Editing Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins

{{Era|Organizations|Assassins}}
{{Spoilerhd|16 December 2025|[[Claws of Awaji]]}}
{{Conjecture}}
{{Quote|We are the League of the Hidden Blade. The Kakushiba ikki.|Fujibayashi Naoe, 1582.|Assassin's Creed: Shadows|Lightning and Thunder}}
{{Faction infobox
|name = Japanese Brotherhood
|image = AC Shadows Black Crest.png
|founder = [[Alvaro Catarribera]]
|leader = [[Mentor]]
|headquarters = *[[Iga]] {{c|until 1581}}
*[[Tomiko's Homestead]] {{c|1582 – ?}}
*[[Osaka]] {{c|21st century}}
|locations = [[Japan]]
|related = [[Assassins]]<br>[[Tokugawa shogunate]]
*{{Wiki|Tokugawa clan}}<br>[[Onmoraki-Gumi]]
|formed = Mid-16th century
}}
The '''Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins''', established in the [[Sengoku period]] as the '''Kakushiba ''ikki''''' (meaning: "League of the Hidden Blade"),<ref name="Tsuyu DB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]] – [[Claws of Awaji]]'' – [[Database: Fujibayashi Tsuyu]]</ref> and known in modern times as the '''Osaka Brotherhood''',<ref name="The Essential Guide">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide]]''</ref> is the [[Assassin Guilds|Guild]] of the [[Assassins]] located in [[Japan]], active since the mid-16th century.

A relatively new Assassin Guild, the Japanese Brotherhood was formed in response to the [[Templars]]' efforts to expand their influence to Japan after suffering a streak of defeats at the hands of the Assassins in [[Europe]]. The first Assassin to arrive in the country, [[Alvaro Catarribera]], aimed to prevent this and founded the Kakushiba ''ikki'' alongside his apprentice, [[Fujibayashi Tsuyu]]. While seeking the support of Emperor [[Tomohito|Go-Nara]] against the Templars, the Japanese Assassins were given the [[Imperial Regalia of Japan|Imperial Regalia]] for safekeeping, and protection of the artifacts subsequently became the Brotherhood's main objective.

Following Catarribera's departure, Tsuyu continued to lead and expand the Kakushiba ''ikki'' with new recruits, until the league was decimated by the [[Shinbakufu]], a group working with the Templars to seize power in Japan. After losing the Imperial Regalia to the Shinbakufu, Tsuyu left to search for the artifacts while the Kakushiba ''ikki'' eventually fell apart.

In 1582, a new incarnation of the Brotherhood was co-founded by Tsuyu's daughter [[Fujibayashi Naoe|Naoe]], the [[samurai]] [[Yasuke]], and their allies, who were united by a common desire to stop the Shinbakufu and the Templars' plans. After eliminating the former, recovering the Imperial Regalia, and severely weakening the Templars' presence in Japan, the Kakushiba ''ikki'' continued to operate in the country under the rule of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], whose founder, [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], was sympathetic to their cause.

Over the next few centuries, the Japanese Assassins grew in power and influence at the expense of their Templar [[Japanese Rite of the Templar Order|counterparts]]. Despite this, the Brotherhood was ultimately unable to prevent its enemies from exploiting Japan's political turmoil in the 19th century to start the [[Boshin War]], resulting in the end of the shogunate and the age of samurai and Japan's transformation into a {{Wiki|constitutional monarchy}}. Nevertheless, the Assassins continued to endure under the new regime, until the Templars' [[Great Purge]] in 2000, which saw the near-annihilation of the Brotherhood.

In the early 21st century, an Assassin cell based in [[Osaka]] fell under the leadership of [[Saeko Mochizuki]], who greatly expanded it by integrating it with the local criminal [[gang]]s. Through Saeko's leadership, the Japanese Assassins were gradually able to rebuild their strength and even began assisting their brethren around the world as the Brotherhood continued its [[Assassin-Templar War|shadow war]] against the Templars and their front company, [[Abstergo Industries]].

==History==
===Sengoku period===
====Establishment====
{{Quote|Before my day of atonement comes, I am content to do what I have always done. Kill in the name of freedom. To prove my faith in the name of a Brotherhood that will not have me, and the new one I will build.|Alvaro Catarribera's declaration, 1549.|Assassin's Creed: Shadows|Database: Rift 2 - The Heart of an Assassin}}
In 1549, [[Europe]]an [[Templars]] arrived in Japan aiming to spread their influence to new lands. Their activities in Japan would soon catch the attention of the Assassins,<ref name="ACM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref> including [[Alvaro Catarribera]], an excommunicated [[Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins|Spanish Assassin]], who overheard two Templars speaking of their plans for Japan while in [[Macau]]. Determined to stop their efforts, Catarribera followed them, using the arrival of the [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] and Templar [[Francis Xavier]]'s delegation as cover and access to the country.<ref name="Heart of an Assassin">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Database: Rift 2 - The Heart of an Assassin]]</ref>

