Character History profiles

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Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) was the first individual to attempt to unify Japan at the end of the Warring States period; his ultimate goal, though he never realized it, was to bring all of Japan "under a single sword" (tenka-fubu ). Like so many others in the history of Japan, he rose from an obscure family through ruthless ambition to become one of the most powerful men in Japan. His rise to power was slow and deliberate and his use of power unforgiving. The most significant step he took in unifying the country was the destruction of the Buddhist monastery of Mt. Hiei. All throughout the medieval period in Japan, from the Heike war onwards, the monks of Mt. Hiei had played a significant role in both the political and military course of Japan. Seeing Mt. Hiei as a threat to future stability, he destroyed the monastery and hunted down every single Hiei monk and slaughtered them, regardless of their age or innocence.


Perhaps one of Oda's most significant contributions to Japanese history, outside of laying the groundwork for the future unification of the country, was his eager embrace of Westerners. Perhaps out of his dislike of esoteric Buddhism, he was fascinated by Christianity and welcomed Jesuit missionaries. As a result, he's the first Japanese leader to appear in Western histories. He also, very shrewdly, embraced Western technology—firearms, in particular. Firearms had been imported into Japan since the late fifteenth century; although these weapons were primarily firelocks and inherently unstable (you can't use a firelock in the rain or snow, for instance, and they have a disturbing tendency to blow up in your face), Oda Nobunaga was the first Japanese to figure out both offensive and defensive tactics with the new weapons. Besides retraining his armies for new tactics, he also built massive stone forts that would resist the new firearms. Finally, he was the first Japanese leader to employ iron-cladding on his warships, which made them virtually unbeatable.

Oda never succeeded in unifying the country; just as he was on the verge of success, he was assassinated by two of his generals at the age of forty-eight. Although he had eliminated the wild card of the Mt. Hiei monks, there remained much to do. The hardest task would be to restructure the country to guarantee a lasting peace among the warring feudatories. That task largely fell to the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the "Wealth of the Country."

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Mori Ranmaru

Born Nagasada Mori, son of Yoshinari Mori in the Mino region northeast of present day Nagoya. His older brother Nagayoshi suppressed an insurrection at Ise Nagashima, and was awarded 200,000 goku for his success. (A goku is a unit of measure for rice, roughly equivalent to a one year supply for one man. The more goku a leader possesses, the more troops he is able to feed, and thus, the stronger his influence.) In addition, Nagayoshi accompanied Hideyoshi Toyotomi and participated in the Battle of Nagakute, where he died while still in his youth. From an early age, Ranmaru was Nobunaga's attendant. Recognized for his talent and loyalty, he was appointed to a responsible post. At Oumi, he was given 500 goku, and after Katsuyori Takeda's death, he was awarded the 50,000 goku at Iwamura Castle in Mino. While residing with Nobunaga at Honnouji Temple, Mitsuhide Akechi launched a fierce assault. Even though they fought resolutely, Ranmaru and his younger brothers perished defending Nobunaga.

Mori Ranmaru, a young page to Oda, was something of an advisor to Nobunaga and his gopher. Ranmaru is probably the most famous bishounen in Japanese history.

Besides being a beautiful young page, he was a guard, a soldier, and a lover (kosho) who served Nobunaga and ultimately died by his side.The name Ranmaru could be used in Japan almost like Adonis or Narcissus in Western culture

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Date Masaume was the eldest son of Date Terumune, a locally powerful lord of the Rikuzen area of Mutsu. He was born in September 1566 at Yonezawa and first went by the name Botenmaru. He assumed control of the Date in 1584 with the retirement of his father and almost immeditaly following his ascension, Masamune suffered the defection of a Date retainer named Ouchi Sadatsuna. Masamune besieged Ouchi's stronghold at Otemori and inflicted a terrible price on the traitors.
In his youth, Masamune had suffered a bout with small pox that caused an infection in his right eye-which he plucked out himself. Combined with his early aggressive and unstable demeanor, Masamune would earn the tag 'One-eyed Dragon'. That nickname would stick, but became one of respect.

