Asakura Norikage

* Sen4-7
* Sen3
* Sen2

**Asakura Norikage**  (朝倉 (あさくら)宗滴 (そうてき), *****Asakura Norikage*****?) is a retainer of the Asakura Clan, serving under Asakura Yoshikage. He/She serves as a recruitable general since Sengoku Hime 2, and has appeared in Sengoku Hime 3, Sengoku Hime 4, Sengoku Hime 5, Sengoku Hime 6, Sengoku Hime 7 and the upcoming Shin § Sengoku Hime.

## Introduction

**Sengoku Hime 2:** Shigeomi Asakura Family The strongest military commander in Hokuriku. His real name is Asakura Norikage. He was originally raised to become the head of the family, but he was only four years old when his predecessor passed away, so he was given a Yoshikage.
After that, in order to avoid the battle for his traces, he was entrusted to a temple called Ryukoji at the age of 14, and was given the legal name of "Soudrop".
He was recalled during the Asakura clan's predicament. Unlike the stupid Yoshikage, he is a strict but brave general with excellent judgment and leadership, so there are many vassals who think that Asakura Norikage is the true head of the family.

朝倉家重臣 北陸最強の武将。本名は朝倉教景。元は当主になる為に育てられていたが、先代が逝去した際にわずか4歳だったため、当主には義景がついた。
その後、跡目争いを避けるため、14歳の時に龍興寺という寺に預けられ、「宗滴」の法名を授かる。
朝倉家の窮地に際して、呼び戻された。愚鈍な義景と異なり、厳しくも勇猛で優れた英断力と統率力を持った将であるため、宗滴こそ真の当主であると考えている家臣も少なくない。

**Sengoku Hime 3:** A military commander who is beautiful and good at martial arts and is serious about his work.
He is trusted by his vassals and people, and his existence is sanctified by everyone's admiration.
He has no humorous stories about men and women, and is believed by everyone to be far from profane greed.

家臣や民から信頼され、その存在は皆の憧れで神聖化されるほど。
男女のうわついた話はなく、皆からは俗物的な欲からかけ離れていると思われている。
CV:猪鹿ちデザイナー:ごばん

**Sengoku Hime 4:** A military commander who has served the Asakura family for a long time and has supported the head of the family for generations as a heavyweight, and is said to be the head of the Asakura family while serving Yoshikage.
Although he is old, his skill is not weakened at all.
He cares a lot about Yoshikage, the current head of the Asakura clan, but he already thinks he can't help himself and wonders if anyone can do anything about it.

老齢ながら、その手腕の冴えには衰えがまったく感じられない。
朝倉家の現当主、義景の事を、非常に……非常に気にかけているが、すでに自分ではどうしようも無いと考えており、誰かなんとかしてくれないものだろうかと憂いている。
【デザイナー：黒田んぼ】　【演者：真木将人】

**Sengoku Hime 5:** A military commander who has served the Asakura family for a long time and has supported the head of the family for generations as a heavyweight, and is said to be the head of the Asakura family while serving Yoshikage. Although he is old, his skill is not weakened at all. He cares a lot about Yoshikage, the current head of the Asakura clan, but he already thinks he can't help himself and wonders if anyone can do anything about it.

デザイナー：黒田んぼＣＶ：真木将人

**Sengoku Hime 7:** A senior vassal who serves the Asakura family.
Since the head of the Asakura family was not suitable for the turbulent world, he was in charge of the Asakura family.
Perhaps because of many years of hard work, when I see young people who are growing up, I have become a caretaker who supports me with all my strength.

演者:真木将人
朝倉家に仕える重臣。
朝倉家当主が乱世にふさわしくない人物だったため、実質彼が朝倉家を取り仕切っていた。
長年の苦労の成果か、成長途中の若者をみると全力で支えてしまう世話焼きになってしまった。

**Shin § Sengoku Hime:** An old military commander who serves the Asakura family.
He is a staff member of the clan who has assisted the head of the Asakura clan for generations, and now assists Yoshikage, who succeeded the family head at a young age.
He is not only a staff member but also a brave man, and his appearance running around the battlefield does not make him feel old at all. It is even said that Norikage is actually the head of the Asakura family.

