A unit of volume used in ancient Japan which is equal to approximately 278.3 liters. It was originally defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year.

During the Edo Period, the wealth of a han was defined in koku, and many samurai received stipends in koku.

Kokuryou Keinosuke's wife, a kindly woman who dies in the attack of Jikou Temple by Kousaka Danjou.

Title: Dewa-no-Kami

Kondou Tsunahide became a vassal of Houjou Ujiteru in 1581 and was active in the south-west region of Musashi. After Ujiteru took Shimotsuke, Tsunahide was tasked with the governance of Enomoto, one of its territories, and given Enomoto Castle. He was entrusted with great authority, and was also involved in diplomatic negotiations with the Katakura of the Date Clan.

During the Siege of Odawara, he died in battle at Hachiouji Castle.

Also known as: Vajrayaksa

One of the Five Great Kings of Wisdom, whose direction is the north.

His wisdom is the krtyanusthana-jnana (成所作智), or "wisdom of accomplishing that which is to be done".

A castle originally built by Tsutsui Junkei in 1580, who made it his stronghold as governor of Yamato under Oda Nobunaga's "one province one castle" law. After his death, Toyotomi Hidenaga, half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, made it his residence.

The walls and moat of the castle still remain today, and are preserved in a public park in Yamato-Kooriyama City in Nara.

The Festival of the Lake Waters at Lake Ashi begins the Hakone Summer Festival Week every year on July 31st. The festival started in ancient times as a ritual sacrifice to the nine-headed dragon which lives in Lake Ashi. In the current form of the festival, boats set out with offerings of red rice which are thrown into the lake with Shinto prayers, followed by a fireworks display.

Lit.: "flying skeleton tribe"; Yuuri describes them as skeletons with wings that look like bamboo frames glued with oiled paper.

The Kotsuhizoku, who have no perception of 'individuals', are loyal to the Mazoku. They are able to communicate simple concepts to each other across large distances, which make them useful as sentries and scouts.

The capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture.

Lit. "light-enclosing exorcism"; a type of exorcism which uses the incantation noumakusamanda... and summons Tobatsu Bishamonten. Described as bomb-like, as opposed to ressa-choubuku.

The Imperial Palace is the residence of the Emperor of Japan and is a large park-like area located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is contained with the premises of Edo Castle, which was taken over by the Meiji Emperor in 1868 at the capitulation of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Emperor moved his residence there from the Kyoto Imperial Palace, making Tokyo the de facto capital of Japan.

Also called: Kousaka Danjou Masanobu (高坂弾正昌信), Kousaka Danjou Nosuke Masanobu (高坂弾正忠昌信), Kasuga Toratsuna (春日虎綱), Kasuga Gensuke (春日源助)
Title: Danjou Nosuke/Faithful True-Shot (弾正忠)

Historically: One of Takeda Shingen's most loyal retainers who was one of his Twenty-Four Generals and played a key part in the fourth battle of Kawanakajima.

Kousaka was born in Kai to a wealthy farmer, Kasuga Ookuma (?) (春日大隈). His father died when he was 16, and he lost a lawsuit against his elder sister's husband for ownership of his father's lands. He then enrolled in the service of Takeda Shingen.

Kousaka first served as a messenger for Shingen. He distinguished himself in battle, and rose swiftly through the ranks of Shingen's trusted retainers. He participated in most of Shingen's battles. He did not hesitate to retreat when required, which earned him the nickname of "Escaping Danjou". However, he was calm and logical in the midst of battle, and was perhaps the best of Shingen's generals.

There are anecdotes that in his younger days, Kousaka and Shingen were engaged in a shudo relationship, and Kousaka rose so quickly in Shingen's service because of Shingen's affection.

After Shingen's death in 1573, Kousaka continued on to serve Takeda Katsuyori. He sought an alliance between the Takeda clan and their old enemy, the Uesugi clan, in order to unite against the threat of Oda Nobunaga.

Kousaka died in 1578 of illness at the age of 52. He was succeeded by his second son, Kousaka Masamoto (高坂昌元), his first son, Kousaka Masazumi (高坂昌澄) having died in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575.