In 1589, Date defeated the Soma, and bribed an important Ashina retainer, Inawashiro Morikuni, over to his side. He then assembled a powerful force and marched straight for the Ashina's headquarters at Kurokawa. The Date and Ashina forces met at Suriagehara on 5 June, and Masamune's forces carried the day, Masamune leading a charge against faltering Ashina ranks, and breaking them. Unfortunately for the Ashina, Date men had destroyed their avenue of escape, a bridge over the Nitsubashi River, and those who did not drown attempting to swim to safety were mercilessly put to the sword. By the battle's end, Masamune could count something like 2,300 enemy heads in one of the more bloody and decisive battles of the Sengoku period to happen in the far north.

In 1592, Date served in Hideyoshi's headquarters at Nagoya on Kyushu during the Korean invasion. Three years later, he found himself implicated in the suspected treason of Toyotomi Hidetsugu and was ordered to pack up and move his household to Iyo on Shikoku, an unthinkable fate (to Date) averted through the good offices of Tokugawa Ieyasu. All in all, it is not surprising that Date readily joined Tokugawa when war came between the latter and Ishida Mitsunari began in 1600. He had already married a son to one of Ieyasu's daughters (an act which in itself had aggravated tensions between Ieyasu and his fellow san-bugyo members) and was likely contemplating how best his remote forces could aid Tokugawa when war began. In the event, he and Mogami Yoshiakira of Dewa held the forces of Uesugi Kagekatsu at bay, with Masamune's first contribution to the war effort being the Siege of Hataya. The battles in the north culminated with Masamune's attack on Fukushima Castle. Date and Mogami's efforts allowed Tokugawa to move west in confidence, and, of course, the campaign culminated in the total victory at Sekigahara in October 1600.

In 1613 though Date's embassy had come to naught, he maintained his status as a first rate general, serving in the Osaka Campaigns (1614,1615). His somewhat unusual and at times controversial manner of doing things was best demonstrated by an incident that occurred during the 1615 siege. Evidently, Masamune became frustrated at the lack of aggression on the part of friendly troops under Jinbo Sukemochi, and ordered his own men to let off a few rifle volleys in their direction to goad them into action. Needless to say, this was not an act well looked upon by his fellow generals.

When Ieyasu was on his deathbed in 1616, Masamune was one of the last of the great daimyo to see him, presenting his overlord with a piece of Zen poetry. Yet, while they were ostensibly on very good terms, Tokugawa (nor anyone else for that matter) never fully trusted the unfathomable lord of Sendai. A number of anecdotes have survived that paint the picture of a lord with an attitude both unreadable and outspoken. In addition, Masamune had a keen appreciation of the arts, despite his rustic background.

When Masamune died (1636), he was succeded by his son Tadamune (? -1658).

The Katakura, Shiroishi, Endo, Rusu, Oniniwa, and Hasekura clans served the Date loyally

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Akechi Mitsuhide
Oda retainer and destroyer of Oda Nobunaga; Hyuga no Kami; also known as Koreta Mitsuhide. The son of Akechi Mitsukuni (who had held Akechi Castle in E. Mino Province), Mitsuhide first served the Saitô of Mino and later a certain Asakura Ujikage of Echizen. In 1566 Mitsuhide is supposed to have acted as a messenger for the 'wandering shôgun' Yoshiaki, and thereafter served Nobunaga. Mitsuhide proved himself a capable general and in 1571 was awarded Sakamoto-jo and two districts in Ômi province. When Nobunaga went to war with the Môri clan, Mitsuhide was assigned to lead the Oda contingent that would be marching along the northern coast of the Chugoku arm. He invaded Tamba, where he subdued the Hatano, and Tango, where he clashed with the Isshiki family.

In 1578 an unfortunate incident is said to have occurred involving the Hatano clan of Tamba. Eager to bring them over without further delay, Mitsuhide managed to convince Hatano Hideharu to submit. Unfortunately, Nobunaga later overturned Mitsuhide's promise of safe treatment and had Hideharu executed in 1579. The Hatano responded, as one might expect, by accusing Mitsuhide of treachery, and, the story goes, somehow got ahold of his mother in Ô,mi and executed her in dreadful manner. Mitsuhide, needless to say, bore Nobunaga some ill will. This was enflamed by a series of public insults Nobunaga directed at Mitsuhide that drew even the attention of Western observers. Nonetheless, Mitsuhide was generally well regarded for his talents both on the battlefield and as an administrator.

