Kabuki-chou, nicknamed the "Sleepless Town" is a world-famous entertainment and red-light district located in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It houses over three thousand bars, nightclubs, love hotels, massage parlors, host and hostess clubs, shops, nightclubs, restaurants, and movie theaters.

Birthday: Dec. 9
Height: 5'5"
Weight: unknown
Blood type: A
Possessed by: Kakizaki Haruie.

Kakizaki Haruie's current incarnation: a female college student about four years older than Takaya who rides a Yamaha FZR400 motorcycle called Ecchan. She is described as a beauty with sauvage-style long hair and long, slim legs. She lives in Yokohama with her parents.

Notes: She appears as 'Ayako' in narration. Naoe and Nagahide call her 'Haruie', and Takaya calls her 'Nee-san'.

Formerly the provinces of Osumi and Satsuma, Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwestern tip of Kyuushuu Island.

Also known as: Kai Chikanao (甲斐 親直)

Son of Kai Chikanobu and chief retainer of Aso Koretoyo, chief priest of Higo Province's Aso Shrine and head of the Aso Clan. His excellent military strategies and diplomatic maneuvering helped the Aso Clan retain its territories after one ally, the Ootomo Clan, suffered a catastrophic defeat to the Shimazu Clan in the Battle of Mimi-kawa and another, the Sagara Clan surrendered to Shimazu and was ordered to attack its former ally.

He died of illness in 1583 at the age of 75 (some said he was poisoned by his granddaughter, daughter of his heir Kai Chikahide). Souun's loyalty to the Aso Clan was such that he mercilessly purged any who tried to betray his family or disobey his family's policies, including killing his second and third sons and exiling his fourth for approaching Itou Yoshisuke of Hyuuga. In response Chikahide tried to assassinate his father, but his attempt was exposed. He only escaped death thanks to the pleas of Souun's vassals and because he was heir. Chikahide's wife's father had also been killed by Souun for disloyalty, and she was so terrified that she allegedly ordered her daughter to poison Souun.

Also known as: Matsushiro-jou (松代城)

The castle protected by Kousaka Masanoubu, and where Takeda made his stronghold during the battle of Kawanakajima. It is now called Matsushiro-jou (松代城).

Historically: Abbot and Zen Master of Erin Temple of Kai who was burned alive in his temple by Oda Nobunaga's soldiers during the invasion of Kai.

In Mirage of Blaze: The priest who bound Takeda Shingen's spirit after his death.

Son of Kaji Harutsuna, vassal of the Uesugi Clan. His mother was Uesugi Kenshin's younger sister. Master of Kaji Castle.

He fought several times in the Battles of Kawanakajima and distinguished himself in battle. He supported Uesugi Kagetora in the Otate no Ran after Kenshin's death. He surrendered to Kagekatsu's side when Shibata Shigeie and Ijimino Nobumune attacked Kaji Castle, but later fought against Kagekatsu once more when Shibata Shigeie rebelled against Kagekatsu in 1581. Before Kagekatsu attacked Shibata Castle, he first attacked Kaji Castle, and Hidetsuna died in battle in 1587.

Titles: Izumi no Kami

Historically: the son of Kakizaki Kageie. He was sent to Odawara Castle in Sagami when the Kenshin and the Houjou clans struck a peace treaty in an exchange of hostages with Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora). The fate of Kakizaki Haruie was unknown when his father was accused of treason. There are theories that he either died in 1575 along with his father, or that he was murdered by Uesugi Kagekatsu's faction in 1578 during the Otate no Ran.

In Mirage of Blaze: He was one of Uesugi Kagetora's most loyal followers as well as the leader of his faction in the Otate no Ran, and was killed by Uesugi Kagekatsu's followers. He is now one of the Yasha-shuu under Kagetora's command. Haruie possesses female bodies (the only member of the Yasha-shuu to do so) in search of a lover who died two hundred years ago.

Of the Yasha-shuu, he is the one who excels most at the spiritual sensing ability called reisa.

