#Tomomori Taira

[good-so]

✨Birushana character first impresssions/predictions memes✨

MASTERLIST: [LINK]

YORITOMO MINAMOTO

BENKEI MUSASHIBO

SHUNGEN

NORITSUNE TAIRA

TOMOMORI TAIRA

SHANAO/YOSHITSUNE

I picked a wrong font for this, my bad lol....

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

tomomori really took 45 minutes to die in yoritomo's route... i'm done with this man

[harblkun]

Birushana rkgk and paint practice

[nishiki-e]

The Sixty-odd Provinces of Japan: Awaji, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1845

[colourless-hydrangeas]

Misun!bot

Where can i find this scene? It's really killing me.

I think this is one of the What-If Endings. Not sure which ending/scene this is. I'm not crazy about Tomomori.

[not-so-secretfangirl]

I'm ok with the whole romancing a villain thing, but is it too much to ask to have more of the murderous, traitorous, kinda cold and unfeeling villains and less of the rapist, abusers and frankly misogynistic ones??

It's not hot to be threatened with rape at every turn

[doomed-prophetess]

[isuzukuretsuki]

tomomori

[cherrysamasama]

The pain of playing Tomomori route after falling in love with Yoritomo the route before and having to take the cold shoulder treatment full force.... oof. Absolutely awful.

I was plowing through the game playing routes back to back the same day I finished them, but I actually had to take a break after Yoritomo because I literally could not cope with him not giving a shit about Shanao in the last route without putting some space between me and that good ending.

On a surprising note though I AM enjoying Tomomori route so far.

[ask-misun-and-oc]

Unmei!bot

I have read about Birushana but i only read Tomomori's part. Next time maybe Shungen.

Okay, my opinion about Tomomori, he is a sick person. It's okay to seduce me. But this guy at the same time is humiliating me. He tried to broke my mental too, i mean... bruh! How much i have to struggle to be who i am and you still make me doubt. Luckily i never listen to you. I'm the stubborn one, sorry Tomomori-dono. He will doing anything to broke my heart and mental. At common bad ending, he burned Kurama mansion and... and what? Why did you do that?!

But funfact about him (WARNING SPOILER) in the end, he helped my 'biological' dad (my mom who is saniwa and has his daughter, sorry). I feel pity about himself during facing Rengetsu who possesed his sister named Tokuko.

He is yandere too. I mean Shanao, she is your enemy. Why do you fall in love to your enemy?! Won't you be afraid of stabbed from behind?! And well, wherever Shanao goes, he followed. And when he got her, he just humiliate Shanao as if hypnotizing her. That's sick! Even when Shanao committed a suicide because all Rengetsu's spirit was on her (in tragedic ending), he also commited a suicide by drown himself together with Shanao's corpse.

I admit he is handsome but LOOK AT HIS EXPRESSION!!! He's kind of pervy, flirty, but evil. *laughing so hard*. The way he smirks is so devilish. I don't even recognize when he begun happy in joy or just in flirty way. Annoying aaaargh. His voice is deep yet so alluring but annoying too (thanks to Fukuyama Jun, you've already made the memorable villain). It's like seeing Nobunaga and my dad at the same time.

How does it feel when i see him? It's complicated- like... do i hate him? Yes. And do i love him? YEESSS!!! Maybe he really stole my heart completely. He has Nobunaga's cruelty and straight-head and Yoritomo's smartass brain and cunning sweet mouth (i talk about Ikemen Sengoku and Genjiden). Both of them are teasingful, possesive, and arrogant. If you want both Nobunaga and Yoritomo, CHOOSE TOMOMORI!

Note:

-in Touken Ranbu, Unmei's mother (who is also a saniwa) was impregnant by Yoritomo but she hid her status and the child from him preventing the historical changing. Unmei's mother appears in both real time and Iko map as Ryuji's mother.

-Unmei always brings a broom made of skewers as a weapon whenever a man seduce her.

