Shōgun of Japan, Tokugawa Ieshige

[Sengoku]

Name: Tokugawa Ieshige「徳川家重」, Nihon no Shōgun「日本の将軍, "Shōgun of Japan"」

Age: 73

Birthdate: 21/05 (May 21st)

Nationality/Cultural Group: Japan, Edo (real-world Tokyo) Prefecture, Capital City of Tokyo

Height: 5’9”/175 cm

Weight: 165 lbs/74.8 kg

Gender: Male

Affiliations:

• Tokugawa Clan (Daimyō)
• Tokugawa Shogunate (Shōgun)

Appearance:

• Aged man with white hair as a result of years of stress. He looks older than he actually is.
• Stern exterior, as befitting of the military leader of Japan’s Shogunate.
• Dresses in Western formal attire for most public appearances and Eastern formal attire for ceremonies and celebrations.
• Healthy for his age, he retains the physique of an aged military man past his prime.

Belongings:

• Daishō, a set of swords consisting of an uchigatana and a wakizashi forged by the famed Masamune School of Blacksmithing.
  • Uchigatana: Tokugawa Masamune「徳川正宗, “Virtuous River, Masamune”」
  • Wakizashi: Chūsei Masamune「忠誠正宗, “Loyalty, Masamune”」
• Tokugawa Clan badge of nobility.
• Buddhist prayer beads.
• Fan belonging to his late wife.

Personality:

“Only through compromise do we find peace. And peace, as we know, is all too temporary.”

Tokugawa Ieshige is among the most powerful people in Japan in terms of influence. There are plenty of daimyō who are near unrivaled warriors, but one does not become the shōgun by being a weak man. Ieshige commands respect among his peers with an unshakeable persona of a proper military man as well as dueling skills that prove he is true warrior-nobility, fit to lead a nation defined by the identity of the samurai. Yet there has been criticism that he has been too soft when dealing with tensions between the clans, opting to compromise to avoid blaming either party even when there is a clear right or wrong. His fear of conflict has come to define his career over the decades.


While he is praised for his competency in military affairs and his management of the clans, his lack of a strong grip over the clans as well as his heir’s mental instability has led to dissent in favor of other candidates within the Tokugawa bloodline. Ieshige has good intentions but his desire to always resolve matters by avoiding confrontation has weakened his public image in the eyes of fellow samurai. His indecisive nature has caused temporary solutions to dissolve and become renewed problems, which has led to strained relations with many of his own family members, much less the many allied clans.

Character Strengths:

• Patient - Ieshige’s favorite quote is “Patience is a virtue.” Truer words have never been spoken as this trait seems to endure throughout the entire Tokugawa bloodline, carrying on from Tokugawa Ieyasu’s own temperament.
• Calm - One must not let their emotions drive them, lest they say something regrettable. Ieshige seldom loses his composure even under duress and is able to hold back whatever stress he feels when pressured.
• Compromising - Many issues between the various samurai clans have been resolved thanks to Ieshige’s talent for making compromises between opposing parties. He is able to see how both sides are able to benefit rather than how both sides are harmed by agreements.
• Charismatic - It goes without saying that the Shōgun of Japan must be a man who can command influence. In both action and words, Ieshige is a graceful man who still carries a quiet strength behind his steady exterior.
• Martial Mastery - To lead a nation of warriors, you must be a warrior yourself. Ieshige is no exception, having mastered the art of war throughout his years of rule. Combined with his spiritual abilities, it is no exaggeration to say that Tokugawa Ieshige is one of - if not the most powerful man in Japan. Even among his fellow daimyō, few can match Ieshige’s skill in personal combat, especially in formal duels.

Character Flaws:

• Fearful of Conflict - Ieshige seems deathly afraid of any sort of friction between opposing parties, hence why he became so compromising. While this is typically a good trait, Ieshige’s fear of conflict leads him to make hasty solutions that are only temporary, resulting in new problems springing up in the future.
• Master of None - To have moderate skill in many fields means that the individual in question lacks expertise in anything. One can argue it is better to be a master in several fields than to dabble in all fields. Ieshige knows a fair degree of warfare, politics, economics, and more yet this only weakens his stance. A shōgun must be a master of military and political intrigue while entrusting advisors to other tasks. Ieshige stretched his talents too thin across too many fields over his decades of rule.
• Restless - The Shōgun’s tendency to pump out temporary solutions one after another has led to him constantly fixing problems left and right. Ieshige’s career is filled with nothing but problems, then solutions, then new problems, followed by new solutions. His restless nature has caused his hair to go white faster than it should have.
• Indecisive - Ieshige’s greatest weakness is his inability to put his foot down to solve problems. This coexists with his strength of having a compromising nature. The man is too afraid of offending one party over the other and this typically ends up with a compromise that is only mildly acceptable to both parties but still bothers everyone. This indecisiveness has led to a myriad of problems over the decades.
• Complicated Heir - Ieshige’s heir is his eldest son, Tokugawa Ietoki. However, Ietoki is the complete opposite of his father: he is a ruthless young warrior who is quick to see foes even within the family, much less allied clans. His answer is to put anyone under suspicion to the blade and worry about the consequences later, which disturbs Ieshige. The old man still clings to the throne because he fears what Ietoki will do upon ascension. And were he to name a different heir, Ietoki has demonstrated that he will eliminate any threats to his “birthright,” even if those threats are related by blood.