In 1582, Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide to assemble his troops and march to the west, where Hashiba (Toyotomi Hideyoshi) was embroiled in a struggle with the Môri. Instead, Mitsuhide marched on Oda, who was occupying the Honno temple at the time. Nobunaga and his heir Nobutada were killed, and Mitsuhide declared himself the new shogun, however improbably. Mistuhuide may have intimated his intentions just days before when he composed a poem for the renga masters Jôha and Shosmegsu that, while ostensibly written to bring good luck to Hideyoshi's seige of Takamatsu, contained a provactive line that could be interpreted to mean that the Toki (whose name he used from time to time) would rule Japan. At any rate, the sudden defection stunned the Capital region. Akechi worked as quickly as he could, and looted Azuchi Castle so as to reward his men and made friendly gestures towards a bewildered Imperial Court. The Akechi could claim descent from the Toki, and in turn the Minamoto, but, unsurprisingly, this would bear little fruit. Mitsuhide had counted on the support of Hosokawa Fujitaka, with whom he was related to through marriage. This alliance did not pan out as Fujitaka wisely cut his ties with the usurper. It is possible that Mitsuhide also hoped for the support of the Tsutsui, whose relation with Nobunaga had been none too good. Tsutsui Junkei, however, wavered, and in the end joined Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Another grave setback came within days. Mitsuhide had counted on Hideyoshi being tied up with the Môri and thus being unable to promptly respond to Nobunaga's death. Unfortunately, Hideyoshi learned of the assassination before the Môri, and signed a peace treaty with that clan. This allowed him to force-march back east at a rapid pace, catching Mitsuhide off guard. Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi clashed at Yamazaki, and though the former fought bravely, his troops were defeated. Mitsuhide himself was killed while attempting to make his way to Sakamoto, which was held by his brother, Hidemitsu (1560-1582). Soon afterwards, Sakamoto was reduced by Hori Hidemasa (1553-1590).

While Akechi would become one of the most famous men in Japanese history, if only for his treachery, the exact causes for his dramatic attack on Nobunaga, and what he hoped to accomplish once this was done, will most likely remain a mystery.

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Nouhime
(not much on Nouhime unfortunately, she was married to Nobunaga but his concubine gets more said about her than Nouhime does)

Kitsuno was born in 1538 and according to Ikoma's record, the father was Iemune, the third generation of Ikoma family. She first married to Yaheiji Dota, however, Yaheiji died in the battle of Akechi and she had to return to her parents' home, Ikoma mansion.

There, she met Nobunaga and Nobunaga fell in love with her. Therefore, she became his concubine and gave birth to Nobutada, Nobukatsu, and Princess Toku.

According to the Nobunaga official record, Nobunaga officially married Nouhime, the daughter of Dosan Saito from Mino district in 1547. However, the princess didn't bear child and there is not much record written about her, it can be assumed that the position of Kitsuno was higher than that of the official wife.

Besides her beauty, what attracted Nobunaga so much was the maternal love inside of Kitsuno. Nobunaga didn't get enough affection from his mother even when he was a child, but always wanted it. Additional to it, the wealth and power of the Ikoma family must had been one of the attractive points.

Kitsuno moved to Kori with castle in 1564, however, she died of ill two years later, and she was only 29 at that time. Although, Nobunaga was known as cruel, selfish, bellicose person, Kitsuno was always supporting him behind scenes.

