snakes

In the following I will be compiling the absolutely phenomenal work of u/ParallelPain from AskHistorians on this topic throughout the last years and most recent events. Important to note is that this user is (as it seems) capable of basic Japanese linguistics and is mainly referring to primary sources, tracking down almost ALL publicly accessible entries of Yasuke, readily engaging in any type of communication related to this topic.

TL;DR AT THE BOTTOM!

All credits go to them, but they have not yet made their own post except for comprehensive replies.
Databases they are mainly referring to, entries of the Maeda Clan from the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo and generally the publicly accessible Japanese database.
Structure: Frequently asked [Q/C] question / claim followed by an [A/R] answer / response

[C] "A stipend could've been given to anyone"

[R]

Since the last time I posted about this, I went to track down the entry of Yasuke in the Maeda Clan version of the Shinchōkōki. Kaneko Hiraku (professor at the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo, the most prestigious historical research institution in Japan) includes in his book below, paired with the translation in Thomas Lockley's book (which is correct):

然に彼黒坊被成御扶持、名をハ号弥助と、さや巻之のし付幷私宅等迄被仰付、依時御道具なともたさせられ候、 This black man called Yasuke was given a stipend, a private residence, etc., and was given a short sword with a decorative sheath. He is sometimes seen in the role of weapon bearer.

Ever since previously people have been arguing with me that "stipend" could be given to anyone, not just samurai, without considering the word’s meaning in Japanese. I have already mentioned how the word was used in Japanese history. Let’s look then specifically at how Ōta Gyūichi, the author of the chronicles, used it. Here are all the other entries that mention the word "stipend" (specifically 扶持), each with link to the exact page of the Shinchōkōki. I will also quote the translation by J. P. Lamers, so this time the translation is academically published.

1. Shiba Yoshikane in 1553 – son of the previous and soon to be the next de jure lord of Owari, before Nobunaga ran him out of town.

若武衛様は川狩より直にゆかたひらのあたてにて信長を御憑み候て那古野へ御出すなはち貳百人扶持被仰付天王坊に置申され候 Lord Buei the Younger fled directly from his fishing spot on the river to Nagoya, dressed only in a bathrobe, to call on Nobunaga’s help. Accordingly, Nobunaga assigned him a stipend sufficient to maintain a retinue of two hundred men and installed him in the Tennōbō temple.

2. Saitō Dōsan. Recent research suggest this story is inaccurate, but I’m just demonstrating how Ōta Gyūichi uses the word.

斎藤山城道三は元來山城國西岡の松波と云者也一年下國候て美濃國長井藤左衛門を憑み扶持を請余力をも付られ候 The original family name of Saitō Yamashiro Dōsan was Matsunami. He was a native of the Western Hills of Yamashiro Province. One year, he left the Kyoto area for the provinces and called on the help of Nagai Tōzaemon of Mino, who granted him a stipend and assigned auxiliaries to him.

3. Nobunaga remonstrating Ashikaga Yoshiaki in 1573 for not giving out stipend properly.

一 諸侯の衆方々御届申忠節無踈略輩には似相の御恩賞不被宛行今々の指者にもあらさるには被加御扶持候さ樣に候ては忠不忠も不入に罷成候諸人のおもはく不可然事 Item [3] You have failed to make appropriate awards to a number of lords who have attended you faithfully and have never been remiss in their loyal service to you. Instead, you have awarded stipends to newcomers with nothing much to their credit. That being so, the distinction between loyal and disloyal becomes irrelevant. In people’s opinion, this is improper. ... 一 無恙致奉公何の科も御座候はね共不被加御扶助京都の堪忍不屆者共信長にたより歎申候定て私言上候はゝ何そ御憐も可在之かと存候ての事候間且は不便に存知且は公儀御爲と存候て御扶持の義申上候ヘ共一人も無御許容候餘文緊なる御諚共候間其身に對しても無面目存候勸(觀歟)世與左衛門古田可兵衛上野紀伊守類の事 Item [7] Men who have given you steadfast and blameless service but have not been awarded a stipend by you find themselves in dire need in Kyoto. They turned to Nobunaga with a heavy heart. If I were to say a few words in their behalf, they assumed, then surely you would take pity on them. On the one hand, I felt sorry for them; on the other, I thought it would be in the interest of the public authority (kōgi no ontame; sc., to your benefit). So I put the matter of their stipends before you, but you did not assent in even one case. Your hard-heartedness, excessive as it is, puts me out of countenance before these men. I refer to the likes of Kanze Yozaemon [Kunihiro], Furuta Kahyōe, and Ueno Kii no Kami [Hidetame].

