Mori Ranmaru

In thisJapanese name,thesurnameisMori.

Mori Ranmaru
Painting of Mori Ranmaru byUtagawa Kuniyoshi.
Native name	Sâm lan hoàn
Born	1565
Died	June 21, 1582 (aged 16-17) Honnō-ji
Allegiance	Oda clan
Unit	Mori clan
Battles/wars	Honnō-ji Incident
Relations	Mori Yoshinari(father)

Mori Ranmaru(Sâm lan hoàn,1565 – June 21, 1582),also known asMori Naritoshi( sâm thành lợi ), was the son ofMori Yoshinari,and had 5 brothers in total, from the province ofMino.He was a member of theMori Clan,descendants of theSeiwa Genji.

Biography

From an early age, Ranmaru was a retainer toOda Nobunaga.Recognized for his talent and loyalty, he was appointed to a responsible post. At Ōmi, he was given 500koku,and afterTakeda Katsuyori's death, he was awarded the 50,000 koku atIwamura Castle.

Ranmaru and his younger brothers defended Oda Nobunaga during theHonnō-ji Incidentand allowed him to commitseppuku.Ranmaru and the rest of his retainers ignited the temple in which they had barricaded themselves. The fire killed everyone inside and burned the body of Oda, therefore preventing its capture.

Innanshokuliterature of theEdo period,it was commonly depicted that Oda and Mori had a sexual relationship that was commonly found in those times.

Family

Mori Bōmaru

• Father:Mori Yoshinari(1523–1570)
• Mother: Myōkōni (d. 1596)
• Brothers:
  • Mori Yoshitaka(1552–1570)
  • Mori Nagayoshi(1558–1584)
  • Mori Bōmaru(1566–1582)
  • Mori Rikimaru (1567–1582)
  • Mori Tadamasa(1570–1634)

In popular culture

Main article:People of the Sengoku period in popular culture

Ranmaru has often been the subject of works of art since the Edo period, and continues to be seen in various forms of modern fictional media today. Due to admiration for his loyalty, Ranmaru has been depicted as a loyal page of Nobunaga in various works of classical Japanese art. Such works include ukiyo-e prints by artists such asKuniyoshi,Yoshitoshi,andToshihide.He has also been a character inkabukiplays such asTsuruya Namboku IV'sToki-ha Ima Kikyô no Hataage.

In most modern media his portrayal as a loyal servant to Nobunaga is generally continued. Such portrayals are in historical drama films and television programs such asAkira Kurosawa'sKagemushaand variousTaiga dramas,in novels such asEiji Yoshikawa'sTaiko,in manga such asHyouge MonoandA Chef of Nobunaga,and in video games such asSamurai Warriors,Sengoku Basara,Onimusha 3: Demon SiegeandPokémon Conquest.He is occasionally portrayed as a woman, for instance in the stage play and anime seriesNobunaga the Fool,thetokusatsuseriesKamen Rider Gaim,and the mobile gameFate Grand Order.Ranmaru has also been the subject of modern music, such asKAT-TUN's1582which is written from the perspective of Mori Ranmaru at the Incident at Honnouji.In the Netflix original seriesYasuke,Ranmaru is present as an attendant and lover of Nobunaga.

There is a character inThe Wallflowerknown asRanmaru Mori,as well as a character inPokémon Conquestgoing by the name of Ranmaru, with his partner Pokémon being Lucario, who serves under Nobunaga's command. There is also a Boss inMaplestorysharing the same name. Ranmaru also appears as a minor character in the animeMirage of Blazebased on the novel series of the name.

See also

Media related toMori Ranmaruat Wikimedia Commons

References

• Ota Gyuichi.The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga.Brill Academic Press (2011).ISBN9004201629