Sakon Shima

Sakon Shima (島 左近, Shima Sakon) is one of the names attributed to the elusive Kiyooki. He is best known in history for serving Mitsunari Ishida at Sekigahara. During the battle, he is wounded by gunfire from Kuroda Nagamasa's battalion. It is unknown whether he lived long enough to escape Sekigahara or died on the field. After his death, he has been praised as Mitsunari's most powerful and wisest tactical general.

His Samurai Warriors persona placed fourth with fans in Gamecity's Sengoku Musou 3: Empires popularity poll. In Koei-Tecmo's Facebook Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd poll, he tied for sixth place with three other characters. According to the Sengoku Musou Seiyuu Ougi 2012 Aki questionnaire, he ranked first for the character fans would want as a lover and eighth for fans' ideal co-op partner for playing Samurai Warriors. For the Samurai Warriors 4 poll, he is voted eighth among the other characters. The first character popularity poll for Sengoku Musou Shoot has him at third place.

This counterpart has two character image songs titled Samurai Damashii ~KIZUNA~ and Fuuu Doushuu; he has a duet with Mitsunari called Ichigo Ichie de Yoroshiku!.

In Saihai no Yukue, he stands at approximately four inches shorter (180 cm) and he is 40 years old. He likes to travel and take walks, and his favorite food is dango.

Role in Games
"A truly wise man wouldn't need such a large sword, Sakon."
 * Sima Yi; Warriors Orochi

Samurai Warriors
After Nobunaga's death at Honnōji, Mitsuhide requests for the Tsutsui clan to aid him at Yamazaki. Sakon, a former Takeda general who resided with the Tsutsui at the time, convinces his master to instead side with the more capable Hideyoshi. During the conflict, Mitsunari and Sakon keep track of the other's promise of talent. Hideyoshi becomes the land's de facto leader after he defeats other Oda generals. By this time, Sakon was angered by his lord and wandered the land for indulgence. Mitsunari finds him and, once the younger man states that he wants his services as his equal, Sakon agrees to serve him. He aids the land's unification by suppressing Kyūshū and by partaking in the western siege at Odawara Castle.

Hideyoshi soon dies and the land is split between factions led by Mitsunari and Ieyasu. Facing Ieyasu's vast army, Sakon requests permission for an ambush to stunt the enemy march and traps select portions of the Eastern army at Kusegawa. Although Tadakatsu appears with a relief force, Sakon and the Western army retain their cool and cut back some of the Eastern army's drive. Mitsunari moves to Sekigahara, and although Sakon rationalizes that Mitsunari's plan won't succeed, he nevertheless fights by his lord's side. After their victory over Ieyasu, Sakon replies that he doesn't care about a reward as he just wanted to serve a virtuous lord. As he speeds off on his steed, Mitsunari considers Sakon to be his friend.

His dream mode entails when he serves Shingen to learn some tips on strategy. He helps capture the fleeing Ieyasu at Mikatagahara.

In Samurai Warriors: Katana, Sakon is first encountered in the Swordsman scenario attacking the Shimazu. He leaves the battlefield after losing to the protagonist. The Stealth scenario has him get in the way of the Hōjō army's escape from the Takeda at Mimase Pass. His final appearance is at the Savior scenario where he helps the Sanada take over Numata Castle. He wishes to verify the rumors of Ina's prowess for himself, but is instead bested by the player's persistence.

In Samurai Warriors 3, Sakon begins his story in a manner similar to his previous dream stage. With Ieyasu's escape in the end, Shingen is unable to secure a decisive victory against Ieyasu in his following campaigns and his abrupt death leads to eventual demise of the Takeda family. Seeking a new master, Sakon joins Hideyoshi's side at Komaki-Nagakute and meets Kiyomasa, Masanori and Mitsunari. During the battle, the trio's words has him reflect on Hideyoshi's character and, though he considers joining Hideyoshi, he is more impressed by Mitsunari's will to win. Joining Mitsunari at Oshi Castle, he agrees to help the youth's dream of protecting the Toyotomi's future with his friends. Upon achieving victory, Sakon finally accepts Mitsunari as his real master.

