A vassal of the Uesugi Clan, master of Kurokawa Castle. He fought in the Battles of Kawanakajima under Uesugi Kenshin.

He supported [{Uesugi Kagetora]] in the Otate no Ran after Kenshin's death and mounted an offensive against Tossaka Castle belonging to the Chuujou Clan on Kagekatsu's side, but was attacked in his turn. Tossaka Castle later fell and was plundered, but Kiyozane returned to the Uesugi Clan through mediation from Date Terumune.

The leader of the Tosa Red Whales, whose demeanor is described as "deeply serious and sincere". He wants to resurrect Chousokabe Nobuchika to lead the Red Whales'.

Also known as: Koubou Daishi (弘法大師), or High Priest Koubou

A Japanese monk, scholar, poet, calligrapher, and artist who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. He is credited with inventing kana (which includes hiragana and katakana) of the Japanese writing system as well as introducing homosexuality (or at least shudo) to Japan.

He studied in China from 804 to 806, where he was initiated into the Esoteric Buddhism tradition. He returned to Japan to establish the Shingon school, which would become the dominant Buddhism sect for the next 300 years. His teachings and his many writings, such as Attaining Enlightenment in This Very Existence, The Meaning of Sound, Word, Reality, The Ten Stages of the Development of Mind, and Ten Abiding Stages, synthesized Buddhism into a coherent whole, and displaced Confucianism with Buddhism as the official Japanese state ideology.

He was contemporaneous with Shaichou, the founder of the Tendai school.

Race: Human

Widow of City Councilor Gotou who meets with Sakaki and Reiko during their investigation into his unnatural death.

A member of the Red Whales' intelligence unit who questions Naoe and learns that he is Uesugi.

Holy Priest Mankai was a one-eyed mountain ascetic who built a temple in Mutsu-no-Kuni, Miyagi-gun. Legend has it that Date Masamune, as he approached death and while deciding upon the place where he would be laid to rest, vividly recalled that he was the reincarnation of this man.

Matsuda Hideharu (or possibly Naohide (直秀)—opinions differ) was the second son of Matsuda Norihide. He served Houjou Ujinao and reported the betrayal of his father and older brother during the Siege of Odawara. He followed Ujinao to exile on Mt. Kouya after the fall of the Houjou; after Ujinao's death, he served the Kaga-Maeda Clan.

Matsuda Norihide was eldest son and heir to Matsuda Morihide and the chief vassal with the highest position in the Houjou Clan.

The Matsuda Clan, which had successively served the Houjou Clan since the time of Houjou Souun, held a vast fief of 2798-kan under the Houjou. Norihide's mother was Houjou Tsunashige's younger sister. He served Ujiyasu as a shrewd internal administrator and also fought in several of his battles, including the invasion of Suruga and the Battle of Kounodai against the Satomi Clan.

After Ujiyasu's death Norihide served Ujimasa, and in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara took the side of those in favor of resistance to the bitter end. However, he and his eldest son Kasahara Masataka were persuaded by Hori Hidemasa to switch sides, a fact discovered by his second son Matsuda Hideharu and reported to the Houjou. Houjou Ujinao placed Norihide under confinement and forced Masataka to commit suicide. It is said that this is the incident that resulted in the Houjou's surrender.

Hideyoshi, in condemnation of Norihide's disloyalty, had him commit ritual suicide. Hideharu followed Ujinao to Mt. Kouya and after his death served the Maeda Clan.

Also known as: Suzuki Sueshichi (birth), Matsuken, Ken-sama (nicknames)

An actor and singer who is known for roles in historical TV dramas. He has acted in more than 20 TV dramas, including Zatoichi, Abarenbou Shogun, Kusa Moeru, and Genroku Ryoran and released more than 10 albums.

Also known as: Matsunaga Danjou Hisahide (松永弾正久秀), Matsunaga Soutei (松永霜台)

Initally a vassal of the Miyoshi Clan who served Miyoshi Nagayoshi as his private secretary, Hisahide was both a warrior and a tea master who would be regarded by history as a schemer and something of a villain.

