Tomomichi Iwanari

Tomomichi Iwanari is a member of the Miyoshi Trio. He is most famous for leading the Miyoshi clan alongside Nagayasu Miyoshi and Masayasu Miyoshi after Nagayoshi's death. The three acted as the protectors for Nagayoshi's heir Yoshitsugu. Tomomichi joined the efforts to stop Nobunaga Oda's take over of the capital, but died in the resulting counter push from the Oda forces.

Role in Games
Samurai Warriors 2 has Iwanari join the other anti-Oda forces at Mt. Usa. He protects the the Azai main camp until called by Nagamasa Azai to attack the Oda main camp. Tomomichi returns in Samurai Warriors 4 to fight in the battles of Rokujō and Noda-Fukushima. He keeps to the back of the battle in Rokujō and will attempt to flee with the rest of the Miyoshi trio, prompting a mission to stop their retreat. At Noda-Fukushima, he confronts the Oda forces again alongside Masayasu, serving as Koshōshō's guards.

Tomomichi appears in Kessen III as a member of the Miyoshi Trio and a yes man of Nagayasu. He serves the Ashikaga Shogunate loyally from his introduction in chapter 4. He spends all of his screen time heaping praises upon Nagayasu, believing him to be far more powerful than Nobunaga. Tomomichi specializes in riflemen and strives to shoot any forces who attack Nagayasu in the back. At Shoryuji, he and the other Miyoshi Trio serve as the main boss of the stage, but will retreat relatively unharmed after the fight. He returns at Noda-Fukushima to ambush any Oda forces who approach Nagayasu. At Ishiyama, he joins He joins Kennyo Honganji to protect the direct approach to the main keep. Tomomichi continues to serve Yoshiaki Ashikaga in the latter chapters as a minor officer.

Voice Actors

 * Kirk Thornton - Kessen III (English-uncredited)
 * Masaya Takatsuka - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Tomomichi is here! What would you guys do without me?"
 * "WE CAN KEEP ON FIGHTING! STAY TOGETHER!"
 * "Very impressive... for the enemy that is."
 * "Truly amazing, yes truly amazing. Now that's not just something anyone can do. No I mean truly, I can only say that you are the epitome of generalship. I mean truly, you are amazing"

Historical Information
Like his fellow Miyoshi trio members, Tomomichi Iwanari's date and location of birth is obscured. Due to the religious nature of his first name, scholars believe he was born in Yamato province as a shrine there bears the same name and was known to be under Hosokawa rule, the clan the Miyoshi would eventually overthrow.

The first records to mention Iwanari in 1550, overseeing work in Sakai. His first mention of battle came a few years later when the Miyoshi took part in the battle of Kitashirakawa. Tomomichi was noted in this battle for his strategic skill, as he managed to break the deadlock between the Miyoshi and the Hosokawa/Rokkaku forces. Such service was well recognized and Tomomichi became one of the leading retainers of the Miyoshi.

After the death of Nagayoshi, Tomomichi joined Miyoshi Nagayasu and Miyoshi Masayasu as part of the Miyoshi trio, intended to protect the clan's power for the still young heir, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. Matsunaga rebelled against this decision by Iwanari and his compatriots, leading to many fights between the two. In 1566, the following year, Iwanari turned his sights on Shōryūji Castle in order to increase the Miyoshi clan's power. He expelled the Nagazawa and Kawashima from the castle and had it rebuilt with stronger defenses. His efforts earned him the title of the first lord of Shōryūji.

In 1567, Tomomichi joined the other Miyoshi forces in defeating Matsunaga at the battle of Todaiji Temple. With this victory, it seemed Tomomichi and his fellow Trio members had managed to secure the capital. However, that every following year, Oda Nobunaga led his forces against Shōryūji castle. For one whole day Tomomichi held off the attacks of Shibata Katsuie, Mori Yoshinari, Sakai Masahisa, and Hachiya Yoritaka. However, he had to surrender the next day when they all rushed his walls all at once.

Tomomichi was later humiliated by Nobunaga when he forced Yoshiaki to send him to audit the Kamo Shrine farmers, whom Nobunaga had already promised to exempt from any taxes. Such disgraces and hostilities eventually led Tomomichi to join the anti-Oda alliance that Ashikaga Yoshiaki secretly organized. He was, however, unable to contribute much to the effort, as he was besieged at Yodojo castle by Hosokawa Fujitaka in 1573 and died during its ensuing capture.