Editing Akechi clan

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{{Spoilerhd|20 June 2025|[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]}}{{Faction Infobox|name=Akechi clan|headquarters={{Wiki|Mino Province}}, [[Japan]]|locations=[[Sakamoto]], [[Ōmi]]
[[Kameyama]], [[Tamba]]|parent={{Wiki|Toki clan}} {{c|branch of the {{Wiki|Seiwa Genji}}}}|religion=[[Shinto]]}}
The '''Akechi clan''' (明智氏, ''Akechi-shi'') was a [[Japan|Japanese]] clan centered around {{Wiki|Mino Province|Mino}} that became powerful during the [[Sengoku period]]. Originally a branch of the {{Wiki|Toki clan}}, the fall of his parent clan along with the rise in power of [[Akechi Mitsuhide]] made the Akechi clan one of the most influential in Japan.<ref name=":0">{{WP|Akechi clan}}</ref> However, their glory was short lived, as the clan fell from prominence after Mitsuhide's betrayal of [[Oda Nobunaga]] and his death only thirteen days later.<ref name=":1">[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows|''Assassin's Creed: Shadows'']]</ref>

== History ==
Before the rise of Mitsuhide, not much is known of the Akechi clan. Their origins trace back to being a branch of the larger Toki clan, in itself descendants from the {{Wiki|Seiwa Genji}} and {{Wiki|Minamoto no Yorimitsu}}. The Toki were the governors of Mino for most of the [[Ashikaga shogunate]], losing most of his properties to [[Saitō Dōsan]]'s {{Wiki|Saito clan}} in 1542. With the fall of the main Toki branch, the Akechi rose to power and Mitsuhide started gaining influence on Japan's politics.<ref name=":0" />

Mitsuhide served then [[shōgun]] [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]], being the one to propose [[Oda Nobunaga]] as Yoshiaki's protector. After Yoshiaki and Nobunaga relationship broke, Mitsuhide sided with Nobunaga, being one of his most trusted generals. However, Mitsuhide started to reconsider his alliance with Nobunaga after the [[Siege of Mount Hiei]] on 1571, where Nobunaga ruthlessly killed every men, women and child and burned the [[Enryaku-ji]] to the ground.<ref name=":2">[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows|''Assassin's Creed: Shadows'']] - [[Topple the Traitor]]</ref> Despite this thoughts, Mitsuhide kept helping the [[Oda clan]], receiving orders to build a [[Sakamoto Castle|castle]] in [[Sakamoto]] from Nobunaga after the siege and also starting to build [[Kameyama Castle]] in 1578 both as a way to protect [[Kyoto]]'s western side and establishing a foothold from where Mitsuhide could start conquering [[Tanba]].<ref>{{WP|Akechi Mitsuhide}}</ref>

In 1579, Mitsuhide sent [[Akechi Mitsuhide's mother|his mother]] to {{Wiki|Yakami castle}} in a hostage exchange to assure peace negotiations between Nobunaga and {{Wiki|Hatano Hideharu}}. However, Nobunaga executed Hideharu as soon as he reached [[Azuchi Castle]], prompting the latter's family to execute Mitsuhide's mother as soon as they received the news.<ref>[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows|''Assassin's Creed: Shadows'']] - [[Database: Tamba]]</ref> This incident, along with the Enryaku-ji massacre, damaged Mitsuhide relationship with Nobunaga and he started plotting against his lord. At some point between 1579 and 1582, he came in contact with Ashikaga Yoshiaki again and, with the help of a foreign organization known as the [[Templars]], established the [[Shinbakufu]] with the idea to end Nobunaga's reign of terror and put Yoshiaki back in power.<ref name=":2" /> Other members of the Akechi clan also supported this idea, with Mitsuhide's nephew [[Akechi Kagemitsu]] and son-in-law [[Ise Sadaoki]] also joining the Shinbakufu.<ref name=":1" /> As a gesture of good faith, Mitsuhide also sent two of his children, [[Hosokawa Tama]] and [[Akechi Mitsuyoshi]], to the Templars to ensure their support.<ref>[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows|''Assassin's Creed: Shadows'']] - [[The Silver Queen]]</ref>

Despite successfully killing Nobunaga during the [[Honnō-ji incident]], Mitsuhide failed to establish himself since none of Nobunaga's generals took his side, even those that had an alliance by marriage with his clan such as [[Hosokawa Fujitaka]].<ref>[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows|''Assassin's Creed: Shadows'']] - [[The Silver Smugglers (memory)]]</ref> The [[Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins|Kakushiba ikki]], mainly [[Fujibayashi Naoe]], whose father was killed by the Shinbakufu, and [[Yasuke]], who served as a samurai for Nobunaga, started to track down every member of the Shinbakufu, killing both Kagemitsu and Sadaoki. During the [[Battle of Yamazaki]], thirteen days later of Nobunaga's death, [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] laid siege to [[Shōryūji Castle]] and defeated the remaining force of the Akechi clan. Although Mitsuhide managed to escape, Yasuke and Naoe chased him to nearby [[Ōyamazaki]], where they defeated him in combat.<ref name=":2" />

Most of the Akechi clan either vanished or was killed in the aftermath of the betrayal, with Tama and Mitsuyoshi being rescued from the influence of the Templars by Yasuke.

== Genealogy ==
{{familytree/start}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | | |MITSU|~|y|~|MOTHE| | | | | |MITSU={{Wiki|Akechi Mitsutsuna}}|MOTHE=[[Akechi Mitsuhide's mother]]}}
{{familytree | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.| | | | | |}}
{{familytree | |HIROK|~|y|~|MITSU| | | | | | |BROTH| |UNK  |MITSU=[[Akechi Mitsuhide]]|HIROK={{Wiki|Tsumaki Hiroko}}|BROTH=Mitsuhide's sibling|UNK=Unknown}}
{{familytree | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | |!| | | |!| |}}
{{familytree | TAMA| |MITSU| |UNKD |~| ISE | |KAGE | |HISA |TAMA=[[Hosokawa Gracia]]<br>{{c|born as Akechi Tama}}|MITSU=[[Akechi Mitsuyoshi]]|UNKD=Mitsuhide's Daughter|ISE=[[Ise Sadaoki]]|KAGE=[[Akechi Kagemitsu]]|HISA=[[Akechi Mitsuhisa]]}}
{{familytree/end}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180">
File:ACSH Sakamoto Castle Gate.png|Sakamoto Castle gate, with Akechi [[kamon]] and [[ashigaru]].
File:ACSH Akechi Samurais.png|Akechi [[samurai]]
File:ACSH Akechi Samurai Brute.png|Akechi [[brute]]
</gallery>

== Appearances ==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]''

== References ==
<references />
{{ACSH}}


[[Category:Akechi clan| ]]