4. A samurai captured in 1573 who would rather die than submit to Nobunaga.

御尋に依て前後の始末申上之處神妙の働無是非の間致忠節候はゝ一命可被成御助と御諚候爰にて印牧申樣に朝倉に對し日比遺恨雖深重の事候今此刻歷々討死候處に述懷を申立生殘御忠節不叶時者當座を申たると思召御扶持も無之候へは實儀も外聞も見苦敷候はんの間腹を可仕と申乞生害前代未聞の働名譽名不及是非 When Kanemaki, on being questioned by Nobunaga, gave a rough account of his career, Nobunaga commented that it would be a shame to lose a man with such marvelous accomplishments to his credit and stated that his life would be spared, were he to pledge his loyal service to Nobunaga. To this Kanemaki replied that he had harbored a deep grudge against the Asakura for a long time. Now that so many warriors of standing had been killed, however, he could not permit himself to stay alive by giving vent to his resentment. The moment he was remiss in his loyal service, Nobunaga would surely think that whatever he might have said at this juncture was just an expedient to save his skin and would cancel his stipend. Then Kanemaki would be unable to live with himself and with what people would say about him. He would therefore cut his own belly now. Having made this plea, he took his own life. His heroism was unprecedented, and his glory was beyond dispute.

5. Nobunaga to his own "companions" (think of Alexander’s foot and horse companions) in 1575 because he was feeling generous that day and had just given a bunch of cloth to a beggar and then felt like also rewarding his men who were supposedly moved to tears by the former act of generosity.

御伴之上下皆落淚也御伴衆何れも々々被加御扶持難有仕合無申計樣体也如此御慈悲深き故に諸天の有御冥利而御家門長久にに御座候と感申也 All of Nobunaga’s companions, those of high as of low rank, also shed tears. Each and every one of his companions had his stipend increased, and it goes without saying that they felt fortunate and thankful. It is because Nobunaga was so compassionate, everyone felt, that the heavens shed their blessings upon him and that the fortunes of his house would long endure.

6. Kuki Yoshitaka and Takigawa Kazumasu in 1578 for building big ships.

九鬼右馬允被召寄黃金二十枚並御服十菱喰折二行拜領其上千人つヽ御扶持被仰 Nobunaga summoned Kuki Uma no Jō and presented him with twenty pieces of gold as well as ten garments and two boxes containing wild duck. In addition, Nobunaga rewarded Kuki Uma no Jō and Takikawa Sakon with stipends adequate to maintaining a thousand men each.

7. A young samurai in 1579 for being a good wrestler, since Nobunaga loves wrestling.

甲賀の伴正林と申者年齡十八九に候歟能相撲七番打仕候次日又御相撲有此時も取すぐり則御扶持人に被召出鐵炮屋與四郞折節御折檻にて籠へ被入置彼與四郞私宅資財雜具共に御知行百石熨斗付の太刀脇指大小二ツ御小袖御馬皆具其に拜領名譽の次第也 A man from Kōka whose name was Tomo Shōrin, some eighteen or nineteen years old, showed good skills and scored seven wins. The next day, too, Nobunaga put on sumo matches, and Tomo again outclassed the others. As a result, Nobunaga selected Tomo to become his stipendiary. At about that time Nobunaga had to take disciplinary measures against a gunsmith by the name of Yoshirō, whom he locked up in a cage. Now Tomo Shōrin received the private residence, household goods, and other possessions of this Yoshirō. Nobunaga also gave him an estate of one hundred koku, a sword and a dagger with gold-encrusted sheaths, a lined silk garment, and a horse with a complete set of gear—glorious recognition for Tomo.

