長宗我部 元親 ちょうそかべ もとちか Chōsokabe Motochika 1539 - 1599 Appearances: Sengoku BASARA (1NPC,2) Note: Chōsokabe can be also written 長曾我部. Previously nicknamed 姫若子 Himewakako (Little Princess) for being a gentle-hearted boy during his childhood, but after he showed his might in battle, that nickname changed to 鬼若子 Oniwakako (Little Demon). Son of 国親 Kunichika. He was the daimyo of 土佐 Tosa, a province of Shikoku. At first his father doubted his worth as an heir, however Motochika proved it in the Battle of Nagahama (1560) where he led a charge of 50 horsemen against the 本山 Motoyama army. At first, Tosa was owned by the 一条 Ichijo clan, but the daimyo at the time, 兼定 Kanesada, was known as a cruel daimyo. The Chōsokabe then attempted to take the province from the unpopular daimyo in 1573, and succeeded in 1575. After assuming control of Tosa, the daimyo who had a dream to control the entire Shikoku campaigned against 伊予 Iyo province, which was ruled by the 河野 Kōno clan. The campaign ended with success to the Chōsokabe in 1580. Then in 1582, the clan subdued 三好 Miyoshi's 阿波 Awa province. And finally in 1583, Motochika proceeded to conquer 讃岐 Sanuki province owned by the 十河 Sogou. The campaign succeeded and Motochika's dream had became a reality. However his fulfilled dream only lasted for not too long. In June 1585, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched a full-scale attack on Shikoku, which army's number and techhnology were no match for the Chōsokabe. Motochika agreed to surrender to Hideyoshi, and as a compensation, he was let alive and allowed to keep his Tosa province. He also aided Hideyoshi in the subjugation of Kyushu and northern Honshu. He was married to 菜々 Nana, sister of 斉藤利三 Saitō Toshimitsu, a loyal Akechi retainer. The oldest four of his sons were 信親 Nobuchika, 親和 Chikakazu, 親忠 Chikatada and 盛親 Morichika. At first, the eldest Nobuchika was appointed as Motochika's heir. However he met his unfortunate death during the Kyushu campaign. Surprisingly, Motochika then appointed Morichika as heir, skipping Chikakazu and Chikatada. The reason is still unknown, but it could be because Chikakazu had been adopted by the 香川 Kagawa, and Chikatada, the 津野 Tsuno. It is also said that Morichika had a better personality than his brothers.