Shikanosuke Yamanaka

Shikanosuke Yamanaka (山中 鹿之助) is a young Amago general famous for his impressive courage and attractive looks. Known as the "Kirin Child of Sain'in", he is best known for resisting the Mōri to his last. Whether he actually did any of the wondrous acts he is known for, however, is still unknown and debated to this day.

Samurai Warriors
Shikanosuke makes a minor appearance as one of the male samurai bodyguards the player can earn and purchase in the Shop during the second title. During the Empires installment, he randomly generates as an officer within Chūgoku.

Kessen
In Kessen III, Nobunaga has the chance to recruit him for his army. During the Battle of Akashi in the game's eighth chapter, first head to the northern village on the map. After hearing the tale of Shikanosuke's reluctant participation, the player may then march south and defeat Takaie Shishido. Free to do as he pleases, the general decides to repay the Oda army's kindness by serving in their ranks. He leads a spear unit, and his beginning stats are strongest out of all the optional generals in the game.

Nobunaga's Ambition
Throughout the series, he is referred to by his famous name. He has spectacular stats for war in Chūgoku, not so much in domestic affairs. His act of declaring his service to the Amago and his death are often mentioned as historical events in the series.

For the newest title, Shikanosuke is called by his real name, Yukimori. He happily offers his service to Yoshihisa Amago. A man of action who prefers to ask questions later, he hops at any chance to prove himself in battle. Yoshihisa scorns his lack of refinement and subtlety, but he applauds his general's charisma for it helps innovate the troops. Though clumsy while expressing his gratitude, Yukimori admires his master and loves to eat up praise. The retainer acts as a constant aid to Yoshihisa throughout the "what if?" events in the game.

Should Yoshihisa succeed in defeating Motonari, a boastful Yukimori will berate their western rival as a pitiful man. The retainer is surprised when his lord speaks in favor of his rival and reconciles his differences with Motonari. After Yoshihisa becomes the lord of the Western regions, Yukimori seems to have learned from the experience. When his lord asks him what purpose war has, he believes showing mercy after decimating an opponent is pivotal for truly understanding them. Comprehending their views leads to much needed respect and peace. Pleased by his retainer's response, they return to celebrating their victory with the rest of the Amago vassals.

Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya
By the time Shikanosuke is born into the world, his father dies while fighting Motonari's army. Years later, a young Shikanosuke is raised by his widowed mother in Izumo and overhears gossip of Suke Sugishige's defeat in battle. Realizing it is only a matter of time before the Mōri reach his home, Shikanosuke informs his mother of his intentions of joining the samurai class. The young boy's goal is to join the Amago and avenge his father's death by Motonari's hand. His mother finds it pointless to try to dissuade him, so she hands him Narimitsu, a treasured sword left to her by Shikanosuke's father.

Inspired by Narimitsu, Shikanosuke completes his training during his teenage years. He says his farewell to his mother and his childhood friend, Shino. Shino worries for his safety, but he assures her he will prevail. Without delay, he announces himself before the Amago head and is admitted into their army as a stalwart general. He participates in the defense for Shiraga and Gassantoda Castle. With the Amago clan abolished after their subsequent defeats, he flees from capture and meets with other Amago survivors. Asking that they seek help from the Ōtomo or Tachibana, Shikanosuke volunteers to head to Kyoto and search for the heir of the Amago family. His desire is to restore the Amago back to power, eventually staging an all out attack on the Mōri base of operations at Fubeyama. Cursing his third failure, Shikanosuke avoids being captured by cutting open a path for his dramatic escape. An elderly Motonari is shaken by the youth's frightening strength and regrets not taking his life.

Hiding back in Kyoto, Shikanosuke reunites with Shino -who searched for him after he left- and lives together with her. Following his third defeat, he spends his days peacefully when he is unable to contact his allies. Hearing news of Motonari's death and Terumoto's leadership, he feels his dream of avenging his father is stolen away from him. However, he resolves to march out to battle again when he learns the location of the newly designated Amago heir, Katsuhisa Amago. Bidding farewell to Shino, who is pregnant with his child, Shikanosuke pays a visit to Nobunaga to ask assistance. Under Hideyoshi's command, they proceed west and quickly take back former Amago territory, Kōzuki Castle. Given charge of protecting the position, he and two of the Amago Ten Braves guard Katsuhisa at the castle.