8. As part of his order preparing for his soon-to-be conquests in 1582, Nobunaga ordered his vassals to hire good local samurai.

一 國諸侍に懇扱さすか無由斷樣可氣遣事 一 第一慾を構に付て諸人爲不足之條內儀相續にをひては皆々に令支配人數を可拘事 一 本國より奉公望之者有之者相改まへ拘候ものゝかたへ相屆於其上可扶持之事 Item [5] Treat the provincial samurai with courtesy. For all that, never be remiss in your vigilance. Item [6] When the top man is greedy, his retainers do not get enough. Upon succeeding to domains, apportion them to all your retainers and take new men into your service. Item [7] Should there be any men from your home province who wish to enter your service, investigate their provenance, contact their previous employers, and only then grant them a stipend.

So Ōta Gyūichi used the word from time to time, and it was not a one-off usage. Every single usage of the word stipend by Ōta Gyūichi was, without exception, either giving it to samurai, some of whom were incredibly high ranked, or used in the context of hiring samurai or samurai’s salary. This includes a young sumo wrestler who may or may not have been a samurai, but was definitely hired by Nobunaga as his personal samurai. There is therefore no reason to think Gyūichi was using the term in Yasuke's context any differently. In fact we might even draw a slight parallel to Tomo Shōrin. Yasuke was said to have had the strength of ten men, meaning he must have demonstrated that strength and it’s certainly possible he demonstrated it through wrestling and beating everyone. Nobunaga loved wrestling, loved exotic stuff, and as shown above loved to demonstrate his generosity. So, it would certainly make sense on meeting Yasuke (coincidentally at Honnōji) for Nobunaga to make give Yasuke, who was exotic and might have been good at wrestling, a samurai’s stipend, a decorated sword, and a residence. Incidentally Tomo Shōrin was also at Honnōji when Akechi Mitsuhide attacked, though unlike Yasuke he did not survive.
EDIT: I'm adding an explanation because people are misinterpreting this post.
The meaning of the word stipend is not supposed to prove Yasuke was a samurai all by itself. What proves Yasuke was a samurai is not he received a samurai stipend, but that he received a samurai stipend and carried Nobunaga's weapons which was the job of a samurai and had and fought with a katana at Nijō and he was mobilized and followed Nobunaga on the Takeda campaign of 1582 and remained by Nobunaga's side even after Nobunaga dismissed all his "ordinary soldiers".
If you've read all my posts and links on Yasuke and still don't believe Yasuke was a samurai, then you either a) prefer to believe your own bias over historical research or b) should post an academic level publication from a PhD level researcher arguing Yasuke wasn't a samurai so I could read it.
Source

[Q] 'Is "samurai" a title in the way that High Middle Ages knighthood was? I.e. you formally take part in an accolade and are dubbed "knight," or is it more fluid than that?'

[A]

Leaving aside the actual fluidity of the word "knight," there was never a formalized requirement of a "samurai-ing" ceremony. At this point in time a samurai was basically anyone who 1) went to war armed and ready to fight and 2) either a) awarded/inherited an estate with enough income capable of supporting at least a family plus hire follower(s) for war, b) paid a stipend which was "permanent" (as in not just for the duration of the task) of about that value, or c) had enough property to be some sort of community leader so could be called upon for war often with follower(s). In the mid-sixteenth century the legal privileges of using his family name on official documentations and wearing two swords in public and having these be inheritable would be formalized. But that was many decades past Yasuke's time, and even then things were a lot more fluid than most people realize.
Actual titles were something else entirely, though many samurai of the time liked to self-style said titles, so those not officially recognized and recorded had little value. Looking through the list of names killed at Honnōji and Nijō, like Yasuke most did not have titles (officially recognized or self-styled) or if they did they were not known by the titles.
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Yes he was a samurai. I don't know how the game portrays him and don't care, but for sure samurai was not something glorious or indeed all that rare. Neither was their lives all it's cut out to be (everyone's lives sucked in 16th century Japan) and while there were plenty of non-samurai who tried and became samurai, there were also plenty of samurai who "gave up" their status and became peasants or merchants.
Source: Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2

[C] "Yasuke is just an irrelevant character not worth mentioning with few historical records"

[A]

If I may ask, why are there so few written accounts about Yasuke?