Soon after, Hideyoshi dies due to illness and Mitsunari is abandoned by his friends. At odds with the larger Ieyasu army and devastated by the loss, Mitsunari's army suffers from low morale. To boost the spirits of Mitsunari and the men, Sakon leads an attack at Kusegawa to defeat Tadakatsu. Their victory is enough to cement Mitsunari's resolve to win and they proceed to Sekigahara. Although Kiyomasa's presence in the Eastern army once again weakens his master's nerve, Sakon defeats him to lead the army to a decisive victory and they rout the Eastern army. Kiyomasa's defeat dazes Mitsunari into a witless stupor and he loses the will to pursue Ieyasu's army. To raise his master's spirit, he hauls the young man onto his horse, attracts Masanori's attention to follow them, and speeds towards Kiyomasa. Although the latter looks as though he is dead, he awakens when Mitsunari hurries to his side and a crying Masanori hugs both of them. Seeing the trio reunited is enough for Sakon to smile.

Samurai Warriors 4 Sakon starts his story serving the Tsutsui clan in Yamato. Feeling that his talents were wasted under them, he chose to become a landless samurai. Shingen recognizes his talents soon after, leading him to join the Takeda forces as early as Kawanakajima. Appreciative of the grand opportunity, Sakon seeks to spend his time studying Shingen's tactics. He realizes early within his service that his lord has ambitions for the land, curious to see how far the veteran will proceed throughout the Takeda campaigns. He chooses to stay with the Takeda at Nagashino and Tenmokuzan even after Shingen's death. Though he knows it's a lost cause to defend Katsuyori, Sakon stays to repay Shingen's past courtesy to him.

The Takeda's fall leads to Sakon choosing to wander the lands again until Kanbei hires for his assistance at Yamazaki. He performs well, yet Kanbei views his prowess as a potential threat to Hideyoshi's security and refuses to renew his contract. Sakon would have started wandering again if Yoshitsugu had not stopped him. Through his chat with his fellow strategist, Sakon believes his talents will someday lead to a lord worthy of serving if he stays within Hideyoshi's forces and assists their campaigns at Shizugatake, Komaki-Nagakute, and Shikoku. During these battles, he finds Mitsunari to be an appalling annoyance. When he is fishing after they subdue Motochika's troops, the strategist is bemused when Mitsunari seeks to employ him by offering him the same payment he receives. The youth's sheer determination impresses him enough to agree.

Serving under Mitsunari henceforth as his strategist, Sakon accompanies him at Ueda Castle and Oshi Castle. The year before Sekigahara takes place, Sakon recognizes Ieyasu as the greatest threat to Mitsunari and advises for him to focus on only deposing the elder. Mitsunari seeks to end his rival in a fair fight, an answer which Sakon later complains about to Yoshitsugu. Despite his misgivings about the affair, he is optimistic with Yoshitsugu's help and fights for his lord at Sekigahara. Regardless of the stage's Western army variations, Sakon perishes during the fighting after he is shot by Nagamasa Kuroda's riflemen. The in-game version has him be wounded, retreat when rescued, reemerge in an attempt to restore ally morale, and then die fighting before the battle's end. The pre-rendered version shows him suffering from the gunshot yet rising to his feet. Sakon uses his lingering vigor to charge through the Eastern army for an off-screen death.

