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For hundreds of years, samurai, a class of elite warriors, shaped Japanese history, and tales of their exploits and adventures remain the stuff of legends.
幾百年來，武士這一精英戰士階層塑造了日本的歷史，他們的英勇事跡和冒險故事至今仍是傳奇。
One of the most fascinating and mysterious is Yasuke, a man from Africa who appears to have become a samurai in the 16th century.
其中最引人入勝且神秘的人物之一是彌助，他來自非洲，大概在16世紀成為了武士。
Now, Yasuke appears as a character in Assassin's Creed Shadows, a samurai-themed installment in the longstanding video game series.
如今，彌助會作為一名角色出現在《刺客信條：影》中，這是該長期系列視頻游戲中一個以武士為主題的版本。
But who exactly was Yasuke? And what can historians piece together about his life?
但彌助究竟是誰？歷史學家又能從他的人生中拼湊出什么？
Yasuke's early life remains largely unknown.
彌助的大部分早年生活仍不為人知。
Some scholars speculate that he was born in Mozambique around the mid-16th century, while others suggest he might have been born elsewhere in Africa.
一些學者推測他大約在16世紀中期出生于莫桑比克，也有人認為他可能出生在非洲的其他地方。
He adopted the name 'Yasuke' only after arriving in Japan with the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano.
他是在和耶穌會傳教士范禮安抵達日本后才采用了‘彌助’這個名字。
Yasuke likely met Valignano in Africa or India in the late 1570s.
彌助可能是在16世紀70年代末在非洲或印度遇到的范禮安。
Valignano, tasked with assessing Catholic missions in Asia, recruited him as a bodyguard for a journey through India, China, and Japan.
被指派評估亞洲的天主教傳教工作的范禮安，招募了彌助作為保鏢，一同前往印度、中國和日本。
Yasuke's striking presence, towering at over six feet, would have made him an impressive companion.
彌助引人注目的外表，身高超過六英尺，使他成為一個令人印象深刻的伙伴。
He was renowned for his strength; The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, a 17th-century Japanese text, described his power as "formidable," surmising that it "surpassed that of 10 men."
他以力量聞名；17世紀的日本文獻《信長公記》描述他的力量“超大”，并推測其“遠超十個人加在一起的力量”。
But Yasuke wasn't the first person of African descent to arrive in Japan.
但彌助并不是第一個到達日本的非洲裔人士。
European traders and missionaries sometimes sailed with attendants and crew members who had come from Africa.
歐洲商人和傳教士有時會帶著來自非洲的隨從和船員航行。
Nonetheless, Yasuke quickly attracted attention wherever he went and became a kind of celebrity.
盡管如此，無論走到哪里，彌助都會迅速吸引人們的注意，由此成為了一種名人。
People took to the streets in droves just to see him.
人們成群結隊地走上街頭，只為一睹他的風采。
In Sakai, the crush of the crowd was so great that it actually damaged buildings in the city.
在堺市，圍觀彌助的人群就非常擁擠，以至于使得城里的建筑物一度遭到損壞。