Miyoshi Nagayoshi gave his daughter to Hisahide in marriage, but Hisahide turned against his master. He was rumored to have poisoned Nagayoshi's son and heir, Miyoshi Yoshioki, and Nagayoshi's three brothers died under mysterious circumstances between 1561-1564. In 1564 at Nagayoshi's death, all that stood between Hisahide and the Miyoshi domain was the young Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, whom Nagayoshi had seleted as heir, and his guardians the "Miyoshi Triumvirate", Miyoshi Nagayuki, Miyoshi Masayasu, and Iwanari Tomomichi.

Hisahide briefly joined forces with the Triumvirate against the Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who was forced to commit suicide. Thereafter he fought against the Miyoshi Clan and later submitted to Oda Nobunaga and served him for a few years after 1568.

In 1573, however, he was already conspiring against Nobunaga with Miyoshi Yoshitsugu—then turned back to Nobunaga and destroyed the remaining Miyoshi Clan. In 1577, he rebelled against Nobunaga again and in the end committed suicide at Shigisan Castle when besieged by Oda's army (though first smashing a priceless tea kettle, the "Hiragumo", which Nobunaga had coveted).

Also known as: birth—Matsuzaki Shigeyuki (松崎茂幸), popular nickname—Matsu (マツ)

A singer and actor based in Tokyo.

Also known as: Yoshihime, Youtokuin (陽徳院)

Only daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki who married Date Masamune in 1579 at the age of 12. An assassination attempt against Masamune caused him to suspect the Tamura clan, and he ordered the executions of Megohime's nurse and several of her attendants. Their marital relations became strained by these events, but were eventually mended, and Megohime gave Masamune four children, including his heir Date Tadamune.

She lived at the Date mansion in the court of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and acted as her husband's diplomat to the court. In 1636, at the death of Masamune, Megohime became a nun and took the Buddhist name of Youtokuin.

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.

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'.

As a vassal of the Rokkaku Clan, Sadamochi fought against Oda in the siege of 1570 and died in battle. Afterwards the remnants of Mikumo and other powerful local clans left Rokkaku and submitted to Oda.

Minamoto no Yoritomo was a warlord of the late Heian and early Kamakura Periods, born as third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto (Seiwa Genji) clan. He founded and became the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.

Also known as: Ushiwakamaru

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a warlord of the late Heian and early Kamakura Periods, born as ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto (Seiwa Genji) clan. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura shogunate. Yoshitsune famously led the expedition which toppled the Ise-Heishi, principal branch of the powerful Taira clan, during the Genpei War. He became one of the greatest and popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai in the history of Japan.

Leader of the largest gang in the Matsumoto area where Takaya lives in junior high. He's four years older than Takaya and dropped out of senior high in his first year. He is a fringe member of a mafia group called the Seiyuu Group and carries their silver badge. He appears to be an errand boy for them as well as a distributor of amphetamines. He claims to command hundreds, both in and out of prison. Takaya hangs out around his garage when he has nowhere to go, where Mitsui gathers his gang nightly and throws parties with booze and girls. He carries a cut from Takaya's knife above one eyebrow, which he received from breaking up a fight between Takaya and one of his gang members on their first meeting.

A comedy duo formed of a husband-and-wife team, Miyagawa Daisuke and Miyagawa Hanako, which was formed in 1979. They celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2006.

Also called: Miyoshi Choukei
Title: Chikuzen no Kami

Historically: A warlord from Awa in Shikoku who destroyed the Hosokawa and Hatakeyama families by valor and treachery, thus establishing his dominance over Awa, Sanuki, Awaji, Yamashiro, Yamato, Kawachi, Settsu, and Izumi.

The Miyoshi family grew greatly in power during Nagayoshi's time as head of the clan and held the Ashikaga Shogunate under its thumb. In 1564, he had his younger brother Atagi Fuyuyasu killed due to slander from his vassal Matsunaga Hisahide and died of illness soon after (there are also theories that he was murdered by either Hisahide or the Miyoshi Triumvirate he appointed as guardians for his son). His son Miyoshi Yoshitsugu succeeded him as head of the clan after his death.

Daimyo of Matsumoto-han in Shinano during the Kasuke Uprising.

A daimyo of Yamagata-han in the province of Dewa who fought for both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He fought Uesugi Kagekatsu as well as in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 for Tokugawa alongside Date Masamune. His domain was expanded to 520,000 koku for his loyal service.

His son Mogami Iechika succeeded him upon his death of illness.