Also known as: 鵜ノ目姫 (Unome-hime)
According to legend, she was the daughter of Inari Ookami, or alternatively the incarnation of a dragon from the sacred pool of Mitai, forcibly taken by Kihachi as his wife.
In Mirage of Blaze: A distant ancestor of the Miike family.
Uesugi's "Ladies in White," members of the [Meikai Uesugi Army]], are guardian deities placed at various localities to watch over and pacify the land.
One is the guardian deity of the land around Uozu Castle. With her "Bell of Spiritual Repose" (Chinkon no Kane), she keeps the three thousand Uesugi soldiers of Uozu Castle pacified. She is described as an ephemeral woman with long hair, dressed in a white kimono.
Another was placed by Uesugi Kagetora in Saga to watch over northern Kyuushuu after unrest created by the spirits of the Nabeshima clan. She was killed by Kikkawa Motoharu.
Birthday: Apr. 1
Height: 6'
Weight: 150 lbs
Blood type: B
Possessed by: Yasuda Nagahide.
The current incarnation of Yasuda Nagahide who shows up in Takaya's class one day after hypnotizing everyone into believing that he's been one of Takaya's best friends for ages. He is described as being a prodigy at Jouhoku High who is popular both with the teachers and the girls. He wears glasses, has a well-proportioned body, and gives the impression of cool maturity. He is around two years older than Takaya and lives alone. He appears to have cut off all ties with his family.
Notes: He appears as 'Chiaki' in narration. Naoe and Haruie call him 'Nagahide', and Takaya calls him Chiaki. Most of the students at Jouhoku High call him Chiaki-kun.
Current Faith-Protector (chief priest) of the Himuka cult founded by Ikeda Katsuya, his mentor. He lives in Hakata, but is reported missing. His parents died in an accident while he was in high school.
He formed the bird-people subgroup of the Himuka, nine young people with ages ranging from 18 to 31 who gain the ability to fly after performing an ancient Himuka ritual called the Method of Bird-Flight. He himself can't fly without help, however.
Founder and former chief priest of the Himuka cult, the 'Faith-Protector' who recently passed away at the age of 80. He was a close mentor to his hand-picked successor, Enoki Masamichi.
He is described as gentle and kind, and looked like a 'neighborhood uncle' or 'good-natured retiree'.
One of Takaya's classmates at Old Castle High School in junior class B who is known as a celebrity-chaser. She's a superfan of Shiba Eiji and was very excited to see him live on tour. She's described as having shoulder-length hair. She has a sister who lives in Fukuoka.
She's known Miike Tetsuya, whom she calls Te-chan, since she was in primary school and seems to take being shoved to the ground and dismissiveness from him as a matter of course.
She is also friends with Koganezawa Kyouko and Satou Emi (a fellow SEEVA fan) in junior class C and a girl in her own class she calls Ma-chan.
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'.
An employee of Keibu Real Estate, said to be a distant relative of its CEO Tatsumi Yoshitsugu. A descendant of the Satomi Clan with psychic powers of his own.
Described as looking like a young industrialist with flawless poise, he wears silver thin-rimmed glasses and is around 30. He has almond-shaped black eyes and black hair he usually wears slicked back.
Also known as: 金八 (Kinpachi), Onhachi, Buddhist Priest Kihachi, Kihachifushi, 走建 (Hashiritakeru, Hasetakeru)
Kihachi is mentioned in the Asahi Daijin (1189) at Takachiho Shrine.
There are many legends about Kihachi, including:
- He served Takeiwatatsu-no-mikoto and ran to retrieve his arrows during the god's target practice. He retrieved 99 arrows, but grew so tired that he retrieved the 100th with his foot. Displeased, Takeiwatatsu-no-mikoto cut off his head. The head rose into the sky and brought frost on the land until it was warmed by a bonfire.
- Onihachi lived in Chichi Cave at the foot of Mt. Nijou. He forcibly took Unome-hime (also known as Asara-hime), daughter of Inari-hime, as his wife and hid her.
- (From the Miyazaki Legends) Similar to the Takeiwatatsu-no-mikoto story, he angered Aso-myoujin of Higo by picking an arrow up with his foot. His wife Asara-hime, an incarnation of a dragon from Mitai, rebelled against him at the behest of Mikeirino-no-mikoto (Mikenu-no-mikoto), whereupon Tabe Shigetaka and others subjugated him, cut him into pieces, and buried the parts in three separate places.
- (From Takachiho) He was a demon who lived in a cave until he was killed by a son of Emperor Jimmu, who cut him to pieces and buried him in three separate places.
- (Also from Takachiho) His real name was Hashiritakeru, a giant spider. He ruled Takachiho, harried the people, and violently carried off beautiful women. He was exterminated by Mikeirino-no-mikoto, his body cut up, and buried in several places. He was described as a god who could make frost at will.
Kagetora's beloved in the age before he became Ougi Takaya.
Kodama Narikata was a retainer of the Mouri Clan in Mouri Takamoto's service. He commanded the Mouri Navy and was lord of Kusatsu Castle in Aki.
In Mirage of Blaze, Narikata continued to serve Mouri as the commander of its navy and was on board the 'Yamato' with Kikkawa Motoharu during the battle of Itsuku Island.
A student at Old Castle High School in junior class C who has been friends with Inaba Akemi since junior high.
She has something of a reputation for going through boyfriends quickly and decides to seduce Chiaki Shuuhei, her Math teacher. She is manager of the rugby team and gets Chiaki to agree to be the team's advisor in Kobayashi's place.
