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# Mirage of Blaze volume 8: The Supreme Conqueror's Demon Mirror 3

## Chapter 21: The Supreme Conqueror's Terms

By Kuwabara Mizuna (author), Toujou Kazumi (illustrator)
Translated by asphodel

Plop! A drop of cold water fell onto the back of his neck.

Chiaki awoke with a small moan. He was lying on the cold ground with no idea of how much time had passed.

“I see you’re awake, Yasuda-dono.”

The voice belonged to Katakura Kojuurou Kagetsuna Katakura Kagetsuna (片倉景綱) 1557 - 1615
Also known as: Katakura Kojuurou Kagetsuna (片倉小十郎景綱)
A military commander of the Sengoku era and hereditary vassal of the Date Clan. The Katakura family traditionally took the nickname of 'Kojuurou', so Katakura Kagetsuna is better known as Katakura Kojuurou.
Kojuurou first served Date Masamune's father, Date Terumune, as a junior page, then became Date Masamune's attendant in 1575. He was later appointed a strategist, and participated in most of Masamune's important wars where he rescued the Date Clan from many tight spots. His wisdom was extolled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and his name was a byword for loyalty. (He was called 'Katakura Kagetsuna the Wise', and he, along with 'Date Shigezane the Brave', were named 'the twin jewels of the Date'.)
Kojuurou died in 1615 of illness.. There was rock above and around him in this chilly, dim, cave-like place. The sound of drops of falling water echoed, as if they were underground. The light of a swaying candle flame illuminated what looked like bars of a prison stretching from floor to ceiling front of him.

“—What the hell is this?” he groaned and attempted to get up. Sharp pain stabbed into his chest, and he let out an involuntary scream. “Ugh...!”

“Are you all right?”

“Dammit, I think my ribs are broken. You’ll pay for that, assholes.”

Sturdy manacles bound his arms behind him. He had lost his memories to the explosion between the super-nenpa nenpa (念波)
Lit.: "waves of will/thought"; a nendouryoku attack using spiritual energy which focuses the will and releases it in a burst to strike at a target. and his counterattacking «power». Houjou retainers had found him pinned beneath a tree and locked him up here. Looking with astonishment down at the tattered remains of his clothes, a remnant of his battle with the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities., he muttered sullenly, “That was a Versace shirt, you Houjou assholes. I’m gonna take it out of your hides.”

“It appears we are being held in dungeons beneath the mansion. I’m sorry to have failed in Narita-dono’s rescue.”

“Don’t apologize, we couldn’t have planned for that. And oh yeah, what the hell? I never heard about any of the Houjou having that much «power».”

“It was not one of the Houjou, Yasuda-dono.”

Chiaki’s head jerked up.

“Narita, then?”

“Most likely,” Katakura nodded. “Narita-dono was here, there is no doubt about that. The Houjou appear to have been successful in extracting that amazing power from him.”

“And what happened to Narita?”

“I do not know. I was in the direct line of that eruption, and lost consciousness. I assume the rite of binding to the main tree at Futarasan Shrine Futarasan Jinja (二荒山神社)
Futarasan Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Nikkou founded by Holy Priest Shoudou. It enshrines three mountain deities: Ookuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone of Mt. Nantai (also called Mt. Futara), Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou.
Its main shrine (Honden) was built in 767, its middle shrine (Chuuguushi ) in 784, and its rear shrine (Okumiya) in 782. will be performed as planned.”

“Feh. Yeah, let ’em try and stuff all that ridiculous power into the sacred tree; it’ll blow the entire Nikkou region right off the map.”

“I’ve attempted escape, but my telekinesis is reduced to nearly nothing. I cannot even remove these manacles.”

“Dammit. We’re really in a spot here, huh? So, what the hell is that?”

Chiaki jerked his chin at the red lump lying in a corner of the cave. Katakura frowned.

“A tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. cub. It appears we are meant to be its dinner,” he answered. Crouched in its nook, the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. stared steadily at them. Apparently the Houjou had hit upon the idea of placing the intruders within the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities.’s cage as the perfect means of disposing of them.

“Hmph. That’s a pretty ritzy guard dog. Of course they couldn’t have a chummy pet.”

“We’re tied hand and feet—yet we can ill afford to wait, lest we become the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities.’s prey. What are we to do?”

“‘What are we to do?’ Well, we can start by getting out of here,” Chiaki answered authoritatively.

“Get out? How?”

“Um...” Chiaki floundered, all out of good escape plans.“...There’s no way we can make contact with anyone on the outside?”

“I attempted to do so, but there was no response.”

“No response, huh. Too bad I don’t have any koppashin koppashin (木端神)
Lit.: "wood chip god"; an object representation of a divine spirit made from sacred wood which can house various deities and use their powers for protective and guardianship purposes. Looks somewhat like a kokeshi (Japanese wooden doll).s left.”

They couldn’t expect help from outside. And in any case, they would probably become tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. food long before anyone came looking for them.

“So we gotta rescue ourselves. Dig a hole, maybe?”

“...Yasuda-dono. As I suspected, Kojirou Date Kojirou (伊達小次郎) 1568? - 1590
Also known as: childhood—Jikumaru (竺丸)
Second son of Date Terumune and Yoshihime, Kojirou was favored by his mother over his older brother Date Masamune for succession as head of the Date Clan. However, Terumune favored Masamune, who became head of the Date Clan in 1584.
Yoshihime planned the assassination of Masamune, but after she failed to poison him in 1590, Masamune ordered Kojirou's death.-sama is connected with the matter concerning Narita-dono.”

“What?” Chiaki turned to him. “You saw him?”

“Yes, but only for a brief moment. I attempted to persuade him to return with me, but... there appears to be some deeper reason for his inability to return to the Date despite wanting to do so. In our lifetime, the Houjou and the Date planned to form an alliance of the Eastern Provinces against Toyotomi Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉) 1536 - 1598
Also called: Hiyoshimaru (日吉丸), Kinoshita Tokichiro (木下藤吉郎), Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴秀吉)
Titles: Kanpaku, Taikou, Chikuzen no Kami
Historically: The second of the "Three Unifiers"; he was born a peasant but rose quickly through the ranks of Oda Nobunaga's vassals to the position of one of Nobunaga's most distinguished generals. After Nobunaga's death, he took over the work of unifying the nation through military strength and brought an end to the Sengoku period.: a Date/Houjou-led grand nation of the East established to fight the West. But the arc of history did not permit it; the attempt at alliance failed, and, as you know, we Date aligned ourselves behind the Lord Taikou, while the Houjou resisted to the bitter end and were destroyed.”

“So the rumors of a Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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. alliance from back then were true?”

“Yes. The Houjou cursed the Date and called us cowards for submitting to Toyotomi. But those who cannot foresee the shifting of time will be obliterated by the movement of the world. The Date chose to live and endure rather than be dashed to pieces in our obstinacy.” Katakura lifted purpose-filled eyes to met Chiaki’s squarely. “After our resurrections, Ujimasa-dono proposed another alliance. But this time, due to our prior alliance with the Takeda, who stand opposed to the Houjou, we did not accept. I do not know how that will change, after all that has happened and will happen here.”

“What?”

“If the Houjou should hold Nikkou, the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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.’s map of power will be radically altered: the balance of power between the Takeda and the Houjou will, in fact, be reversed in one blow. That in turn will likely bring about even greater changes within the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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..”

“How do you figure?”

“If it is Oda behind Kojirou-dono.”

Chiaki’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“I am certain they are using Kojirou-dono’s clan to camouflage their connection to Oda—and if that is true, then Houjou has not yet realized the connection between Kojirou-dono and Oda. They are likely using the Houjou to hold Nikkou so that they may plunder it at their leisure later.”

“So what you’re saying is, if they’re not careful, it’ll lead to Oda capturing the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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.?”