Yasuke is mentioned in at least: one diary, one chronicle, three letters, and one ecclesiastic history (Francois Solier's, who confirms he was from the area of Mozambique and brought to Japan via India). As far as the number of written accounts that mention a historical figure goes, that's a lot. In comparison most of the other koshō at Honnōji and Nijō who fought and lost their lives, we only know them because they are mentioned in the Shinchōkōki or later works that cite or obviously reference it, and many are only mentioned in so far as having their names listed among the dead.

an African person 'becoming a samurai' without it being documented is ridiculous.

Maybe, maybe not. Good thing then Yasuke becoming a samurai was documented.
Source: Paragraph 1

[Q] "In how many battles has Yasuke fought?"

[A]

We don't know how much time he spent in Japan because he first appeared in the sources on March 27, 1581, and was last mentioned on June 21, 1582.
Our sources only clearly state him fighting at Nijō Castle, though it's possible he also fought at Honnōji that morning. That still counts as one though. He followed Nobunaga on the Takeda campaign of 1582 but there's no record of Nobunaga's direct forces engaging in combat.
Source: Paragraph 1

[C] "Having a fief is required for a Samurai"

[R]

Having a fief is not a requirement for being samurai as around the time Yasuke appeared an increasing number of samurai were employed on stipend.
Matsudaira Ietada's diary describe him as being under Nobunaga fuchi. I don't know if western internet writers mistakenly translate the term literally as "carry" but fuchi means a rice stipend or a warrior employed by such stipend. Yasuke was paid a fuchi. At the very least Lorenzo Mesia reported that Nobunaga assigned people to show him around Kyōto. Either way would make him a warrior.
Having a (long)sword is not a mark of a samurai either until the late 17th century when the Edo Bakufu outlawed the wearing of the (long)sword in public by non-samurai population of the cities.
And in any case Luis Frois recorded Yasuke having fought at Nijō where he surrendered his sword. So he had one.
So he was definitely a samurai. And considering he was among Nobunaga/Nobutada's pages/guards, a relatively important one at that.
Source: Paragraph 1
Response by a user:
I still disagree...
He was obviously one of Nobunaga’s pages, but that doesn’t mean he was Samurai. As I stated, as sandal bearer Toyotomi Hideyoshi was also one of Nobunaga’s pages while he was a peasant, a position that would have also seen him receive a stipend.
The longsword was outlawed for non-Samurai in the 16th Century when Toyotomi instituted the sword hunt, removing them from the possession of all peasantry. Either way, the only explicit reference to Yasuke’s sword type is when Nobunaga gifted him a wakizashi and I don’t think it proves anything one way or another aside from Nobunaga taking an interest in the man which also explains him being shown around Kyoto.
He may have been Samurai, but there is not enough proof to definitely say so. I also think that considering his unique status at the time, if he had been made Samurai one of the sources would have explicitly stated so as it would have been unusual if not unheard of for the Japanese and probably unheard of for any of the western missionaries in the country at the time.
Response to this:
In general, 扶持 is a term for a payment for mid-lower ranking warriors for them to hire (usually warrior) servants for (usually temporary) employment. Given the term's usual usage, and that Yasuke was clearly by Nobunaga's side in permanent employment, it doesn't make sense for Yasuke to be anything but a warrior.
Even if Yasuke was "only" a 小姓 (page) or 道具持ち (weapons-bearer), that would make him a warrior on par with Ranmaru (at least before spring of 1582 when Ranmaru received a large fief).
In contrast, the Toyokagami specifically says Hideyoshi started out taking care of Nobunaga's shoes when Nobunaga went hunting. When Hideyoshi became a samurai, the term used for Hideyoshi's servants was ずさ.
You seem to be under the impression that a samurai was someone who needed to be officially made one, like "knighted". That isn't very accurate for the knight either, but bushi was a social group determined by what one did, not a formal rank or title. Meaning Ietada describing him as Nobunaga's fuchi, and as it doesn't make sense for Ietada to think Nobunaga was someone in a position to be dealing with the hiring of servants himself, Ietada's diary is more record of Yasuke being a samurai than many others would get.
Could Ietada be using the term to mean something other than its usual meaning, or just be mistaken? Of course. But as far as I know currently no one has put forward evidence of, or really even argued such. All published authors in English and Japanese pretty much treat Yasuke as a samurai (Lockley goes so far as to say so in the title of his book).