When Hideyoshi abandons them during the Mōri siege, the Amago are isolated and outnumbered by the Mōri army. Shikanosuke is captured and taken to Terumoto personally. The young lord doesn't wish to see the general die a needless death and asks Shikanosuke to serve him. Shikanosuke, feeling completely defeated and thinking of his promise to return alive to Shino, quickly agrees. While Terumoto believes Shikanosuke's reply and is delighted, the veteran Mōri vassals whom remember Shikanosuke's past vigor find the claim hard to swallow. Therefore, without Terumoto's knowledge, they order for Shikanosuke's assassination in the mountain path. The ninja are sent to do their job and, though Shikanosuke puts up a strong resistance, he is fatally wounded. Left for dead, Shikanosuke spends his last moments yelling his lover's name in agony. His legacy remains with his son who is dubbed the "Second Shikanosuke".

Voice Actors

 * Kenji Nojima - Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya

Personal Info
Yamanaka Yukimori was the second son of Yamanaka Mitsuyuki. His mother was Nami (also called Tsunetsune), Tachihara Tsunashige's daughter. Both father and son were said to have served the Amago clan based in Izumo since their early days of service. Yukimori was said to have been a beautiful man who stunned observers with his good looks. According to the Meishou Genkouroku, Yukimori also possessed an attractive mustache and kept it finely trimmed at all times. His facial hair was in such fine shape that a single hair from his face could pierce through a shouji door. His impressive courage was known during his early years and several favorable expectations were placed on his shoulders. A particular episode describes a stern Yukimori after hearing the news of his older brother's death, wherein he faced a Yamanaka deer antler helmet on the night of a crescent moon. The bold imagery is one of the reasons why he is associated with a crescent moon and said helmet. Famed for his services within the Amago, he was one of the star generals in the Amago Ten Braves. Yukimori was known as an Amago loyalist and exhausted himself in his fight for the restoration of the Amago name.

While the former paragraph lists the common interpretation of Yukimori, modern research has lead to several doubts on its historical authenticity. One of the main reasons historians question the history's accuracy is due to the sources of the records mentioning Yukimori. A majority of them were authored during the Edo Period, nearly a decade after his death and during a time when fictional yet well known tales for figures of the period began (ie: Hideyoshi looking like a monkey, Ieyasu looking like a tanuki, etc.). The other problem lies in the nature of these "records", or gunki-monogatari, which are stories known for stressing heroism and distorting facts to better fit a romantic image. While each record claims to accurately describe the events that occur with a poetic narrative, conflicting accounts over Yukimori's activities are repeatedly found within them -particularly over the nature of his activities in battle. Like other titles of its nature, the idea of the Amago Ten Braves rank is only found in folklore and fiction. Even the existence of Yukimori's father and his clan have been disputed due to their near absence in historical records surrounding the Amago clan.

On the other hand, there are few historical records accepted within the realm of "accuracy" that actually do mention Yukimori. The most popular note about him comes from the Nobunaga Kouki. After Yukimori's death, Hideyoshi was said to have held a grudge against his lord. Nobutada mentioned that the death worsened his father's image. It is likely from these reactions that the popular heroic image of Yukimori took its roots. However, there is a massive amount of ambiguity in regards to Yukimori being involved with the statement, and its meanings are still argued to this day. With knowledge of any other records bearing his mention scarce and Nobunaga Kouki mentioning brief details, the stories told about him in gunki-monogatari are accepted as "facts" in a sense. In any case, the stories found within them are so far hard to completely argue against with currently known historical evidence.

Yukimori's wife was the daughter of Kamie Hidetsuna, an Amago vassal who was the overseer of Noto Province. He fathered two sons and one daughter. He adopted a daughter who became Kamei Korenori's wife.

Other Names
Shikanosuke (鹿介) was Yukimori's legal alias. The common spelling found today (鹿之助) is an invention of the Edo Period. It strives to not only make his name easier to read and pronounce, but it also presents an overtly masculine image for him. The Edo Period tales particularly favor Yukimori as a tragic hero, stating his loyalty strove him to fight for an already lost cause. Due to the familiarity of the name with the public, historians may include the romanticized Shikanosuke spelling when addressing Yukimori.