Looking for allies, Catarribera soon found one in the form of an orphaned Japanese girl named Tsuyu, whom he took under his wing and trained in the Brotherhood's ways.<ref name="Heart of an Assassin"/> The two Assassins later found a pool of recruits among the Japanese [[ninja]], such as [[Momochi Sandayu]], [[Hattori Hanzō]], and [[Fujibayashi Nagato]], from whom they learned new techniques.<ref name="Meaning of the Blade">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[The Meaning of the Blade]]</ref>

A formal attempt at establishing an [[Assassin Guild|Assassin guild]] in Japan was planned by [[Kotetsu|Xiao Hu]], a member of the [[Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins|Chinese Brotherhood]] trained by the [[Mentor]] [[Shao Jun]]. Taking back his original Japanese name, Kotetsu hoped to find like-minded allies and start a new Brotherhood to combat the Templar presence in his ancestral homeland.<ref name="Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[Creed]]</ref>

====Safeguarding the Imperial Regalia====
{{Quote|I stayed in Iga with you while the league was slaughtered. The regalia stolen. Only Sandayu, Tsuyu, and Hanzō survived. Tsuyu returned in the night - with the Jewel. She made me swear to protect it and entrusted me alone. She promised me she would return with the other regalia. But... she never did.|Fujibayashi Nagato to his daughter Naoe, 1581.|Assassin's Creed: Shadows|The Meaning of the Blade}}
As their Brotherhood, the Kakushiba ''ikki'', grew, Catarribera and Tsuyu contacted Emperor [[Tomohito|Go-Nara]], seeking his support in opposing the Templars' influence in Japan. The emperor accepted and, in return, entrusted the two Assassins with the [[Imperial Regalia of Japan]], tasking them to keep them safe.<ref name="Secrets of the Blade">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Secrets of the Blade]]</ref><ref name="Tales of Iga 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows – Tales of Iga]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Shadows – Tales of Iga Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]</ref> Catarribera later departed for parts unknown, leaving Tsuyu in [[Iga]] with Sandayu, Hanzō, and Nagato and trusting her to continue the Brotherhood's mission.<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/>

[[File:ACSH Tsuyu with Sandayu, Nagato and Hanzo.png|thumb|250px|left|Sandayu, Nagato, and Hanzō, the first members of Tsuyu's brotherhood]]
Succeeding Catarribera as leader of the Kakushiba ''ikki'', Tsuyu hid the Imperial Regalia in a ''[[kofun]]'' in [[Izumi Settsu]] and formally recruited Sandayu, Hanzō, and Nagato into the Brotherhood, whereupon they all swore an oath to [[the Creed]] to protect the regalia. In time, Tsuyu and Nagato fell in love and started a family, with the former giving birth to their daughter, [[Fujibayashi Naoe|Naoe]], around 1564.<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/>

A period of peace and prosperity for the Kakushiba ''ikki'' followed, during which the Brotherhood greatly expanded as Tsuyu found and recruited new members while their enemies' strength faded. However, it all came to an end once Hanzō, unable to cope with the thought of Tsuyu having chosen Nagato over him, left the Brotherhood and entered the service of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]. Hoping to impress Tsuyu and win her affections with his exploits,<ref name="Man Behind the Mask">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' –  [[The Man Behind the Mask]]</ref> Hanzō spent the next years working in the service of his lord. In 1571, he killed the rival warlords [[Mōri Motonari]] to aid Nobunaga's conquests, and in 1573, worked with fellow Tokugawa generals to kill [[Takeda Shingen]], owner of a [[Swords of Eden|Sword of Eden]], which later wound up in Nobunaga's hands.<ref name="ACM" />

Later, Hanzō returned to Iga to find Tsuyu and Nagato raising a family. In a fit of jealousy, he betrayed his former allies and sold information about the Imperial Regalia's location, unknowingly to the [[Shinbakufu]],<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/> a secret group founded by the deposed ''[[shōgun]]'' [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]].<ref name="Man Behind the Mask">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' –  [[The Man Behind the Mask]]</ref>

Immediately regretting his actions, Hanzō contacted Tsuyu to inform her that the regalia's location had been compromised. In response, Tsuyu, alongside Sandayu, led a number of Assassins to protect the artifacts, but they failed and were slaughtered by the Shinbakufu, who made off with two of the regalia: the mirror ''{{Wiki|Yata no Kagami}}'' and the sword ''{{Wiki|Kusanagi no Tsurugi}}''. Sandayu, who was among the few survivors, later returned to Iga and informed Nagato about the theft of the artifacts and Tsuyu's apparent death.<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/>

