Yasuhira

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Kadenokoji Juro Harima-no-Kami Yasuhira (died 1585), better known simply as Yasuhira or under the moniker of The Spymaster, was a Japanese spy and a member of the Japanese Rite of the Templar Order during the Sengoku period.

Living during a time of endless warfare in Japan, Yasuhira adopted many identities to survive and built himself a web of spies to act as his network. He soon joined the Templar Kimura Yukari as her personal spymaster, one of her three taishō (大将, lit. "general"), and had his followers spy on Awaji's population to find any mention of rebellion and to spread his web further across the island.

However, the Templars' hold on Awaji began to diminish in 1585, when the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke arrived on the island to rescue Naoe's mother Tsuyu and to recover the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. Yasuhira, disapproving of Yukari's growing obsession with the Regalia, attempted to leave the island, but was soon assassinated by Naoe, alongside his entire spy network, weakening Yukari's control over Awaji.

Biography

Service under Kimura Yukari

To survive Japan's endless civil wars, Yasuhira took many guises—so many that he became lost in an endless web of faked identities and conjured histories. By the 1580s, he traveled to Awaji, where he joined the Japanese Rite of the Templar Order and became Kimura Yukari's personal spymaster. In time, Yukari built an army of loyal followers that became known as the Sanzoku Ippa, and Yasuhira assumed the position of one of the group's taishō, alongside Imagawa Tomeji and Nowaki.

At some point, Yukari captured the Master Assassin Fujibayashi Tsuyu, who held information on the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, one of the Imperial Regalia. With the help of Nowaki, Yasuhira was placed in charge of interrogating Tsuyu for the Sword's location and used many methods of torture, but after years of brutality, Tsuyu never broke. With this setback, Yukari devised another plan and sent out puppet shows to bring Tsuyu's daughter Naoe, who had established her own Kakushiba ikki, to Awaji in search of Tsuyu. The plan worked and, when Naoe attempted to rescue her mother from Sumoto Castle, Yukari and Tomeji captured her and held her prisoner alongside Tsuyu.

However, Naoe and Tsuyu's containment was brief, as fellow Kakushiba ikki member Yasuke came and rescued them. With Tsuyu injured during their escape, Naoe and Yasuke were tasked to retrieve the Sword so the Kakushiba ikki could keep it out of the Templars' reach. After meeting with bō master Taguchi Myoga and recovering the key for the Sword from the Okunoin Sasayama Shrine, Naoe and Yasuke went to Myōshō-ji to obtain the Regalia.

The Templars secretly tracked the Kakushiba ikki members to the temple complex, and managed to overpower Yasuke, taking him hostage. They then waited for Naoe to emerge from one of the temples with the Sword, and Yasuhira stood behind Yukari, his fellow taishō, and a group of Sanzoku Ippa soldiers as they confronted the Assassin. With Yasuke as their bargaining chip, Naoe agreed to trade the Sword for their lives. However, Yasuhira left quietly when Yukari received the Regalia.

With the Sword in the Templars' possession, Yukari reneged on the deal and ordered her followers to kill the Kakushiba ikki members. However, multiple arrows were suddenly loosed at the group, killing some of their guards. Ambushed, the Templars fled with the Sword while their remaining men fought against Naoe and her allies, including Hattori Hanzō and Konatsu. After learning that Yasuhira had fled early, Yukari was at her wits' end and sought to have him answer for his actions.

On the run

Believing Yukari's obsession with the Regalia to be problematic, Yasuhira knew that Yukari would punish him for his early departure from Myōshō-ji and quietly planned to leave Awaji. In the meantime, he learned that one of his spies, Shokichi, had betrayed him by establishing contact with an informant working for the Kakushiba ikki member and infamous samurai Hattori Hanzō. Yasuhira promptly located Hanzō's contact, killed him, and took his place.

Posing as the contact, Yasuhira later met Naoe in Sumoto and provided her with false information, telling her that Yukari's "spymaster" was hiding at the Samurai Quarters. In doing so, he planned to lead Naoe to Shokichi, hoping that one of them would kill the other and rid him of a problem. However, the plan failed as Naoe did not kill Shokichi, who exposed Yasuhira's deception, forcing him to retreat from Sumoto. Making his way to his home in Yura, he sent out messages to his spies to meet him at Izanagi Jingū in their disguises to discuss their findings.

Death

Along with his Sanzoku Ippa guards, Yasuhira held his meeting with his spies at Izanagi Jingū, all of them wearing their black masks and kosodes. After confirming that some of his subordinates planned to usurp him and how Yukari felt about his departure, he was approached by one of his spies, who wanted to talk privately. When she informed him that Tsuyu had been found in Yura, Yasuhira, who had heard rumors of Tsuyu being in Sumoto, was intrigued. Walking together, they reconvened in a smaller residence, where the spy spoke of a target she planned to eliminate. Yasuhira recommended using a sedative, but as he walked up close, he was slapped, causing his mask to fall off.

The female spy then removed her own mask, revealing herself to be Naoe. As the two recognized each other from their earlier meeting, Yasuhira was impressed by Naoe's deception and began to taunt her by recalling his and Nowaki's efforts to "break" Tsuyu. Naoe remarked that her devotion was stronger and moved closer, to which Yasuhira attempted to kill her with a concealed tantō. However, Naoe dodged his attack and slit his throat with her Hidden Blade, killing Yasuhira instantly. Before leaving, Naoe recovered a spare tantō, The Last Resort, and Yasuhira's note about leaving Awaji from his personal effects.

Legacy

With the Sanzoku Ippa left leaderless after Yukari's death, Yasuhira's remaining spies were scattered but continued to inflict harm upon the population of Awaji. Due to rumors of their master's death at the hands of a traitor, they grew to distrust one another and went to great lengths to remain hidden. However, Naoe and Yasuke, with the help of Konatsu, eventually tracked down and assassinated all the spies, dismantling Yasuhira's network.

Personality and traits

"He is the shade that blankets Awaji in a cloak of fear. None who see his face live to tell the tale."

―Tsuyu describing Yasuhira.

A survivor of war, Yasuhira believed in the power of information and built a network of spies to extend his and the Templars' control over Awaji. Throughout his lifetime, he used so many identities that his real name was rumored to have been lost. He commissioned his network to meet with black masks and kosodes, not just to conceal their identities, but to showcase the expansion of his network to the public.

A master of deception, Yasuhira was adept at using disguises and went to great lengths to keep his identity hidden. He possessed a brutal side, ruthlessly eliminating anyone unfortunate enough to have seen his face, and finding enjoyment in his torture of Tsuyu. His reputation made him a feared presence on Awaji and unpopular among his own followers, some of whom secretly plotted against him; Yasuhira was aware of these plots, but did not consider them serious threats.

Despite this, Yasuhira was no fighter, relying solely on his skills in deception and information-gathering to gain an advantage over his enemies and instill fear in the people of Awaji. At the first sight of combat, he displayed his true cowardly nature, such as the time he abandoned Yukari and his fellow taishō at Myōshō-ji during an ambush. After Yukari secured the Sword, Yasuhira planned to flee from Awaji and his duties due to his fear that Yukari's obsession would be the end of their plans.

Behind the scenes

Yasuhira is a fictional character introduced as a secondary antagonist and assassination target in Claws of Awaji, the downloadable expansion for the 2025 video game Assassin's Creed: Shadows.

Gallery

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  Yasuhira posing as Hanzō's contact
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  Yasuhira

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Shadows – Claws of Awaji