Yasuke

Yasuke (弥助; born c. 1555), known to the Portuguese under the baptismal name "Diogo", was an African samurai who served the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga. In 1579, the Portuguese Jesuits brought him as a slave to the port city of Sakai, shortly following their rescue of him at sea. By 1581, he had entered into Nobunaga's service after capturing his attention as the first African man he had ever met and impressing him with his strong stature and intelligence.