The longsword was outlawed for non-Samurai in the 16th Century when Toyotomi instituted the sword hunt, removing them from the possession of all peasantry. Either way, the only explicit reference to Yasuke’s sword type is when Nobunaga gifted him a wakizashi and I don’t think it proves anything one way or another aside from Nobunaga taking an interest in the man which also explains him being shown around Kyoto.

Sword hunt's orders was "limited" to the country-side peasantry, and in any case was two decade's after Yasuke's time under Nobunaga. Besides, the word used by the translation of Luis Frois' report is katana.
Source

[C] "He was only a page/squire/retainer (whatever)"

[R]

No, but they were a social class of their own, and the distinction was enough that we have specific mention of ashigaru (who were not part of the samurai class until the Edo period) being raised to the samurai class.

A 小姓 (page/squire/aide/bodyguard) was a full samurai. FYI no source say Yasuke was actually a 小姓, which was a specific job title. The assumption is if he really was a weapons-bearer, as supposedly recorded in the Maeda Clan version of the Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga, he would most likely be a 小姓. Unfortunately the relevant dates of the Maeda Clan version is not available on the National Archives of Japan Digital Archives so I can't check, but I don't have a reason to doubt it.

As for the report Luis Frois uses, if I remember correctly it describes the sword given to Yasuke as a ‘short ceremonial katana’ implying, to me at least, that it was a wakizashi as you have to question whether a foreign priest would see much difference beyond their length. Again, there is room for disagreement.

Frois says no such thing. Most likely you remember wikipedia (cough) which record that in Maeda Clan version of the Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga, Yasuke was given a koshigatana (just another name for wakizashi, not sure who translated it as "short, ceremonial katana" in English) during his first meeting with Nobunaga in spring of 1581.
I already linked and translated the relevant section of Luis Frois' letter in the thread above. Even in the original Portuguese Frois uses the term katana (spelled cataná).
Source

[Misc] First Breakdown of the History about Yasuke (and why he was a Samurai)

Here are all the written accounts of Yasuke I can find. Bare with me because all of them I'm translating from Japanese:
Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga (Shinchōkōki):

2nd Month 23rd Day [March 27, 1581]. A black monk* came from the Christian countries. He looks about 26-7 of age and his entire body black as a cow. He's body is really well-built, and furthermore has the strength of over ten men. The padre brought him here to see Lord Nobunaga. I'm really grateful to be able to see such rare things among the three countries that's never been seen before, and in in such detail, all thanks to Lord Nobunaga's great influence.

*Wiki's translation use "page" but it's probably wrong. In this case Ōta Gyūichi probably mean shaved/hairless.
Letter from Luis Frois, April 14, 1581:

The Monday after Easter, Nobunaga was in the capital, but a great number of people gathered in front of our casa to see the cafre [black slave], creating such a ruckus that people were hurt and almost died from thrown rocks. Even though we had lots of guards at the gates, it was difficult holding people back from breaking it down. They all say if we showed for money, one would easily earn in a short time 8,000 to 10,000 cruzado. Nobunaga also wanted to see him, and so sent for him, so Padre Organtino brought him. With great fuss, he couldn't believe this was the natural colour and not by human means, so ordered him to take off all his clothes above his belt. Nobunaga's sons also called him over, and everyone was very happy. Nobunaga's nephew the current commander of Ōsaka also saw this and was so happy he gave him 10,000 coins.

Letter from Lorenzo Mesia, October 8, 1581:

The padre brought one cafre with him, and no one in the capital has see before, and they all admired him, and countless people came to see him. Nobunaga himself saw him and was surprised, and thought it was painted with ink and did not believe he was black from birth. He see him from time to time, and he knew some Japanese, so he never got tired of talking to him, and he was strong and knew some tricks so Nobunaga was very happy. Now he's his strong patron, and to let everyone know he has has a someone show go with him around the city. The people say Nobunaga would make him a tono*.