代々朝倉家の当主を補佐してきた一族の参謀的存在であり、現在は若くして家督を継いだ義景を補佐している。
参謀としてだけでなく武勇にも優れ、戦場を駆け回る姿は老齢であることをまったく感じさせない。実質的には宗滴こそが朝倉家の当主であるとすら言われている。
原画 黒田んぼ
演者|小次狼

## Historial Infomation

Asakura Norikage (朝倉 教景, 1477 – September 23, 1555), also known as Asakura Sōteki (朝倉 宗滴), was a Japanese samurai warrior of the latter Sengoku Period. from Asakura clan.

Norikage was the eighth son of Asakura Toshikage.

In 1506, he led the Asakura against the Ikkō-ikki in the Battle of Kuzuryugawa at the Kuzuryū River. In 1555, another engagement occurred in the Battle of Daishoji-omote.

In 1548, he became a priest and changed his name to Soteki; however, this did not keep him from engaging in war. He engaged in his last campaign at the age of 79 against Ikkō adherents(He captured Daishōji castle in 1555.). He died at the age of 82 in 1555. He participated in twelve battles in his life.

Norikage was born in 1477 as the eighth son of Asakura Takakage, shugo daimyō of Echizen. His given name of Norikage included one of the characters from his father’s name, which was also the name of his great-uncle, so that, despite his birth order, he was treated as the eldest son and lineal heir to the clan. Norikage is commonly referred to under his posthumous name of Sōteki. Following his father’s death in 1481, Norikage was only four, and Asakura Ujikage (his older brother), became the eight lineal head of the clan. In 1486, Ujikage was succeeded by his eldest son, Asakura Sadakage, at a time when Sadakage was thirteen years old, while Norikage was only nine.
Plans for rebellion
Norikage first rose to prominence in 1503 in relation to a planned rebellion by Asakura Kagetoyo, lord of Tsuruga Castle. Owing to his marriage to Kagetoyo’s younger sister, Norikage was requested to support Kagetoyo, but he refused, and instead entered the priesthood at the Ryūkō Temple where he had spent time during his youth. He then secretly informed Sadakage of the plot, whereupon Kagetoyo was ordered to kill himself as retribution for the wrongdoing. To acknowledge his meritorious deed, Sadakage appointed Norikage to serve as lord of Kanagaski Castle and gunji, or governor, of the Tsuruga District. Thereafter, Norikage managed military affairs for the clan.
There is an alternative explanation. Having been designated the lineal heir to the clan, Norikage harbored a desire to take control after becoming an adult. He devised a plan with Kagetoyo and Asakura Kagefusa (Motokage) to usurp Sadakage. Execution of this plan, however, proved untenable because Sadakage, and his father before him, had established a solid command structure within the clan over a period of two decades. Consequently, in the final moments before launching the rebellion, Norikage abandoned the plan and instead informed Sadakage. After the elimination of Kagetoyo, Norikage was appointed governor of the Tsuruga District, and supported Sadakage, as the lineage of his older brother, Ujikage.
Challenges from the Ikkō sect of Kaga
Adherents of the Ikkō sect from neighboring Kaga frequently invaded Echizen in an effort to expand their influence. These actions related to a broader struggle between the Ikkō sect (and by association the Hongan Temple) and the central authority of the Muromachi bakufu in Kyōto. Hosokawa Masamoto, a kanrei, or deputy shōgun, maintained close ties with the Hongan Temple. Meanwhile, the Asakura were opponents of the Hosokawa, causing Masamoto to vigorously demand the Hongan Temple to attack the Asakura and other daimyō in the Hokuriku Region.
In the spring of 1506, Rengo, the chief priest of the Honsen Temple in Kaga issued a written declaration to his followers to overthrow the Nagao clan in Etchū Province and the Hatakeyama of Noto Province. By the summer, the conflict had spread to Echizen as well. Warrior monks from Kaga, Etchū, and Noto converged with followers of the Kai clan to support local uprisings by members of the Ikkō sect to launch an invasion of Echizen. In his role as the commanding general, Norikage led the Asakura army along with allied troops to confront the invading forces in the Battle at the Kuzuryū River. The invaders may have totaled as many as 30,000 men against an Asakura army of approximately 11,000 troops. A fierce conflict ensured in the area of the Kuzuryū River. Norikage launched a surprise nighttime attack at Naka no Gō, causing a collapse of the Ikkō forces and their retreat to Kaga Province.