Warriors Orochi
Sakon begins as an unaffiliated strategist in Warriors Orochi. Nobunaga convinced him to help Sun Ce when they met at Kyūshū. The Demon King protects his safe passage and he meets up with the Little Conqueror at Chang Ban. He sends Sun Ce a letter saying that he knew the whereabouts of Sun Jian's cell and appears as a third-party general during Wu's siege at Odani Castle. Since Sun Ce desired a quick victory with minimal casualties, the strategist leads a group of engineers to blow apart a wall at Mount Yamada garrison. This opens a path straight to the main ward of the castle, which is fiercely defended by Xing Cai. After their victory, Sakon agrees to be Sun Ce's adviser and continues to serve Wu.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Sakon acts as the protagonist for the Samurai story mode. Walking in a peaceful part of the land, he was on his way to visit Shingen until he notices Dong Zhuo attacking Zhang Jiao. He fights to save the pious Yellow Turban and meets the mysterious Fu Xi during their struggle. Wanting to prevent another bout of warfare, he decides to make Nobunaga, Shingen, and Kenshin rejoin their forces in their previously powerful coalition. Since the three leaders reverted to their stubborn ways, Sakon has to start from scratch. He impresses Shingen, saves Kanetsugu to forge an alliance with Kenshin, and amuses Nobunaga enough for him to join their party. With these powerful warlords and Fu Xi, he leads a massive army to stop the resurrected Orochi. After they claim victory, Sakon leaves once more to visit his old friend.

He shares his dream stage with Jiang Wei and Lu Xun and the trio work together to surpass their masters. When Shingen issues a cavalry charge, Sakon quickly counters by bringing out his reserve riflemen. His quick thinking easily earns the older man's praise.

During the original timeline in Warriors Orochi 3, Sakon remained a member of the anti-Orochi forces and was one of the defenders stationed at Ueda Castle. When Odawara Castle fell, he was one of the many slain by the massive serpent army. He quickly accepts Sima Zhao's story of being a survivor from the future and joins his cause to revert the past. Throughout the story, he stays primarily with Sima Zhao's regiment as a secondary advisor and helps their chase for Shuten Dōji.

In the downloadable stage, "In Vino Veritas", Sakon helps Zhang Fei and Guan Yu in quelling the drunken fighters. He also aids Zhong Hui in "Zhong Hui's Pride".

Kessen
Sakon is Mitsunari's right hand man in Kessen. Like Honda, Sakon trumps his lord in every military stat but is given a smaller amount of troops to balance himself with the rest of the army. Before the battle at Sekigahara, he laments not slaying Ieyasu at Kusegawa as his personal assassination attempt was stopped by Okatsu. Depending on the actions of the player, he will disappear after Sekigahara or live to see Ieyasu's end. Like Otani, he may live to avenge Mitsunari's death if their commander suddenly loses the battle at Edo.

He also appears as a recruitable general in Kessen III. He joins Nobunaga after he is defeated in the Battle of Tamoyama. If he forms a unit with Yoshitsugu, they will work well together and their attack will increase.

Saihai no Yukue
In Saihai no Yukue, Sakon resumes his role as Mitsunari's vassal. Although the country admires him for his might and intellect, he is often befuddled by his lord's erratic behavior. Though he is rough with his words, his loyalty to Mitsunari is unquestionable. His insults to his lord are used for comic relief, making him more of an observer than an adviser for Mitsunari. He usually needs to attend to other matters so he lets his daughter, Tamaki, handle his duties.

In a flashback, he guards Mitsunari through the streets of Kyoto by fighting off Fukushima and Kuroda. When they take a short break during their escape, he openly admits his suspicions towards the spy Hatsu. She dispels his doubts by restating her firm loyalty towards Mitsunari. As their lord confronts them, Sakon decides to keep their conversation a secret from him.

On the fields of Sekigahara, Sakon arrives to drive back Hosokawa and Kuroda's first charge with his cavalry troops. He continues to scout the fields after their victory, but he suffers a gunshot wound to his shoulder when a vengeful Kuroda has his troops fire at him from a thicket. To prevent the drop of army morale, he keeps quiet about it and acts normally. As the game progresses, Tamaki scolds him for not tending to his wound. He continues to serve his lord until the end of the third chapter, in which he feels that his injury is beginning to hamper his performance. After he defeats Tadakatsu, he acknowledges Tamaki as his family and charges into the enemy camp to take Ieyasu's head. The prologue for the following chapter implies that he dies sometime during his attack. Though missing-in-action for the remainder of the game, Mitsunari continues to be inspired by Sakon until the end of the game.

