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Mori Ranmaru | |
|---|---|
 Painting of Mori Ranmaru byUtagawa Kuniyoshi. | |
| Native name | 森 蘭丸 |
| Born | 1565 |
| Died | June 21, 1582 (aged 16-17) Honnō-ji |
| Allegiance |  Oda clan |
| Unit | .svg) Mori clan |
| Battles / wars | Honnō-ji Incident |
| Relations | Mori Yoshinari (father) |
Mori Ranmaru (森 蘭丸, 1565 – June 21, 1582), also known asMori Naritoshi[1] (森 成利), was a samurai retainer to theOda clan. He was son ofMori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province ofMino. He was a member of theMori Clan, descendants of theSeiwa Genji.
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 Incident and 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 Nobunaga, therefore preventing it from being found by the rebels.
Innanshoku literature of theEdo period, it was commonly depicted that Oda and Mori had a sexual relationship that was commonly found in those times.[2]
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 inkabuki plays such asTsuruya Namboku IV'sToki-ha Ima Kikyô no Hataage.[3]
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'sKagemusha and variousTaiga dramas, in novels such asEiji Yoshikawa'sTaiko, in manga such asHyouge Mono andA Chef of Nobunaga, and in video games such asSamurai Warriors,Sengoku Basara,Onimusha 3: Demon Siege andPokémon Conquest. He is occasionally portrayed as a woman, for instance in the stage play and anime seriesNobunaga the Fool, thetokusatsu seriesKamen Rider Gaim, and the mobile gameFate Grand Order. Ranmaru has also been the subject of modern music, such asKAT-TUN's1582 which is written from the perspective of Mori Ranmaru at the Incident at Honnouji.[4]
There is a character inThe Wallflower known asRanmaru Mori, as well as a character inPokémon Conquest going by the name of Ranmaru, with his partner Pokémon being Lucario, who serves under Nobunaga's command. There is also a boss inMaplestory sharing the same name. Ranmaru also appears as a minor character in the animeMirage of Blaze based on the novel series of the name.
Mori Ranmaru also appears as a character in the 2025 entry of the long-runningAssassin's Creed video game series,Assassin's Creed: Shadows voiced by Japanese-Canadian voice actor, Liam Kiyoshi Baxter.
Media related toMori Ranmaru at Wikimedia Commons