artist – Robert Parham.
OSU
Good to see this story brought to light. Congrats to everyone involved. Our history has been covered up and cast aside by one tyrannical colonizer after another. Let’s get the record corrected.