Development
According to the game's designers, Sakon fills the spot for the "cool old guy" in the cast. They added the scar on his face to add a visual account with his previous near-death experiences and imply the "evil" side to his character. The producer and director add that he is basically Mitsunari's answer to Ieyasu's Tadakatsu. Since his lord was developed to be "delicate and level-headed", Sakon was made to be physically built and nifty. White and black are the two base colors used for his design. His fighting style is considered to be exceptionally balanced with no real weaknesses to it.

Personality
Considered by many to be a natural prodigy in both martial arts and strategy, Sakon is a sharp-tongued and ripened warrior of capable talent. A realist with a strong sense of justice, he will stand for any side which he deems to be more just, regardless if it actually benefits him. In the English dub, Sakon uses many phrases inspired by Elvis Presley in his debut, such as his defeat quote of "Sakon has left the battlefield" and his gratitude quote of "Thank you. Thank you very much." This is toned down in his following appearances.

Sakon spots Mitsunari as a talented yet rude man. Unaffected by his lord's faults, he is more impressed by his lord's good qualities rather than what others say about him. Even so, he can't help himself from jibing a little at Mitsunari's inexperience and sometimes gullible nature. On the other hand, he considers his previous lord, Shingen, as his respected elder and admires the strategist's cunning. When he's not busy with war, Sakon entertains himself with the ladies. Occasionally, he will hit on maidens during battle nearly to the degree of Magoichi's flirtations. In the Warriors Orochi series, he respects and praises level-headed characters such as Yue Ying, Zhou Yu, Lu Meng and Fu Xi.

Character Symbolism
Sakon is symbolized by the character for "compete" (闘), the character for "extreme" (烈), and green maple leaves in the Samurai Warriors series.

Sakon's titles in Samurai Warriors 2 are "Rebellious Spirit", "Sharp Mind", "Brilliant Protege", "Famous Samurai", "Sword and Savvy", "Deadly Tactician", and "Battlefield Genius" (in the Xtreme Legends expansion).

His second weapon is named after dōtanuki in Asian ports, a type of sword that is believed to have been crafted in Kyushu and was in common usage during the Warring States period. There are many stories told to try to explain the sword's heavily built construction, which include crafting it to cut through a pile of corpses or trying invent a new type of sword build. Historically, the blade type is known to be capable of cutting through a helmet, completely dividing the armor in two perfect halves. Within the dōtanuki blades, there is one thought to have been wielded by Kiyomasa named Dōtanuki Masakuni (Masakuni being the alleged name for the swordsmith). Kiyomasa gained the sword once entered military service under Hideyoshi. Since the sockets for the sword hilt are worn and rough, it's likely he used the sword throughout his campaigns in Korea and Sekigahara. The sword was kept in the Katō clan for generations until it was reclaimed by Masakuni's descendants during the Bakumatsu period.

The original name for Sakon's third and Normal weapons translates to his weapon being capable of completely cutting down a person in one swing. His Power types are named to bisect a person and his Speed types chop up someone with a reverse slash.

