Series: Touken Ranbu
Class: Tachi
Alignment: Good
Gender: Male
Species: Tsukumogami (Sword)
Age: ~778
Birthdate: Sometime in 1238 CE
Height: 6'1" (186 cm)
Weight: 190-ish
Short Description: Black hair, eyepatch, uniformed
A well-built fellow with black hair and pale skin. He looks Asian, to those who have the ability to tell. His hair his short and slightly scruffy, and his right eye is covered with a black patch. His hair is combed over the patched eye, hiding the patch from view a little. His other eye is a bright, molten gold color.
He wears all black, his attire is a combination of a Japanese army uniform and samurai armor. On his right shoulder is a pauldron, though it is fitted over a white button-down shirt, black tie, and a military coat with tails. There is a harness over his left shoulder, buckling under his right arm, and a plated tasset like a samurai hangs from the right side of his belt. He wears elegant black gloves and smart black dress shoes.
- Tsukumogami - Shokudaikiri Mitsutada is a tsukumogami, an inanimate object that has gained a soul and self-awareness after 100+ years. This means that he does not age. However, his state of being is connected to his sword-body, and damage to it will show on him. This is why he has the eyepatch-- the blemish on the sword-body's handle is located precisely there.
- Telekinesis - He is capable of limited telekinesis, though only where his sword-body is concerned. He can "throw" the sword to make long-distance strikes and call it back to him, or he can mentally direct his sword-body to attack a target independently of his human form.
- Freedom of Movement - Because his human form is a spirit, he's not bound by the laws of physics. He is capable of leaping incredible distances, moving incredibly fast, and lifting objects that are far heavier than he should be able to lift for his build. Most of these applications are specifically non-combat, however; in combat he is limited to the strength of his sword-body for physical capabilities. The only physical capability that carries over into battle is his transit abilities, running and leaping.
SKILLS:
- Swordmanship - Obviously he can use a sword. His human form wields his sword-body in battle. But he is also capable of wielding other swords; he's obviously most experienced with katanas and similar curved, single-edged swords.
- Don't Forget the Mundane! - Surprisingly, Shokudaikiri is overall pretty darn handy to have around a house. Perhaps inherited from his master Masamune Date, he's quite skilled at domestic tasks. Particularly cooking, but he's also skilled at mending, housekeeping, fieldwork, handling horses, etc. This is a man that won't groan about shopping for clothes. He knows how to organize tasks, and possibly delegate to others with the most efficiency. And he's very good with money. More than that, he doesn't COMPLAIN about a valuable sword having to do "lowly jobs".
- Strategy - Shokudaikiri's no slouch on the battlefield, either. He can plan attacks in the war room, but he has the insight and understanding to know when his plans have to change-- since combat plans rarely survive combat with the enemy.
Mosaik Role - Cover by Satou Takuya, VA for Shokudaikiri Mitsutada. Put here not because it's his themesong, but for demonstration of what his voice sounds like.
Quotes
- Book Description
- "I'm Shokudaikiri Mitsutada. I'm a katana that was once used by Lord Date Masamune. I don't harbor any bad feelings towards Lord Masamune, but my name comes from a time when I killed someone and happened to cut a candlestick that was nearby at the same time... Although it really was a bronze candlestick holder, it would've been cooler if it had been something a bit more durable."
- Obtained In-Game
- "I'm Shokudaikiri Mitsutada. I can cut through even bronze candlestick holders... Yeah, that's not cool at all."
- Sortie
- "A sword of Mitsutada, the founder of the Osafune school...Here I come!"
- Destroyed
- "It's a sword's fate to fall in battle. But even so... like this, I can't show off anymore, huh...?"