“In so many words, yes. What we must do—” Katakura straightened, glaring out past the bars— “is to make certain of the opponent we must defeat.”

“And you’re doing all this for the sake of the country?”

Katakura regarded Chiaki with his wise, serene eyes as the subtle and enigmatic smile of the master tactician appeared on his face. Chiaki abruptly turned away in distaste.

“Hmph. So this is Date’s counter. The One-Eyed Dragon Date Masamune (伊達政宗) 1567 - 1636
Titles: Echizen no Kami, Mutsu no Kami
Also known as: birth—Bontenmaru (梵天丸), adult—Tojirou (藤次郎), posthumous—Teizan (貞山), self-introduction—Fujiwara no Masamune (藤原政宗), religious—Takeru Hikonomikoto (武振彦命), nickname—One-Eyed Dragon (独眼竜)
Date Masamune was a powerful daimyo in the Northeastern part of Japan during the Sengoku Period. He was the 17th-generation head of the Date Clan and the founding daimyo of Sendai-han. He was the eldest son of Date Terumune and Yoshihime, the daughter of Mogami Yoshimori.
Masamune was born in Yonezawa Castle (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture). He lost the use of his right eye after falling ill of smallpox in his childhood, and would later come to be known as the One-eyed Dragon. However, because of it his mother thought him unfit for rule of the clan, and favored his younger brother. When Date Terumune retired from the position of the clan head in 1584, Masamune killed his brother and became the head of the clan at 18.
Masamune was known as a brilliant tactician. Shortly after he became head of the clan, Oouchi Sadatsuna, a Date vassal, defected to the Ashina Clan in the Aizu region of Mutsu Province. Masamune declared war on the Ashina for the betrayal, but was forced to retreat by the Ashina general, Iwashiro Morikuni. Three months later, Masamune laid seige to Oouchi's stronghold at Otemori. It was said that he put some 800 people to the sword in retaliation for the betrayal. Thereafter the Hatakeyama Clan, the traditional rival of the Date Clan, kidnapped Masamune's father, who was then killed in battle when Masamune and his troops engaged the kidnappers. War ensued between the two clans, and Masamune would ruthlessly subjugate his neighboring clans, even those who were allied by marriage or kinship. He defeated the Ashina Clan in 1589, but was called by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to lay siege to Odawara Castle of the Houjou Clan.
He served both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, though neither trusted him completely due to his ambition and aggression. Under Tokugawa Ieyasu Masamune controlled one of the largest fiefdoms in Japan and turned Sendai from a small fishing village to a large and prosperous city. He encouraged foreigners and was largely lenient towards Christanity and its practioners. He funded and backed the first Japanese expedition to sail around the world, which visited such places as the Philippines, Mexico, Spain and Pope Paul V in Rome.
He died in Edo at the age of 70 of esophageal cancer, and was entombed in the Zuihouden according to his last will and testament. His second son (eldest son by his legal wife Megohime) Date Tadamune inherited the position of clan head after him. has emerged once more from the ashes of our last battle, huh?”

To ascribe altruistic reasons to their deep and far-sighted designs would soon guarantee a painful awakening, Chiaki thought, breaking out lightly in a cold sweat. It may be that the most terrifying opponent of them all would turn out to be neither Oda nor Takeda, but the late-come One-Eyed Dragon.

“In any case, we must first escape from this place and stop the Houjou. But how?”

“How indeed?”

The tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. stood and began prowling in the back of the cave. It seemed about ready for its meal.

“Okay then. Time for my super-special skills. Let’s train this baby up.”

“Train? What are you planning to do?”

“I’m pretty sure I can put it under hypnotic suggestion.”

“Puppet magic? You’re not really thinking about controlling a tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities....?”

“I’ve got lots of practice whipping tigers and beasts into shape, so just leave it to me!”

“It’s too dangerous, Yasuda-dono! If you peer into its eyes for even a second, it will eat your soul!”

Ignoring him, Chiaki approached the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. step by step, clucking, “Here kitty kitty. Come on, little kitty... Good kitty. You’re gonna listen to me, aren’t you?”

“Yasuda-dono!”

“Quiet, you’re distracting me.”

Careful not to gaze into the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities.’s eyes, Chiaki crept forward. It did actually look quite young; it was half the size of the beasts he’d fought earlier, and seemed inexperienced and untrained. As Chiaki drew closer, it circling aimlessly and peered at him, occasionally baring its fangs and scratching at the ground with its front paws in agitation.

In truth, Chiaki had never thought about hypnotizing a spirit beast before. He had no idea how this was going to go, but...

(Guess I can only try...)

Concentrating hard, he cautiously inched forward, a thin stream of sweat running down his forehead. The baby tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. had stopped moving and was regarding Chiaki steadily.

“All right...good boy.”

The ferocity in the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities.’s golden eyes burned as brightly as ever. He couldn’t tell whether or not his hypnosis was working. The Houjou controlled the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities., so it must be possible. He sent tentative, delicate threads of encouragement into the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities.’s consciousness. Though he flinched every so often at the sharp backlashes of resistance, Chiaki patiently worked his puppet magic as Katakura watched silently.

Cold sweat rolled in a continuous stream off Chiaki’s strained face.