Takeminakata-no-Kami, the namesake for Sakon's fourth and Unique weapons, is one of Ōkuninushi's children. Although he isn't identified as such in written myths, many legends state his parents to be Ōkuninushi and Nunakawahime's child. When his parents were leaving Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni in the hands of their heirs, Takeminakata-no-Kami was the one who pridefully declared himself for the position. However, when he grasped Takemikazuchi's hand, his hand turned into a sword -sometimes told as water. Frightened, Takeminakata-no-Kami fled to Shinano-no-Kuni. Takemikazuchi pursued him to Lake Suwa until Takeminakata-no-Kami pleaded for his life to be spared and handed the right of leadership to his pursuer. Forever leaving Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, he isn't said to have been seen again. Depending on who is telling the tale, Takeminakata-no-Kami is either a wind god, a god of transcendence, a god of war, or a water god. Legends state the Fujiwara clan to have once worshiped him as a god who blessed warriors with the will to fight. Takeminakata-no-Kami is technically not considered a god in most cases, but he is also fabled to have a wife named Yasakatome-no-Kami, who granted her husband a sword of might. Together, their marriage made them low-ranked deities.

His fifth weapon is named after an alternate name for Fenghuang. It is said to be a mythological beast that only stays with royalty without malice or malfeasance.

According to the dubiously accurate Sekigahara Gunki-taisei, Sakon's heirloom in the fourth Samurai Warriors is something given to him when he decided to give up his days of wandering. He was resting in Omi one day and was spotted by a vacationing Mitsunari. The samurai lord instantly connected with the rounin due to their similar birthplace and dragged Sakon with him to the capital. Hideyoshi was impressed in Mitsunari's faith in Sakon, remarking that it was odd for him to employ someone for half his own salary (forty thousand koku). When the new recruit had his audience with Hideyoshi, the Taiko kindly bestowed the coat on Sakon's shoulders and gave his fondest wishes for Sakon to serve Mitsunari well. Later, when the duo was stationed at Sawayama Castle, Mitsunari had a raise and received fifty thousand koku. When Mitsunari was prepared to give Sakon his promised half, the vassal remembered the coat Hideyoshi gave him and politely declined. He asked his lord to give it to someone else who needed it. To honor his vassal's request and loyalty to him, Mitsunari deducted Sakon's pay to a meager three thousand.

Sakon's personal item in Warriors Orochi is named Kage Mokuroku, a book of strategy and tactics said to form the principles and teachings for the Shinkage-ryū. Approximately in 1565, a young swordsman was granted permission to study the four scrolls and refined the teachings to create a second generation of Shinkage-ryū. While still in his twenties, his teachings attracted Ieyasu's attention and they were taught for the Tokugawa clan. The man who was famed for perfecting his version of Kage Mokuroku was Yagyū Munetoshi.

Voice Actors

 * Tim Mahlin - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Terrence Stone - Samurai Warriors: Katana (English-uncredited)
 * Steve Kramer - Warriors Orochi series, Samurai Warriors 3 (English-uncredited)
 * Howard Siegel - Kessen (English)
 * Steven Blum - Kessen III (English-uncredited)
 * Shinichi Yamada - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Keiichi Noda - Kessen (Japanese)

Live Action Performer

 * Yuki Yamaoki - Butai Sengoku Musou Sekigahara no Shou

Quotes

 * See also: Sakon Shima/Quotes


 * "Thank you very much. I reached this ranking sooner than I had anticipated. Well, in any case, I'm glad my lord is higher."
 * "Not that high this time. I know my tactics didn't lose. I suppose it was more a fight for masculine appeal then?"
 * "Your loyalty is unparalleled. However, your choice of lord is not."
 * "Annoying, isn't it? Like when a beautiful woman has the personality of a stern old man."
 * Ina and Sakon; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "Are you gonna stay inside and work all day again? What's wrong? Are you sick or something?"
 * "If you're concerned about my health, you should stop that awful racket."
 * "I was just playing a little music for you on the biwa. Didn't you like it?"
 * "I feel sorry for the poor instrument."
 * "There we go. I knew I could make you laugh."
 * Sakon and Mitsunari; Samurai Warriors 2: Empires


 * "Your skin is white as snow, and your eyes compel me nearer. I never thought I would meet a woman like yourself in this time of war."
 * "(laughs) Even if you compliment me, you will not profit from it."
 * "No. That smile is all the reward I need."
 * Sakon and Aya‎; Sengoku Musou 3: Empires


