Takamura Ono

Takamura Ono (小野 篁,Ono no Takamura^?) is a swordsman who Musashi Miyamoto meets and also have an Oni Gauntlet in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Following the guidance of the voice in his gauntlet, Musashi ends up meeting Ono no Takamura. He is a highly skilled swordsman, and can vanquish Genma with ease despite his old age.

History

Backstory

While little is known of his early life, Takamura lived as a calligrapher and poet, likely inspired by his grandfather, Ono no Michikaze, who came to be known as one of the Sanseki (three famous calligraphers of the Heian Period). At some point in his life, he would come into contact with the Oni, a race of beings who's civilization ruled over Hell, and they would entrust him with the duty in guarding the Oni Gate that separates Hell from the mortal realm and killing any Genma that manage to escape their confinement within Avici (the lowest layer of Hell), a decision supported by King Enma himself. Seeing the clear need for this task, Takamura accepts this request and is granted an Oni Gauntlet, vowing to guard the Oni Gate for as long as he is required. As a result of wearing an Oni Gauntlet, Takamura almost stops ageing altogether, allowing him to continue guarding the Oni Gate long after his life would have normally expired, and he faithfully continues this task for over 700 years.

He would permanently base himself within Rokudo-chinnoji Temple in Eastern Kyoto during this time as a Spirit Well is located there that leads directly to the gate, and he would become the only person in the mortal realm capable of opening the gate. As centuries pass, Takamura would become a monstrously powerful swordsman after absorbing Genma Souls, capable of even contesting with other powerful Onimusha even without his Gauntlet, wielding a powerful dai-katana with great efficiency and strength. Unfortunately, the Oni clan would soon be massacred by Yoshitsune Minamoto after they had initially granted him an Oni Gauntlet as well, the warrior being driven mad with the power he had gained as an Onimusha and turning on them in their attempt to seal him within Avici alongside the Genma. Having aided the Oni in sealing Yoshitsune away, Takamura remains firm in his conviction to keep the Oni Gate guarded for the entirety of his tenure as guardian.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

In early Edo Period, while continuing to guard the Oni Gate and kill any Genma that manage to reach the mortal realm, Takamura is suddenly sought out and contacted by Okuni Izumo in the hopes of gaining the power of the Oni in order to fight the Genma and rescue a missing member of her dance troupe known as Hinagiku. Unable to facilitate her gaining an Oni Gauntlet due to the Oni's near-extinction, he instead takes the role as a mentor and teaches her what he knew of both the Oni and the Genma. While it is not known for certain, it is likely that the small knife Okuni wields was likely given to her by Takamura, this knife allowing her to successfully damage and kill Genma without an Oni Gauntlet. In return for his tutelage, Okuni would act as an aid and informant for him, informing him of happenings and events outside of the Temple since Takamura had to remain inside in order to guard the Oni Gate.

At one point, a group of Hitotsume Gasa manage to infiltrate the Temple, though this appears to have been intentionally facilitated by Takamura himself in order to help train Okuni to fight them. While Okuni struggled to avoid their attacks and actually manages to kill one by stabbing it in the head, Musashi Miyamoto arrives to Kyoto after unwillingly gaining an Oni Gauntlet just a few short hours prior. As Takamura joins the battle and effortlessly cuts down more Genma when Okuni gets overwhelmed, Musashi enters the Temple in search of Takamura at the request of a voice that emanated from his Gauntlet. Intrigued to see him wearing an Oni Gauntlet and actively seeking him out, Takamura agrees to hear him out once he defeats the present Genma and seals a Rift that materializes over the Temple.

Once Musashi defeats the Genma and seals the Rift by absorbing it into his Gauntlet, Takamura agrees to listen to his story, learning that Musashi had been killed by Genma alongside his rival Ganryu Sasaki, only to be forced to wear an Oni Gauntlet by an individual in Hell. Realizing Musashi's circumstances, he is quick to learn that since his Gauntlet had effectively revived him from death, it is also the only thing keeping him alive, suggesting that removing the Gauntlet would kill him and that the woman residing within is using all of her strength to keep him alive. While Musashi becomes annoyed that he cannot remove his Gauntlet, especially upon learning that Takamura is under no such restriction due to still being alive when gaining his own Gauntlet, Takamura suggests instead powering the Gauntlet by absorbing Genma Souls, not only allowing the woman within to reveal herself once she no longer needs to consciously power it herself, but also going so far as to suggest that giving the Gauntlet enough power by absorbing enough Genma Souls would allow it to fully heal his otherwise fatal wounds, removing his dependency on it and therefore allowing him to remove the Gauntlet without dying.