“We appear to have gathered enough souls in the holy ground of Nikkou at last,” said a middle-aged man some years older than Ujimasa Houjou Ujimasa (北条氏政) 1538 - Aug. 10, 1590
Title: Sagami no Kami
Also known as: Matsuchiyomaru (松千代丸—childhood), Shinkurou (新九郎—nickname), 慈雲院松巌傑公 (posthumous)
Ujimasa was born in 1538 as the second son of Houjou Ujiyasu and his principle wife Zuikeiin, daughter of Imagawa Ujichika, and was older brother of Houjou Ujiteru, Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora), and Houjou Ujimitsu. He became heir to the clan when his older brother Shinkurou died before reaching adulthood.
Ujimasa married Oubaiin, eldest daughter of Takeda Shingen and Sanjou-no-Kata, on the occasion of the three-way alliance between the Takeda, Imagawa, and Houjou clans in 1554. Their marriage was thought to be a happy one.
Ujimasa succeeded his father as the fourth head of the Sagami Houjou Clan in 1559 upon Ujiyasu's retirement. His first task upon becoming heir of the clan, per clan convention, was a a land survey evaluating how the Houjou lands were being used and the condition of the people serving on those lands. His relationship with his brothers was good throughout, and they were be a huge help to him in the governing of the clan.
In 1561, Uesugi Masatora (Uesugi Kenshin) of Echigo laid siege to Odawara Castle with a huge army gathered from the Kantou and south Mutsu. Under the leadership of his father Ujiyasu, Ujimasa was able to drive back the army. After the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima, he was able to take back a large part of North Kantou from the Uesugi in concert with Shingen.
In 1568, seizing the opportunity presented by the decline of the Imagawa Clan after Imagawa Yoshimoto's death at Oda Nobunaga's hand, Takeda Shingen invaded Suruga, laying siege to Yoshimoto's heir, Imagawa Ujizane in Kakegawa Castle. Ujimasa led the Houjou forces to repel the Takeda army and formed an alliance with Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa in order to rescue Ujizane (his brother-in-law by way of his younger sister Hayakawadono). Ujimasa then had Ujizane adopt his son Ujinao as his heir, thus giving the Houjou Clan a legitimate claim to the territory of Suruga. In order to hold back Takeda, he formed an alliance with his old enemy Uesugi Kenshin, giving his younger brother Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora) as hostage. The severing of ties with the Takeda Clan, however, meant the dissolution of his marriage with his beloved wife Oubaiin.
In 1569, Takeda Shingen laid siege to Odawara Castle, delivering a crushing defeat to the Houjou Clan (though recent analysis by historians indicate that Shingen lost a great many men as well). In 1570, Suruga belonged almost wholly to Shingen.
In October of 1571 upon his father's death, Ujimasa broke off his alliance with Kenshin and reformed the alliance with Shingen in accordance with his father's will, after which fighting between the Houjou and Uesugi clans flared up again.
Kenshin's death in 1578 triggered a fight for succession to the Uesugi Clan between his two adopted sons, Uesugi Kagekatsu and Uesugi Kagetora (the Otate no Ran). Ujimasa was tied up at that time in a confrontation with Satake Yoshishige and Utsunomiya Kunitsuna in Shimotsuke, so sent his brother Houjou Ujikuni to their brother's aid in his place while asking Takeda Katsuyori for reinforcements. Katsuyori betrayed the Houjou and formed an alliance with Uesugi Kagekatsu, and the Otate no Ran ended with Kagetora's death and Kagekatsu's succession.
Ujimasa broke off the alliance with the Takeda clan a second time and formed an alliance with Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu to attack the Takeda territory in a pincer movement, but shifting alliances and hard fighting left the conclusion unclear. In 1580 Ujimasa proposed to Oda Nobunaga, who had just taken Ishiyama Hongan Temple, that the Houjou Clan become a vassal of the Oda Clan, but Takeda Katsuyori managed to form an alliance with Oda first. Ujimasa retired from the position of clan head in the same year, but like his father before him still held onto the government and military affairs of the clan.
In the following years, the Houjou Clan managed to gain control over a vast territory: Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Shimousa, Kazusa, Hitara, Shimotsuke, and a part of Suruga. Interestingly, however, Ujimasa did not seem to hold the ambition of ruling the entire country, a tradition passed down from the founder of the Late Houjou Clan, Houjou Souun. Instead, Ujimasa concentrated on independence for the 8 Kantou provinces under Houjou rule and alliances with other strong warlords such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune.
In 1589, using Ujimasa's refusal to proceed to the capital to attend him as pretext, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gathered an army of 220,000 to lay siege to Odawara Castle. It overran castles in the Houjou territory in quick succession. The siege against Odawara Castle lasted from May to August. On August 4, Ujimasa offered to surrender his life for the lives of his men. Toyotomi demanded the lives of both Ujimasa and his brother Ujiteru, as well as the lives of their vassals Matsuda Norihide and Daidouji Masashige. Ujimasa and Ujiteru committed seppuku on August 10.
Ujimasa left behind the following tanka verses for his death poem:
「雨雲の　おほえる月も　胸の霧も　はらいにけりな　秋の夕風」
「我身今　消ゆとやいかに　おもふへき　空よりきたり　空に帰れば」
translated (Sadler 1978, pp. 160–161):
Autumn wind of eve,
blow away the clouds that mass
over the moon's pure light
and the mists that cloud our mind,
do thou sweep away as well.
Now we disappear,
well, what must we think of it?
From the sky we came.
Now we may go back again.
That's at least one point of view.
There is another verse which is sometimes attributed to his brother Ujiteru, but is most often attributed to Ujimasa:
「吹くと吹く　風な恨みそ　花の春　もみじの残る　秋あればこそ」
which may be translated:
The wind's resentment—
Oh, see how it blows against
The flowering spring.
Yet it will leave us anon
The bright colors of autumn. in a deep blue kimono. He was seated on the parlor sofa at the Houjou residence. Though the Houjou retainers were busy with communications and preparations now that the start of the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire Ritual of Unification by Fire (火合の法)
A ritual designed by the Houjou to fuse the energies forms of human souls, trees, and earth by binding souls to sacred cedar trees and torching those trees. Once fused, the Houjou would have a wellspring of energy they could call upon as a weapon to conquer the country.’ was at hand, none of that bustle penetrated into this room with its rich furnishings and windows overlooking the valley. Here the two men were alone.

“As of this morning, the entire area around Mt. Nikkou Nikkou-san (日光山)
Mt. Nikkou, located in the north-west part of Tochigi Prefecture, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan and centers on Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou. lies within our control. As soon as our preparations are complete, we will perform the tree-binding ceremony called the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire Ritual of Unification by Fire (火合の法)
A ritual designed by the Houjou to fuse the energies forms of human souls, trees, and earth by binding souls to sacred cedar trees and torching those trees. Once fused, the Houjou would have a wellspring of energy they could call upon as a weapon to conquer the country.’ at the main tree. Our departure is imminent. I will leave affairs here to you, Great-Uncle,” Ujimasa responded, pushing the frame of his glasses higher with a finger.

The man Ujimasa called ‘Great-Uncle’ was a very distinguished silver-haired man in late middle-age. He was Houjou Gen’an Houjou Gen'an (北条幻庵) 1493 - 1589-11-01
Also known as: 北条菊寿丸, Houjou Nagatsuna (北条長綱)
Historically: A warlord of the Houjou clan in the Sengoku province of Sagami, the fourth and youngest son of Houjou Souun and a concubine from the influential Katsurayama Clan. He entered Kongouou Temple, the bettou-ji (administrative temple) of Hakone Shrine, at a young age and later became its head. He took the name of Gen'an (lit. Phantom hermitage) upon his retirement.
He had three sons, all of whom died before him, and two daughters. He adopted Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora) as his heir, but the adoption was annulled when Kagetora was sent to Echigo. His grandson Ujitaka (son of his second son) later became his heir.
Houjou Genan was described as a master of horsemanship and archery who led armies, but also a man of culture who was skilled with his hands. He became elder statesman and trusted adviser to Ujiyasu and Ujimasa. He was 97 when he died (though opinions differ); eight months later, the Houjou clan was attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and destroyed., younger brother to Ujimasa’s grandfather Ujitsuna Houjou Ujitsuna (北条氏綱) 1487 - Aug. 10, 1541
Also known as: Ise Ujitsuna (伊勢氏綱)
Houjou Ujitsuna was born eldest son and heir of Ise Moritoki. He became the second head of the Later Houjou Clan in 1518 upon the retirement of his father, though it is possible that his father had transferred the rule of the clan to him long before or ruled in concert with him.
Born Ise Ujitsuna, he changed his family name to Houjou after the line of regents of the Kamakura shogunate and also adopted their family crest of three fish scales (three triangles forming a large triangle) in 1523. He posthumously gave his father the name of Houjou Souun.
In Souun's time, the Houjou main castle was Nirayama Castle in Izu Province. Ujitsuna made Odawara Castle in Sagami his stronghold.
As clan head, Ujitsuna greatly expanded the Houjou Clan's influence in the Kantou. He took both Edo Castle (1524) and Kawagoe Castle (1537) in Musashi from the Uesugi Clan. He initially formed an alliance with Imagawa Ujichika in Suruga, but it broke apart upon an alliance between Suruga and Kai.
Ujitsuna collapsed and died of illness in the summer of 1541 during the long war with Suruga that followed. He was succeeded by his eldest son and heir, Houjou Ujiyasu.: a man whose word as clan elder had carried much weight within their clan in Ujimasa’s era. Kagetora had been his adopted son and would have carried on his name if the decision to send him to Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture. had not annulled the agreement. He had served as the head of Moto-Hakone Shrine Hakone-jinja (箱根神社)
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine itself lies hidden in a dense forest, but its large red "floating" shrine gates (Torii of Peace) stand prominently in the lake.
From chronicles stretching back as far as the Nara Period (710-794), Hakone has been named as a spot sacred to the mountain-worshiping religion. The original shrine was founded during the reign of Emperor Koushou (475 BC – 393 BC) on Mt. Komagatake. Holy Priest Mangan revived and relocated the shrine to Lake Ashi in 757. It was separated into three parts dedicated to the deities whom legends says appeared to him in a dream as a Buddhist acolyte, government official and woman and asked him to deliver the grace of the Buddhist and Shinto religions onto mankind.
In the year 801, before general and shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro set out on an expedition to quell the Northeast by imperial command, he left an arrow as offering in front of a cedar tree at Hakone Shrine as a prayer for his victory. The tree become known as the Yatate Cedar, or 'Standing Arrow Cedar,' and in later years other legendary generals such as Minamoto no Yoshiie, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune all left arrows as offerings there.
The shrine was destroyed by fire in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara and rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu. before returning to secular life as both the most celebrated man of culture in the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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. and shadow prime minister of the Houjou.