 * "You're quite the arsonist, I see. That ought to have taken care of them."
 * "There is no greater compliment than one coming from you."
 * "Still, it was a lucky break that the wind blew from the southeast like that..."
 * "I had a feeling it might."
 * Zhou Yu and Sakon; Warriors Orochi


 * "My lord's enemies are also mine... Prepare yourself!"
 * "Are you sure you won't reconsider? I'd hate to put a scar on a such a pretty face."
 * Diao Chan and Sakon; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Now that sword's just ridiculous. How wide is that blade?"
 * "Hey, keep your thieving paws off it. You couldn't handle this thing anyway."
 * Benkei and Sakon; Warriors Orochi 2 PSP


 * "I'm not especially good with people like you are, Master Sakon. I wasn't sure we would work well together... But it appears one can become accustomed to anything. I'm even starting to... like you."
 * "See, you were worrying about nothing. Your face looks a lot more relaxed now!"
 * Zhuge Dan and Sakon; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Hmph! Ieyasu! When next we meet, I will have your head!"
 * Sakon after his failed assassination attempt; Kessen

Ground Attacks

 * undefined, (undefined): Runs forward to grab an enemy, then rushes forward and uppercuts the held enemy with his blade.
 * , undefined, (undefined): Upward strike which knocks enemies into the air; stabs the ground, creating a fiery explosion.
 * ,, undefined, (undefined): Chop followed by an overhead swinging chop. Second chop hits the ground, sending enemies airborne.
 * ,, , undefined, (undefined): Releases a shockwave, then sweeps his sword upwards to make a launch a ground wave forwards.
 * ,, , , undefined: (Xtreme Legends only) Points forward to signal an overhead rifle barrage. The pointing will also damage enemies. Follows with a spinning slice to the front. Much faster to initiate than R1 + undefined.
 * ,, , , , , , : Barrage of four slashes followed by spinning forward four times with his blade.


 * , undefined: Swings the blade to his left.
 * , : Diving stab into the ground.
 * Alternates between the first two swings of his normal attack string, but faster.


 * R1 + : Damage all enemies within a specific range of varied elemental effect.
 * R1 + undefined: Call a rain of supporting cover fire.
 * Personal Skill : (Rebound) Knockback after guarding decreased when timed well.

Mounted Attacks

 * , undefined: Sweeps the sword upwards, launching enemies.
 * ,, undefined: Chops down hard to his right, may dizzy enemies.
 * ,, , undefined: Swings the sword to his right, then his left, sending enemies flying.
 * ,, , , , , , : Swings his sword back and forth to his right.

Same attacks excluding his C5 and Level 3 Musou. He gains a few new abilities:
 * Warriors Orochi
 * , : An airdash that makes him temporarily invincible. Sakon leans himself forward to propel himself.
 * R1: Creates a barrage of cannon fire, launching enemies upward with fire elemental damage.
 * Direction + R1: Shoots a quick jolt of electricity out of his hand.


 * Warriors Orochi 2
 * Triple Attack 1: Does a slicing motion that sends forth a powerful stream of air.
 * Triple Attack 2: Sends out a strong gust of wind via quick slash.
 * Triple Attack 3: Swings with enough power to hurl a mobile shockwave.

Samurai Warriors 3
Returns with relatively the same moveset with some changes.


 * undefined, (undefined):
 * (Ultimate/Kaiden): Shapes a large, X-shaped beam with his sword and sends it forward.
 * Spirit Cancel: Charges forwards with his left foot raised, breaking the opponent's guard.


 * Warriors Orochi 3
 * R1: Orders reinforcements to open fire.
 * , R1 (Ultimate only): Causes a burst of energy to materialize beneath Sakon's feet and launches it downward in the form of an energy wave.

Samurai Warriors 4
Mighty strike is the same as Deadlock attack. Keeps relatively the same moveset with alterations.


