Tenkai Nankōbō

Tenkai is the given name of one of Ieyasu's political aides, a monk who practiced Tendai Buddhism. He helped his lord's negotiations within the royal court and influenced the imperial and religious practices of the Tokugawa clan. Ieyasu favored his opinion and, though the monk was a sworn pacifist, Tenkai was awarded a prized set of armor. Aside from his history as a monk, there are many mysteries surrounding his persona and his first meeting with Ieyasu.

The English localization of Koei games erroneously transcribes his name as Tenkai Nankōbō; Nankōbō is one of his historical titles and is not a family name. The Western name order would not actually apply.

In Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5, he is referred to by his title to avoid confusion with a character under the same name spelling. His character's height is 180 cm (5'11"), and his bloodtype is AB. His hobbies include ancient incantations and ritual prayers.

Samurai Warriors
While Tenkai himself doesn't appear during the games' stories, the popular myth of Mitsuhide assuming his identity is played with in Samurai Warriors 3. Mitsuhide even references some of the exchanges Tenkai is fabled to have had with Ieyasu within the Japanese script. The concept returns in select conversations with Mitsuhide in its Empires installment.

Kessen
Tenkai is an optional general for Nobunaga's army in Kessen III. He can be recruited if the player brings Yoshino to the shining point on the map during the Battle of Ryuzonji. He leads infantry and is a Priest type general.

Nobunaga's Ambition
Tenkai in this series is a character who better serves the player in domestic affairs. The newest title gives him high Intelligence and Politic ratings but drops his War and Leadership ratings dramatically compared to other titles. He can support rifle and infantry units as its secondary strategist. Seiroku, the seventh entry of the series, has Mitsuhide assume Tenkai's identity as one of its historical events. After his failure at Yamazaki, he goes into hiding and eventually serves Ieyasu thereafter.

In an alternate future of the online adaptation, Dokuganryu no Yabou, Tenkai is resurrected beyond his grave by the "God who Devours Time". He is called by his posthumous name, Jigen Taishi, as a result. The players had to fight against him as one of the bosses within this storyline.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de
Although he is hardly seen in the game, Nankoubou is considered the main antagonist in Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5. For the great shogun's conquest in the parallel world, the monk mastered the dark arts of curses and sorcery. He first cast powerful curses on the Four Gods and sealed the corrupted deities into talismans. These talismans were given to his lord and were used to win the Battle of Sekigahara.

When the Four Gods were separated in the campaign's aftermath, the monk thought his lord needed more divine support. Disregarding the harm his actions would cause on the land's spiritual security, Nankoubou breaks the harmonious link between the White and the Black Dragon with his magic. He incarcerates the white deity into a painful seal, causing the dragon god to cry for its priestess. Nankoubou plans to cast curses on the priestess the moment she arrives in the Loophole of Time and enslave her to the Tokugawa shogunate. The curse would not be lifted until one thousand years passes; if the shogunate should be dissolved before then, then her life would be forfeit. With the dragon gods separated, the flow of the Five Elements becomes unbalanced and vengeful spirits once again plague the parallel world for centuries.

Yuki is first destined to be the priestess of the Warring States period. A chance meeting with Amami in the Loophole of Time, however, changes her fate. He notices the curses heading for her and pushes her out of harm's way. Unable to evade the curses in time, Amami is sent to Nankoubou in the past. He then bears several spells which were originally meant for her. In the moment of confusion, the priestess is tossed to the parallel world's 19th century (the game's main setting). Yuki is unaware of what actually transpired throughout the majority of the game's timelines.

Once Yuki finally realizes what Amami had done for her, she decides to free him from his prison. Since Amami's real body is still trapped within the Warring States period, Yuki and her companions choose to travel back into time to confront Nankoubou. The monk finds their defiance to his plans preposterous and faces them in combat. After a grueling battle, he is defeated. Since he had exerted all of his powers against the priestess, Nankoubou can no longer cast curses on deities. Rather than have the elderly man give into despair, Yuki and her companions encourage him to instead use his intellect to help the shogunate. Taking their advice, he leaves them; Yuki and company doesn't pursue.

Nankoubou decides to help the shogunate reform by granting political power to the dividing branches of the Tokugawa clan. The shogunate can then allegedly prosper under a unified system. Centuries after his death, however, it actually drives the shogunate further apart. The families supporting the final two shoguns of the era happen to share the same political status and are locked in a stalemate for the right of successor.

Personality
Nankoubou is malicious and cold-hearted towards gods and spirits. He only thinks them of tools for his lord's vision. Though his loyalty to Ieyasu remains his paramount concern in life, the thought of failing his master drives him mad. The monk believes he should do anything within his power to serve his lord, even if it means breaking the world's taboos.

Character Symbolism
His symbolic color for his Haruka counterpart is sumi, or ink stick. The famous Kūkai was the one who is accredited to have brought China's ink to Japan, which then led to its native creation of the ink in the country.

Voice Actors

 * Takehiro Murozono - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5