Takeda Motoaki

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"The only justice in this world is the justice that we make."

―Takeda Motoaki, 1582.

Takeda Motoaki (武田 元明; 1562 - 1582) was a Japanese samurai of the Takeda clan. In addition to being a samurai, Motoaki was also a skilled biwa player, having trained under the biwa master Shido. He became one of his best students and composed his own original tune that became his signature.

After his clan declined during a series of conflicts against Oda Nobunaga and the Asakura clan, Motoaki joined the Shinbakufu under Ashikaga Yoshiaki and sought to reclaim Nochiseyama Castle that had formerly served as the clan's seat of power. As a member of the shadow group, Motoaki was known as The Fox and The Performer. In addition to the Shinbakufu, he also established a partnership with the Pirate Alliance, a group of pirates based in Wakasa, to wipe out the Niwa clan.

However, Motoaki's plans fell into disarray after the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke aided Niwa Nagahide against his attacks. With his failure to eliminate the Niwa clan, Motoaki severed ties with the Pirate Alliance and secluded himself at his home in Obama. However, he was soon confronted by Naoe for his crimes and his part in her father Fujibayashi Nagato's murder, leading to his defeat and death.

Biography

Fall from power

In 1573, Motoaki lost both his claim to the castle and his beloved after Nobunaga sucessfully sieged the castle and gave the province of Wakasa to his general Niwa Nagahide to administer. Unseated, Motoaki's loss led him to plan his revenge against the Niwa clan in order to regain his castle.

Joining the Shinbakufu

With his plan in need of support, Motoaki eventually joined the Shinbakufu, who assisted him with his efforts to overthrow the Niwa clan and reclaim Nochiseyama. Going by the monikers of "The Fox" and "The Performer", Motoaki participated in the group's search for the Imperial Regalia protected by the Kakushiba ikki.

In September 1581, Motoaki joined his fellow Shinbakufu members during Nobunaga's invasion of Iga to find the regalia's jewel. The group arrived at Katano Castle, where fellow member Ido Yoshihiro had taken the jewel after stealing it from the Mihata Kofun. However, the kunoichi Fujibayashi Naoe assassinated Yoshihiro, took the box, and ran from the castle.

As she attempted to escape with the box, Naoe was ambushed and severely injured by Yaita Wakasa and Wada Koretake, who reclaimed the box for the Shinbakufu. Just as Naoe's father Nagato came and pushed back the pair, the remaining Shinbakufu members, including Motoaki, arrived. Ordered by their mounted leader to kill Nagato and secure the box, Motoaki loosed the first arrow, which Nagato blocked. After Bessho Harumasa's attack was countered, Motoaki loosed another arrow into Nagato's shoulder. Nagato was then mortally wounded when Akechi Mitsuhide stabbed him through the abdomen, and the Shinbakufu departed with their prize, leaving the Fujibayashi for dead.

Ambushing the Niwa clan

In late June 1582, following Oda Nobunaga's death during the Honnō-ji incident, Motoaki enacted his plan to eliminate the members of the Niwa clan. In addition to his resources from the Shinbakufu, Motoaki also made a deal with the Pirate Alliance's leader Samemaru to ambush Nagahide and his clan members at Obama and Tsuruga. For payment, Samemaru's men were allowed to rob the estates during the attacks. As part of their deal, Motoaki also promised Samemaru a shipment of slaves, but never delivered on his promise.

Motoaki later accompanied his pirate allies to Nagahide Estate to take out Niwa Nagahide, and played his signature melody during the amubsh. However, Nagahide survived the attack thanks to the timely arrival of the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke, who helped the lord and his guards defeat the pirates. Seeking the identity of "The Performer", whom they recognized as being responsible for the ambush, Naoe and Yasuke were directed by Nagahide to his informant Hong for possible leads.

Meanwhile, after his failure to eliminate Nagahide, Motoaki retreated to plan his next attack. In Tsuruga, he enacted a second ambush at Tsuruga Castle and played his melody again. However, Naoe and Yasuke arrived at the castle after meeting with Hong, who had told them of the likelihood of Nagahide's relatives in Tsuruga being targeted next. Despite the large number of pirates, the pair, along with the Niwa nobles' ashigaru, managed to defeat the ambushers. With his losses, Motoaki fled back to his home in the Samurai Yashiki District of Obama.

Death

After learning about the failures of his pirate allies, Motoaki cut ties with Samemaru and his men and decided to eliminate the pirates. Receiving a strongly-worded letter from Samemaru, who expressed his anger towards Motoaki's failure to uphold his end of their deal, Motoaki responded with a letter of his own, in which he invited Samemaru to meet at his estate and settle their differences. However, this was a trap, as Motoaki intended to lure Samemaru to Obama, where his guards were deployed to patrol the streets and kill the pirate once he arrived.

In the meantime, Motoaki played his melody towards Nochiseyama Castle, desiring to be there once more. However, Naoe soon arrived and confronted him over his piece, which she had learned was his from his biwa master Shido. During their conversation, Motoaki remained steadfast on his methods to retake his castle and claimed that his actions were not driven by hatred, but by his own sense of justice.

With this, Motoaki engaged Naoe in a duel, leading to him being fatally wounded. In his last moments, he asked Naoe to return his biwa to Shido and spoke of how he would take his song to the grave. After Motoaki expired, Yasuke and Nagahide arrived on the scene, where Nagahide thanked both Naoe and Yasuke for their help in dealing with the threat against his clan. Before leaving Motoaki's residence, Naoe and Yasuke recovered the katana Snakebite from his personal effects.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Shadows