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.
Homeroom teacher for Old Castle High School's junior B class.
Miike Tetsuya's uncle (older brother of Tetsuya's father), who is current head of the Miike family, the Spirit-Protector.
He is in his mid-forties. Chiaki describes him as looking like an intellectual who is endowed with a special kind of dignity and looks stylish in a kimono.
Twin sister of Miike Tetsuya who went missing a year ago. She was the Bonfire Maiden five years ago, when strange things happened during the festival. Afterwards the Miike family began calling her Asara and treated her like royalty.
Miike Tetsuya's granduncle, who took him and his sister Miike Hokage in after their father died and their mother left. He lives in Yakuin Field with his wife, Tetsuya's (unnamed) grandaunt.
He is a Miike Celebrant.
After leaving to live by himself in Kumamoto, Tetsuya never contacts them unless necessary.
One of Takaya's classmates at Old Castle High School in junior class B who is something of a loner and delinquent. He's known Inaba Akemi since they were children and lives on his own. He has short hair with the front sticking up, which Akemi calls a 'hedgehog head'.
Takaya and Miya's mother, who left them and her husband when his business failed and he became a violent alcoholic. She changed her name to Nagasue when she remarried. She now lives in Sendai and has a young son.
One of Takaya's classmates at Old Castle High School in junior class B who leads a group of students opposed to the Mikuriya Juri-led student council. He seems particularly antagonistic towards Takaya. Described as not large or handsome, but imbued with a certain presence.
Takaya's younger sister, who is a second-year junior high school student at the beginning of the story. She lives in Matsumoto with her brother, in number 302 in a multi-apartment complex.
Birthday: July 23
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 134 lbs
Blood type: O
Possessed by: Uesugi Kagetora
At the beginning of the story Takaya is a seventeen-year-old high school delinquent with no memory of his past. His parents divorced when he was a first-year junior high school student, probably because his father started drinking when his business failed. His mother remarried and lives in Sendai.
He was born and raised in Matsumoto and lives there with his sister, Miya. He attends Jouhoku High and is in the same class (Year Two Group Three) as his best friend, Narita Yuzuru.
Notes: He appears as 'Takaya' in narration. Nagahide and Haruie call him 'Kagetora', and Naoe calls him 'Kagetora-sama' and 'Takaya-san'. Most of the students at Jouhoku High call him 'Ougi-kun' (Chiaki calls him 'Ougi' at school). Miya calls him 'Onii-chan', and Yuzuru calls him 'Takaya'.
A freshman at Old Castle High School who is vice president of the student council and second-in-command to Mikuriya Juri. He wears rimless glasses and takes a dictatorial attitude towards other students .
Ryouko is second-in-command to Enoki Masamichi, Faith-Protector of the Himuka Cult. She has the strongest flying ability among them.
She appears to be older than most of the other Bird-people and was studying medicine before she joining the cult.
Satomi Yoshitaka was the son of Satomi Sanetaka and became head of the Satomi Clan by killing the then-head, his cousin Satomi Yoshitoyo (son of his father's older brother Satomi Yoshimichi) in 1534. The traditional version of the story goes that Yoshitoyo killed Yoshitaka's father, who was in communication with the Houjou, and Yoshitaka killed him in revenge. In recent years, however, historians have theorized that Yoshitaka and Sanetaka, father and son, allied themselves with the Satomi Clan's bitter enemy, the Houjou Clan, in order to take over the clan. They then changed the records to hide the fact that they betrayed the Houjou Clan after their plan succeeded.
As clan head, Yoshitaka fought numerous battles with Houjou Ujitsuna and Houjou Ujiyasu. He pushed into Shimousa and Kazusa, making his stronghold Kuruji Castle in Kazusa, and brought about the golden age of the clan. He battled the Houjou to the last and died at Kuruji Castle at the age of 68.
Son of Shimotsuma Shinrai, Shimotsuma Rairyuu was a monk of Hongan Temple but said to be more devoted to politics and culture than military affairs. He had many merchant friends and joined them for tea ceremonies.
During the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, he fought alongside his relatives Shimotsuma Yorisuke and Shimotsuma Raijun against Oda Nobunaga general Hosokawa Akimoto. In 1580 at the Ikkou Sect's surrender, he signed the peace treaty with his relatives Shimotsuma Rairen and Shimotsuma Nakataka.
A confidant of Kennyo's eldest son Kyounyo, he joined Kyounyo in a plot to retake Ishiyama Hongan Temple the following year and was rebuked by Kennyo. After Kennyo's death, Ishiyama Hongan Temple split into the Eastern Temple and Western Temple. Rairyuu followed Kyounyo to the Eastern Temple, where he became a monk magistrate. He married the daughter of Oda Nobutoki and had several children.
Formerly Hakkai's lieutenant, appointed head of the Uesugi «Nokizaru» by Kagetora after Hakkai went missing.
At 18, the youngest of the Bird-people of the Himuka cult. His flying ability is only second to Saeki Ryouko's.
He worked as a mechanic and was a loner until he entered the Himuka cult, and developed a hatred for all 'Yamato', believing the Himuka to be a superior race. He becomes the head (Faith-Protector) of the Himuka cult.
Orphaned son of courageous general Kiyama Masachika of Higo, he was a giant of a man recognized as a person of unrivaled physical strength, said to possess the strength of 75 men. He was one of the coolie workers who built Kumamoto Castle.
"Yokote no" is not a family name; it means "side/beside", so Yokote no Gorou is something like "Gorou at the side".