[japaneseaesthetics]

Kuniyoshi Utagawa: Taira Tomomori and a sea dragon

[whencyclopedia]

Genpei War

The Genpei War (1180-1185 CE), also known as the Taira-Minamoto War, was a conflict in Japan principally between two rival clans: the Minamoto and Taira, for control of the imperial throne. The civil war was punctuated by a typhoon, earthquake, famine and a plague but was finally ended at the decisive Battle of Dannoura when the defeated leader of the Taira, Tomomori, and the claimant to the throne Antoku, both committed suicide. In the aftermath of the war, the Kamakura Shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo and the military would go on to dominate Japanese government for centuries to come.

Background

The Genpei War (Genpei No Soran) was a civil war for dynastic control in Japan between two powerful clan groups who each claimed a rightful inheritance to the imperial throne. From the 9th century CE, the process known as 'dynastic shedding' removed individuals from the dynastic lineage because the royal family became too large and too costly to maintain. With emperors having as many as 50 children, even direct descendants were removed from the royal line and given one of two family names: Minamoto (aka Minamoto-Shi or Genji) or Taira (aka Hei-Shi or Heike). Both groups were militarily powerful and a bitter rivalry developed between them. The aristocracy at court depended on one of the families according to their particular allegiance.

Almost inevitably, armed conflict broke out between these rivals, notably in the 1156 CE Hogen Disturbance when the two sides claimed the throne vacated by the death of retired emperor Toba. The retired emperor Sutoku was supported by Tameyoshi, head of the Minamoto and some factions of the powerful Fujiwara clan led by Yorinaga. Meanwhile, the then emperor Go-Shirakawa was supported by Tameyoshi's eldest son, who joined with the Taira and other members of the Fujiwara, led by Tadamichi, Yorinaga's brother. The Go-Shirakawa side, with help from the military commander Taira no Kiyomori, quashed the rebellion, and Tameyoshi was executed.

1160 CE saw another outbreak in clan hostilities with the Heiji Disturbance. Minamoto no Yoshitomo, jealous at the rewards and prestige won by Taira no Kiyomori following the Hogen Disturbance, seized the throne in 1159 CE while his rival was away from court. Taira no Kiyomori swiftly returned to restore order and Yoshimoto was killed. Two rebellions and twice the Taira clan had prevailed so that they were now the most powerful family in Japan. For the Minamoto, though, it would be third time lucky.

Taira no Kiyomori enjoyed even greater rewards now that he had quashed two 'disturbances' to the status quo and he was made Grand minister of state (daijo daijin) in 1167 CE. From then on, though, Kiyomori began to lose important allies, notably his old supporter the emperor Go-Shirakawa, now retired, who plotted to assassinate Kiyomori in 1177 CE following his attempt to promote a Taira prince. Trouble was, once again, brewing at court. A failed attempt by Kiyomori to move the court from Kyoto to Kobe was followed in 1180 CE by him audaciously putting his grandson Antoku, a mere two-year-old, on the throne at Kyoto. Antoku was the son of Emperor Takakura and his wife was Kiyomori's daughter. At this, the Minamoto had had enough, and with the support of Mochito, the son of ex-emperor Go-Shirakawa, civil war broke out.

Continue reading...

[astrology-bf]

Little bit of an update for folks who do read my stuff on AO3. First off: I love and appreciate you immensely. Secondly, this month is going to have a heavy focus on refining my skillset and being better about community participation (particularly when it comes to leaving feedback); that said, still working heavily on the Pathos of Things with a renewed focus.

I want Ifan and Hancock's love story to be meaningful both thematically and to me personally, so I've recentered it with a heavy focus on literature of the Heian Period in Japan; I'm extremely partial to poetry and prose of the era, for one thing, and not only do the pair meet in their universe's analogue to Japan... they're both very literate men, with very good handwriting, with a mutual appreciation for beautiful things and the ephemerality of existence - i.e. classic themes within Heian literature. So it seems more than appropriate that it should be the creative inspiration for their romance.

I've a few pieces of poetry I'd like to share from my research which are currently serving as central focuses within the revised narrative, perhaps you might find one of them a nice prompt for a drabble, sketch, or gpose. Enjoy!

(CW: Poetry. Sorry, lmao)

"In these spring days with tranquil light encompassing the four directions, why do the blossoms scatter with uneasy hearts?"