[[File:ACSH Tsuyu giving the Jewel to Nagato.png|thumb|250px|Tsuyu entrusting the Jewel to Nagato]]
In reality, Tsuyu had survived and managed to protect the last regalia, the jewel ''{{Wiki|Yasakani no Magatama}}''. She discreetly returned to Nagato and gave the artifact to her husband, trusting him to keep it safe. She then left to search for the other two regalia, but after several years passed and she had still not returned to Iga, she was presumed dead.<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/> Meanwhile, Nagato hid the Jewel in the [[Mihata Kofun]] and never told anyone about its location.<ref name="Fight of the Kakushiba Ikki">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Fight of the Kakushiba Ikki]]</ref>

Despite his abandoning of his duties to the Kakushiba ''ikki'', Hanzō continued to oppose foreign interests,<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/> and while in service to Ieyasu, he killed the Templar warlord [[Uesugi Kenshin]].<ref name="ACM" />

====Fall and rebirth of the Kakushiba ''ikki''====
{{Quote|They were good people. Who fought for others. We will find what they have lost and honor what they stood for.|Yasuke to Fujibayashi Naoe, 1582.|Assassin's Creed: Shadows|Secrets of the Blade}}
Having been reduced to a mere handful of members, the Kakushiba ''ikki'' became integrated with the [[Iga ikki|Iga ''ikki'']] and focused on defending their homeland from invaders, largely abandoning their Assassin duties. While Sandayu led the ''ikki'', Nagato raised and trained his daughter in the ''shinobi'' ways and continued to hope that Tsuyu would one day return.<ref name="Meaning of the Blade"/>

On 30 September 1581, as [[Oda Nobunaga]]'s forces prepared to [[Tenshō Iga War|invade]] Iga, Hanzō arrived to inform Sandayu and Nagato of the threat and offer them the protection of his lord Tokugawa Ieyasu if Iga pledged loyalty to him. However, they refused and instead resolved to protect their homeland by their own means.<ref name="Traditions">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Traditions]]</ref> During the invasion, Hanzō handed Nagato a letter revealing that the Shinbakufu knew about the Jewel's location in the Mihata Kofun, prompting him to send Naoe to recover and protect the artifact. However, Naoe failed and was knocked out by the samurai [[Ido Yoshihiro]], who stole the box containing the Jewel.<ref name="Fight of the Kakushiba Ikki"/>

After Nagato saved his daughter and brought her to an old family friend, [[Tomiko]], who treated her injuries, Naoe set out to recover the stolen box. She infiltrated [[Katano Castle]] and assassinated Yoshihiro, only to then be confronted by the remaining Shinbakufu. Nagato again came to his daughter's defense, but was mortally wounded and succumbed to his injuries while the Shinbakufu left with the box.<ref name="The Onryo Samurai">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[The Onryo Samurai]]</ref>

Naoe survived the encounter and, after being nursed back to health by the monk [[Sorin]] and his apprentice [[Junjiro]], embarked on a quest to avenge her father and recover the box.<ref name="Unpayable Debt">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[An Unpayable Debt]]</ref> Using Tomiko's [[Tomiko's Homestead|homestead]] as her base of operations, Naoe tracked down and eliminated the members of the Shinbakufu, with each target she took down bringing her one step closer to finding her prize. During this time, she formed her own league of allies that helped her in her quest, including [[Yasuke]], a samurai who had previously served Oda Nobunaga.<ref name="ACSH">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]''</ref>

When the Tokugawa and the Assassins discovered that Nobunaga was to be [[Honnō-ji incident|attacked]] by his vassal [[Akechi Mitsuhide]], Hanzō protected Ieyasu, while the monk [[Yamauchi Taka]], secretly retrieved Nobunaga's Sword of Eden amidst the chaos. Their ally, the Chinese Assassin [[Liu Yan (Chinese Brotherhood)|Liu Yan]], then transported the artifact away from Japan.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' – [[Oda Nobunaga (memory)]]</ref>

In 1596, Hanzō was killed by a rival ninja, [[Fūma Kotarō]]. Suspecting that Nobunaga's successor and the new ruler of Japan, [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], had played a part in his death, Ieyasu tasked Yamauchi Taka with the investigation, which led to his assassination of Hideyoshi in 1598.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' – [[Last Days of the Taikō]]</ref> The land then became divided between Toyotomi's loyalists and Tokugawa's supporters. This led to the [[Battle of Sekigahara]], in which Taka killed the general [[Shima Sakon]] to help ensure Tokugawa's victory, and consequently, the foundation of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' – [[Shima Sakon (memory)]]</ref>

