Lady Hayakawa

Lady Hayakawa (早川殿, Hayakawa-dono) is a common nickname for one of Ujiyasu's daughters and Ujizane Imagawa's wife. She is best known for marrying into the Imagawa clan as a condition for The Kōsōsun Triple Alliance.

Her playable counterpart in the Samurai Warriors series is voted twenty-sixth in the Samurai Warriors 4 character popularity poll.

Samurai Warriors
Lady Hayakawa is Ujiyasu's eldest daughter. Dedicated to defending her family, she supports her father and brothers during their family campaigns. After Saburō is sent to the Uesugi, Lady Hayakawa learns the realities of their era and her father's virtues as they defend their family ally, Ujizane Imagawa, at Tootōmi and Suruga. During the Takeda scenario, she supports Ujizane because she also wants to protect her mother's Imagawa roots. Although her younger brother wishes to cut their losses at Mimasotoge, both her and Kai's departure encourages the rest of the Hōjō to take action against Shingen. Later, the maidens lead Hōjō reinforcements on Saburō's behalf during his war against Kagekatsu.

During the unification scenario, Lady Hayakawa encourages the Hōjō army to stand strong against the Toyotomi invasion of her home. When Kai falters, the princess leaves her position to offer assistance. She tries to guard the main keep's entrance and revives a second time to protect her father. After Ujiyasu dies, she is left within Ieyasu's care as a condition of their surrender to at least keep watch over the Hōjō's former lands. Since she is indebted to the Tokugawa, Lady Hayakawa is later obligated to fight for their side at Osaka Castle. The player can decide whether she fights against Kai or not.

In the Kantō chapter's Gaiden, she helps Kai's stand at Oshi Castle.

Nobunaga's Ambition
Nobunyaga no Yabou highlights her kitty counterpart during the ''Dokii! Himedarake no Neko Senki'' scenario. She is given a seashell by her mother, Teruhime-nyan (Zuikeiin), to commemorate her departure from her ancestral home. After her grand wedding ceremony to Ujizane, Hayakawa-nyan presents the shell to her father-in-law. Yoshimoto recognizes the gift since he has a shell matching it within his possession. Happy to receive his younger sister's silent blessings, the Imayagawa lord rejoices his son's marriage.

When the alliance later crumbles with Yoshimoto's death, Hayakawa-nyan defies her mother's expectations to protect the Imayagawa family line to side with her abandoned husband. Acting on his wish to live for the future, she instructs him to seek shelter with her Hōjō relatives in the east. Since she is well informed of the Mikeda and Uesugi's movements due to her sisters and sister-in-laws, the lady knows exactly when her husband should leave her caretakers. Her anger towards Ujimasa burns bridges, but she will do anything to protect Ujizane. Her spirit only falters when he dies, yet she gladdens herself for never leaving his side. The narrative remarks she passes away soon after and tells the player to fight their souls a final time for a hearty sendoff.

Development
Mieda commented that the new characters for the fourth title were added to help bridge the chapters together. He implied that Lady Hayakawa fits this need for the Kantou chapter. She was designed to be the "ideal daughter" character so much that Mieda fondly called her "[his] little girl". The character designer believes she represents a new type of innocent and pure character not yet seen within the Warriors series. Her weapon is meant to reference her family ties to the Imagawa family.

Personality
Lady Hayakawa is a maiden loved and pampered by many of her countrymen, the retainers, and her younger brothers. She may appear to be innocent and frail, but her reserved, strong will is a match for her father's courage.

Character Symbolism
In the Samurai Warriors series, she is symbolized by the kanji for "cold" (涼) and "purity" (清).

Lady Hayakawa's default weapon is partially named kazahana, or a type of natural phenomenon associated with snow. It can be used to describe light snow on a clear, sunny day or light blowing snow brushing away snowdrift. Either image suggests sparkling iridescence, and the characters imply that the snow resembles flower petals dancing in the wind. Kazahana is commonly known as a seasonal poetic term for describing winter's beauty.

Her rare weapon is named after Kushinadahime, a sacrificial maiden offered to appease Yamata-no-Orochi.

Genan Ohohejo, her heirloom, is a book authored by Ujiyasu's uncle. Genan was thought to have lived as a hermit during his end years and was reportedly valued for imparting Ujiyasu's children with his wisdom. He is famous for being the only family vassal who served all five Go-Hōjō clan leaders during his lifetime. His book was passed onto his daughter and is a text detailing his knowledge of proper etiquette during the era.

Voice Actors

 * Satomi Sato - Samurai Warriors 4

Charge Moveset

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Shinsoku Moveset

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 * Dashing :
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 * Throws several balls at foes. Winds up before throwing an ice ball at foes which emits three ice explosions.
 * Musou Gokui effect: Ice element to attacks. Activates Ultimate/Kaidan Musou if is used. Poses for camera if the effect ends without activating Ultimate/Kaidan Musou.
 * Musou Gokui effect: Ice element to attacks. Activates Ultimate/Kaidan Musou if is used. Poses for camera if the effect ends without activating Ultimate/Kaidan Musou.


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Mounted Moveset

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Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Defense at Suruga

Historical Information
Lady Hayakawa's origins and her mother are unknown, although she has been argued to either be Ujimasa's elder half-sister, elder sister, or younger sister. What is known is that she was sent to marry the seventeen-year old Imagawa Ujizane (Imagawa Yoshimoto's eldest son and successor) in 1554. The marriage alliance renewed peaceful ties between the Hōjō and Imagawa clans, which was previously broken in spite of Ujiyasu's marriage to Yoshimoto's younger sister, Zuikeiin. Lady Hayakawa is famously known today for being the only wife made for the alliance who actually stayed by her husband all their lives.

After Yoshimoto's death, Takeda Shingen threatened to invade Suruga in 1568. Lady Hayakawa and her eldest daughter accompanied Ujizane's escape to Kakegawa Castle. She had nothing to ride during the journey (a standard for maidens of her stature), so Ujiyasu asked the Uesugi forces to provide reinforcements and proper comforts for his daughter. The family continued to flee east to escape the Takeda forces, resting at Tokura Castle and then into Odawara. Lady Hayakawa's personal request led to her family's easy acceptance into her father's territory. It was here that she was formally coined with the name Lady Hayakawa, as she was named after the city her family resided (Hayakawa).

The family stayed there until Ujiyasu's death. According to the Koutei Matsudaira-ki, rumors of Shingen's incoming invasion were prevalent in Odawara Castle. The Hōjō retainers feared he would want to attack and use their ties with Ujizane against them, either have him killed or held as a hostage. When Lady Hayakawa caught wind of the people's unrest, she demanded an explanation from her brother, Ujimasa. Once she learned that her husband was the cause, Lady Hayakawa boldly proclaimed that her family would be leaving Odawara. In 1571, when the Kōsōsun Triple Alliance was again reestablished, her family left for Ujizane's return to Suruga. Along the way, the family relied on Tokugawa Ieyasu at Hamatsu Castle. When the alliance once again broke within the following year, Ujizane and his family decided to stay within Hamatsu. It is generally believed that this was when she was able to give birth to more children for him, although which ones she did remains disputed.

She isn't mentioned by name within records beyond this point, but most historians assume that she kept following Ujizane as he traveled towards the capital and then rested at Edo. She became a nun when he died in Edo in 1613 and died approximately two months after his death –likely due to natural causes. Her current grave stands at Kansen-ji in modern day Suginami, Tokyo.