Nagayasu Miyoshi

Nagayasu Miyoshi is a member of The Miyoshi Trio. Out of the trio, he is the one with the most influence due to his political expertise and family relations with the Miyoshi clan. Luís Fróis claimed he was a respectable man for the people who could have been a candidate for Japan's unifier. He and his cohorts are best known for their rise and fall in the Kinai region which led to Nobunaga's prominence in central Japan.

Role in Games
He is part of the anti-Oda forces at Mt. Usa in Oichi's Samurai Warriors 2 story mode; he is one of the defenders of the enemy main camp. In Samurai Warriors 4, the Miyoshi Trio fight at Rokujō and Noda-Fukushima. At Rokujō, he will retreat once the battle turns against their favor and a mission objective is given to stop him and the other two trio members from reaching an escape point. At Noda-Fukushima, he convinces several of the shogun's advisors to side with the anti-Nobunaga forces and attack the shogun.

Kessen III presents Nagayasu as the leader of the Miyoshi Trio and a shogunate sympathizer. He is initially dismissive of Nobunaga, considering him a harmless backwater threat. He leads the enemy forces at Shoryuji and Noda-Fukushima. In the second battle, he and the other members of the Miyoshi Trio are part of an ambush unit. Nagayasu assists Kennyo Honganji and continues to be a minor foe for the rest of the game.

Nobunaga no Yabou 201X has him be one of Nagayoshi Miyoshi's gung-ho vassals. The SLO agents assist him in pacifying the UMA threat in the Kinai region. Once his lord decides to join the fight, Nagayasu is assigned to be part of his vanguard.

Voice Actors

 * Hiroshi Kamiya - Kessen III (Japanese)

Historical Information
Miyoshi Nagayasu was the son of Miyoshi Naganori and was either the cousin or nephew of Miyoshi Nagayoshi. He entered into service of Nagayoshi and would serve him loyally through their struggle against the Hosokawa. Nagayasu aided Nagayoshi's betrayal of the Hosokawa at the battle of Eguchi in 1549 and the capture of Kyoto in 1550. Nagayoshi recognized his ability and rewarded him accordingly, making him a Miyoshi elder alongside other decorated officers, Miyoshi Masayasu, Iwnari Tomomichi, and Matunaga Hisahide.

When Nagayoshi died under mysterious circumstances and his only remaining heir, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, was too young to rule the clan, Nagayasu and the other Miyoshi trio took temporary control of the clan to counterbalance Hisahide's sudden rise in power. The trio fought on and off again with Hisahide and other local clans as they vied to gain an advantage over each other. However, Hisahide and Nagayasu did work together once more to overthrow the Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru. The two former allies attacked and drove Yoshiteru to suicide in 1565. After his defeat, Nagayasu continued his struggles against the Matsunaga, Hatakayama, and Tsutsui. These skirmishes and battles were cut short, however, when Oda Nobunaga's forces arrived at the capital and reinstated Ashikaga authority under Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

Although now on the defensive, Nagayasu continued to resist the Oda. He joined the Anti-Oda Coalition and attacked the Ikeda, an Oda ally from Settsu. This attack was a failure, however, as infighting within the Miyoshi ranks began once more with another political assassination. Although weakened internally, Nagayasu managed to muster his forces to attack Nobunaga's men at the capital alongside the Azai and Asakura. Although initially successful, the battle ultimately turned sour for the Miyoshi. Tomomichi died during their retreat and Nagayasu had to take refuge in Nakajima Castle. The Oda forces eventually attacked him there as well, which ended with the fall of Nakajima. Nagayasu's fate is uncertain after this defeat, as historical records stop mentioning him. Some historians believe he died in the fight for the castle, others believe he escaped and lived on in exile, while still others believe he was captured and lived out his life as a hostage.