===Edo period===
In 1615, the Japanese Brotherhood assisted the Tokugawa shogunate in the [[Siege of Osaka]] against the remnants of the {{wiki|Toyotomi clan}} led by [[Toyotomi Hideyori]], the youngest son of the late Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The siege saw the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, one of the last remaining threats to the shogunate. During the siege, the Japanese Assassin [[Hattori Masanari]] fought valiantly in the Summer Campaign, but was ultimately killed.<ref name="ACM" /> 

====Bakumatsu era====
The Japanese Brotherhood supported the Tokugawa shogunate for centuries after its formation and managed to keep the Templars' influence in Japan at bay. More than two centuries later, however, with the encroaching influence of Western powers and the country's rapid modernization, the Assassins' strength began to fade. The Brotherhood sided with [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]] and his allies, hoping to stop the Templars who influenced [[Emperor Meiji]] and the {{wiki|Imperial Court in Kyoto|Imperial Court}} to dismantle the shogunate and abolish the feudal system. Despite its flaws, the Assassins believed that the old system was far better at protecting freedom than a strong and centralized imperial rule.<ref name="ACF">''[[Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu]]'' – {{Cite|23 Apr 2021. Chapters needed}}</ref>

[[Jules Brunet]], a French Army officer and a liaison between the European Brotherhoods and their Japanese brethren, acted as a military advisor to the weak Yoshinobu. Appalled by the renunciations he made to preserve peace, such as bowing down to the British Consul or relinquishing his ''shogun'' title, the Assassins decided to act. The ''shinobi'' [[Issa]] was sent to kill the Consul, [[Harry Parkes]], to send a message, but he failed and was killed in the attempt by the fearsome Templar [[William Lloyd]].<ref name="ACF" />

Soon, the country would spiral into conflict as clans aligned with either the ''shogun'' or the Emperor in what became known as the [[Boshin War]]. During the war, [[Nakano Takeko]], a member of the Brotherhood, was tasked to protect the [[Musashi Masamune]], a legendary blade which the Templars wanted to acquire to bolster the prestige of Meiji. To accomplish her mission, Takeko was assigned as a bodyguard to [[Saigo Kayano]], an inept lord of the Tokugawa army who owned the blade.<ref name="ACF" />

At the beginning of the campaign, Takeko unmasked the 16-year old [[Shiba Atsuko]], the skilled daughter of a samurai from the [[Aizu]] domain. Takeko soon discovered that the girl had joined the army to escape the shackles that her feminine condition imposed on her and to watch over her brother, [[Shiba Ibuka]], a genius swordsman afflicted with pathological cowardice. Taking the younger woman under her wing, she began to train her in the arts of the Assassins. Together, they thwarted the assault made by Lloyd and his team of elite [[Rōnin|ronin]] to steal the Musashi Masamune.<ref name="ACF" />

However, due to Yoshinobu's lack of leadership and the superiority of the Imperial army's weapons and supplies provided by the British, the tide of the war began to turn against the Tokugawa side; especially at the [[Battle of Toba–Fushimi]], which saw the Tokugawa forces lose to the Imperial artillery despite their numerical superiority.<ref name="ACF" />

Six months later, as all hope was lost, the remnants of the Tokugawa army were [[Battle of Aizu|besieged at Aizu]] by the Imperial army. During the battle, while leading a group of female warriors, Takeko was fatally shot. After she took the head of her mentor to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy, Atsuko faced Lloyd. Ultimately, the petrified Ibuka overcame his mental block to save his dying sister and to recover the Musashi Masamune from the British swordsman. His own fatal injury inflicted by Lloyd freeing him from his fear of death, the young warrior killed the Templar before carrying his sister away from the battlefield with the last of his strength. Atsuko was eventually taken away and had her wounds tended by one of Lloyd's ronin, the Assassin spy [[Matsuo]]. After telling Atsuko of her brother's sacrifice to save her, Matsuo proposed that she join the Brotherhood, an offer Atsuko accepted.<ref name="ACF" />

===Modern times===
====Hunted by Abstergo====
[[File:ACBs - Great Purge.jpg|thumb|250px|Abstergo's Team Epsilon attacking the Kyushu Assassin camp]]
By the year 2000, the Japanese Assassins had a training camp on the island of [[Kyushu]]. On 6 December, after learning of [[Daniel Cross]]' [[Great Purge|betrayal]] of the Brotherhood, [[Hajime Shimada]] implored the camp's overseer [[Yuri]] to evacuate and regroup with the Brotherhood in [[Osaka]]. However, the camp was attacked by [[Team Epsilon]], a task force of [[Abstergo Industries]] led by the Templar [[Maxime Gorm]]. While Yuri was killed, her son [[Tomo Sakagawa|Tomo]] escaped to safety with Hajime.<ref name="ACBs 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone]]'' – ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone Book 1|Book 1]]''</ref>

