Yoshitaka Kuki

Yoshitaka Kuki is a highly esteemed Oda commander who is best known for his naval expertise. Famous for his exploits at Kizugawa, he later joined Hideyoshi and sided with the Western Army.

Samurai Warriors
In the first game, Yoshitaka's main appearance is at Ise-Nagashima where he commands the cannon unit at the southeast bay. His protection/elimination affects ally morale. Yoshitaka's unit will stop firing after Hideyoshi's attempted fire attack; he will advance with the other Oda troops if it succeeds. He also appears as an enemy during Goemon's execution.

Subsequent titles have him stationed at Kizugawguchi or assisting the Oda's later campaigns, especially any stage which hints for a navy. In Samurai Warriors 4, he fights at Ishigakibaru during the Sekigahara campaign.

Taiko Risshiden
The Taiko Risshiden series portrays him with the strong pirate image that is prevalent with him in fiction. He is often a rugged man of high standards who takes pride in his navy, often referred to as "Boss" (親分, oyabun) by his pirate subordinates. Kuki is one of the default protagonists available for the fifth title, starring in the pirate route.

Mouri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya
This game portrays him as a formidable pirate who fights Terumoto's army at Kizugawaguchi. As the oppressor of the battle, he is a braggart who relishes the slaughter of the weaker Honganji Rioters. He is overly confident of his navy's strengths and underestimates the inexperienced Mōri lord. Yoshitaka bites his tongue when reports his miserable defeat to the Mōri army. He swears to avenge his defeat yet never gets the chance within the narrative.

Oda Nobunaga Den
Oda Nobunaga Den Yoshitaka starts as a calm swordsman who first appears during the Ise subjugations, which occurs soon after Nobunaga has arrived in the capital. Hideyoshi introduces him to Nobunaga as a leader of the Kuki Renegades, a group of skilled navy men, and sings about his skill in battle. Yoshitaka requests to be admitted into the Oda service after his previous master, Tomonori Kitabadake, turned his back on the Kuki navy. Nobunaga agrees on the condition that he explain the Kitabadake situation to him. With his part of the bargain fulfilled, Yoshitaka serves the Oda henceforth.

Historical Information
Yoshitaka Kuki was born to Sadataka Kuki in 1542 at Sadataka Castle. Following in his father’s footsteps, Yoshitaka became a capable seafaring warrior. He served under the Kitabatake clan until Nobunaga Oda’s invasion of Ise in 1569, when he submitted to Nobunaga to avoid conflict. Yoshitaka’s naval skills proved useful to Nobunaga, was calling on him to serve as a naval officer in the First Battle of Kizugawaguchi, where Yoshitaka himself supplied ten ships. Despite his naval and combat experience, Kuki was defeated by the Mōri naval commander Takayoshi Murakami; due largely to his much larger force. Yoshitaka’s naval rout coincided with Oda’s loss in the siege.

In response to the recent defeat, Nobunaga tasked Yoshitaka to build a more powerful navy. To achieve this end, Yoshitaka oversaw the construction of six large iron armored ships capable of absorbing cannon shot and arrow fire without sustaining serious damage, these massive ships served as the basis for Nobunaga’s complete victory at the Second Battle of Kizugawaguchi just two years later in 1578. He received an increase of 7,000 koku to his stipend, which he used to fund the construction of his own castle at Toba. After Nobunaga’s death at Honnonji, Yoshitaka sided with Hideyoshi Hashiba, continuing his specialized service as a naval officer. He was appointed protector of the Kunmano Sea, the Kii riverways, and Ise port. He served in several major campaigns of Hideyoshi’s, including Komaki-Nagakute, where he helped Kazumasu Takigawa capture Kanie castle from Nobuo Oda. Yoshitaka also co-led the Hashiba fleet during the invasion of Kyushu with Konishi Yukinaga, Wakizaka Yasuharu, and Yoshiaki Kato. His next service took place two years later at 1590 against Odawara Castle, where he blockaded the Sagami coast to help cut off the Hōjō.

Yoshitaka Kuki joined Hideyoshi’s forces in their invasion of Korea in 1592, leading the naval aspect of the invasion, personally commanding the Toyotomi (Hideyoshi’s new surname) flagship, the 'Nipponmaru'. This enormous vessel was described as being three stories tall with triple layered brocade curtains for arrow protection. At its peak, a mountain shrine was built to Ise’s deity. Adding to it’s defense, large stores of replacement wood was kept at the ready to ensure any holes blown into the ship by cannon fire could be repaired and all parts set ablaze could be hewn off and cast into the sea to keep the fire from spreading.

Although possessing such a magnificent ship and a colossal navy, Yoshitaka found himself outclassed by the Korean naval commander Yi Sun-shin. General Yi paradoxically used the same strategy Yoshitaka had against the Mōri at Kizugawaguchi by using armored ships and cannon fire to devastate Yoshitaka’s navy in 1592. Yoshitaka himself fought valiantly, but could not make his superior number of ships count against the better armed and protected Korean ships, ultimately meeting defeat as the rest of Japan’s forces did in their invasion.

Yoshitaka Kuki continued to rise in rank and status despite such naval defeats, being promoted governor of Osumi around this time. He held this office until 1600, when the battle of Sekigahara began. Yoshitaka remained loyal to Hideyoshi by siding with the western army, even though his own son, Moritaka Kuki joined Ieyasu’s eastern army. This provided an interesting dynamic for Yoshitaka, as his son immediately sought and secured pardon for his father after the decisive battle. Ironically, Yoshitaka was unaware of his son’s efforts and committed Seppuku after his defeat before a messenger could reach him with the news of his pardon. Thus Yoshitaka Kuki died on November 17, 1600.