“And Hakone? How fares Ujiteru Houjou Ujiteru (北条氏照) 1540? 1541? 1542? - Aug. 10, 1590
Title: Mutsu-no-Kami
Also known as: Houjou Genzou (北条源三), Ooishi Genzou (大石源三)
Ujiteru was the third-born son (second to survive to adulthood) of Houjou Ujiyasu, younger brother of Houjou Ujimasa, and older brother of Houjou Ujikuni, Houjou Ujinori, Houjou Ujitada, Houjou Saburou (Uesugi Kagetora), and Houjou Ujimitsu. He was widely extolled for his courage and wisdom.
In 1559, he married Hisa, the daughter of Ooishi Sadahisa, master of Takiyama Castle in Musashi, and became Ooishi's adopted son and heir. (Later, Ooishi became a vassal of the Houjou clan, and Ujiteru regained the Houjou surname.)
In the following years, Ujiteru followed his father into several battles with neighboring clans, which greatly increased the Houjou sphere of influence. He also excelled at diplomacy, and maneuvered the alliance between the Houjou and Uesugi clans into place in 1569. He also secretly built up diplomatic relations with the Date Clan. Though he wanted the clan to form an alliance with the Oda Clan during Oda's period in power, the plan fell through because of opposition within the family and Oda's death.
In 1569, while the Takeda army was en route to a siege of Odawara Castle, a detachment of the Takeda army led by Oyamada Nobushige attacked Takiyama Castle, penetrating all the way to the outermost wall. Ujiteru crossed spears with Takeda Katsuyori during the battle. Ujiteru's forces managed to stave them off, but dissatisfied with Takiyama's defenses, Ujiteru abandoned it in favor of Hachiouji Castle.
In September of 1579, Ujiteru and his younger brother Ujikuni went to the aid of their brother Uesugi Kagetora in the Otate no Ran, but were stopped short by snow and hard-fought battles.
In 1590, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara, he entrusted his main castle, Hachiouji Castle to a loyal vassal and barricaded himself in Odawara. Due to that fact, Toyotomi saw him as one of the pro-resistance leaders, and demanded his death along with his brother Ujimasa's. Ujiteru committed seppuku with Ujimasa on August 10.
He wrote as his death poem:
「天地の　清き中より　生まれきて　もとのすみかに　帰るべらなり」
which may be translated thus:
We are born into
the brightness betwixt heaven
and earth; yet there is
another dwelling to which
we must all someday return.
Ujiteru's tomb is located near Hachiouji Castle.?”

“I cannot think Ujiteru would fail at his task. The ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire Ritual of Unification by Fire (火合の法)
A ritual designed by the Houjou to fuse the energies forms of human souls, trees, and earth by binding souls to sacred cedar trees and torching those trees. Once fused, the Houjou would have a wellspring of energy they could call upon as a weapon to conquer the country.’ at Hakone is surely complete by now. I expect Kotarou Fuuma Kotarou (風魔小太郎)
Historically: The name Fuuma Kotarou was given to each leader of the Fuuma Clan/organization of ninjas which served the Later Houjou Clan, starting with its first leader. The clan started information-gathering and espionage activities in the time of Houjou Souun, the founder of the Later Houjou Clan. The clan name began as 風間, composed of the characters for "wind" and "space", but was changed to its present form, a homophone composed of the characters for "wind" and "evil/demonic/magical."
In its 100 years of service to the Houjou Clan, the most renowned Fuuma Kotarou was the fifth, who served Houjou Ujimasa and his son Houjou Ujinao (unknown - 1603). Stories say that he was 7'1". One of his most famous exploits was in 1580 and the Battle of Kise-gawa, during which he slipped into the enemy camp at night and caused mass chaos. Another famous ninja, Ninokuruwa Isuke, also belonged to the Fuuma Clan.
After the destruction of the Houjou Clan, Kotarou and the Fuuma Clan became thieves near Edo. Kotarou was captured and executed in 1603 from information given by Kousaka Jinai, another ninja-turned-thief who formerly served the Takeda Clan.
In Mirage of Blaze: Fuuma Kotarou leads the Fuuma ninjas in service to the Houjou Clan. He is described as a tall, slender man with broad shoulders and a muscular but supple body. He wears his hair long, tied in a woven tail that reaches to his waist. with a report soon. The two Tsutsuga Mirrors Tsutsuga Kyou
The Tsutsuga Mirrors were originally a treasure of Futarasan Shrine, formed of a male and female pair. The female mirror has the power to entrap souls, and is called the soul-sealing mirror (Fuukonkyou—封魂鏡), while the male is able to release entrapped souls. Legend has it that when Holy Priest Shoudou founded the first shrine on the Nikkou mountains, he turned the two tsutsuga causing mischief on Nantai-san into magic mirrors with his spells.
Four hundred years ago, the Fuuma Clan mated the two halves of the mirror to give birth to a tsutsuga cub which High Priest Tenkai sealed into the female mirror by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu. and the ‘first-born tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. cub’ will be coming with him,” Ujimasa stated, lifting the cup of expresso in his right hand to his lips. “Only an adult animal will be able to consume a spirit with so much power; the sacrifice cannot be bound to the master tree without that tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities..”

“So it was taken to Hakone? To bind Saburou?”

“Saburou’s power was greater than we imagined, Honorable Great-Uncle. The fusion of his soul to the ‘Yatate Cedar Hakone-jinja (箱根神社)
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine itself lies hidden in a dense forest, but its large red "floating" shrine gates (Torii of Peace) stand prominently in the lake.
From chronicles stretching back as far as the Nara Period (710-794), Hakone has been named as a spot sacred to the mountain-worshiping religion. The original shrine was founded during the reign of Emperor Koushou (475 BC – 393 BC) on Mt. Komagatake. Holy Priest Mangan revived and relocated the shrine to Lake Ashi in 757. It was separated into three parts dedicated to the deities whom legends says appeared to him in a dream as a Buddhist acolyte, government official and woman and asked him to deliver the grace of the Buddhist and Shinto religions onto mankind.
In the year 801, before general and shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro set out on an expedition to quell the Northeast by imperial command, he left an arrow as offering in front of a cedar tree at Hakone Shrine as a prayer for his victory. The tree become known as the Yatate Cedar, or 'Standing Arrow Cedar,' and in later years other legendary generals such as Minamoto no Yoshiie, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune all left arrows as offerings there.
The shrine was destroyed by fire in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara and rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu.’ will provide us with all the power we could hope for. As the ‘core’ of Hakone’s spiritual energy, it will be a match for even the enormous spiritual force of Nikkou.”

Sunken deeply into the embrace of the sofa, Gen’an listened to Ujimasa’s confident speech with eyebrows raised, troubled lines wrinkling the corners of his intelligent eyes.

“There are times when your perspicacity astounds me, Ujimasa. To transform the power of holy ground into a weapon and use it to dominate the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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.—what a staggering idea.”

“And we will succeed because we are the Houjou, Great-Uncle. Our bonds of blood are our weapons. Among the many warlords of the Sengoku Sengoku (戦国)
The "warring states" period, lasting from 1467 to 1615, in which the warlords of Japan battled each other for the rule of the country., how many can claim such trust as we do in our familial bonds? Our brothers do not waste their time squabbling over clan inheritance; we do not have to search the shadows for assassins born of our own blood. Instead, we concentrate our powers on defeating enemies of our clan. Too many commanders are destroyed by discord among their own kin. In the world of the Sengoku Sengoku (戦国)
The "warring states" period, lasting from 1467 to 1615, in which the warlords of Japan battled each other for the rule of the country., marriage alliances are not the only familial bonds used as weapons. Ties of blood make true power greater. In this deceitful, turbulent time of war, those who recognize the enormous power of family have already won the greater battle.”