Ki no Tomomori, Hisakata no

"Unheard of, even in the legendary Age of Gods; the Tatsuta River, scarlet, and the water flowing under it."

Ariwara no Narihira, Chihayuburu

"Forgotten by him, I do not think myself. But I can't help but worry for the life of he who swore so fervently before the gods."

Ukon, Wasuraruru

"As I was wondering whether or not I had seen it by chance, it became cloud-hidden; the face of the midnight moon."

Murasaki Shikibu, Meguri aite

"The span of time that I sleep alone, sighing, until night lightens... Can you at all know how long that is?"

The mother of Udaisho Michitsuna, Nageku tsutsu

"Even though I hide it, it shows all over my face, such is my longing; thus people ask me, 'What are you thinking about?'"

Taira no Kanemori, Shinoburedo

"If I live on longer; shall I again, I wonder, yearn for these days? The world that I once saw as bitter, now, is dear to me."

Fujiwara no Kiyosuke, Nagaraeba mata

"Like the Mina River that falls from the peak of Mount Tsukuba, so my longing has collected and turned into deep pools."

Retired Emperor Yōzei, Tsukuba-ne no

"When longing for him tortures me beyond endurance, I reverse my robe - garb of night, black as leopard-flower berries - and wear it inside out."

Ono no Komachi, Ito Semete

"O heavenly breeze, blow so as to block their path back through the clouds! For I would, if but for a moment, detain these maidens' forms."

Sōjō Henjō, Amatsu Kaze

"Swift waters parted by the jagged rocks are joined at river's end."

Former Emperor Sutoku, Se wo hayami

[lunas-otome-blog]

Luna's Review: Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei

Official Summary:

Fifteen years after the Heiji Rebellion, the Heike clan has reached the height of its power, while the Genji clan remains devastated by defeat. Hidden deep within the mountains of Kurama lives Shanao, the youngest surviving male heir to the Genji name. However, Shanao harbors a deep secret known by very few.

The youngest heir to the Genji name is no man.

Her adventure leads her to find new cherished relationships, as well as something deeper than the feud between the rivaling clans.

Luna's Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

Fast-paced and serious, Birushana is an action-packed otoge that plays out like an anime.

MC Shanao (later Yoshitsune) is inflexible, with a strong sense of justice and an even stronger sword arm. Despite her fierce personality, she seems easily swayed by sincerity. She doesn't like when people put themselves in harm's way for her, preferring to sacrifice herself instead.

The fight scenes in this game are elaborate, with characters twisting and trembling to vibrant sound effects. Sprites move quickly and dramatically in ways I've never seen in an otoge before. The swordplay seems high stakes as the game shows you the impact of each swing rather than describing it in text.

This game would have benefitted from stripping down the number of characters in general, as there are a LOT of sprites, some with little screen time. There are also large time skips where relationships are formed between Shanao and her followers, but they feel a bit rushed because we didn't get to watch them develop.

This game is based on the real historical events of the Genpei War between the Heike (Taira) clan and the Genji (Minamoto) clan. While I do recommend playing your first route blind, you might find it fun to read through the Wiki article about the war afterwards, just to see where the game diverges from truth. Or maybe I'm just a big nerd lol.

Birushana is very, very Japanese, and if you're like me, you'll find yourself looking at the dictionary often. But much of the vocabulary is added for flavor, so it won't really affect your playthrough if you can't remember the modern-day equivalent of ancient Japanese cities or specific titles for monks.

The routes of this game all follow the same general plot, as it is based on a real war. If you're playing your first route and thinking "Man, this is super long," it's because there are common route scenes interspersed throughout character routes. So if you feel like you've played a certain scene before, it's probably because you have. Get that skip button ready.

Final thoughts: this game was okay. My main critiques are that the game could have done a better job introducing characters; the romanceable characters are not given enough screen time when you're not playing their route; and some of the routes are boring/predictable.

My recommended route order, based purely on the amount of information revealed, is: Noritsune -> Benkei -> Yoritomo -> Shungen -> Tomomori. This isn't the recommended order by the publisher, so play at your own risk lol.

