Saijou Mochikiyo

"Saijou"

- confronting his lord.

About
Saijou Mochitsuke was the chief vassal of the Hara House, as well as one of the closest and most loyal subordinates of the lord Hara Shouji. He's one of the top commanders of the Hara, displaying skills in the Yin Yang Arts that make him a very useful ally. During the events of Sengoku Rance, he attempted to convince his lord that Akihime, the manipulative princess of the Hara, was an evil woman and that she should be banished, stating that his lord was blinded by his love for her. While Shouji acknowledged his point, he admited that he was incapable of banishing Aki as he loved her too much even if she was evil, dismissing him as a result. After Mochitsuke left however, Aki showed up not hiding the fact that she heard their conversation, and convinced Shouji to get rid of Mochitsuke by bringing the possibility of him being a spy of the Oda House trying to create inner dispute. The following day, Shouji ordered Mochitsuke to commit suicide by seppuku, and he accepted the order.

Personality and Appearance
In-game Mochitsuke had no unique appearance, using the face given to the generic diviners, covering his whole body with white robes.

He was shown as an impossibly loyal man that was greatly troubled by the direction the Hara House has moved in ever since his lord Hara Shouji married with the princess of the Ashikaga Akihime. He was humble and had a deep respect for his lord, feeling an incredible grief for confronting him about his love. Shouji greatly valued him as a subordinate, stating that having someone as great as him was a blessing and even claiming that he valued him as much as he valued Aki. However, when Akihime felt insulted by Mochitsuke and asked Shouji to kill him by painting him as a spy, Shouji's love for Aki made him doubt Mochitsuke's true intentions in the end.

Abilities
Little is known about Mochitsuke's abilities, but as he acquired a high ranking in the Hara House he's presumed to be a fairly skilled diviner. He's capable of summoning shikigami papers either to attack his enemies or to protect his allies with barries, making him a valuable and versatile ally and one of the best units the Hara House currently possesses. However, as the Hara House was one of the weakest Houses in JAPAN during the time he lived, that is not a very impressive title. He's a very balanced diviner, with an equal amount of skill in offensive and defensive maneuver, as well as in speed.

Trivia

 * It is actually possible to capture Mochitsuke in battle or destroy Hara before the event where he is forced to commit suicide, thus saving him from his fate. This carries little benefit, however, as he is merely a generic diviner.
 * Mochitsuke's name likely is a pun for the action of pounding mochi '餅つき'. 'Mochitsuke!', 'pound the mochi' hints at his tragic nature. Note that his name uses the character 漬, which, when pronounced 'tsuke' is usually used in the context of pickling. So it can also mean pickled mochi. (Unconfirmed)