“...”

“Trust in our brotherhood, trust in our blood: that is the greatest and most powerful weapon of the Houjou.”

Ujimasa turned his nostalgic gaze to the window. “Such was the greatness of our father, who bequeathed us that weapon. I revere him from the bottom of my heart.”

“Yes, Ujiyasu Houjou Ujiyasu (北条氏康) 1515 - 1571
Title: Sagami-no-Kami
Also known as: The Tiger of Sagami, The Lion of Sagami
Son of Houjou Ujitsuna and third head of the Late Houjou Clan, one of the greatest daimyo of the Sengoku in both military and political arenas. He expanded the Houjou holdings to five territories and battled both Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin over the Kantou and Suruga regions.
He retired in 1560 and handed over the clan to his eldest son Houjou Ujimasa, but continued to guide the clan until his death of palsey or stomach cancer in 1571. He made an alliance with the Takeda Clan in 1562 and gave over his 7th son, Houjou Saburou, to Takeda Shingen for adoption.
Houjou Ujiyasu was a great admirer of poetry, culture and learning as well as a outstanding administrator who created unique bureaucratic organizations such as litigation processes for the ruling of his lands. He was much beloved of his people and widely mourned at his death. was a rare personage. I believe he could achieved a world of true peace...”

“...”

“Not as a conqueror, but a great—yes, a truly great man capable of encompassing all...”

Ujimasa turned, expression changing abruptly. “No, Great-Uncle, I cannot agree! My father should have been a conqueror!”

Gen’an glanced up sharply.

“Father was worthy of ruling the Sengoku Sengoku (戦国)
The "warring states" period, lasting from 1467 to 1615, in which the warlords of Japan battled each other for the rule of the country., worthy of the people’s trust! I want victory for him; he will bring about lasting wealth and peace for all. He will create a compassionate, selfless utopia...”

“...”

“Responsibility for the destruction of the Houjou Clan in our previous lives lies with me, and I will always bear that disgrace...yet I believe even now that I was right to oppose the Taikou Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉) 1536 - 1598
Also called: Hiyoshimaru (日吉丸), Kinoshita Tokichiro (木下藤吉郎), Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴秀吉)
Titles: Kanpaku, Taikou, Chikuzen no Kami
Historically: The second of the "Three Unifiers"; he was born a peasant but rose quickly through the ranks of Oda Nobunaga's vassals to the position of one of Nobunaga's most distinguished generals. After Nobunaga's death, he took over the work of unifying the nation through military strength and brought an end to the Sengoku period. to the bitter end. Japan will one day be governed by the ideal tenets practiced by my father: that is what I believe in. A nation built according to my father’s principles will lead to a society of peace, a society in which none shall carry jealousy or suspicion within their hearts. All men will be brothers who will aid each other in times of need.”

“...Universal trust, hmm?”

“The Taikou Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉) 1536 - 1598
Also called: Hiyoshimaru (日吉丸), Kinoshita Tokichiro (木下藤吉郎), Hashiba Hideyoshi (羽柴秀吉)
Titles: Kanpaku, Taikou, Chikuzen no Kami
Historically: The second of the "Three Unifiers"; he was born a peasant but rose quickly through the ranks of Oda Nobunaga's vassals to the position of one of Nobunaga's most distinguished generals. After Nobunaga's death, he took over the work of unifying the nation through military strength and brought an end to the Sengoku period.’s power and the rule of money... how vulgar and childish these idols are compared to Father’s ideals. They are not worthy of worship; those who know of grander things would not compromise.” Ujimasa’s eyes flashed, piercing as a falcon’s. “In the world of my father’s creation, he will be a father to all. I, who once led the Houjou to extinction, have devoted myself to this mission.”

Gen’an looked at Ujimasa gravely. “That is what you fight for, you and your brothers? Saburou as well?”

“Saburou is very bright, Great-Uncle, as you must know. He never protested his adoption into Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture.. We brothers know the roles we play. Though he must have realized it was his role to be a sacrifice, he knew what he had to do. And if I am hated for that,” Ujimasa concluded, setting his cup down on a coaster, “then let me be hated.”

“Ujimasa...”

“If Saburou must count himself among that number, so be it.”

A small smile had replaced the usual coldness on Ujimasa’s face, and Gen’an seemed sympathetic.

A knock on the door announced one of Ujimasa’s trusted aides.

“Well?”

“My lord. Lord Fuuma Kotarou Fuuma Kotarou (風魔小太郎)
Historically: The name Fuuma Kotarou was given to each leader of the Fuuma Clan/organization of ninjas which served the Later Houjou Clan, starting with its first leader. The clan started information-gathering and espionage activities in the time of Houjou Souun, the founder of the Later Houjou Clan. The clan name began as 風間, composed of the characters for "wind" and "space", but was changed to its present form, a homophone composed of the characters for "wind" and "evil/demonic/magical."
In its 100 years of service to the Houjou Clan, the most renowned Fuuma Kotarou was the fifth, who served Houjou Ujimasa and his son Houjou Ujinao (unknown - 1603). Stories say that he was 7'1". One of his most famous exploits was in 1580 and the Battle of Kise-gawa, during which he slipped into the enemy camp at night and caused mass chaos. Another famous ninja, Ninokuruwa Isuke, also belonged to the Fuuma Clan.
After the destruction of the Houjou Clan, Kotarou and the Fuuma Clan became thieves near Edo. Kotarou was captured and executed in 1603 from information given by Kousaka Jinai, another ninja-turned-thief who formerly served the Takeda Clan.
In Mirage of Blaze: Fuuma Kotarou leads the Fuuma ninjas in service to the Houjou Clan. He is described as a tall, slender man with broad shoulders and a muscular but supple body. He wears his hair long, tied in a woven tail that reaches to his waist. has returned from Hakone.”

“What, Kotarou has returned? Good, bring him to the ‘Hermit Rock Room.’ I will see him there.”

With a brief “Aye,” the aide stepped away. Ujimasa’s expression swiftly resumed the coolness of the calculating strategist.

“Look upon the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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. in the palm of our hand, Great-Uncle. This is the first step. We brothers will conquer this land for our father.”

“...”

With those parting words, Ujimasa left the room. Gen’an finished his coffee as he looked after his receding figure.

The sun had almost set by the time Fuuma Kotarou arrived at Ujimasa’s estate in Nikkou. Once shown inside, he met Ujimasa in a Japanese-styled room some twenty tatami tatami (畳)
Woven straw mats used as traditional Japanese flooring.
Japanese rooms are traditionally measured by the number of tatami mats laid out in it, the dimensions of which are 90 cm x 180 cm x 5 cm. in size called the ‘Hermit Rock Room.’

“Here is the female Tsutsuga Mirror, which I now return as promised.”

“Mmm.” Ujimasa nodded, inspecting the back of the beautiful mirror in the paulownia box. “I trust Saburou’s tree-binding is successfully concluded? I have had no report as yet from Ujiteru; did all go according to plan? Has Saburou accomplished his duty as tribute to Hakone?”

“...” Kotarou lifted his head silently to look straight at Ujimasa. No ingratiating smile appeared on his face; his lips were pressed together as if sewed by string. Then those thin lips moved, opened; said: “Saburou-dono’s tree-binding has failed.”

“What” Ujimasa demanded, shocked and disbelieving, “did you say, Kotarou?!”