For thoughts on each route in the order I played them, see below. Spoilers ahead.

.

Musashibo Benkei Route (Spoilers)

I didn't feel the game gave enough of an introduction to Benkei before shunting me off onto his route. While I understand why these characters get along, they are both immediately ride or die for each other in a way that felt unrealistic. Their dedication was too strong, too fast to be believable.

That said, I see why they make a nice couple. Benkei admires Shanao because of her strength, and she comes to like him because he has suffered in a similar way to her. Initially he reminds her of the father she never had, but her feelings become something more complex as the game goes on.

Benkei clearly admires Shanao as a warrior of justice, not because she's a woman. When he realizes his feelings are more than that of a vassal for his lord, he actually feels guilty it because he knows Shanao has had to sacrifice so much to become a "man." It was pretty cute.

There's some sexual assault themes in this route, and I felt it was handled well, with Shanao taken seriously and given ample time to heal.

There's unfortunately not much to Benkei beyond him being a general nice guy and die hard companion. You learn his backstory quickly and there isn't anything to add after that point. When Benkei lies to Shanao, which would have been a prime opportunity to create some tension or angst, she instead understands his motivations innately and forgives him right away. The same goes for him when he discovers Shanao has been hiding her true nature.

While I liked this route okay, it felt more like an outline of a route than a full plot. I'm glad I played this one first, as it was kind of a snoozefest.

.

Tomomori Taira Route (Spoilers)

I hated this character in the Benkei route, so I decided to play him next. I couldn't understand how the game could paint him as sympathetic enough to want to date.

Spoiler alert: it never does. I disliked Tomomori throughout his own route, too.

Tomomori could have easily been written as an obsessed yet passionate character, but instead he is just plain creepy. He steals kisses without consent, touches Shanao in her sleep, calls her by cringey names like "Princess" and is just generally flirty in a way that Shanao clearly doesn't like. When Shanao starts to fall for him, it felt more like Stockholm Syndrome than actual love. Girl, what??

His obsession with her, by the way, is never really explained. While his backstory was infinitely more interesting than Benkei's, it doesn't justify his actions toward her — or explain why she might reciprocate.

The whole point of his character is that he's chaotically suicidal and feels his life means nothing. It would have made more sense if Shanao had done something to give his life meaning. I could understand if he'd become obsessed with her because she shares his powers and represents a freedom that he never had. But that's not what happens. Instead, he decides a random crying woman will become his new toy, and we're supposed to believe that it was true love the whole time.

In the after ending scene, we find out he is literally keeping her at home instead of allowing her to visit her friends and family because he is too jealous to let her speak with other men. This is supposed to be romantic?

This whole route was icky and unhealthy. Not even the final act plot twist can save this pairing.

.

Noritsune Taira Route (Spoilers)

Noritsune is a better version of Tomomori. His obsession with Shanao, who is the same age as him, makes sense after she whoops his ass in battle. He sees her as a true rival and admires her desire to choose her own path, not just as a child of Genji but as an individual.

Despite his inferiority complex, Noritsune is a skilled warrior and a true man's man. Once he's seen how his own family treats its people, his allegiance wanes. While ultimately he does fight for the Heike, he, like Shanao, isn't interested in flexing his superiority, but in fighting for the weak. He's a good guy in a tough position.

When Noritsune discovers Shanao is a woman, he doesn't treat her any differently. While this is respectable, I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see Noritsune struggling with his attraction toward her haha. But don't worry, you do get a scene like this later. And while the ending is bittersweet, it felt more realistic than having everything work out perfectly.

Despite revealing less information about Shanao's backstory than the other routes, Noritsune's route was really solid. He goes through a satisfying arc, from a character who only cares about honor to someone who really embraces his leadership role and what that means to his people. Shanao also experiences growth as she spends time with the Heike and learns that there are good people — and bad — on both sides.

This route was my favorite in the game. It was sweet and romantic while still feeling overall like a "samurai" game. This is a fighting-heavy route as Shanao and Noritsune clash as Genji and Heike — and as two people who greatly respect each other and just want to test their skills.

.