(Hmm makes you wonder why Koei didnt add "Kitsuno" as a playable character)

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(And there appears to be very little information on the 'cover' boy Sanada Yukimura)

Sanada Yukimura

The second son of Masayuki, Yukimura Sanada escaped from his confinement at Kii's Mt. Kudo and made his way to Osaka Castle. During the battle at Osaka, he fought extremely well, even though he was totally outnumbered. This earned him the appellation 'Sanada, the greatest soldier in Japan'

Yukimura, his father Masayuki Sanada and their small army fought bravely against Ieyasu Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara and gained fame and honor for defeating a much larger foe. At that time, Yukimura parted ways with older brother Noboyuki, and set off with his father and the western army to hold back Hidetada Tokugawa (son of shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa) at Ueda Castle. Upon the defeat of the western army, he fled to Kudoyama and waited 14 years, then accepting Hideyori Toyotomi’s invitation to Osaka Castle. During the wintertime battle at Osaka, he constructed Sanada Castle, demonstrating his resourcefulness and bravery. He rejected an offer from Ieyasu Tokugawa to govern the province of Shinano, opting instead to oppose him on the battlefield until the end. At the summertime battle of Chausuyama, he broke through the enemy army and reached Tokugawa’s flag three times, instilling fear in Tokugawa until his dying day.

Armored in red, emblazoned with the Roku Mon Sen (6 Coins - according to mythology, a symbol of the toll required to cross the River Sanzu into the afterlife). His weapon is the Cross Blade Spear and his guard soldiers are the Ten Heroes

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Okuni

also called Izumo No Okuni, a Japanese dancer who is credited as being the founder of the Kabuki art form.

Okuni is said to have been an attendant at the Grand Shrine of Izumo in western Japan. She formed a troupe of female dancers who in 1603 gave a highly popular performance of dances and light sketches on a makeshift Noa stage set up on a dry riverbed of the Kamo River in Kyoto. The company's lusty and unrestrained dance dramas soon became popular.

Her dance seem to have been an original mixture of folk dance and a type of religious dance called "nenbutsu odori". Okuni's Kabuki continued in this form for some years, becoming popular not only with the common people but also among the samurai and the feudal lords. Unfortunately, Kabuki also came increasingly under the scrutiny of the authorities, who regarded it as a disruptive influence. Eventually, in 1629, the Shogunate used the ever-present overtones of prostitution as an excuse to ban women from the stage on grounds of immorality.

Kabuki is a type of Japanese theatre which flourished amongst the rapid urbanisation of Edo period Japan (1600-1867). In this period, Kabuki developed from small-scale dances in dry riverbeds to full-blown dramatic performances in theatres which could house over 1000 paying customers at a time. Kabuki was topical, feeding on fashions and fads, and at times, even creating them. It evolved with the communities of townspeople who patronised it, as well as the broader changes which affected Japanese society as a whole.

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Maeda Keiji

Put simply,"Keiji Maeda" is a wonderful Samurai,the person who leaves a name to a history is the man who built the empire or aimed at it, they are people like Alexander and Napoleon, but Keiji was different.

Building an empire was not important to him, having true belief in the Samurai way was everything to him, despite having great empathy he survived the stormy age of Civil Wars freely and was known to be very strong.

The 16th century was a tumultuous time in Japan.

Many heroes appeared in this time. Keiji was born to such a time. Keiji was the Maeda family's legitimate son. However, the inheritor of the Maeda house became impossible thanks to political reasoning by command of Nobunaga Oda who was the Lord.

This had an effect on his moral formation.He came to be known as "Kabukimono"

"Kabukimono" means he who surprise's with bold action and unusual clothes.

He performed many great deeds on the battlefield. Moreover, he was one of the cultured people of the time, he was said to have had the highest capability that a human being could have.

However, he is not blessed with the tide of history, he was nearly always with the losing side, said to enjoy a beautiful defeat better than an ugly victory, his last battle was in 1599, he retired at age 59 with an outstanding war record.

He spends the rest of his fortunate life after this war in Yonezawa, he died in 1612 after enjoying a long full life.

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Hattori Hanzo

Also known as Masashige. Hanzo, who would earn the nickname 'Devil Hanzo', served Tokugawa Ieyasu loyally and usefully. His nickname - Devil Hanzo - was not only to pay homage to his skills but also to distinguish him from another Tokugawa 'ninja', Watanabe Hanzo. Hattori, who fought his first battle at the age of 16, went on to serve at Anegawa (1570) and Mikatagahara (1572), but his most valuable contribution came in 1582, following Oda Nobunaga's death.