Some years before 2012, a young [[Gavin Banks]] trained under the Osaka Brotherhood's [[Mentor]], [[Kenichi Mochizuki]].<ref name="Osaka Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 18 December 2013: "The Osaka Brotherhood"</ref>

In September 2012, the Osaka cell was being pursued by agents of [[Abstergo Industries]]. In response, they contacted the [[Assassin headquarters (2012)|Assassin headquarters]] and informed them that they were going dark in order to lose their tail, scheduling to contact headquarters again on 30 September.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[Shaun Hastings' email]] – Subject header: "Status"</ref> By 6 October, the cell had made contact with headquarters and informed them that they had not yet lost their tail and were going black until further notice.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[Shaun Hastings' email]] – Subject header: "Update"</ref> Eventually, the cell managed to escape from Abstergo.<ref name="Osaka He Youkoso">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 4 December 2013: "Osaka He Youkoso"</ref>

====Assisting the ''Altaïr II'' crew====
In September 2013, the Osaka Brotherhood's headquarters was attacked by a yakuza faction known as the [[Onmoraki-Gumi]], resulting in the deaths of several members, including Kenichi.<ref name="Osaka He Youkoso" /> His wife, [[Saeko Mochizuki]], led the surviving Assassins in an attack on the Onmoraki-Gumi in retaliation, and took over the organization, subsequently using it to blend the Assassins into the city and leading them as the Osaka Brotherhood's new Mentor.<ref name="Osaka Brotherhood" />

[[File:ACi-AHorribleBeating.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Kiyoshi attacking Gavin]]
On 17 December, at 9:47 pm, the Assassin [[Kiyoshi Takakura]] was guarding the entrance to the new headquarters of the Osaka Brotherhood when he was approached by Gavin Banks and [[Emmanuel Barraza]], who were investigating the deaths of Kenichi and the other Japanese Assassins at the destroyed bureau. When Gavin, unaware of the Brotherhood's takeover of the Onmoraki-Gumi, demanded to see the head of the yakuza faction, Kiyoshi told him and Emmanuel to leave before he had to beat them. However, Gavin insulted his fashion sense and refused to go.<ref name="Rattling Cages">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 17 December 2013: "Rattling Cages"</ref>

Kiyoshi responded by punching him in the face and kicking him as he fell to the ground. Two of his fellow Assassins came out to watch and cheer him on. Fortunately, Emmanuel overheard the Assassins talking to each other about how Saeko would not like that kind of attention, as she had worked hard to keep the Brotherhood out of sight, and realized that everyone there was on the same side.<ref name="Horrible Beating">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 17 December 2013: "A Horrible Beating"</ref>

[[File:GOG NoHarm M.jpg|thumb|250px|Emmanuel stopping Kiyoshi's attack]]
When Kiyoshi attempted to stab Gavin with his [[Hidden Blade]], Emmanuel stepped in between them and caught Kiyoshi's fist in his hand, allowing it to be impaled. Emmanuel then asked Kiyoshi what the first tenet of [[the Creed]] was, stunning Kiyoshi, who responded it was "stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent". Emmanuel pulled out a dog tag with the insignia of the Assassin Order on it, proving he and Gavin were also Assassins. Kiyoshi retracted his Hidden Blade and apologized to Gavin and Emmanuel for attacking them.<ref name="No Harm">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 17 December 2013: "No Harm"</ref>

On 18 December, at 1:03 am, Saeko met with Gavin and his cell of Assassins and laughed upon seeing Gavin's injuries, telling his cell that Gavin had always been troublesome.<ref name="Osaka Brotherhood" /> Over the next two days, Saeko exchanged information with Gavin. She informed him that the recent struggles against Abstergo and the yakuza had weakened the Osaka Brotherhood and drained their resources, with Japan's restrictive gun laws making it difficult to stay armed against their enemies. Gavin provided her with weapons his cell had procured in the [[Philippines]] and gave her the contact information for a supplier there. In thanks, Saeko passed on to Gavin an [[Animus]] headset her Assassins had stolen from a local Abstergo facility, and expressed her fears that the Assassin–Templar War was about to enter a new stage.<ref name="New Kind of War">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 18 December 2013: "A New Kind of War"</ref>

On 31 December, Saeko was invited by [[Eric Cooper]] to go on a tour of the ''[[Altaïr II]]''. She disliked the disorganized state of the ship, and informed Captain [[Susan Drayton]] that the Japanese believed in starting off the New Year on a clean slate, which included having a clean house. Saeko enlisted the help of Susan and Eric in cleaning the ship and made homemade toshikoshi soba for them afterwards. Kiyoshi, who had accompanied Saeko aboard the ''Altaïr II'' to help the crew gather supplies for their next journey as well as to celebrate the new year, sparred with Emmanuel for three hours and managed to convince him to join Dr. [[Stephanie Chiu]] and himself at a local karaoke bar.<ref name="RIP 2013">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 1 January 2014: "R.I.P. 2013"</ref>