Shungen Route (Spoilers)

Shungen doesn't get a lot of attention on the other routes, but you do get to see little bits of him that suggest he's the long suffering type. At the beginning, he chides Shanao for trusting too quickly. In Noritsune's route, he steps aside as she goes to him in the final battle, not understanding but respecting their bond. He's the sort of character who doesn't seek the spotlight, content with a supporting role.

This supporting nature is the first arc of Shungen's route, wherein his relationship with Shanao is questioned. They both consider a more formal arrangement wherein Shungen officially becomes Shanao's vassal, rather than the loose childhood friends relationship they have now.

The route continues to deal with with the topic of family, as Shanao evaluates her feelings about her brother and mother a little more carefully than the other routes. Of course, that leaves Shungen to question why he's feeling jealous, which is exactly the type of angst I want on a childhood friend route hehe. Shungen also gets to shine as a military strategist and leader in a way that isn't highlighted on the other routes.

There's an unexpected twist in this route, which surprised me because all of the other blogs I checked out recommended playing Shungen's route on the earlier side. As it stands, I'm glad I played it where I did, because it's a pretty big adjustment.

The one misstep in this route comes when Shungen and Shanao are pushed into a corner and must choose between being together and their morals. Shungen lacks his eye shinies in this scene, which we all know is the universal anime signal that he's gone mad. Together, Shanao and Shungen make a bad choice, which I figured meant I had gotten a bad ending. But no, it all works out, and you don't find out until the post credits scene that there's some trickery going on that allows them to have it both ways.

We basically see Shungen going off the deep end, becoming unhealthily obsessed with Shanao, and then there's just...no resolution. He gets better on his own without talking to anyone or letting the audience in on it. Idk if they ran out of space for more dialogue on this route or what, but I felt like it was missing a key scene before the ending.

Other than that, this was a pretty okay route.

.

Yoritomo Route (Spoilers)

Despite having a strong presence in every route, I had very little opinion of Yoritomo before his own route. He's cool, calm and collected, but seems to reveal very little of himself at any given time.

We find out through flashbacks that he does indeed have emotions, but boxes them up in order to take care of what needs to be done, including fighting his own family members when they get out of hand. He tries to keep his distance from Shanao so he doesn't come to care for her too much, but still gets jealous when she treats others with favor. He's a pretty cute, gap-moe sort of character.

Looking back on this route, you actually get less information about Shanao's background than on Shungen's route. But I didn't feel bored because I enjoyed watching Yoritomo's cold demeanor crack as he falls in love with Shanao.

If you want a punchy end to the game, this isn't the route to play last, despite it being recommended by the publisher. But it was one of the better, more believable romances imho.

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Other Endings (Spoilers)

Something very cool that Birushana does is include special endings for undatable side characters. You have to go to the flowchart to play them, and then only appear after you've completed a datable character's ending. But they're worth playing. Here are my thoughts.

Tadanobu: Simple and sweet. I wish we'd learned more about this character in the main game, but I enjoyed hearing a little of his backstory, including why he's such a flirt.

Shigehira: This is what Tomomori's route should have been and somehow includes more character development than his entire route. Shigehira, like his brother, is obsessed with torturing Shanao, but begins to fall for her kindness and becomes more of a tsundere after he learns she's a woman. I wish he'd been the full route rather than his sadistic brother.

Tsugunobu: This one was kinda boring. Not much happens. I wish it would have explored more of their relationship rather than just a one-sided promise.

Takatsuna: This character was so funny the entire game, because he's treated like a little kid despite legitimately being one of Yoritomo's vassals. In his ending, we get to see a very sweet friendship develop between him and Shanao. I still think he looks like a bug though lol.

[colourless-hydrangeas]

Tomomori's route is one hell of a roller coaster ride. It was so crazy. I think I need eye bleach.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

SHANAOU IS RELATED TO THREE OF THE LIS????? OAO

[not-so-secretfangirl]

YOU CAN NOT GO AROUND SAYING THINGS LIKE "I, too, was willing to be destroyed by you" AND "When did I become captive to you?"AND EXPECT ME TO BE ON MY WAY LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED