The Burden of Steel: Yasuke, An African Warrior in Japan

Yasufe, an African warrior from a fallen East African Empire three cultures in the maritime world of the 16th century. As a warrior-mercenary, he is chosen to be a bodyguard to Asia's top Jesuit official, Alessandro Valigniano. Visiting Japan with the Jesuit, this imposing figure soon becomes an integral part of the inner circle and samurai retainer to one of Japan's greatest historical figures, Oda Nobunaga, a powerful warlord of Japan in the late 16th century who attempted to unify Japan during the late Sengoku period. in this docudrama, we examine the world of Medieval East Africa, it's warring Stone Town City States, the presence of African mercenaries in India, the Jesuit incursion into the declining Spice Trade dominated by Islamics and the Sengoku Period of Japan.