The idea of Yukimori's nickname (山陰の麒麟児, Saiin no Kirinji) ties into the same folklore created generations after his death. The term, kirin child, is a synonymous term for "child prodigy". In Yukimori's case, the name is used to describe the young man's admirable courage and to celebrate the countless amount of people he killed. The origin of the nickname is uncertain, some arguing it has its source from Kuroda Yoshitaka or Akechi Mitsuhide's commentary about Yukimori. A minor opinion is that Yukimori invented the name himself.

His childhood name was supposedly Jinjirou (甚次郎).

Early Career
Due to the status of Yukimori's appearances in historical records, the following sections will include the various legends told about Shikanosuke.

Yukimori was born in the Yamanaka mansion at Shingukutani, Izumo, roughly located in modern day Yasugi, Shimane. When he was approximately two years old, his father was said to have died due to illness. Missing a father figure has lead to many legends about Yukimori's mother. At all times, she would remind her son of the Yamanaka's ties to the Amago clan and reproached any lackadaisical behavior. However, she would take Yukimori to social gatherings within the mansion and taught him to be kind and courteous, especially during hard times, to those around him. She reasoned a sound and happy army would be more willing to fight for him. Her teachings became a strong doctrine throughout Yukimori's later career.

When Yukimori was still a young boy, he was invited by his eldest brother, Yukitaka, into the best room of their family mansion. Waiting for him was his mother who gave permission for him to look at the alcove of the room. When Yukimori looked, he saw a tall deer antler helmet adorned with a crescent moon emblem. Yukitaka informed the boy that the helmet was the treasure of their family name. Granting the helmet to the child, the elder brother expressed confidence in his sibling's potential as a capable general. He wanted the boy to use the helmet at ten years of age and bring honor to their family. Nami then labeled the Mōri their mortal enemies and stressed they be eradicated for the new age of their Amago masters. Moved by their expectations, Yukimori swore to not fail their them.

An alternative version of the tale is partially inscribed earlier. Yukitaka was previously the clan head but grew weak from illness and died. Thereafter, a stoic Yukimori was taken to the helmet on the night of a crescent moon. Accepting the helmet, Yukimori resolved to never fail his family. Yukitaka's death isn't known in detail so it's possible his illness could be a fabrication.

Sixteen years old and fully prepared, Yukimori decided to partake in his first battle. Before he decided to swear his services to Amago Yoshihisa, Yukimori reportedly faced the half moon and swore, "May I be listed with high honors of military service within the next thirty days." His quote is a reference to his family's treasured helmet and the lunar calendar for the crescent moon. Riding into battle against the Yamana clan at Odaka Castle, he fought and dispatched the Yamana retainer, Kikuchi Masashige. He was given recognition by the Amago. Here is yet another time Yukimori is said to have been granted his family's helmet in person, this time being rewarded for his services. Each time he receives the helmet in the stories Yukimori is additionally granted leadership of his family clan and his name for adulthood (in this case, Shikanosuke).

In August 1562, Mōri Motonari lead 6,000 troops to march toward Shiraga Castle. The Meishou Genkouroku records Yukimori stationed at the defensive mound protecting the castle's area and helping to build the fortification. While resting within the nearby residence, thirty-four horsemen and ten mounted archers from Mōri raided the area. The general who ordered the attack was said to either be Matsuda Fujikane or his retainer, Shinagawa Daizennosuke. Either one knew Yukimori's reputation and wanted to cause his downfall to raise their own. Springing into action, Yukimori acted alone and sliced each wave of horses that came his way. When the horsemen dismounted, he proceeded to cut them down, taking down at least sixteen soldiers. His appearance mirrored a fearsome wolf, and though suffering wounds himself, Yukimori refused to back down. Eventually, the Mōri retreated and the common folk celebrated Yukimori's feat. Smiling, he stated his fight wasn't one for the ally army and was his own battle. Yukimori then modestly asked they cease their applause for his selfishness.

Although the Amago reportedly had the upper hand against the Mōri, their position fell. Two years after, Yukimori's act at Shiraga Castle, the Mōri then headed towards their main objective, Gassantoda Castle. During their first siege, the Mōri marched forward from three points. Yukimori was present at the Shioya entrance and killed Takano Genmotsu in battle.