 * ,, , , undefined, (undefined):
 * Finisher changes to swinging his sword once for a horizontal energywave.
 * (Ultimate/Kaidan):
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect:
 * Awakened Skill effect (4-II only):

Hyper Moveset

 * undefined: Replaces old C1.
 * undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined:

Fighting Style
Sakon is a fairly versatile character, able to stand up well both one-on-one and against large groups. Unless speed or time is a factor, he can usually approach large groups by setting up his rifle barrage (either version). Once within a group, it is usually smarter to use his C4 shockwave to scatter the opponents, before going for a C5 on the enemy officers. If the opposing officer is much tougher (due to high morale), using his C2 might be a better plan as the explosive shockwave is almost as large as C4 and the launch can usually affect even opponents who can absorb a few hits. On horseback, it's usually easier to just tap attack, stopping just before the eighth hit so that he doesn't receive the finishing lag on the final swing. While his C2-C4 on horseback have their uses, the simple swings are generally much quicker.

Weapons

 * See also: Sakon Shima/Weapons

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: The Assault on Mitsunari

Historical Information
Shima Sakon, originally known as Shima Kiyooki, was most likely born on June 9th, 1540. He was also known as Shima Tomoyuki and Shima Katsutake throughout his life. Born in the Yamato province to Shima Matsukatsu, Sakon began his career as a samurai retainer under the Hatakeyama clan. This service did not last long, however, as the Hatakeyama were swiftly defeated by the Tsutsui leader, Junsho, who captured Yamato province and provoked Sakon to become masterless.

Historical records grow foggy around this point in his life, with several contradicting accounts without much external support for the different versions of history. The slightly more historically supported route has Sakon proceed to join the victorious Tsutsui Junsho and remain a Tsutsui sammurai until Tsutsui Junkei (Junsho’s son) died in 1584. The alternate path for Sakon’s early years is for him to spend time as a ronin, finding his way under the service of Takeda Shingen. However, this second story has only one unverified source, making it unlikely.

Regardless of how he spent his early years, Sakon eventually became one of the two primary officers under Tsutsui Junkei alongside Matsukura Shigenobu. Their service was so successful that each received the titles of being the Sakon and Ukon (left and right hand) of Junkei, titles used more commonly then their original adult names. After the death of Junkei, Sakon was convinced to service to the Toyotomi under Hidenaga, Hideyoshi’s brother. Hidenaga recruited Sakon shortly before the Kyushu campaign in 1586, in which he participated. Sakon remained under the Toyotomi army until Hidenaga died, leaving Sakon once again without a lord.

Sakon remained a ronin until Ishida Mitsunari recruited him into his army as a leading strategist. He acquired his service with a salary of 20,000 koku, half of Mitsunari’s own stipend. Now employed once again, Sakon proceeded to help Mitsunari as he struggled against Tokugawa Ieyasu’s rising power. By 1600, Sakon served as strategist for the main Western Army at Sekigahara. The day before that famous battle, Sakon led an assault on Ieyasu’s Eastern army at Kusegawa with great success. However, his success proved futile the following day during the battle of Sekigahara. During the midst of the battle, Sakon, his two sons, and his thousand man unit were devastated by rifle fire. Both of his sons died from the salvo and Sakon himself was seriously wounded. He disappears from historical records after this battle, leading many historians to believe he died in the battle or shortly afterwards from his wounds. Despite the end of hard evidence, oral tradition claims multiple sightings of Sakon around Kyoto in the following years, which is supported by the grave his descendants posthumously built for Sakon which claims he survived the battle and lived on until 1632.

Trivia

 * When the top ten results for the first character popularity poll were being announced on stage at Tokyo Game Show 2011, only the top three characters had special wallpapers rendered. After he saw the enthusiastic audience response for Sakon placing fourth, Koinuma promised fans a special Sakon wallpaper after the full results were read.

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