ベイカー寮221B／Baker House 221B

YAMAMOTO Kansuke was a strategist of TAKEDA Harunobu (Shingen) but was considered to be a character in legend for a long time. He was born in Ushikubo, Mikawa (current Toyokawa City of Aichi Prefecture) and was adopted by OBAYASHI Kanzaemon in his childhood. He traveled many provinces to perfect his skill of swordsmanship in his twenties, and tried to serve IMAGAWA Yoshimoto but was rejected for him being one-eyed and lame in one leg. But he kept staying in Suruga, territory of the Imagawas. After that he was recommended to serve TAKEDA Harunobu, later Shingen by ITAGAKI Nobukata, one of the senior vassals of the Takedas.

He participated in many battles and built Kaizu Castle, later Matsuhiro Castle. During the fourth campaign of the Battle of Kawanakajima, he was attacked by the soldiers of UESUGI Masatora (Kenshin) and died in the battle. He emphasised that a daughter of SUWA Yorishige should become a concubine of Harunobu after the fall of the Suwas and then they had a son called Katsuyori. Besides he contracted a friendship with SANADA Yukitaka, father of Sanada Masayuki and grandfather of Sanada Nobuyuki and Nobushige.

In this series, he is described as a kind of vagabond but a master swordsman. He meets a girl called Mitsu in Kai but she was killed by Takeda Nobutora, father of Harunobu. He  hates Nobutora so much but decides to serve his son Harunobu who exiles his father to Suruga. After becoming the strategist of TAKEDA Harunobu, he displays his abilities though opposed by some senior vassals and maneuvers other clan. Later he becomes to be accepeted but was shot in the Siege of Kawagoe Castle and saved by Sanada Yukitaka. Then Yukitaka and other rulers of Northern Shinano serve Harubobu. On the other hand, he is secretly in love with Yu-u hime and mourns her early death.

The image shows Seiyo Uchino as Yamamoto Kansuke.
(From a DVD of "Furin Kazan")

• FurinKazan-people