The phenomenon of weeaboo or (wibu in Indonesian slang) itself is quite common in today's internet climate. Weeaboo itself refers to people who are very fanatical about anything Japanese; food such as ramen, kimono clothes, anime and manga, anything that is labeled with a round red with a white box label on its back, they will definitely consume it. 

However, it turns out that the weeaboo phenomenon itself is not something new! Yes, it turns out that even in the 16th to 18th centuries, there were already a number of foreigners or those born outside Japan who later dedicated themselves to the Land of the Rising Sun until they were appointed as samurai, one of the highest social titles in ancient Japan. Who are they?

1. Yasuke - Mozambique

Yasuke is an African who came to Japan as an assistant to the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. Said to be more than 180 cm tall and having the strength of 10 adult males, the daimyo Oda Nobunaga then recruited him as his personal assistant in 1581. He only served Oda for about one year because in 1582, Oda was forced to commit suicide by seppuku after one of its warlords, Akechi Mitsuhide, rebelled.

In Japan, Yasuke is quite a legendary figure. The children's book Kurosuke chronicles his life, he appears in a number of historical themed manga, as well as appearing in Nioh, Samurai Warriors 5, and Nobunaga's Ambition. In the United States, many anime fanatics and weeaboos are African Americans.

2. William Adams - England

Besides Yasuke, the name of a foreigner samurai who also skyrocketed in the popular media is William Adams (1564-1620). He is thought to have been the first European to be officially recognized as a samurai and the first Briton to touch his feet on mainland Japan. 

At first Adams and his crew were mistaken for pirates by the daimyo Tokugawa Ieyasu, but thanks to his proficiency in shipbuilding techniques, Ieyasu appointed him as a diplomat and advisor in international trade. Ieyasu also gave him a mansion, a samurai title, and a status symbol of two katana blades. From then on he was known as Miura Anjin. 

Adams’ tomb was made into a monument in the Kyushu region, there is a street in Tokyo called Anjinchou, and the Anjin Festival is held annually in the city of Ito, Shizuoka, on August 8-10. He also appears as the main character of Nioh.

3. Kim Yeo-cheol - Joseon / South Korea

Kim Yeo-Cheol (1585-1660) was the son of a Joseon official who died at the hands of Japanese troops during the Korean Invasion in 1592. Kim was later captured and taken to Nagoya Castle as a prisoner but was taken by the family of the daimyo Maeda Toshinaga in Kanazawa as a page named Kyuubei. In 1605, he was adopted by the Wakita clan and changed his name to Wakita Naokata. There he showed his prowess as a competent warlord in the Siege of Osaka until he finally became the commissioner of Kanazawa City.

4. Jules Brunet - France

A French army officer sent to train and modernize the shogunate troops in 1867. In the Boshin civil war between the new government and the traditional samurai that took place in 1868-1869, Brunet and his troops officially sided with the Tokugawa shogunate and refused to return to France. When the shogunate army was defeated and his followers were hunted down, Brunet was evacuated by the French ship Coëtlogon and forced to return home. The new Japanese government requested that Brunet be punished for his participation in the Boshin War, but the request was vehemently rejected. He lived from 1838 to 1911 and was known as a shrewd colonel. 

The main character of The Last Samurai, Captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise is based on Brunet. 

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5. Kawaminami Genbei - Ming / China

Although his real name is unknown, it was recorded that there was a person from China named Kawaminami Genbei who had lived in Kagoshima. An ordinary shipping merchant, he was presumed to have fled to Japan to seek political asylum. Later Genbei became the translator for the Kagoshima/Satsuma regional government and was granted the right to carry two katana blades; symbol that he is now a/an equal to a samurai. 

6. Edward Schnell - Prussian Empire / Germany

A number of Germans came and lived in Japan during the Bakumatsu Period (1853-1869) when Japan began to open up its country to outsiders. One of the famous Germans was Edward Schnell, who got the name Hiramatsu Buhei. 

Edward and his brother, Henry, were arms dealers who had served in the Prussian army. They were also assigned as secretary and translator for the Prussian consulate Max von Brandt. While walking in the city of Edo/Tokyo in 1867, the two brothers were attacked by a samurai who wanted to expel foreigners from Japan. One of the Schnell shot and chased the samurai away; but also accidentally injures a passerby while trying to shoot the fleeing samurai indiscriminately. 

It is suspected that the two brothers grew up in Indonesia because of their ability to speak Malay. One of them is listed as the owner of land No. 44 in Yokohama. However, the historical record regarding Brother Schnell is sparse, that Edward and Henry are even often mistaken for the same person.

7. Henry Schnell - Prussian Empire / Germany

Edward’s brother. During the Boshin War Henry sold two Gatling guns, 2,000 French rifles, and other weapons to the Nagaoka daimyo. After the shogun's defeat, Henry and his family along with two dozen samurai fled to the United States and purchased 600 acres of land in California. They are thought to be the ancestors of the Japanese population in the US. The TV series Samurai Warrior Queens tells a story about the Boshin War and Henry's activities in Japan.

8. Jan Joosten van Lodensteyn of Delft - Dutch

Hailed from the city of Delft, Jan Joosten van Lodensteyn (1556–1623) was one of the first famous European samurai to be born outside of Japan. He and Adams had been on one ship, a Dutch ship called De Liefde. 

Joosten and many other merchants set out for Spain, but the region turned out to be extremely hostile. While fleeing they were hit by storms and waves until finally landed in Japan. Their ship was confiscated and the crew were interrogated about the political situation in Europe. Joosten himself was eventually appointed as a hatamoto or special assistant to the shogun, named Yayosu, given 50 servants, and allowed to hold two katanas around his waist. 

Joosten handled various important transactions between Japan and the Southeast Asian region, including a number of official armed merchant red-seal ships directly from Tokugawa Ieyasu's orders. Writer and adventurer Tenjiku Tokubei once tagged along on one of his voyages. One time, when Joosten wanted to return to the Netherlands and reach Batavia/Jakarta, for some reason he was denied by the Dutch authorities. Joosten and his crew were killed when their ship sank on its way back to Japan. 

Now in Tokyo there is a place called Yayosu Quay, the Yaesu exit at Tokyo Station is also named after him, there is also Yaesu doori street complete with a monument that immortalizes his figure. Meanwhile in Delft there is Jan Joosten Square. 

Those are the names of eight weeaboo samurai who were born before the term weeaboo itself became popular among internet users around the world. Stay tuned for the latest articles from DuniaGames!

Read More >> Here Are the 5 Signs of Weaboo Smells Onion! Do You Have One of It?

Written by Sidharta F. Rasidi: Twitter @StoPlayinGame