In Mirage of Blaze: A kanshousha who, along with Sanjou-no-Kata, breaks the barrier over Takeda Shingen's tomb, the Maenduka, in an attempt to resurrect Shingen by using Narita Yuzuru as a vessel for his spirit.

According to Haruie, Kousaka has a high level of spiritual sensing ability (reisa), such that he is able to recognize someone he had met before even after their soul has undergone purification. He warns Naoe that Narita Yuzuru's existence is a threat to the Roku Dou Sekai.

A belief that certain days of the year are days of great misfortune. Koushin days appear six times within the year, as well as in the Koushin Year, the 57th year of the 60-year Zodiac cycle. Special Buddhist (originally Chinese Taoist) rituals are performed on these days to ward off evil influences, to protect against misfortune, and to cure illness.

The monkey is an important part of the rituals, since the "shin" (申) character also means "monkey" and is the Zodiac animal that is associated with Koushin days.

Shoumen Kongou, a god of healing, became associated with these rituals in the Kamakura Period in Japan.

Mount Kouya, located in Wakayama Prefecture, is famous for being the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan and was first settled by Kuukai in 819. The original monastery founded there has since grown into the town of Kouya with over a hundred temples as well as a university dedicated to religious studies.

Also known as: Oda Navy, Shima Navy

Based in Shima-no-kuni, the Kuki Navy was a powerful navy lead by the Kuki Clan which controlled the seas around the Kinki region during the Sengoku era. It served Oda Nobunaga and won a great victory for Oda in the Second Battle of Kizu River-mouth against the Mouri Navy with Kuki Yoshitaka as admiral. The Kuki Navy was the first to use Oda's tekkousen in battle.

A prefecture located on Kyuushuu Island, once Higo Province. Its capital is Kumamoto City.

Kurama temple was said to have been founded in the 8th century by a disciple of the Chinese Buddhist monk Jianzhen, who dreamed of a spiritual power within Mount Kurama and constructed the temple at its base to harness this power. From the 12th century until 1949 it belonged to the Tendai sect; in the postwar era, abbot Kouun Shigaraki founded his own unaffiliated, esoteric religion and split the temple away from Buddhism.

Its original objects of worship represent Bishamonten, protector of the north, and the Thousand-Armed Kannon. A third object, the Defender Lord, was added later. Together, they form the 'Spiritual Kings of the World.'

Though secluded, the temple is popular with locals and is accessible by its own cable car line, the Kurama-dera Cable. It is believed that tengu and other mountain spirits live in this area.

A ninja corps said to have been created by Date Masamune.

Homeroom teacher for Old Castle High School's junior B class.

A young information trader who is Murauchi Senzou's protégé. He meets with Naoe at a club in Shinjuku and impresses him with his work ethic. Naoe hires him to search for Takaya.

Kushima Masashige was master of Takatenjin Castle in Tootoumi and father of Houjou Tsunashige and Houjou Tsunafusa. His family served the Imagawa Clan for generations, and it is likely that he served Imagawa Ujichika. There are theories that he died in battle with Takeda Nobutora in the service of the Imagawa Clan or at the Battle of Iidagawara serving the Houjou Clan, among others.

One of the Eight Great Yasha Generals who serve Bishamonten.

The Nine-Headed Dragon Shrine is a sub-shrine to Hakone Shrine. Though there are many shrine dedicated to the Dragon God throughout Japan, the Nine-Headed Dragon Shrine at Hakone is one of the most well-known. It is actually composed of two structures, the main one on the bank of Lake Ashi and another, newly constructed, within the Hakone Shrine complex.

The shrine worships the dragon god of Lake Ashi, formerly a poisonous nine-headed dragon, which was subdued by Holy Priest Mangan and became a guardian deity.

A prefecture located almost in the center of Japan, its capital, the City of Kyoto, was at one time the capital of Japan]].

The area around Date Masamune's mausoleum, the Zuihouden, located in Sendai City. The mausoleum itself lies within a grove of cedar trees. Just a little ways away are the mausoleums of Masamune's son and grandson, the 2nd and 3rd generation lords of Sendai.