At that time Tokugawa and his retainers had been staying near Ôsaka and learned of the assassination of Nobunaga only just in time to avoid being detained by Akechi Mitsuhide's troops. But they were by no means out of the woods. Mikawa was still a long way away, and Akechi men would be combing the roads for them. At this point, Hanzo suggested that they take a route through Iga province, as he had ties with the samurai there. In addition, Ieyasu had sheltered survivors from Nobunaga's bloody invasion of that province in 1580 and those who knew of this would certainly be well disposed to offer assistance. Honda Tadakatsu sent Hanzo on ahead, and, as hoped, the Iga men agreed not only to guide them along back roads, but also to provide them with an escort. At length, Tokugawa and his band returned to Mikawa safely. The same could not be said for Anayama Beisetsu, a recent Tokugawa addition who had insisted on taking a different route.

Hanzo was succeded by his son, Masanari, who would be given the title Iwami-no-Kami and whose men would act as the guards of Edo Castle. Hanzo's reputation as a ninja leader who commanded a 200-man strong unit of Iga men has grown to legendary proportions

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Ishikawa Goemon
Gôemon was the son of a minor retainer of the Miyoshi family and became a bandit after commiting some petty theft that resulted in his killing of three men. He led a group of bandits in the Kyoto area and gained an infamous reputation for his lawless activities. He was finally captured in 1594 by the Toyotomi general Sengoku Hidehisa. Toyotomi Hideyoshi commanded that Gôemon and his son Ichirô be killed by being thrown into pots of boiling oil at the dry river bed of the Kamogawa in Kyoto. Many fanciful tales surrounding Gôemon's career have appeared over the years, including a story that he was trained in the ways of the ninja by warriors of Iga Province.

In 1592, Ishikawa Goemon set out to assassinate Toyatomi in one of the most dramatic stories in Japanese history. his wife was previously killed by Toyatomi and his son captured, and he was determined to assassinate him. entering into the castle at night, there seemed to be no problem. He killed some of the guards, and came into the room where the great warlord lay asleep. But Goemon accidently knocked a bell off a table, and made a loud noise, awaking the samurai nearby and they captured Goemon before he could kill the warlord.

They attempted to boil Goemon and his son in oil, there was no escape for the great ninja warrior, and he knew that, but if only he could keep his son alive, he would do anything, so he kept his arms up, holding his precious son for as long as he could, fearing the worst. But Momochi Sandayu and Hattori Hanzo, both their groups were infiltrating the castle, and when they came upon Goemon, he was already dead. But amazingly enough, his arms were still held up high in the air, with young Gobei still alive, it was as if Goemon's body died, but his spirit wouldnt give up on his son, and that is why this is such a dramatic story, because even though he failed in his attempt to kill the warlord, he saved his son from death.

Ishikawa Goemon was one of the most famous ninja of his time. He was known as the legendary bandit hero who stole gold and valuables and gave to the poor, and was a legendary ninja warrior. Toyatomi ruled Japan all throughout the 1590's and also invaded Korea and captured Princess Oda and her Korean ninja guardian. In 1598, Fuma Kotaro, who sought the revenge of his Hojo allies and homestead heavily destroyed, infiltrated the castle as Goemon did before, and assassinated the warlord.....now the fall of the Toyatomi clan was beginning to suffice, and Tokugawa saw his chance now to become ruler.

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Oichi

Few women in Japanese history have quite the pathos of Oichi, a sister of Oda Nobunaga reknowned for her beauty. She was initially was married to Shibata Katsuie after the latter begged pardon for an abortive rebellion in 1557. Following Nobunaga's conquest of Mino in 1567, Nobunaga made Shibata divorce Oichi so that she might be sent as wife to the young Asai Nagamasa, lord of N. Ômi province.

Through Nagamasa she bore one son (Manjumaru) and three daughters. Unfortunately, Nagamasa betrayed his alliance with Nobunaga in 1570 and went to war with him on behalf of the Asakura family. The fighting continued for three years until the Asakura were destroyed and Nagamasa's Odani Castle was surrounded. Nobunaga requested that his sister be returned to him, and this Nagamasa allowed, sending out Oichi and her three daughters. Nagamasa and Manjumaru then perished, leaving Oichi to be shuffled back to Katsuie (though when this happened seems to be a point of debate).