“Ujiteru-dono did not complete Saburou-dono’s tree-binding. The Uesugi sealed the initiation rites at Hakone, and the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire Ritual of Unification by Fire (火合の法)
A ritual designed by the Houjou to fuse the energies forms of human souls, trees, and earth by binding souls to sacred cedar trees and torching those trees. Once fused, the Houjou would have a wellspring of energy they could call upon as a weapon to conquer the country.’ there cannot proceed. Saburou-dono has been released from the Tsutsuga Mirror. He has returned to his body.”

The blood drained out of Ujimasa’s face as he turned Kotarou’s words over in his mind. Long minutes passed before he was able to comprehend their meaning.

“What about...” he finally managed, “what about Ujiteru? Was he harmed? Is he still in Hakone?”

“I have had no news of Ujiteru-dono. His vessel is dead. The area around Hakone Shrine Hakone-jinja (箱根神社)
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine itself lies hidden in a dense forest, but its large red "floating" shrine gates (Torii of Peace) stand prominently in the lake.
From chronicles stretching back as far as the Nara Period (710-794), Hakone has been named as a spot sacred to the mountain-worshiping religion. The original shrine was founded during the reign of Emperor Koushou (475 BC – 393 BC) on Mt. Komagatake. Holy Priest Mangan revived and relocated the shrine to Lake Ashi in 757. It was separated into three parts dedicated to the deities whom legends says appeared to him in a dream as a Buddhist acolyte, government official and woman and asked him to deliver the grace of the Buddhist and Shinto religions onto mankind.
In the year 801, before general and shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro set out on an expedition to quell the Northeast by imperial command, he left an arrow as offering in front of a cedar tree at Hakone Shrine as a prayer for his victory. The tree become known as the Yatate Cedar, or 'Standing Arrow Cedar,' and in later years other legendary generals such as Minamoto no Yoshiie, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune all left arrows as offerings there.
The shrine was destroyed by fire in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara and rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu. lies devastated. There is a distinct possibility Ujiteru-dono has fallen into Uesugi hands...”

“Are you saying they performed «choubuku choubuku (調伏)
Also known as: choubukuryoku (調伏力)
The special power given to the Yasha-shuu to banish onryou to the Underworld using the dharani of Uesugi Kenshin's guardian deity, Bishamonten. The types of choubuku include "kouhou-choubuku", "ressa-choubuku", "kekkai-choubuku", etc. Each choubuku is begun with the incantation "bai" and the ritual hand gesture of Bishamonten's symbol.
Choubuku does not work against kanshousha, who have bodies of their own.» on him? What happened? What the hell happened at Hakone?!”

Seated in formal pose Seiza (正座)
Lit.: "proper sitting"
A traditional formal sitting pose with legs folded beneath the thighs and buttocks resting on the heels. with his fists on his knees and eyes half-closed, Kotarou calmly described the succession of events with succinct dispassion.

“Then one of Uesugi’s Yasha-shuu Yasha-shuu (夜叉衆)
The five kanshousha at the head of the Meikai Uesugi Army ordered by Uesugi Kenshin to hunt for the onshou who are disrupting the peace of modern-era Japan in a battle which has lasted four hundred years. Led by Uesugi Kagetora, with Naoe Nobutsuna, Kakizaki Haruie, Yasuda Nagahide, and Irobe Katsunaga. The name "Yasha" refers to soldiers in the army of Bishamonten, called "Yaksha".... One man, alone, managed to kill Ujiteru?! One man?!”

“That man, with the Dragon God of Lake Ashi Ashino-ko (芦ノ湖)
Also known as: Hakone Lake, Ashinoko Lake, Manji Pond
Lake Ashi is a crater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mt. Hakone, located in Hakone Town. It is known for its beautiful views of Mt. Fuji and many hot springs.
Legend has it that during the Nara Period, when the lake was still called Manji Pond, it was home to a poisonous nine-headed dragon. In order to appease the dragon's anger, the villagers would offer maidens to it as sacrifices. Holy Priest Mangan, who had come to Mt. Hakone to practice asceticism, heard the tale and bound the evil dragon to a rock at the bottom of the lake in order to save the villagers. The dragon promised to protect the mountains and villages, and thus reformed, became a dragon god. Thereafter the villagers fed the dragon red rice instead of their daughters. as his ally, seized the male Tsutsuga Mirror. He also stole the female Tsutsuga Mirror from Ujiteru-dono’s hands and released Saburou-dono. He was guided by a traitor from within.”

“What! That’s...! Who was it? Who dared betray the Houjou...?!”

“Tooyama Yasuhide Tooyama Yasuhide (遠山康英)
Also known as: Naomasa (直昌), possibly Tooyama Naotsugu (遠山直次)
Tooyama Yasuhide was a vassal of the Houjou Clan, son of Tooyama Yasumitsu. His family traditionally served the Houjou in the capacity of musicians, but in 1560 became the magistrate of the Miura District in Sagami for Houjou Ujiyasu. He along with his uncle Tooyama Tsunakage held the front line against the Satomi Clan. After Oota Ujisuke's death in 1567, Yasuhide became master of Iwatsuki Castle. He was part of the Houjou force that met Takeda Shingen's invasion of Suruga. He was sent along with his father as a Houjou representative to the peace negotiations with the Uesugi in the Echigo-Sagami Alliance. He later became a close advisor to Houjou Ujimasa and was responsible for contact with the Uesugi Clan.
Opinions differ on how he died. One view hold that he committed suicide with his father and Uesugi Kagetora in the Otate no Ran, while another says that he served Nakamura Kazuuji after the fall of Odawara Castle.,” Kotarou answered, examining the rage on Ujimasa’s face. Unsurprising, Ujimasa looked as if he’d been skewered.

“What? Tooyama...”

“He has betrayed us for the Uesugi.”

“That can’t...”

Tooyama had always been entirely devoted to Ujimasa. Four hundred years ago, after the dissolution of the alliance with Uesugi, Yasuhide had served as Ujimasa’s spy in Echigo Echigo-no-kuni (越国)
An ancient province in north-central Japan which was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku Period. Now a part of Niigata Prefecture.. He had never been Kagetora’s vassal at all. That was the extent to which Ujimasa had trusted him. And yet.

Ujimasa soon recovered from his stunned disbelief.

“Where is the male Tsutsuga Mirror? Did it fall into Uesugi’s hands?!” he yelled, going pale.

Kotarou answered calmly, “Do not be concerned. I was able to retrieve the male Tsutsuga Mirror along with the female. I have also dealt with Tooyama—with the traitor. However.”

“...”

They had lost Hakone Shrine Hakone-jinja (箱根神社)
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine itself lies hidden in a dense forest, but its large red "floating" shrine gates (Torii of Peace) stand prominently in the lake.
From chronicles stretching back as far as the Nara Period (710-794), Hakone has been named as a spot sacred to the mountain-worshiping religion. The original shrine was founded during the reign of Emperor Koushou (475 BC – 393 BC) on Mt. Komagatake. Holy Priest Mangan revived and relocated the shrine to Lake Ashi in 757. It was separated into three parts dedicated to the deities whom legends says appeared to him in a dream as a Buddhist acolyte, government official and woman and asked him to deliver the grace of the Buddhist and Shinto religions onto mankind.
In the year 801, before general and shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro set out on an expedition to quell the Northeast by imperial command, he left an arrow as offering in front of a cedar tree at Hakone Shrine as a prayer for his victory. The tree become known as the Yatate Cedar, or 'Standing Arrow Cedar,' and in later years other legendary generals such as Minamoto no Yoshiie, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune all left arrows as offerings there.
The shrine was destroyed by fire in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara and rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu.’s sacrifice, and the shrine itself had been sealed against them by Uesugi’s protective barrier.

The fusion of energies they had sought with the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire Ritual of Unification by Fire (火合の法)
A ritual designed by the Houjou to fuse the energies forms of human souls, trees, and earth by binding souls to sacred cedar trees and torching those trees. Once fused, the Houjou would have a wellspring of energy they could call upon as a weapon to conquer the country.’ could no longer be achieved; their moves were blocked.