On 26 March 2014, Saeko received a message from Gavin's crew informing her of the destruction of the [[Russian Brotherhood of Assassins|Russian Brotherhood]]. The Mentor subsequently arranged to send weapons via the Philippine gun suppliers to a new cell of Assassins being set up in the country by agents of the [[Georgian Brotherhood of Assassins|Georgian Brotherhood]].<ref name="New Dawn in Moscow">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Surveillance]] – 26 March 2014: "A New Dawn in Moscow"</ref>

====Investigating the Phoenix Project====
In 2015, Saeko sent teams into [[China]] and the [[Korea]]s to aid the local Assassin cells as part of the Brotherhood's global hunt for [[Álvaro Gramática]], the Abstergo scientist who became a top priority when the Assassins learned of his [[Phoenix Project|plan]] to reconstruct an [[Isu]]'s body using a [[Shroud of Eden 2|Shroud of Eden]].<ref name="Assassin Intel 4">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Database: Assassin Intel 4]]</ref>

Meanwhile, Kiyoshi temporarily joined an Assassin cell led by [[Galina Voronina]] to investigate the [[Instruments of the First Will]], a mysterious group who had infiltrated both the Brotherhood and the Templar Order and plotted to resurrect their mistress [[Juno]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Uprising]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Uprising 1|Issue #01]]</ref> After assisting in the Instruments and Juno's defeat in 2018,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Uprising]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Uprising 12|Issue #12]]</ref> Kiyoshi left the cell and later helped the newly-recruited Assassin [[Layla Hassan]] in her [[Search for the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus|search]] for the [[Staff of Hermes Trismegistus]].<ref name="ACOD">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]''</ref>

====Stopping Project BLUEBIRD====
[[File:ACBs - Tomo visiting Hajime in his shop.png|thumb|260px|left|Tomo meeting with Hajime at his shop]]
On 28 July 2017, Hajime Shimada was contacted by the now-adult Tomo Sakagawa, informing him that he had tracked Maxime Gorm to a [[Clinique des Rameaux|clinic]] in [[Switzerland]] run by Dr. [[Nathalie Chapman]]. Hajime invited Tomo to his shop in the [[Akihabara]] district of [[Tokyo]] the next morning, where they discussed Maxime and Nathalie. During their meeting, Tomo formulated a plan to infiltrate the clinic.<ref name="ACBs 1" />

Posing as "Dr. Florent Carpentier", Tomo managed to secure a job at Nathalie's clinic and, after a month, was assigned an amnesiac patient: [[Elisa Adler]]. However, Nathalie deduced his true identity and, revealing her own Assassin affiliations, told him about [[Project BLUEBIRD]], an initiative run by the Assassin [[Boris Pash]] which had involved Maxime's mother [[Julia Gorm]]. Believing this information could be used to track down Maxime, Tomo agreed to help Nathalie and began exploring the [[Genetic memory|genetic memories]] of [[Alekseï Gavrani]], an Assassin who had served under Pash.<ref name="ACBs 1" />

Hajime later joined Tomo in Switzerland and revealed that Pash was in possession of an [[Apple of Eden 4|Apple of Eden]], which Tomo subsequently learned more about through Gavrani's memories of [[John F. Kennedy]]'s [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination]]. Elisa later revealed that Nathalie had her use the Animus, which made Tomo deduce that Nathalie was trying to restart Project BLUEBIRD. Worried for Elisa's safety, Tomo convinced her to return to her parents in [[Madrid]] while he contacted Hajime, who decided to track Nathalie and watch over Tomo alongside several of his fellow Assassins.<ref name="ACBs 1" />

[[File:ACBs Maxime Subdued Tomo and Saves Elisa.jpg|thumb|250px|Tomo left injured after his fight with Maxime Gorm]]
During his meeting with [[Thomas Adler|Thomas]] and [[Alice Adler]], Tomo discovered that they had kidnapped Maxime Gorm and attacked the Templar, but killed the Adlers instead before he was stabbed in the eye by Maxime, who then fled with Elisa. Hajime and his men retrieved the injured Tomo and brought him to Nathalie's now-abandoned clinic, where they treated his wounds. Hajime confirmed that Nathalie planned to continue Project BLUEBIRD and resurrect the memories of deceased Assassins in new hosts, and had Tomo continue exploring Gavrani's memories for more information on the project.<ref name="ACBs 1" />