In 1583, following Nobunaga's death, Shibata Katsuie and Toyotomi Hideyoshi went to war over the issue of succession. Katsuie's army was crushed at Shizugatake in the hills of northern Ômi, and the old general himself (who had not been present at the battle) shut himself up in Ichi no tani with the intention of committing suicide. He begged Oichi to take her daughters and flee but to no avail. Oichi did send her daughters into Hideyoshi's care, but stayed herself to die with Katsuie as his castle was engulfed in flames.
One of her daughters, the future 'Yodogimi' would add yet another element of tragedy to this tale, although another would marry Tokugawa Hidetada - the 2nd Tokugawa shôgun - and produce the 3rd shôgun, Iemitsu

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Kenshin Uesugi

Kenshin Uesugi was the youngest son of Tamekage Nagao.Tamekage Nagao was himself an important man and a close confidant of Uesugi family, The Echigo prefecture governer at that time. Kenshin Uesugi was born at the time when the Shogun Ashikaga family ruled Japan. During his life Kenshin Uesugi has seven different names. As an infant he was referred to as Torachiyo. Then Kagetora at fourteen , Shushin at twenty-four and at 32, when he succeeded Norimasa Uesugi, who governed seven prefectures, he became Masatora Uesugi. Next after being given the name the Shogun Yosmegeru Ashikaga he became known as Terutora. Finally, at the age of forty-one the seventh chief priest of Rinsenji, Yakuou Shuken, gave him the name from which Kenshin came.

When he was seven years old his father died. His eldest brother,Harukage, took over their father's responsibilities as the new head of the family. Kenshin soon became known as a bushi ( warrior ) helping to defeat the enemies of Uesugi and his brother. Harukage, however, had a weak constitution and was frequently ill. At the age of nineteen Kenshin assumed his brother's position as an adviser to Norimasa Uesugi.
Within two years, though, Norimasa Uesugi and the other main families of Shinano ( now Nagano prefecture ) had their lands taken from them by the invading forces of Shingen Takeda and Ujiyasu Hojo. Having no place to run Uesugi and the other families asked Kenshin for help. Kenshin agreed and led his army from his home at Kasugayama castle into battle. This army fought more that seventy battles against Shingen Takeda and later also against Nobunaga Oda. As a relative of Ashikaga, kenshin could, through these battles, show his respect while trying to increase the power of both the Shogun and the Emperor.

In 1578, as he was preparing for his next battle, kenshin died at Kasugayama castle. He was forty-nine years old. His sudden passing away was deeply lamented.
On his death kenshin's lifelong rival, Shingen Takeda, praised him as a general without equal. Ujiyasu Hojo commented that "Once Kenshin makes a promise he keeps it until death. He would be the only one who could take my place if I died tomorrow".

Nobunaga Oda, another of Kenshin's enemies called him 'Special general'. It is said that, on hearing of the death of Kenshin, Nobunaga remarked ;"Now Japan is in my hands".

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Saika Magoichi

Born in Saika in what is now Wakayama City, he became powerful as the leader of Saikato, a group of expert firearm shots in the civil war era.

A member of the Saikashu, a sect of Buddhists in the Kii Peninsula. When Nobunaga led an attack against an uprising at Ise Nagashima, the Saikashu supported the rebellion. Saika organized a gun battalion and drove back Nobunaga's army. At the Battle of Ishiyama, Shigehide Suzuki led a gun battalion of 100 men and inflicted great pain on Nobunaga's troops. While serving as liaison to Honganji Temple, Saika fought in the Battle of Yamazaki, and later played a role in the capture of Hideyoshi Toyotomi at Kishu.

[The Coming Evil]

do u know if they have a Create an Officer ??

n

wouldnt it be cool if there was some Dynasty Warriors Serect character?

[Iain]

TheEVILWalks said:

do u know if they have a Create an Officer ?

wouldnt it be cool if there was some Dynasty Warriors Serect character?

I think that the 'create a warrior' option will be also included in Samurai Warriors. So you can proberly make your own 'Dynasty Warrior.'