Backstory: Tokugawa Ieshige is the current Shōgun of Japan and patriarch of the Tokugawa Clan - by extension, he is also the leading Commander-in-Chief of the Shōgunate-Republic of Japan, able to rally all prefectural armies to war if needed. In his youth, Ieshige was raised as the eldest child to inherit the shōgunate and become a military man as he grew older, serving in the Tokugawa Clan’s army among fellow samurai while studying politics and the finer arts. To be a samurai is no easy task. To live up to the title of Shōgun is an even harsher task. Yet Ieshige still successfully inherited the Shōgunate’s throne when he came of age, though not without his fair share of assassination attempts on his life and strife with other powerful clans. With all this in mind, it comes as a surprise to know that the future Shōgun has a deep fear of open conflict and warfare among the clans. It was turmoil between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi that led to the premature death of his mother, and assassination that struck the wrong target due to his father’s refusal to compromise. From that point on, Tokugawa Ieshige would never truly recover from the loss of his mother and adopt an attitude that advocated compromise no matter who was right or wrong. Anything was viable to him so long as it meant he could stave off all-out conflict.

For the most part, his rule began well as he diffused problems one after another between rival clans, brokering peace and advocating for nonviolent solutions. The man was adamant about avoiding the path of a harsh military dictator, seldom putting his foot down if ever. All his martial prowess was devoted to duels, both formal displays and settling legitimate affairs when his authority was directly challenged. Yet Ieshige’s style of compromise would come to bite him back in years later. The same problems would return after his temporary solutions ran out of time, sometimes even worse than when they started. Without the help of other clans stepping in, Ieshige may have very well kept lying and bowing his head just to avoid conflict for another day. Dissent among the clans - even among the Tokugawa’s closest allies - had begun. It goes without saying that his political opponents took advantage of a weak shōgun.

In later years, Ieshige and his wife would bear three children, a boy first, then a girl, and another boy after her. But Ieshige’s weak grip over the clans was showing when an attempted assassination from his youngest brother, Tokugawa Ienaga, led to the deaths of his wife and youngest son eight years ago. Ironically, Ieshige’s desire to make compromises with every conflict caused him to lose his wife and youngest son the same way he lost his mother. The eldest son, Tokugawa Ietoki, demanded the entire branch family be put to death. When a nephew from another branch family under Tokugawa Ietada protested that sentencing even the children to death was too far, he too was forced to commit seppuku. Ieshige acquiesced to his eldest son’s demands while his daughter’s attempts to defend her cousins fell upon deaf ears. Ieshige put his Ienaga to death alongside his entire family. On top of that, he forced the eldest son of Ietada to commit seppuku, forever staining the relationship between the remaining Tokugawa brothers. His actions were met with lukewarm reception at best and complete outrage at worst. Ieshige cemented his image as a weak man who bent his will too easily to others while his heir Ietoki was seen as a cruel young man who desired an iron grip to counter his father’s lax style of rule. Father and son, two extremes on opposite ends. The future of the Tokugawa Shōgunate appears dark in the days to come. Yet there are whispers that his daughter may be conspiring with Ietada’s family to remedy this situation.

Family, Friends, Etc:

