As the first foreign-born samurai, Yasuke fought important ... children's book Kuro-suke (kuro meaning "black" in Japanese) by Kurusu Yoshio. The book, which dramatises Yasuke's life, ends with ...

The book is regarded as a martial classic and ... which in 1867 led to the abolition of the samurai class and Japan’s rapid drive towards modernisation. Ironically, the men behind the revolution ...

The writer spent his life cultivating beauty—on the page and in the mirror—only to end it with a samurai-style suicide. Both ...

Set against the throes of civil war in early 17th century Japan ... and their loyal samurai - adding much-needed cultural authenticity to the original book and small screen run.

The term "samurai" comes from the Japanese word saburau, meaning "to serve," and was first used in A.D. 702 to describe mid-to-low-ranking court administrators and, later, armed imperial guards.