*Japanese word for lord or sir.
Matsudaira Ietada's Diary, Tenshō 10, fourth month:

Nineteenth [May 11, 1582], day of Teibi. Raining. His highness gave him a stipend. They say deus [the Jesuits] presented him. He had the black man with him. His body was black like ink, 6.2 feet tall. They say his name's Yasuke.

Luis Frois' report to Jesuit Society, November 5, 1582:

And the cafre the Visitador [Alessandro Valignano] gave to Nobunaga on his request, after his death went to the mansion of his heir and fought there for a long time, but when one of Akechi's vassals got close and asked him give up his sword, he handed it over. The vassals went and asked Akechi what to do with the cafre, he said the cafre is like an animal and knows nothing, and he's not Japanese so don't kill him and give him to the church of the Indian padre. With this we were a bit relieved.

So all we know about him is that he was probably the first African in central Japan, and aroused great interest from all the Japanese. He was big, healthy, strong, knew some performance tricks, and learned some Japanese. He was a slave of the Jesuits, but Nobunaga took a liking to him and the Jesuits gave him to Nobunaga. Nobunaga liked him so much he was given a stipend, so he was definitely made a samurai. After Nobunaga's death at Honnōji, he went to Nijō Castle to protect Oda Nobutada, and fought bravely. But it was for naught, and he was captured and handed over to the Jesuits. Nothing else is known about him.
One other textual reference to Africans in Japan exist. In Luis Frois' History of Japan he recorded another cafre and one from Malabar (India) working the two cannons on Arima clan's ship, with one loading and one igniting.
Otherwise there are pictorial evidence of Africans in Japan.
This is a painting of one in a sumo match who may or may not be Yasuke.
A couple of paintings here and here suggest that unlike central Japan, Africans as slaves seems not that rare in the trading ports, probably Hirado or Nagasaki.
EDIT: For those interested, the relevant section of the Jesuits' letters in the original Portuguese are below:

• April 14, 1581 letter from Luis Frois
• October 8, 1581 letter from Lorenzo Mesia
• November 5, 1582 report from Luis Frois

TL;DR

[C] 'A stipend could've been given to anyone'
[R] In the Chronicles of Oda Nobunaga by Ōta Gyūichi the usage of the word stipend (specifically 扶持) has ALWAYS been used in the context of either giving it to samurai, some of whom were incredibly high ranked, or used in the context of hiring samurai or samurai’s salary.

.

[Q] 'Is "samurai" a title in the way that High Middle Ages knighthood was? I.e. you formally take part in an accolade and are dubbed "knight," or is it more fluid than that?'
[A] It was fluid because in that time period anyone who "1) went to war armed and ready to fight and 2) either a) awarded/inherited an estate with enough income capable of supporting at least a family plus hire follower(s) for war, b) paid a stipend which was "permanent" (as in not just for the duration of the task) of about that value, or c) had enough property to be some sort of community leader so could be called upon for war often with follower(s)" was considered a Samurai.

.

[C] "Yasuke is just an irrelevant character not worth mentioning with few historical records"
[R] He is better documented than anybody else of his rank during the Sengoku period.

.

[Q] "In how many battles has Yasuke fought?"
[A] We don't know in how many battles he has actually fought.

.

[C] "Having a fief is required for a Samurai"
[R] No, it wasn't. A payment or stipend was enough to be considered a Samurai.

.

[C] "He was only a page/squire/retainer (whatever)"
[R] Even if he was, a 小姓 (page/squire/aide/bodyguard) was a full samurai.

Conclusion

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Source
And as u/ParallelPain previously said already "If you've read all my posts and links on Yasuke and still don't believe Yasuke was a samurai, then you either a) prefer to believe your own bias over historical research or b) should post an academic level publication from a PhD level researcher arguing Yasuke wasn't a samurai so I could read it."
Source (at the end)
Share/repost this in all reddits, so people can stop complaining. Also, if anything is broken, I'm going to fix it, but Reddit keeps messing the formatting up.

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