Yasuke: Way of the Butterfly Comic
ComicCon Capetown April 27-May 4, 2024

Yasuke: Way of the Butterfly Vol 1 Comic Drop
ComicCon Capetown April 27-May 1. 2024

The History

Yasuke: Reframing the Warrior

In the late 16th century, a young warrior from East Africa—Yasuke (possibly Yusefe)—arrived in Japan. He would go on to become a trusted retainer and samurai within the inner circle of the Sengoku-era warlord Oda Nobunaga.

The prevailing narrative that Yasuke was merely a “slave” is one that Deborah DeSnoo and I actively challenge in our docu-drama. That framing flattens both the historical record and the broader context of African martial traditions—traditions that cinema has rarely explored with any depth or seriousness.

Our work repositions Yasuke within a larger Afro-Asian world: one shaped by centuries of trade, cultural exchange, and conflict. His story begins in East Africa during the first wave of Portuguese incursions into the Indian Ocean trade network—an early phase of European attempts to disrupt and control the Afro-Asian spice routes. Within this world, we examine Yasuke not as a passive figure, but as a warrior-scholar, forged across multiple cultural and military traditions.

We explore the possibility—grounded in both context and capability—that Yasuke arrived in Japan not as an anomaly, but as a man already equal to the samurai he would soon stand beside. He entered Japan in the service of the Jesuit Visitor Alessandro Valignano, yet quickly distinguished himself within Nobunaga’s ranks, earning a level of trust rarely extended to outsiders.

Historical Record

Yasuke’s presence is not speculative—it is documented.

He is recorded as participating in the 1582 Battle of Tenmokuzan and the Honnō-ji Incident, a निर्णायक moment that reshaped the political future of Japan. He is also said to have manned a cannon at the Battle of Yamazaki, where Nobunaga’s betrayal was avenged and the path toward national unification advanced.

His existence is further confirmed in the 1581 letters of Jesuits Luís Fróis and Lorenço Mexia, as well as in the 1582 Annual Report of the Jesuit Mission in Japan.

The Shinchōkōki (The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga), a 16-volume account considered largely reliable, provides a vivid description of Yasuke’s first meeting with Nobunaga—an encounter that reportedly left the warlord deeply impressed.

More recently, a 2013 investigative report by Mariko Miyaji for Discovery of the World’s Mysteries added further dimension to Yasuke’s story, reinforcing accounts of the trust and personal regard Nobunaga held for him.

Reconstruction and Research

Much of Yasuke’s early life remains undocumented—but not unreachable.

Through ongoing research into 16th-century East Africa, the Indian Ocean trade networks, and the geopolitical pressures of early European expansion, we are reconstructing the world that shaped him. This work allows us to move beyond absence in the archive and toward a historically grounded reimagining of his formation as a warrior.

Over the past five years, our research has extended across Zanzibar, Mozambique, South Africa, and Japan. Each site contributes to a deeper understanding of the transcontinental forces that carried Yasuke into one of the most consequential military courts in Japanese history.

This is not simply a recovery project—it is a reframing of global history through a figure who has long been mischaracterized or minimized.

We invite your support in bringing this story to the screen.

The Filmmaker

Chicago-based producer Floyd Webb is committed to recovering the overlooked histories of global cross-cultural exchange—particularly those linking East Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan through centuries of trade and movement.

This project situates Yasuke within that larger world: one disrupted by 16th-century Jesuit missions and European imperial ambitions, and reshaped through the consolidation of power under Nobunaga.

Webb is collaborating with South African director Mandla Dube on the feature film Yasuke: Way of the Butterfly, currently in development as an international co-production with Toei Company in Tokyo.