Title: Noto no Kami

Son (and apparently grandson) of Kakizaki Kageie, vassal of Uesugi Kenshin. When his father was executed for colluding with Oda Nobunaga, Noriie was spared, but the Kakizaki family was given a lower rank. He supported Uesugi Kagekatsu in the Otate no Ran after Kenshin's death from Saruge Castle. His brother Haruie supported Uesugi Kagetora in the conflict and was killed. Kagekatsu revived the Kakizaki family after his victory.

He was awarded a 2861-koku fief in 1594, but was exiled from the Uesugi Clan in 1597. He returned to the Uesugi Clan when Uesugi Sadakatsu succeeded his father as head of the clan.

A military dictatorship which ruled Japan from 1185 (formally recognized in 1192) to 1333. The Kamakura Shogunate began when Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power from the imperial court in 1158 and made himself de factor ruler of the country. This militant goverment gave rise to a powerful warrior class, which had previously been considered subordinate and inferior.

After Yoritomo's death, Houjou Tokimasa, head of the Houjou Clan, claimed the title of regent over Yoritomo's son and heir Minamoto no Yoriie. He eventually made the title hereditary, and the Houjou Clan became the real power behind the shogunate. in 1333, the Kamakura Shogunate came to an end when its most powerful general, Ashikaga Takauji, sided with the emperor and destroyed the Houjou Clan. Ashikaga Takauji then established the Ashikaga Shogunate.

Lit: "upper highlands", a popular scenic area in the Japanese Alps.

A 31 km (~19 miles) long class A (protected) river which flows through the city of Kyoto.

Its name means "Duck River."

A prefecture located in the southern Kantou Region of Honshuu, Japan which was composed of the ancient provinces of Sagami and Musashi.

Kanazawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture and sits on the Sea of Japan. It was formerly a castle town known as Ishiura Village, which was built around Kanazawa Castle, a center of power for the Ikkou-ikki.

A crooked member of Hyougo Prefecture's parliament who makes a kickback deal with Sakuma Shouzou. His office is located in Kobe's Sannomiya.

One of the intuitive truth-seeking methods of Buddhism where one focuses one's consciousness upon imagining a particular image.

Komagatake is one of the lava domes in the central dome of the Hakone Volcano and stands 1409 meters (~4622.7 feet). It is located to the north of Kamiyama and Komagatake.

Title: Sanuki no Kami

Son of a retainer of the Jinbou Clan in Ecchuu, he entered the service of the Uesugi Clan around 1573. He supported Uesugi Kagekatsu in the Otate no Ran after Kenshin's death, in which he apparently distinguished himself; from 1583 onward he acted as diplomat for Kagekatsu. He was prone to illness, and probably died of such around 1584.

Also known as: Kinki-chihou (近畿地方)

The Kansai region encompasses the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyougo and Shiga, and sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori in the southern-central region of Honshuu.

To possess another's body, driving out their soul, so as to be reborn with memories intact. Only Naoe of all the kanshousha has the power to perform kanshou on another soul.

Lit.:"East of the Gate", the easternmost of five regions located on Honshuu Island which comprises of the seven prefectures of Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. This is the most highly developed and industrialized region of Japan and was the heart of feudal power during the Edo Period.

During the Edo Period, the area was also called the "Kanhasshuu" (関八州), or Eight Kantou Provinces: Musashi, Sagami, Kazusa, Shimousa, Awa, Kouzuke, Shimotsuke, and Hitachi.

Lit.: "fire-wheel platform"; a triangular goma platform constructed for the neutralization of the 'kinrin no hou' curse. Its colors are blue, black, and red.

Mount Kasa is a 112 m (~367 ft) volcano located in the northeastern part of Hagi City, Yamaguchi prefecture. It appears to have gotten its name (Kasa= Conical Hat) because it's shaped like straw hats worn by women.

Kasahara Masataka was a vassal of the Houjou Clan and master of Izu-Tokura Castle. His father was Matsuda Norihide, and he was adopted into the Kasahara Clan. He served Takeda Katsuyori for a while, but after the fall of the Takeda Clan returned to the Houjou. When his younger brother Matsuda Hideharu discovered him and his father passing information to the Toyotomi side during the Siege of Odawara, Masataka was forced to commit suicide.