• Tokugawa Ietoki「徳川家時」: The 31-year-old eldest son of Tokugawa Ieshige, Ietoki is the next in line to become Shōgun of Japan. A stark contrast to his father, Ietoki was always bolder and more aggressive. This meant he was naturally more warrior-like yet this also manifested in a more ruthless style of rule. His relationship with his father has always been strained and only fractured further with the death of his mother and youngest brother at the hands of his uncle, Tokugawa Ienaga. Compounding that with the fact that he was openly opposed by his cousin from another uncle, Tokugawa Ietada, the man now sees enemies in everyone. Even clans that are among the Tokugawa’s closest allies now see an unstable heir in line to the throne. Yet this will not stop Ietoki. He swears to resolve the problems caused by his father once he ascends. No one will stop him - especially not his own blood.
• Tokugawa Iehime「徳川家姫」: The 27-year-old daughter of Tokugawa Ieshige, Iehime seems to have inherited her father’s calm demeanor and patient methods. While she is the most physically fragile of her siblings, she committed to mastering the art of tactical warfare, political intrigue, and fine arts, forgoing martial mastery, economics, and other fields she deemed unnecessary for a potential shōgun. Knowing that she was the second-born child as well as a daughter, she knew that the seat of shōgun was out of her reach. However, the loss of her mother and youngest brother changed matters. She finally saw her father’s weak policies and her elder brother’s mental instability and how it led to this tragedy as well as how it would lead the future of the Shōgunate to ruin. Iehime now bides her time, waiting patiently to seize power herself. And to do that, she needs allies.
• Tokugawa Ietarō「徳川家太郎」: The youngest son of Ieshige, now deceased. At the time of his death, Ietarō was only 18 years of age. Were he still alive, he would be 24 years old in modern times. Ietarō was never interested in the samurai life he was born into and sought to become an artist, showing talent in illustrations in traditional mediums like paint. Being the youngest child, he was content to be in the shadows of his older siblings as this allowed him to do as he pleased. In the assassination attempt, he still showed love towards his family when he received a bullet meant for his elder sister Iehime. This left a profound impact on the surviving members of the family in the years to come.
• Tokugawa Sadahime, née Abe「徳川貞姫」: The wife of Ieshige and a princess of the Abe Clan, now deceased. At the time of her death, Sadahime was 52 years old. Were she still alive, Sadahime would be 60 years old. Sadahime was a devout, religious woman of the Abe Clan, famed for their onmyōji and mystical arts. Sadahime was remembered for her cunning mind, often pulling the strings to fix her husband’s lackluster solutions by parleying with other clans. Yet for all her mysticism and political skill, Sadahime still chose to save her husband when assassins came for them, leading to her untimely demise. Her death alongside the death of her youngest son, Ietarō, permanently altered the dynamic of the ruling family of the Tokugawa Shōgunate.
• Tokugawa Ienaga「徳川家永」: At the time of his sentence of seppuku, Ienaga was 45 years old. Were he still alive, Ienaga would be 53 years old. Like his brothers, Ienaga was a clever boy growing up, but far more impulsive and risky than his brothers. Ienaga had frequent arguments with Ieshige as they grew up and always found his brother to be weak. He argued that the throne of the Shōgunate should belong to him or the middle brother, Tokugawa Ietada. Over the years, Ienaga grew increasingly bolder and more ambitious over his eldest brother and the direction that the Shōgunate was going, leading to his assassination order called upon Ieshige and his family. For his betrayal, his entire family paid with their lives, including his children who were innocent. His wife was Tokugawa Akihime (aged 40) while his sons were Tokugawa Matsuyasu (aged 17), Tokugawa Ienara (aged 14), and Tokugawa Tsunamatsu (aged 12).
• Tokugawa Ietada「徳川家忠」: The 57-year-old younger brother of Ieshige, Tokugawa Ietada is the balance between his lax elder brother and his aggressive younger brother. Ietada is widely accepted as a superior military commander to Ieshige though his talents in politics are lacking. However, he is largely responsible for maintaining good ties between the Tokugawa Clan and their old allies. Ietada shows little motivation to befriend long-time enemies of the Tokugawa Clan but he is not eager to spark a war with them either. Ietada still holds a grudge against Ieshige and Ietoki for executing his first son. He has been communicating with Iehime in recent days regarding the future of the Tokugawa Shōgunate.
• Tokugawa Tsunayasu「徳川綱康」: A nephew of Ieshige and eldest son of his brother Ietada, now deceased. At the time of his death, Tsunayasu was 17 years old. Were he still alive, he would be 25 years old. Tsunayasu was not a perfect samurai, but he was a young man of principle and integrity. Tsunayasu believed in doing the right thing and speaking up even at the cost of one’s own safety - this ultimately cost him his life when he tried to defend the lives of his cousins who were put to death alongside their father, Tokugawa Ienaga. His death caused an irreparable rift between the Shōgun Ieshige and his father Ietada.
• Tokugawa Ietake「徳川家武」: The 18-year-old nephew of Ieshige and youngest son of his brother Ietada. Tokugawa Ietake is a cunning young man with a strategic mind and supposedly inherited powers directly tied to the Tokugawa bloodline - some say he inherited Tokugawa Ieyasu’s will and blessing. The death of his brother Tsunayasu by order of Ieshige and his son Ietoki has led to a rift between the two Tokugawa families. Young Ietake has been speaking with Ieshige’s daughter, Iehime, more often in recent years regarding the future of the Tokugawa Shōgunate.

Powers: Ieshige’s spiritual powers stem from his fabled swords, forged by the modern swordsmiths under the fabled Masamune’s School of Blacksmithing. His abilities focus on making him a nigh-unbeatable duelist. To bring him down, quantity and quality will both be needed. Though his leadership skills are questionable, none can deny Tokugawa Ieshige’s prowess in martial arts. However, Ieshige’s powers stem entirely from his legendary swords - should he be parted from them, he cannot wield his powers. But to disarm him is a challenge in itself.

