Description

Personality

Takashi is generally, very quiet but what he lacks in speech he makes up for in very fine observational skills. He prefers to view his world rather than interact with it, this does not mean he is lazy however. As a samurai "bushi" warrior, he takes the code of Bushido to heart. The "Seven Virtues of Bushido" is a code of conduct that shape a warriors training and mindset. Not only were these virtues adhered to during their physical training but also influenced day to day life molding the samurai in a militant social class above all others.

*::GI(Rectitude)::Gi is the ability to make the right decision with moral confidence and to be fair and equal to all people regardless of color, age, gender or race.

*::Yu(Courage):: Yu is the ability to handle any situation with valor and confidence.

*::Jin(Benevolence):: Jin is a combination of compassion and generosity, this works in cohesion with Gi and discourages samurai from presenting themselves arrogantly or for domination.

*::Rei(Respect):: Rei is a matter of proper behavior and courtesy towards others. This virtues is to have respect for all.

*::Makoto(Honesty):: Makoto is about being as honest to ones self as to others. It means acting morally right and doing things to the best of your ability.

*::Meiyou(Honor):: Meiyou is always sought with a positive view in mind but only with correct behavior. Success is an honorable goal to strive for.

*::Chungi(Loyalty):: Chungi is the foundation for all other virtues, without loyalty to the task at hand and to one another the desired outcome can not hope to be achieved.

Perhaps the most noticeable fault in Takashi, is his apparent lack of compassion. This did not come to him right away, but over the years. Being born to a lower caste of samurai family, he was brutally treated and wronged b those that thought themselves superior. In this they fed his desire to be the best. He eventually became the most feared swordsmen, reaching kensei status. But the bloodshed he caused replaced the title with the more feared moniker of hitokiri or "manslayer".

His ability with his sword left his master and his enemies nervous for their lives could be cut short.

Equipment

The uchigatana began to rival the tachi as the sword of choice by warriors. Unlike the tachi, the uchigatana was worn edge-up in the belt, this and usually being slightly smaller than the tachi was the main difference between the tachi and the uchigatana.

This sword became popular for several reasons, the uchigatana was more convenient to wear and did not get in the way of using a polearm as much as a tachi, also the frequency of battles fought on foot and the need for speed on the battlefield, were major reasons for the uchigatana being rapidly accepted and indicated that battlefield combat had grown in intensity. Since it was shorter, it could be used in more confined quarters, such as inside a building.

Unlike the tachi, with which the acts of drawing and striking with the sword were two separate actions, unsheathing the uchigatana and cutting the enemy down with it became one smooth, lightning-fast action (this technique was called battojutsu otherwise known as Battokiri). The curvature on the blade of the uchigatana differs from the tachi in that the blade has curvature near the sword’s point (sakizori), as opposed to curvature near the sword’s hilt (koshizori) like the tachi. Because the sword is being drawn from below, the act of unsheathing became the act of striking. For a soldier on horseback, the sakizori curve of the uchigatana was essential in such a blade, since it allows the sword to come out of the saya (sheath) at the most convenient angle for executing an immediate cut.

History

When Takashi was born, social unrest was already beginning to become apparent. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen had begun to escalate, there had been rumors of a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan.

The war initiated the Sengoku jidai, "the Warring States Period". This period was a long, drawn-out struggle for domination by individual daimyo, resulting in a mass power-struggle between the various houses to dominate the whole of Japan. It was during this long period though that there would emerge three individuals who would unite Japan under one rule; they were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The Ōnin conflict began as a controversy over who would become shogun after the retirement or death of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. In 1464, Yoshimasa had no heir. He persuaded his younger brother, Ashikaga Yoshimi, to abandon the life of a monk, and Yoshimi was named heir. In 1465, the unanticipated birth of a son to Yoshimasa put these plans in question. The infant, Yoshihisa, caused friction between the two brothers.

Hosokawa had always worked closely with the Shogun's brother Ashikaga Yoshimi, and supported his claim to the shogunate. Yamana took this as an opportunity to oppose Hosokawa further, supporting the child as heir to the Shogunate. War broke out in the city of Heian-kyō. This was regarded by the Ashikaga Shogun as an act of rebellion, and thus the Ashikaga and their supporters were forced to try to stop it. The Ashikaga tried to prevent the outbreak of war over the next heir, but the situation escalated into a war that designated the leader of the victorious party as the next shogun. In 1467 the uncertainty had caused a split amongst the warrior clans; and the succession dispute became a pretext for a struggle for military supremacy. In the end, there was no clear-cut winner. The complex array of factional armies simply fought themselves into exhaustion.

By the time Takashi was 6, he had already begun to train for his military career under thee Fujiwara banner. By this point, the Sakurai Clan had joined with the opposing forces. Already there were brief skirmishes. Takashi witnessed first hand what his life would become when his uncle rode him out to the field of battle. Takashi saw his father cut down and then, ceremoniously be beheaded. This did not discourage him, however, but fueled the fervor to be the best that he could be. When he could finally join the ranks of other children and take his now present name rather than his former one given to him by his parents, he began the rigorous climb to being the best samurai.

Often he was ridiculed, mocked and beaten by the higher class children. He worked long hours with little sleep or food and wore blistered fingers from where he had gripped his bokken and wouldn't let it down. His arms would hurt from daily cadences and his heart swam in only the pure thought of being better than them. Then came the fateful day when the lord's own son challenged him to a duel. Takashi took his life and his head and swore his allegiance to his lord. His first kill was at 15.

He would later be called a prodigy, a kensei a sword saint. He was well received, at first. However, as political turned militant, the Ōnin war had begun and the Fujiwara and Sakurai clans, fighting for the opposite ends of the outcome were clashing.Takashi, now 21 was among the four best swordsmen in the Fujiwara. They would become infamously known as hitokiri because of the amount of blood shed they would have caused. Seven years later, Takashi is the most infamous swordsman known in Fujiwara and the Sakurai clan knows well what he is capable of. Having taken the heads of several high ranking generals and killed more than a hundred men. Both sides were weary of him. Surprisingly it would be the Fujiwara that would strike first...