“What are you saying?—that Hakone, our ‘receiver,’ is lost to us?!”

“It is guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings Shitennou (四天王)
The Four Heavenly Kings are gods who watch over the four cardinal directions of the world. Each commands a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the world and Dharma, and fight evil.
They are:
- Jikokuten, the Watcher of the Lands, guardian of the East
- Zouchouten, Patron of Growth, guardian of the South
- Koumokuten, He Who Sees All, guardian of the West
- Bishamonten, He Who Hears All, chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and guardian of the North; there is nothing we can do.”

“Tell me, then: what good are the damned Fuuma? What good are you?!”

Kotarou looked up sharply up at the words of rebuke.

“To lose Ujiteru! And not only that—to allow Saburou to escape! Stood you idly by all the while? All the Fuuma under Heaven, incapable of capturing a pair of Yasha! Do you dare call yourselves the best ninjas in the world? I did not think you so incompetent!”

“...”

“Tell me how you will take responsibility. Do not say seppuku seppuku (切腹)
Also known as: harakiri (腹切り)
Lit.: stomach-cutting
Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment, performed by plunging a short blade into the abdomen and slicing it open from left to right. Seppuku was originally reserved for samurai, the warrior class, in the samurai code (bushido), and was a way to die with honor instead of falling into enemy hands. It was also used as a form of capital punishment, or voluntarily performed by samurai who believed they had brought shame upon themselves., for that is too easy a death. Kotarou, I will not forgive you for this failure!” Ujimasa spat, face pallid, veins throbbing at his temples.

Kotarou had never seen such fury from Ujimasa.

“To lose Ujiteru—Ujiteru...!” He gasped, striking his white-knuckled fists against his knees again and again. “You...” Trailing off aimlessly as he calmed, Ujimasa glared into the middle distance, his hate-filled eyes so wide that the whites showed all round. “The fusion at Nikkou will be completed.”

“Ujimasa-dono.”

“Without Hakone if we must. My brothers have already taken Mt. Tate Tate-yama (館山)
There are several mountains called Mt. Tate ("tate" meaning "mansion" or "small castle") in Japan. The Mt. Tate referenced in the Houjou arc of Mirage of Blaze is located near the south-western tip of Chiba Prefecture. It was a part of Awa-no-kuni in the Sengoku Era and ruled by the Satomi Clan, who built Tateyama Castle there. Tateyama City grew out of the old castle town. and Mt. Kunou Mount Kunou (久能山)
Mt. Kunou is a steep mountain 216 meters high (709 feet) high located on Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture. In the Asuka Period Kunou Tadahito of the Fujiwara Clan began building a temple near present-day Kunou-zan Toushou-guu which the monk Gyouki named Kunou Temple in the later Nara Period.
In 1570 Takeda Shingen built Kunou Castle there, moving the temple to what is now Shimizu Ward. The Tokugawa Clan took control of Suruga Province after the fall of the Takeda Clan and continued to maintain the fortifications on Mt. Kunou. After Tokugawa Ieyasu's death, his son Tokugawa Hidetaka erected the first Toushou Shrine on Mt. Kunou and buried Ieyasu there. Though Ieyasu's grandson Tokugawa Iemitsu relocated Ieyasu’s grave to the Nikkou Toushou-guu, it is held that a portion of his deified spirit remains on Mt. Kunou. and prepared them to be ‘receivers.’ We can use these two ‘lightning rods’ to control the spiritual power of Nikkou. After the completion of the great Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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. triangle, we will engulf and seize Tokyo as our first step. With this power at our command, we will easily recapture Hakone, our ‘sacred ground.’ —You have brought the first-born tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities., Kotarou?”

“Yes. To bind the sacrifice to the master tree, as planned.”

“We must succeed this time. The tribute is already awakened, and awaits only his binding. We have taken exclusive possession of Mt. Nikkou Nikkou-san (日光山)
Mt. Nikkou, located in the north-west part of Tochigi Prefecture, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan and centers on Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou.. We will begin as soon as the preparations for the ceremony are complete. Take the first-born tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. and await me there, Kotarou.”

"I hear and obey.

Ujimasa had chosen the mask of a demon—ruthless, cruel, compassionless, who allowed nothing to stand in the way of achieving his ambition: to grasp all the terrifying power rushing forth from the land of Nikkou in his own two hands.

The young man marked for sacrifice to the master tree at Futarasan Shrine Futarasan Jinja (二荒山神社)
Futarasan Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Nikkou founded by Holy Priest Shoudou. It enshrines three mountain deities: Ookuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone of Mt. Nantai (also called Mt. Futara), Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou.
Its main shrine (Honden) was built in 767, its middle shrine (Chuuguushi ) in 784, and its rear shrine (Okumiya) in 782. lay unmoving in a large coffin within the shrine of the Hakone Avatar. Darkness would soon fall upon the grounds of the estate and within this small copse of trees; would he be taken to Futarasan Shrine Futarasan Jinja (二荒山神社)
Futarasan Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Nikkou founded by Holy Priest Shoudou. It enshrines three mountain deities: Ookuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone of Mt. Nantai (also called Mt. Futara), Mt. Nyohou, and Mt. Tarou.
Its main shrine (Honden) was built in 767, its middle shrine (Chuuguushi ) in 784, and its rear shrine (Okumiya) in 782. then? Or would his soul be devoured by the tsutsuga tsutsuga
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities. first?

Date Kojirou Date Kojirou (伊達小次郎) 1568? - 1590
Also known as: childhood—Jikumaru (竺丸)
Second son of Date Terumune and Yoshihime, Kojirou was favored by his mother over his older brother Date Masamune for succession as head of the Date Clan. However, Terumune favored Masamune, who became head of the Date Clan in 1584.
Yoshihime planned the assassination of Masamune, but after she failed to poison him in 1590, Masamune ordered Kojirou's death. was seated in front of the coffin. He stared pensively at this ‘menace to the Six-Path Worlds Roku Dou Sekai (六道世界)
Also known as: Roku Dou Kai (六道界), Roku Dou (六道)
Lit. "Six Path Worlds" or just "Six Paths"; a Buddhist belief stemming from Hinduism which says that all beings are trapped within a cycle of life and death and are born into one of six realms until they are enlightened and can break free from the cycle. The six realms are: Jigoku Dou, Gaki Dou, Chikushou Dou, Ashura Dou, Nin Dou, and Ten Dou.’ fallen into his hands. He couldn’t tell if Narita Yuzuru, lying there with his dull eyes half-closed, retained any trace of consciousness. The dark hall was unlit save for the wavering flame of candles.

The coffin was itself unique. Made of processed jade layered with magic, its interior doubled as a «power-absorbing barrier kyuuryoku-kekkai (吸力結界)
Lit. "power-absorbing barrier": a unique barrier which absorbs the «power» of anyone trapped inside such that they cannot call upon their spiritual abilities. The maker of the barrier must put considerable negative energy, such as anguish and enmity, into its creation, either from him/herself or from other souls.». Mori Ranmaru Mori Ranmaru (森蘭丸) 1565 - 1582
Also called: Mori Nagasada (森長定), possibly Shigetoshi (成利), Nagayasu (長康)
Historically: A vassal of Oda Nobunaga who served as his attendant from
an early age. His father, Mori Yoshinari, was also a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. Favored by Nobunaga for his talent and loyalty, he also followed the tradition of shudo with his liege-lord. He and his three younger brothers died with Nobunaga at the Honnou-ji on June 21, 1582. had left no detail to chance.

Sadness pervaded Kojirou’s thoughts.

—My lord has been waiting for you...!

(Aniue aniue (兄上)
A more formal way to address an older brother than "onii-san" or its variants; could be translated as "honorable elder brother"....)

