Is Yasuke based on a true story? The answer is yes!
“Yasuke” was the name given to a 6-foot-tall African man who travelled to Japan with a company of Jesuit missionaries in 1579. He caught the attention of a feudal lord, Nobunaga, who famously recounted an incident where Yasuke was asked to wash the black ink off his skin, because local people had not been familiar with such melanin-rich skin tones during this time period.
“Obsidian Samurai XXVII” (2021) and “Obsidian Samurai XXVIII” (2022) from my “No Man’s Land” series, inspired by Yasuke and his legacy, are on view at The Melrose Gallery SA in Johannesburg. Contact the gallery for enquiries.
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