This is a list of foreign-born people who became samurai. Whether these individuals were members of the warrior class (bushi) is a subject of debate among historians.[1] The word samurai has had a variety of meanings historically, and could vary from region to region. The term is also typically used generically to refer to Japanese warriors.[2]
| Birthplace | Original name | Occupation before arrival in Japan | Year of arrival in Japan | Name in Japan | Lord | Occupation and achievements in Japan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese Mozambique?[3] (now) | unknown | Servant of Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano[4] | 1579 | Yasuke Japanese: 弥助 | Oda Nobunaga | He was given a stipend by Nobunaga. He fought at during the Honnō-ji incident.He participated in the inspection tour of Koshu following its conquest.[5] |
| Hanseong, Joseon[6] (now) | Kim Yeo-cheol (Kanji: 金如鐵)[7] | Son of 金時省, civil officer of Joseon | 1592 | Wakita Naokata 脇田直賢 | Maeda Toshinaga→ Maeda Toshitsune→ Maeda Mitsutaka→ Maeda Tsunanori | 240 koku later increased to 1,000 koku. On-Koshōgashira (Head of pages). Kanazawa machi-bugyō (Commissioner of Kanazawa city). He served in the Summer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka. |
| Joseon[8] | unknown | Son of 曽清官, commanding officer of Joseon | 1598 | Soga Seikan 曾我清官 | Nakagawa Hidenari | 150 koku. Page of Hidenari. |
| Joseon[9] | (Kanji:李聖賢) | Son of Yi Bok-nam, commander of Joseon | 1598 | Rinoie Motohiro 李家元宥 | Mōri Terumoto→ Mōri Hidenari | 100 koku. Adviser of Mori clan. He was the swordsman who received menkyo of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. |
| Delft, Spanish Netherlands | Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn | Mate of De Liefde, Dutch ship | 1600[10] | Yayōsu 耶楊子 | Tokugawa Ieyasu→ Tokugawa Hidetada | 100 koku. He was given the rank of Japanese: [[Hatamoto]] and 50 servants.[11] Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, he chartered several Red Seal Ships. |
| Gillingham, Kent, Kingdom of England | William Adams | Pilot of De Liefde, Dutch ship[12] | 1600 | Miura Anjin (the pilot of Miura) 三浦按針 | Tokugawa Ieyasu→ Tokugawa Hidetada | 250 koku.[13] He was granted the rank of Japanese: [[Hatamoto]], a fief and 80-90 servants. Interpreter and shipwright of Tokugawa Shogunate. (Adams was the model for the character John Blackthorne in James Clavell's novel Shōgun (1975).) |
| Joseon[14] | unknown | unknown | unknown | Yagyū Shume 柳生主馬 | Yagyū Munenori→ Yagyū "Jūbei" Mitsuyoshi→ Yagyū Munefuyu | Retainer of Yagyū clan. 200 koku? He married the sister of Yagyū "Hyōgonosuke" Toshitoshi. |
| Henan, Ming Dynasty (now)[15] [16] | (Kanji:藍會榮) | The member of the inner circle of Ming dynasty | After 1624 | Kawaminami Genbei (First) 河南源兵衛 | Shimazu Iehisa | 300 koku. He was political refugee from Ming. Tōtsūji (Chinese translator) of Satsuma domain. He was given right to wear swords. |
| Kingdom of Prussia | Henry Schnell[17] | Soldier and arms dealer | 1860s | Hiramatsu Buhei 平松武兵衛 | Matsudaira Katamori | Served the Aizu domain as a military instructor and procurer of weapons. Given the right to wear swords, a mansion in the castle town of Wakamatsu and retainers. |