Book Review: Yasuke: The True Story of the Legendary African Samurai

The remarkable life of history’s first foreign-born samurai, and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society.

A quite astonishing and meticulously researched biography which isn’t written in an academic style yet is suitable for both the general reader and history buff. Thoroughly engaging it reads like a novel and really does bring Yasuke’s story to life in a way that a purely academic tome could not have done.

In the pre-amble the narrative briefly touches on the aftermath of Akechi Mitsuhide’s overthrow of his liege lord Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji Temple in Kyōto and, as one of Nobunaga’s loyal vassals, Yasuke’s involvement. The story, broken down into three sections; ‘Warrior’, ‘Samurai’, and ‘Legend’, then turns in ‘Warrior’ to the arrival in Japan in 1579

DVD Review: Ninja Battle – A Film By Seiji Chiba Starring Actress/Idol Aki Ito

More ninja action from cult director Seiji Chiba!

In 1581, the Iga province of Japan was annihilated by Oda Nobunaga and the Koga allied forces with many blaming the Iga’s downfall on the treachery of the Iga shinobi Shimoyama Kai. Prior to these events, a team of ninja agents were dispatched on a covert mission to prevent Oda and the Koga from gaining the upper hand. This is their story…

When a small group of Iga ninjas find their comrade Yoshimori lying dead in a cave next to a bound a gagged girl, they immediately suspect her of somehow being involved in