On 15 November 2017, the Assassins managed to track Nathalie to a remote facility in the [[Alps|Swiss Alps]], at which point Hajime halted Tomo's Animus session. However, suffering from the [[Bleeding Effect]] and believing himself to be Gavrani, Tomo killed Hajime and all his men, whom he mistook for members of Pash's [[Bloodstone Unit]]. After returning to his senses, Tomo mourned the death of his mentor and vowed to stop Nathalie's plans by himself.<ref name="ACBs 2">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone]]'' – ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone Book 2|Book 2]]''</ref>

Infiltrating Nathalie's base, Tomo convinced a captive Elisa Adler to help him and planted a virus in the facility's network. While the guards were transporting Maxime Gorm, Tomo seized the opportunity to finally kill the Templar, after which he confronted Nathalie. Telling her about the virus, Tomo bargained for his and Elisa's freedom in exchange for the virus encryption key. Nathalie accepted, but as she inserted the key, she discovered it to be another virus, which caused the facility's cooling system to fail. Having escaped in a helicopter, Tomo and Elisa watched as the base blew up, killing Nathalie and destroying the Apple of Eden in her possession.<ref name="ACBs 2" />

====Later operations====
In 2019, Saeko sent Kiyoshi to [[Yokohama]] to find an Animus test subject, a teenager named [[Kō Risa]], who was being used by the Templars to explore the memories of Shao Jun in search of her [[Precursor box]].<ref name="ABTO">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[The Assassin Brotherhood and The Templar Order]]</ref> Meeting with Risa and her cousin [[Mari]], Kiyoshi explained to them the dangerous [[Bleeding Effect|side effects]] of the Animus and revealed that Risa's doctor, [[Kaori Kagami]], was a Templar who did not care about her well-being.<ref name="Bleeding Effect">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[The Bleeding Effect]]</ref>

[[File:ACBoSJ - Kiyoshi meeting with Risa and Mari.png|thumb|250px|left|Kiyoshi meeting with Risa and Mari]]
However, Risa refused to believe him and stormed off, leaving Kiyoshi alone with Mari,<ref name="Bleeding Effect" /> to whom he explained the far-reaching influence of Abstergo. Understanding the situation her cousin had found herself in, Mari offered to help Kiyoshi rescue Risa, but she also failed to convince Risa to end her Animus sessions with Dr. Kagami.<ref name="Warning">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[Warning]]</ref> This soon resulted in Risa being taken hostage by the doctor and forced into the Animus,<ref name="Great Wall">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[The Great Wall]]</ref> prompting Kiyoshi to mount a rescue mission, with Mari's help.<ref name="Culmination">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[Culmination]]</ref>

As the two broke into the Abstergo [[Abstergo Industries Yokohama facility|facility]], they were surprised to find that Risa had subdued Dr. Kagami on her own, and witnessed her using the doctor's [[Firearm|gun]] to destroy her Animus. With that, Kiyoshi, Mari, and Risa left the facility and were greeted by Saeko and her guards, who had been called by Kiyoshi for backup. Saeko invited Risa and Mari to join the Assassins and, after they accepted, they were tasked to search for Shao Jun's Precursor box.<ref name="Creed" />

In early 2020, Kiyoshi joined the Assassin cell consisting of his old teammate Layla Hassan, [[Shaun Hastings]], and [[Rebecca Crane]] on a mission to infiltrate the Abstergo [[Abstergo Industries Tokyo facility|facility]] in Tokyo and extract an Assassin informant, Dr. [[Kazui]], as well as destroy samples of his DNA collected by Abstergo. The Assassins were ultimately successful in their mission and escaped the facility after an altercation with the [[Master Templar]] [[Juhani Otso Berg]].<ref name="Tokyo XXI">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice]]'' – ''[[Tokyo XXI]]''</ref>

==Members==
;Sengoku period
<div style="float:left; width: 48%;">
*[[Alvaro Catarribera]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|founder; [[Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins|Spanish Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Dan]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|scout}}
*[[Fubuki]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Fujibayashi Nagato]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Fujibayashi Naoe]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|leader; began 1582}}
*[[Hattori Hanzō]]<ref name="ACM"/><ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Hattori Masanari]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Ibuki]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Junjiro]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Kaede]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*Kishi<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Kotetsu]]<ref name="ACBoSJ">''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]''</ref> {{c|[[Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins|Chinese Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Mogami Yoshiaki]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Momochi Sandayu]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|leader; until 1581}}
*[[Oni-yuri]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Monta]]<ref name="Finding New Allies">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Finding New Allies]]</ref> {{c|scout}}
*[[Rokkaku Katsuhime]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
</div>
<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*Rufino<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Sanjo]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Sen no Rikyū]]<ref name="Tea Bowls">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Tea Bowls for Rikyu]]</ref> {{c|scout}}
*[[Shido]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[The Pirate Alliance]]</ref> {{c|scout}}
*[[Shinobu]]<ref name="Finding New Allies"/> {{c|scout}}
*[[Sumire]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*Tamakichi<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Tomiko]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Tsubasa]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Fujibayashi Tsuyu]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|leader; c. 1560s}}
*[[Yagoro]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Yagyū Munetoshi]]<ref name="Nobutsuna's Students">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Nobutsuna's Students]]</ref> {{c|scout}}
*[[Yamauchi Kazutoyo]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Yamauchi Taka]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Yasuke]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Yaya]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Yu-no-shin]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
</div>
{{-}}