Hopinh to enlist Musashi's help with his own task, Takamura takes him to the nearby Spirit Well which takes them both to the Oni Gate at the brink of Hell itself, telling of its purpose as well as his own task at guarding it for over 700 years, calling the act of doing so while also killing Genma to be "good, honest work", though also admits to significantly enjoying the role. However, he informs Musashi that while Genma can only trickle into the mortal realm from Hell through Rifts, the Genma invasion of the living world would be more akin to an uncontrollable flood should the Oni Gate open and let them out en masse, mentioning that the preservation of "key sanctuaries" is key to ensuring that the Oni Gate remains closed. Given that while Rokudo-chinnoji Temple is itself a key sanctuary, he is unable to leave it due to his role in guarding the Oni Gate, Takamura requests Musashi's aid in ensuring that the rest of the key sanctuaries are safe from Malice and corruption, promising him a plethora of Genma Souls to further power the Gauntlet and fully awaken the woman residing within.

Once the two return to the temple, Okuni quickly informs them that Kiyomizu-dera Temple had been attacked by the Genma, prompting Takamura to ask Musashi to use a nearby Spirit Mirro to head there and purify it by killing the present Genma, which in turn would cause the Malice corrupting the Temple to dissipate. After Okuni takes him to the Spirit Mirror and gives him a Hozuki Pouch, Musashi uses it to instantly reach Kiyomizu-dera Temple and begins hunting the Genma there. After learning that Ganryu had also been resurrected with an Oni Gauntlet, Musashi manages to meet and defeat a large Genma known as Daidara within a realm known as the Oni Refuge, causing the Malice around Kiyomizu to dissipate. Absorbing Daidara's soul also manages to briefly wake up the woman in his Gauntlet, identifying herself as an Oni named Shizuka, though she once again falls into a slumber by the time Musashi returns to Eastern Kyoto. Having visited Hell multiple times during his tenure as guardian, Takamura suspects this to be Shizuka Gozen, having met her centuries ago. However, he is quick to ask Musashi to leave the Temple in order to close more Rifts that had materialized, hoping that it would thin the spreading Malice enough to fully awaken Shizuka.

Takamura's hope is proven true as Shizuka manages to fully awaken and manifest her spirit before the group and informs them of her own circumstances, having been forced to inhabit Musashi's Oni Gauntlet as a spirit after having been killed by Yoshitsune centuries ago. Takamura is deeply saddened upon learning that Yoshitsune had managed to escape his confinement within Avici and led the Genma on a brutal assault on the Oni, resulting in a near-genocide of their entire species and their successful conquest of Hell, forcing the scant few surviving Oni to escape to the Oni Refuge, a separate realm from both Hell and the mortal realm. Having successfully driven the Oni from Hell, Yoshitsune steals two of their Oni Gauntlets and reveals him to be the very same man who had given Musashi his own Gauntlet, something that also reveals to them that the second stolen Gauntlet was given to Ganryu, the latter now having been encouraged to start taking Human Souls in order to inflate his strength.

After learning of the true threat of both Yoshitsune and the Genma, Takamura offers to tutor Musashi in order for him to gain a better understanding of his abilities as an Oni warrior, telling him to ring a bell located within the temple grounds. Upon doing so, Musashi finds himself transported to another realm known only as the Practice Ground where Takamura offers to tutor him in order to sharpen his skills, assuring that time spent within this realm does not pass in the living realm, leaving them without fear of wasting it. Following his first lesson in deflecting attacks, Takamura gives Musashi an Oni Armament known as the Wind-Whipper, suggesting that other such weapons are likely hidden throughout the land.

Trivia

• Takamura is a skilled sculptor - He can sometimes be found in his home carving Budda statues.
• Takamura's aid in guarding the Oni Gate is based on a legend that every night, Takamura would climb down a well in order to aid Yama with his judgements in Hell.

Gallery

References