Shimazu Tadakatsu

Shimazu Tadakatsu (Japanese: 島津 平八郎) is the Shugo of the occupied city of Caitong in Qu Province, Zhongbu. He is the current head of the Shimazu Clan from Kitashu in the Amateru Shogunate. His brother is the Demon of the Marsh, Shimazu Tadashige.

## Biography

### Early Life

Tadakatsu was born in Caitong, Qu Province, to unknown parents. He and his brother were abandoned as infants at the doorstep of the Kenshin Shrine, and found by Shimazu Ranja. Ranja raised the two boys, as she and her husband Nobuhiro had been struggling to have children of their own. A year later, Ranja and Nobuhiro would have a daughter named Furi.

By age five, Tadakatsu began playing his adoptive father at strategy games like go and shogi, quickly understanding the rules and adapting quickly and smartly to strategy, often beating some of Nobuhiro's friends. He'd demonstrated the ability to ride a horse and early success at kyudo.

At age eight, he'd become proficient in kendo and began training with actual weapons. Unaware of this, his brother Tadashige playfully tackled Tadakatsu, who dropped the wakizashi he was practicing with, which cut Tadashige's face. Tadakatsu helped his brother to the nearest doctor, not even bothering to tell their parents. Tadeshige would survive, but lost vision in his left eye due to infection. The two developed a close bond from this moment.

### Military Service

Both brothers received their names at the same ceremony at the age of sixteen, taking *Tada-* as the first character, after their first lord and father's childhood best friend Rokkaku Yoshitada, and shedding the *-maru* they had as children. Tadakatsu was assigned to his lord's cavalry, and rose through the ranks as an effective leader.

#### Battle of Orovtas

At the Battle of Orovtas in 217 3E against the armies of Bjorn The Bold of Torvid's Chosen, Tadakatsu's got in a quarrel with his commander, Yoshitada's oldest son Hirokawa, about the effectiveness of a charge against the shield wall tactics of their enemy, Tadakatsu recommending a modified double hammer and anvil tactic, relying on the cavalry attacking at a shallow angle to force the enemy shields to spread out and cover more of the battlefield. Hirokawa wanted a cavalry assault, with infantry on the flank, believing their enemy's wooden shields wouldn't be able to withstand the charge of horses and the Chosen would have to divide their army and be encircled. Tadakatsu finally agreed, being tasked to lead the right wing of the charge.

Early in the battle, Hirokawa's tactics proved wrong, as the center of the charge was halted by enemy spears. Unable to break off the charge in time, Tadakatsu's unit slammed into the shield wall, his horse being speared through the neck and launching him off the saddle. He called for a retreat of his men, himself fighting off the pursuing Chosen until Tadashige made his way to help pull him out. He returned to Hirokawa's tent, his armor red with blood, angry at the loss of forty-three of the seventy-two horsemen under his command. The heavy losses forced a withdrawal. For his strategy and valiant effort, he was promoted to General, replacing Hirokawa's position.

### Becoming Shugo

In 225 3E, Tadakatsu received a letter from Furi stating that Ranja and Nobuhiro had been slain while defending Caitong, and asked him and Tadashige to return. The brothers took their leave, being released of service, and returned home to handle affairs. When they arrived, Furi had already pressed her claim to the rule of the household as the only one actually born into the family. Tadakatsu stepped aside, favoring unity after such a major loss to the clan, but various officials met with him to discuss deposing his sister. Not wanting to spill any blood, he refused to take part in their schemes that could lead to civil war. Tadashige quickly returned to the field, opting to stay out of the familial tension.

After two years, Furi had begun driving the clan into ruin, and more begged Tadakatsu to claim the role. He wrote the Shogun and Kanrei, asking for an official decree that Furi would be unable to ignore. At the same time, a court official brought a correspondence to Tadakatsu between his siblings that discussed Tadashige's preference for Tadakatsu as leader, but implicating a love affair. Tadakatsu burned the letter and had the official imprisoned, but confronted his sister. Furi agreed to step down as the decree from the Kanrei arrived, and Tadakatsu became head of the household. The official was executed for slandering the house, and the letter was never spoken of.

### Current Rule

Tadakatsu has since ruled the clan, making it a powerful house on the frontier. He is married to Lady Myoki of the Uesugi clan, and has taken a love vow with his retainer Takeda Naotora. Tadashige serves as his chief military advisor, while Furi runs agricultural development for Caitong.

## Personality and Traits

Tadakatsu is of unknown descent, but most likely born of the native Zhongren, or from the immigrant Kita. He stands at 6-1/3 shaku (1.92 meters). Mildly handsome with average features, he sports a mustache and a topknot. From a relatively isolationist clan, he is not well known outside of his sphere of influence. He is a competent military commander, realistic but creative. He cares about the lives of his soldiers, though this is mostly for practical reasons - regardless, troops under his command are thankful for it. He is a skilled swordsman, archer, and horseman, though not truly exceptional at any.

## Equipment

### Weapons

Tadakatsu wields an odachi with the Shimazu mon engraved on the mekugi and on the silver kashira, wrapped in green ito on a black tsuka, commissioned on becoming head of the clan - his sister had "親孝行" ("Filial Piety") etched into the spine to thank him. For when the battlefield becomes chaotic, he carries a similarly styled katana passed down from his father named "正義のリーダー" ("Righteous Leader"), and the same wakizashi that had cut his brother now lovingly nicknamed "鬼斬り" ("Demon Slasher") by Tadashige. He also uses a yumi bow made of bamboo.

### Armor

Tadakatsu commissioned a set of armor when he became the head of the clan. The armor is of the do-maru style, with black lacquered iron kozane. The scales are held together by green and white lacing, the white forming a cross shape against the green. The helmet is decorated with lacquered paper mache antlers, with the Shimazu mon in gold between them at the base. He also wears a black and green jinbaori with a white dragon motif along the green interior. On his back is a black sashimono displaying the phrase "太陽の意志" ("will of the sun").