Power Theme: Swords of light and fire. Ieshige’s uchigatana and wakizashi are both spiritual weapons that grant Ieshige the powers he currently wields, manifesting as an extension of his will. He is able to freely manipulate the properties of his swords and project energy from them as needed. It goes without saying that years of carrying these swords on his person has led to the swords sharing their spiritual powers with him, granting him superhuman physical abilities. Although his abilities all require him to have his swords on hand, Ieshige retains superhuman abilities even when disarmed. Be warned: when facing Tokugawa Ieshige, know that you are about to clash with a fabled Sword Saint.

Rank C Ability: Ichi no Kata - Enbu「壱ノ型 - 円舞, “First Form - Dance”」- One of Ieshige’s blades lights up and enables him to project a short-ranged wave of concentrated light that sears foes with heat, burning their skin if directly hit. This wave of light can travel up to 15 feet/5 meters.

Rank C Ability: Ni no Kata - Dan「弐ノ型 - 段, “Second Form - Step”」- So long as he possesses one of his swords, Ieshige can emit a shockwave of light with one step to push back opponents. This attack deals minor damage with light-based heat, but the primary purpose is to knock back targets about 10 feet/3 meters.

Rank B Ability: San no Kata - Kasha「参ノ型 - 火車, “Third Form - Fire Wheel”」- Ieshige spins with his blades and unleashes flames in a circular wave, spreading up to 20 feet/6 meters. The intensity of the flames is comparable to a wildfire and will cause severe burns if directly hit. If only performed with one sword, the range is reduced in half to 10 feet/3 meters, though the strength of the flames remains the same.

Rank B Ability: Shi no Kata - Retsujitsu Kōkyō「肆ノ型 - 烈日紅鏡, “Fourth Form - Raging Sun”」- Ieshige’s blades catch flames and empower his next normal attack. Should he connect and attack, the flames are hot enough to burn through industrial-grade steel as the swords are superheated. Due to the heat, it can leave behind natural flames that will linger until they are put out.

Rank A Ability: Go no Kata - Kyokujitsu「伍ノ型 - 旭日, “Fifth Form - Rising Sun”」- A powerful cut that unleashes the force of the sun for a split second. This technique is specific only to his uchigatana, Tokugawa Masamune. Ieshige unleashes a cut of concentrated heat that cuts through reinforced tank armor. The blade of light can extend out as far as 30 feet/9 meters and can potentially cut the arena where Ieshige is standing, altering the landscape. Anything not directly cut by the blade will be subject to intense heat, turning into ash, melting, or catching flame if applicable.

Rank A Ability: Roku no Kata - Shayō「陸ノ型 - 斜陽, “Sixth Form - Setting Sun”」- A concentrated cut that concentrates the power of the sun into a single strike against one foe. This technique is specific only to his wakizashi, Chūsei Masamune. Ieshige’s wakizashi begins by glowing with a blinding light and he cuts down at a target, but as it comes down, the blade absorbs all light around it and shifts to pitch black like a setting sun shifting into the night, releasing a cold chill around Ieshige. The effect is visually comparable to a miniature solar eclipse. If the blade connects to anything, it steals all heat from the target and drops it to absolute zero in temperature, causing it to fracture. The range of this attack is very short, limited to how far the wakizashi can reach, but is a devastating ability used to immediately dispatch a single target.

Rank C Passive: Ichi no Kankaku - Zen「壱ノ感覚 - 禅, “First Sense - Silent Meditation”」- Ieshige’s years of combat have honed his senses and helped him develop an unnatural level of control over his nerves. This also enables him to develop a very sensitive sixth sense of danger that allows him to detect threats far faster than most people, sometimes just as the attack is being performed. It still has its limits, however. Though he may sense it early, his aged body may not react as quickly as he prefers.

Rank B Passive: Ni no Kankaku - Osore「弐ノ感覚 - 恐れ, “Second Sense - Fear”」- As a sword saint, Ieshige will face only the most worthy of opponents. He demands only the true warriors and any who have the bravado and audacity to face down such overwhelming power to step into the ring with him. Foes with weaker will outright flee from his sight, not daring to advance a step further. Only those with nerves of steel or unique abilities granting them the power to resist supernatural fear can contend with Ieshige.

Rank A Passive: San no Kankaku - Truth「参ノ感覚 - 真実, “Third Sense - Truth”」- Clarity of mind grants Ieshige the ability to see through illusions and deception, including invisibility. On top of that, his clarity allows him to see the truth beyond mind-altering effects, rendering him immune to abilities that would charm or impose fear onto him.

[mermalaide]