Journal of International Education - University of Suwon ISSN: 2586-6478 Volume: 7(1) 2025 Journal Homepage: www.jiesuwon.com Address: 17 Wauan-gil, Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea18323 International College, The University of Suwon Copyright: © 2025 the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Published by Journal of International Education, University of Suwon, Republic of Korea. Page | 1 | Manuscript Discrepancies and Historical Ambiguities: A Textual Study of the Shinchōkōki and Yasuke 写本の相違と歴史的曖昧さ：『信長公記』と弥助に関する本文研究 Alaric Naudé 1 , 1 (Professor of Linguistics), College of Global Talent, University of Suwon, Suwon, Rep. of Korea) E-mail: naude@suwon.ac.kr | ABSTRACT This study critically examines the divergent approaches to the Shinchōkōki, contrasting Japanese scholarship—which emphasizes contextual accuracy and close adherence to the original Sengoku-era texts—with English-language research that often imposes modern ideologies onto premodern sources. Through a combination of quantitative probabilistic modeling and qualitative linguistic analysis, the research demonstrates that the exogenous methodologies prevalent in Western studies have led to a cascade of extrapolation errors. These errors are especially evident in the mythologized portrayal of Yasuke, whose scant historical references have been reinterpreted to support contemporary narratives of identity and cultural symbolism. A key finding is that the Ikeda (池田本) manuscript on which most Japanese scholarship is based, due to its closer proximity to the original events and minimal political adulteration, emerges as the most accurate source for understanding Sengoku history. In contrast, the Sonkeikaku-bon (尊経閣本) the version used by Western scholars, an Edo-period reconstruction laden with Tokugawa-era embellishments, is unsuitable for reconstructing authentic Sengoku narratives. Consequently, the reinterpretation of Yasuke’s status and receiving of wakizashi (short sword), stipend and housing is an artifact of later political writing rather than a reflection of Sengoku reality which has been further reinterpreted as samurai status by modern works ideologically driven scholars. | KEYWORDS Shinchōkōki, black samurai, Yasuke, Oda Nobunaga, Sonkeikaku-bon, Ikeda , Kenkun , Tenri 信長公記, 黒人侍, 弥助, 織田信長, 尊経閣本, 池田本, 天理本, 建勲本 1. INTRODUCTION The study of the Shinchōkōki has resulted in two prevailing orthodoxies: one grounded in Japanese scholarship (e.g, 石田善人, 1975; 和田裕弘, 2009) and the other shaped by English-language research (Lockley, 2024). The Japanese orthodoxy is defined by its adherence to the cultural and historical context of the Sengoku period, with interpretations that align closely with the textual and linguistic nuances of the original manuscript. Scholars working within this framework emphasize the importance of contextual accuracy, treating figures such as Yasuke in proportion to the limited references available in historical sources. In contrast, the English orthodoxy has evolved through a less rigorous engagement with the Shinchōkōki, leading to significant methodological flaws. This has resulted in a quasi-religious narrative that incorporates elements absent from the original text. The case of Yasuke exemplifies this disparity. Due to the scarcity of documentation, Western scholars have frequently resorted to speculative interpretations, extrapolating details unsupported by primary evidence. Furthermore, the limited proficiency in Japanese among many researchers has led to a reliance on secondary sources and incomplete translations. This, coupled with a receptive audience unable to critically evaluate these claims, has created an academic echo chamber in which speculative narratives are perpetuated and treated as authoritative.