Logs
Background
Shokudaikiri Mitsutada is actually a sword! A tachi, to be precise, the style of sword that preceded the developement of the katana. He was forged by the well-known swordsmith Bizen Osafune Mitsutada in the year 1238 CE. Oda Nobunaga was said to have loved how magnificent Osafune Mitsutada's katanas were, and it was speculated that Shokudaikiri was one of the between 25 to 32 Mistutada-forged swords that Oda collected (the exact number is unclear). Shokudaikiri didn't spend a lot of time in Oda's possession, but was gifted first to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and then to Date Masamune in 1596, where he spent the majority of his remaining time.
While in Date's possession, he was said to have been used to kill an impudent retainer; and the blow was so violent, the strike so true, that it also slashed a bronze candle-holder near the retainer in two as well. Hence his name-- Shokudaikiri literally means "candlestick-slasher". Date Masamune was also the owner who seemed to have the biggest hand in shaping the spirit that would eventually spring from the sword.
The sword would pass to Mito Tokugawa's family after Date's death, some say through trickery. There he was little more than a prized display piece, and there he remained until the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He disappeared from history until the 1923 Kanto earthquake, when he was temporarily lost. However, in April of 2015, the Tokugawa Museum confirmed that they did have Shokudaikiri in storage, and would arrange a public viewing.
However, it didn't go as planned. The case exploded, and the sword flew out of the case. A man dressed in a formal military outfit, with an eyepatch, appeared from literally nowhere and took the weapon with him. There was talk that the spirit of Masamune Date-- who was known as the "One-Eyed Dragon" because he too wore a patch-- had returned to claim his weapon. But that's not quite what had happened...
Personality
Shokudaikiri might at first seem vain, with how he's always making sure that his appearance is impeccable-- his hair's got to be perfect; his clothes have to be completely free of wrinkles; his armor has to be gleaming; everything about him has to be clean and neat. For, he says, "You've always got to make yourself presentable. You never know when someone's going to be looking." But it's not just empty vanity. It's just a side-effect of his nature. He's very detail-oriented, and that obviously extends to his appearance.
Masamune Date was said to have been the "date" in the phrase "dateotoko", a phrase that referred to a man who was both impeccable in his manner of appearance and unparalleled in the social graces as well. Something like the English word "dandy", but without the foppish or possibly gay nuances. Date did not, in truth, create the term, as it existed long before his family; in fact his family name was "Idate", with completely different kanji, but Masamune changed it to "Date", to echo the phrase. But nonetheless, historically Masamune Date has been the one that most people associate with the term.
So, like his favored owner, Shokudaikiri tries his best to embody the phrase as well. He carries a degree of Date's flamboyance, not just into battle, but in everyday life. Though like the phrase "dateotoko", this isn't to say that he's foppish or silly. Quite the contrary, he presents a strong front, one of a person that can be depended on in times of crisis. And in truth, he is. His detail-oriented nature makes him someone that can dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
But see, the outside is where all that ends. As soon as he opens his mouth, the thin veneer of sophistication and crisp severity just cracks right in half. His manner of speaking is quite friendly and informal. Despite his severe looks, he cares deeply about those around him. He also understands that those both under his command and those he's under the command of must be taken care of, and often handles mundane tasks so that others who are better in other roles can carry out their tasks without being weighed down by the mundane.
He rarely rests when he isn't tired, as he does believe the old addage "time to lean, time to clean". Or, insert any other task in place of "clean". He's unlikely to harp at or nag others about their habits, but he'll be sure to mention how uncool they are. This can make him seem like a mother hen at times, particularly when he's wearing a checkered apron and shaking a wooden spoon at someone.
In battle he brings the same flamboyance and impeccable appearance as outside, but with the ferocity of a warrior. He is not to be trifled with on the battlefield-- he reflects the battle prowess of his favored owner, who was known to have taken an army at 14 and utterly trampled the enemy that had killed his father. He fights like a demon when provoked, and will not stop until either his enemy is dead or he is. For all his caring attitude off the battlefield, he is a ruthless opponent and gives no quarter... because that just wouldn't be cool, would it?