;Edo period
*[[Issa]]<ref name="ACF"/>
*[[Matsuo]]<ref name="ACF"/>
*[[Nakano Takeko]]<ref name="ACF"/>
*[[Shiba Atsuko]]<ref name="ACF"/>

;Modern times
*[[Kō Risa]]<ref name="ACBoSJ"/>
*[[Mari]]<ref name="ACBoSJ"/>
*[[Kenichi Mochizuki]]<ref name="ACI">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]''</ref> {{c|Mentor; until 2013}}
*[[Saeko Mochizuki]]<ref name="ACI"/> {{c|Mentor; since 2013}}
*[[Tomo Sakagawa]]<ref name="ACBs">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone]]''</ref>
*[[Hajime Shimada]]<ref name="ACBs"/>
*[[Kiyoshi Takakura]]<ref name="ACI"/>
*[[Yuri]]<ref name="ACBs"/>

===Allies and puppets===
;Sengoku period
<div style="float:left; width: 48%;">
*[[Aoi]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Chaya Shirōjirō Kiyonobu]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Luís Fróis]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Gennojo]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Honda Tadakatsu]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Hong]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Hori Hidemasa]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Hosokawa Tama]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|[[Japanese Rite of the Templar Order|Japanese Rite]]}}
*[[Tomohito|Emperor Go-Nara]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Ii Naomasa]]<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Imai Sokun]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Ise Sadatame]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]]<ref name="ACSH"/> {{c|betrayed}}
*[[Kennyo]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Koshiro]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
</div>
<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Kyonyo]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Liu Yan (Chinese Brotherhood)|Liu Yan]]<ref name="ACM"/> {{c|Chinese Brotherhood}}
*[[Matsu]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Mitsumune]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Nene]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Niwa Nagahide]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Oda Nobunaga]]<ref name="ACM"/> {{c|until c. 1573}}
*[[Oichi]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Shōtei]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Sorin]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]<ref name="ACM"/><ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Tominaga]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
*[[Ujimasa]]<ref name="ACSH"/>
</div>
{{-}}

;Edo period
*[[Jules Brunet]]<ref name="ACF"/> {{c|[[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins|French Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Shiba Ibuka]]<ref name="ACF"/>
*[[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]]<ref name="ACF"/>

;Modern times
<div style="float:left; width: 48%;"> 
*[[Gavin Banks]]<ref name="ACI"/> {{c|[[American Brotherhood of Assassins|American Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Emmanuel Barraza]]<ref name="ACI"/> 
*[[Stephanie Chiu]]<ref name="ACI"/> 
*[[Eric Cooper]]<ref name="ACI"/> 
*[[Susan Drayton]]<ref name="ACI"/>  {{c|[[Canadian Brotherhood of Assassins|Canadian Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Charlotte de la Cruz]]<ref name="ACUp">''[[Assassin's Creed: Uprising]]''</ref> {{c|American Brotherhood}}
*[[My'shell Lemair]]<ref name="ACUp"/>
</div>
<div style="float:right; width: 48%;"> 
*[[Arend Schut-Cunningham]]<ref name="ACUp"/>
*[[Galina Voronina]]<ref name="ACI"/><ref name="ACUp"/> {{c|[[Russian Brotherhood of Assassins|Russian Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Victoria Bibeau]]<ref name="ACOD"/>
*[[Layla Hassan]]<ref name="ACOD"/><ref name="Tokyo XXI"/>
*[[Alannah Ryan]]<ref name="ACOD"/>
*[[Rebecca Crane]]<ref name="Tokyo XXI"/>
*[[Shaun Hastings]]<ref name="Tokyo XXI"/>
</div>
{{-}}

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180">
ACM Japanese Assassins.png|Japanese Assassins during the Sengoku period
</gallery>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' {{Mdat}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Uprising]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice]]'' – ''[[Tokyo XXI]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows – Tales of Iga]]''

==References==
{{Scroll box|content={{Reflist|2}}}}
{{Assassins nav}}
{{Initiates}}
{{ACM}}
{{ACBoSJ}}
{{ACBs}}
{{ACF}}
{{ACSH}}
{{ACSHInM}}
[[fr:Assassins japonais]]
[[zh:日本刺客兄弟会]]
[[Category:Assassin guilds]]
[[Category:Assassin cells]]