He thought of his elder brother Masamune Date Masamune (伊達政宗) 1567 - 1636
Titles: Echizen no Kami, Mutsu no Kami
Also known as: birth—Bontenmaru (梵天丸), adult—Tojirou (藤次郎), posthumous—Teizan (貞山), self-introduction—Fujiwara no Masamune (藤原政宗), religious—Takeru Hikonomikoto (武振彦命), nickname—One-Eyed Dragon (独眼竜)
Date Masamune was a powerful daimyo in the Northeastern part of Japan during the Sengoku Period. He was the 17th-generation head of the Date Clan and the founding daimyo of Sendai-han. He was the eldest son of Date Terumune and Yoshihime, the daughter of Mogami Yoshimori.
Masamune was born in Yonezawa Castle (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture). He lost the use of his right eye after falling ill of smallpox in his childhood, and would later come to be known as the One-eyed Dragon. However, because of it his mother thought him unfit for rule of the clan, and favored his younger brother. When Date Terumune retired from the position of the clan head in 1584, Masamune killed his brother and became the head of the clan at 18.
Masamune was known as a brilliant tactician. Shortly after he became head of the clan, Oouchi Sadatsuna, a Date vassal, defected to the Ashina Clan in the Aizu region of Mutsu Province. Masamune declared war on the Ashina for the betrayal, but was forced to retreat by the Ashina general, Iwashiro Morikuni. Three months later, Masamune laid seige to Oouchi's stronghold at Otemori. It was said that he put some 800 people to the sword in retaliation for the betrayal. Thereafter the Hatakeyama Clan, the traditional rival of the Date Clan, kidnapped Masamune's father, who was then killed in battle when Masamune and his troops engaged the kidnappers. War ensued between the two clans, and Masamune would ruthlessly subjugate his neighboring clans, even those who were allied by marriage or kinship. He defeated the Ashina Clan in 1589, but was called by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to lay siege to Odawara Castle of the Houjou Clan.
He served both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, though neither trusted him completely due to his ambition and aggression. Under Tokugawa Ieyasu Masamune controlled one of the largest fiefdoms in Japan and turned Sendai from a small fishing village to a large and prosperous city. He encouraged foreigners and was largely lenient towards Christanity and its practioners. He funded and backed the first Japanese expedition to sail around the world, which visited such places as the Philippines, Mexico, Spain and Pope Paul V in Rome.
He died in Edo at the age of 70 of esophageal cancer, and was entombed in the Zuihouden according to his last will and testament. His second son (eldest son by his legal wife Megohime) Date Tadamune inherited the position of clan head after him. as he recalled Katakura’s words.

Did Masamune hate him for trying to usurp the Date? Though it had been his mother’s favoritism rather than his own volition which had led him down that path, he had made the attempt to steal the clan from his brother.

(Should I return to my brother...?)

He wanted to, if he could be allowed. He wanted to fight for the Date... Yet...

(As I am now, I...)

“What are you doing in the dark in a place like this?”

The door behind him opened to admit Mori Ranmaru Mori Ranmaru (森蘭丸) 1565 - 1582
Also called: Mori Nagasada (森長定), possibly Shigetoshi (成利), Nagayasu (長康)
Historically: A vassal of Oda Nobunaga who served as his attendant from
an early age. His father, Mori Yoshinari, was also a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. Favored by Nobunaga for his talent and loyalty, he also followed the tradition of shudo with his liege-lord. He and his three younger brothers died with Nobunaga at the Honnou-ji on June 21, 1582.. There was no trace of weariness on his face despite the amount of power he must have expended, though his hair was wet as if he had just bathed, and he had changed into a brand new silk shirt.

“How does it look, our ‘jewel’ of power? Is it not splendid? I can only say that it is exactly as I imagined.”

“... Ranmaru-dono. What in the world is he, truly? He cannot be an ordinary human being.”

A corner of Ranmaru’s beguiling lips lifted in a tiny smile.

“Kojirou-dono, you have no knowledge of the Shingon secret teachings mikkyou (密教)
An abbreviated name for "himitsu Bukkyou", or "secret Buddhist teachings", mikkyou are exceedingly mystic and symbolic doctrines transferred from master to disciple within sects, generally used by schools of Esoteric Buddhism.
Mikkyou came into existence in India during the rise of Hinduism and the oppression of Buddhism. In the early stages of mikkyou, Buddhism slowly absorbed mystical/magical components, and each Buddha was given a mudra and dharani. , yes?”

“Well, I never entered into the priesthood.”

“You would not have understood the meaning of the mantra I chanted earlier, then.”

“Who is he?”

Ranmaru’s eyes flicked sideways at him. “‘Even the Buddhas were once the most ordinary of men.’”

“Huh?”

“If we are fortunate, we, too, will be saved...” Ranmaru smiled, evading the question. “Say, Kojirou-dono...” He approached the coffin and continued in a lower voice, his back to Kojirou, “Date’s lord appears to be in good health.”

“Yes...”

“You feel a desire to return, do you not?”

Kojirou straightened, but not before Ranmaru’s peripheral examination took in his startlement with malicious satisfaction.

“I-I...”

“Hmm. And yet you, Kojirou-dono, have embarked on a mission to capture your mother’s enemies—is that not so? Only we the Oda are capable of bringing down the detestable Uesugi.”

“But...but I...”

“You can no longer escape from my grasp, Kojirou-dono.” Kojirou shivered at Ranmaru’s ravishing smile. “The ‘Seed of the Demon King’ I planted in Narita Yuzuru’s forehead grows likewise in you.” He continued in demonic tones, “Do not think to rid yourself of it by exchanging vessels, for it has taken root in your soul. You have no choice but to obey us, Kojirou-dono.”

Kojirou shivered again, recalling his terror at its forcible implantation in his brow. The so-called ‘Seed of the Demon King’ was a spirit-stone created with Oda Nobunaga Oda Nobunaga (織田信長) 1534 - 1582
Also called: Oda Kippoushi
Title: Kazusa no Suke, Owari no Kami
Historically: The first of the "Three Unifiers"; born in Owari to a samurai, his unbridled, ruthless ambitious and military tactical genius enabled him to gain control of the imperial court in 1573 after having driven the shogun out of Kyoto. His seal read "the realm subjected to military power". Murdered at the age of forty-nine by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnou-ji in Kyoto.’s soul. It connected its host directly to his will, forcing servility and inducing unimaginable agony for any disobedience.

Kojirou glared at Ranmaru even as he shuddered with horror. “I am your hostage, then?”

“Oh, you just noticed that?”

“The One-Eyed Dragon of the Oushuu is not so weak as to be deterred by that.”

“Quite so. Those who care about bonds of blood can never survive the Sengoku Sengoku (戦国)
The "warring states" period, lasting from 1467 to 1615, in which the warlords of Japan battled each other for the rule of the country.,” Ranmaru replied cynically, smiling again. Unable to stop shivering, Kojirou bit his lip in anguish. “But I have finally completed one great task: Narita Yuzuru is as good as mine. Let us now realize the dream of conquest of the Kantou Kantou-chihou (関東地方)
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. at our leisure, Kojirou-dono.”

## Comments

### Thank you!

So happy to have a new chapter out again! Thank you so much!

I'm excited to learn more about what is happening around Yuzuru, so I found this chapter interesting. It's also good to hear more about the Hojo people's thoughts on brotherhood and family.

For some reason, Mori Ranmaru has become more interesting as a character to me after seeing him in the stage plays, and I now have a better idea of who he is when reading about him in the novels, too. Nice to have different adaptations and portrayals to support each other like this.

### Thank you

I want to thank you for doing these translations! I only discovered the rollercoster ride that is Mirage of Blaze a little over a year ago, even though its been so long since the original content came out. I figured any content I found on the internet would be from the early to mid 2000s, and you've delighted me by keeping us updated. Thank you for the dedication, and taking spare time to deliver this wonderful content.

It's truly appreciated!

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