Fostering prosperity for the Asakura clan
In 1517, Norikage deployed under orders from the bakufu to Wakasa and Tango provinces in support of the Takeda clan, shugo of Wakasa, to suppress a rebellion by the Hemi clan of Wakasa and the Nobunaga clan, shugodai of Tango. In 1525, Norikage intervened in an internal conflict in Mino Province to counter Azai Sukemasa, cooperating with the Rokkaku and proceeding to Odani Castle. Over a five-month period, he supervised the reconstruction and expansion of the 金吾嶽 on the castle grounds, maintained a base, and served as mediator between the Rokkaku and Azai clans. Norikage proved to be very helpful to Sukemasa, forging strong bonds between the Asakura and the Azai.
In 1527, Norikage marched to Kyōto based on an urgent appeal from Ashikaga Yoshiharu, the twelfth shōgun, and Hosokawa Takakuni, a kanrei, or deputy shōgun who had fled the capital to Ōmi Province. Norikage led the Asakura army to victory against the Miyoshi forces at the Battle of Senshōjiguchi in the environs of the Senshō Temple in the Kadono District of Kyōto. In 1528, owing to differences between Norikage and Takakuni, the Asakura withdrew from Kyōto, leaving Takakuni to become a wanderer without the benefit of their protection.
Through these actions, Norikage firmly established the prominence of the Asakura clan, having an influence that reached to the central authorities of the bakufu. In 1527, Norikage assigned the role of governor of the Tsuruga District to his son-in-law, Asakura Kagetoshi, while continuing to serve as the military head of the clan.
The later years
In 1531, Norikage exploited internal conflict in Kaga known as the Kyōroku sakuran, or Kyōroku Disturbance, to join forces with the Hatakeyama clan of Noto and deploy to Kaga. Although the army advanced to the Tedori River, the contingent from Noto was annihilated en route so the Asakura army withdrew. In 1548, Norikage continued in his role as chief of staff after a youthful Asakura Yoshikage succeeded Takakage as head of the clan. According to a letter by Norikage, in 1552, Norikage requested assistance from the Irobe clan of Echigo Province to facilitate the purchase of horses by Yoshikage from the Daihōji clan of Dewa Province.
In 1555, Norikage responded to a request from Nagao Kagetora (later changing his name to Uesugi Kenshin) from the Uesugi clan of Echigo to again deploy to Kaga to attack followers of the Ikkō sect. In one day after entering Kaga, the Asakura army captured the Nangō, Tsuha, and 千足 castles. The forces then set fire to the Enuma District, established a base on Mount Shikichi near the Daijō Temple, and prepared for a prolonged conflict. The Ikkō counterattacked against the Asakura and the battle ebbed and flowed over an extended period without a decisive victor.
This became his final deployment, as Norikage fell ill during the battle, assigning his role a commanding general of the forces to Asakura Kagetaka, and returned to Ichijōdani. Despite the medical care he received at his home base, he died at the age of seventy-nine at Ichijōdani. His passing contributed to a settlement between the combatants at the Battle of Kawanakajima. His son-in-law, Kagetoshi, served as governor of the Tsuruga District on behalf of the Asakura clan.
Kagetaka inherited the role of military chief for the clan, but, unlike in the case of Norikage, failed to lead the army to victory. Over the ensuing months, he launched attacks against the monks in Kaga to no avail. The following year, the Kaga went on the offensive and invaded Echizen, burning villages and exerting pressure against the Asakura, compelling a settlement through the mediation of officials from the bakufu. The clan was further beset by challenges from opponents in surrounding provinces as well as internal conflicts among its retainers. The absence of a successor with the experience and leadership skills of Norikage ultimately proved catastrophic for the long-term survival of the clan under Yoshikage.

**Lord(s):** Asakura Ujikage 朝倉氏景 → Asakura Sadakage 貞景 → Asakura Takakage 孝景 → Asakura Yoshikage 義景

**Father:** Asakura Takakage 朝倉孝景

**Mother:** Eldest sister of Keishitsu Eishō 桂室永昌

**Sibling(s):** Ujikage 氏景, Kageaki 景明, Magoshirō 孫四郎, Kagefusa 景総, Norikage 教景, Tokikage 時景, Kagenori 景儀, **Norikage**

**Spouse(s):** Daughter of Asakura Kagefuyu 朝倉景冬

**Children:** Hoan Kokei 蒲庵古渓, Kagetoshi 景紀 (adopted)