Welcome, friend! Yesterday, I shared about The African Samurai, the story of Yasuke, the first foreign-born samurai. I am very excited to bring you this interview with the author, Craig Shreve. Check out what The African Smaurai is about below and then read on for the interview.
The African Samurai
By Craig Shreve
Set in late 16th-century Africa, India, Portugal, and Japan, The African Samurai is a powerful historical novel based on the true story of Yasuke, Japan’s first foreign-born samurai and the only samurai of African descent—for readers of Esi Edugyan and Lawrence Hill.
In 1579, a Portuguese trade ship sails into port at Kuchinotsu, Japan, loaded with European wares and weapons. On board is Father Alessandro Valignano, an Italian priest and Jesuit missionary whose authority in central and east Asia is second only to the pope’s. Beside him is his protector, a large and imposing East African man. Taken from his village as a boy, sold as a slave to Portuguese mercenaries, and forced to fight in wars in India, the young but experienced soldier is haunted by memories of his past.
From Kuchinotsu, Father Valignano leads an expedition pushing inland toward the capital city of Kyoto. A riot brings his protector in front of the land’s most powerful warlord, Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga is preparing a campaign to complete the unification of a nation that’s been torn apart by over one hundred years of civil war. In exchange for permission to build a church, Valignano “gifts” his protector to Nobunaga, and the young East African man is reminded once again that he is less of a human and more of a thing to be traded and sold.
After pledging his allegiance to the Japanese warlord, the two men from vastly different worlds develop a trust and respect for one another. The young soldier is granted the role of samurai, a title that has never been given to a foreigner; he is also given a new name: Yasuke. Not all are happy with Yasuke’s ascension. There are whispers that he may soon be given his own fief, his own servants, his own samurai to command. But all of his dreams hinge on his ability to protect his new lord from threats both military and political, and from enemies both without and within.
A magnificent reconstruction and moving study of a lost historical figure, The African Samurai is an enthralling narrative about the tensions between the East and the West and the making of modern Japan, from which rises the most unlikely hero.
Hi Craig! Welcome back to Armed with A Book. Please tell me and my readers a bit about yourself.
Hi! My name is Craig Shreve. I’m currently living in Toronto, Ontario, but I was born and raised in North Buxton, Ontario. North Buxton, formerly known as the Elgin Settlement, was founded as a settlement for slaves escaping the US via the Underground Railroad, and the town has been recognized as a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada. I grew up around stories of black history, which I’m sure has influenced my desire to write. My debut novel One Night in Mississippi was released in 2015, and I am excited to start sharing my second novel, The African Samurai.
How did the idea for The African Samurai come to you?
It is based on the true story of a man named Yasuke, who was a 16th century east African slave who was brought to Japan by Jesuits, gifted to a powerful warlord, and eventually become the first foreign born samurai. I first came across his story from a short YouTube video. I was immediately interested, of course, and as I started to learn whatever I could about him, his story just became more and more incredible.
Yasuke was surrounded by people who did not look like him and just as he found them strange, they found him strange too. What was it like writing as Yasuke?
Trying to recreate Yasuke’s character and step into his shoes was one of the most enjoyable elements of working on this story. Any of the non-fiction or documentary sources are of course based on observations of him, but writing in fiction allows us to try to give Yasuke’s perspective. It’s clear from the way he excelled through such constantly changing circumstances that he was adaptable, intelligent, and resilient, and I used those as the building blocks. From that foundation, I then just tried to look through each interaction with people and with the environment through his eyes and imagine his response. Yasuke is such an incredible character, it was a treat for me to try to get inside of his head, and understand his viewpoint on everything that he went through.
A good part of this book takes place in Japan. You wrote this book during the pandemic when travel was quite challenging. Can you tell me about how you pursued learning about Japan and its history?
Because of pandemic lockdowns, I was unable to travel to Japan during the early phases of the book. For aesthetics and feel, I watched films from the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and I was able to draw a lot of detail from his work. I also hired a tour guide in Japan to visit some of the key sites. Some sites we were able to do video walkthroughs together. When that wasn’t possible (because of the time zone difference) he recorded walkthroughs and sent them to me. Later in the editing stages, I was finally able to visit Japan and see some of the key locations for myself.
Of all the historical figures in The African Samurai, was there one you found yourself deeply interested in?
There was a lot of historical background I needed to absorb, and so there was quite a bit of research on things that never made it into the book. One of those that I was fascinated by was the rivalry between two of Oda Nobunaga’s contemporaries, Takeda Shingen (the Tiger of Kai) and Uesugi Kenshin (the Dragon of Echigo). They fought a series of famous battles against each other, but also had a deep respect for one another. I hope that someone does a book covering their feud!
You are a descendent of some prominent people in Canadian history: Abraham Doras Shadd and Mary Ann Shadd. It is amazing that you know your lineage from almost 200 years ago. How does the history of your family inspire you?
Abraham Doras Shadd is on a Canadian postage stamp, and I carry one of them in my wallet. I am proud of those family connections, and it inspires me to try to be someone that people around me are proud to know.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
One line that was a late addition to the book, was “loneliness is not the absence of people, it is the presence of people, and the recognition that you don’t belong amongst them.” Writing during the pandemic meant that thoughts about the importance of personal connections were constantly on my mind, and I think that is where this line came from. Being around people is one thing, but truly connecting with people is what keeps us healthy mentally.
The African Samurai is your second book. What was One Night in Mississippi about? Were there any lessons or best practices you learned from your first book that you brought into the process for this book?
One Night in Mississippi is about a man named Warren Williams whose brother, Graden, is lynched and murdered in Mississippi in the 1960’s. The men responsible are caught, but ultimately released without punishment. Warren is haunted by that for decades, until the early part of the 2000s, when the US Dept of Justice begins re-opening civil rights era cases where there were obvious miscarriages of justice. Warren begins re-investigating his own brother’s case, which leads to a face-to-face meeting with one of the few surviving perpetrators.
The biggest challenge with that story was getting the structure right, because it contains multiple viewpoints and multiple timelines. With The African Samurai covering past and “present” events as well, I think the process I went through with One Night in Mississippi really helped me lay out the flashbacks in an appropriate way to not disrupt the overall story pacing.
What are some of your favorite books? Are there any authors on your auto-buy list?
For favourite books, as impossible as that is, I will take a crack at it – The Crossing and Blood Meridian from Cormac McCarthy, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, The Disappeared by Kim Echlin, Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel, Above All Things by Tanis Rideout, Circe by Madeline Miller, The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami, and Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and sharing with my readers. 🙂
Thank you so much for joining us for the interview! Connect with Craig on his website, Goodreads and X.
Also big thanks to the wonderful folks at Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of The African Samurai and to interview Craig.
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