Shiba Sadaakira

Shiba Sadaakira (斯波貞明 Shiba Sadaakira? ) is a recurring character in the Doudaimuhi series. He is the head of the Shiba clan and a majority shareholder and board member of Shiba Industries & Co.

Personality
Sadaakira is a brilliant tactician in the business realm and is able to manipulate competitors into ceding with his will. As a corporate leader, he is cold and unfettered in eliminating whatever eminent threat stands in the way of the company, and is known for being able to choose the right people to do the right task.

His private life is a different matter; even after wedding his wife through an arranged marriage, Sadaakira pursued different women, notably one whom bore his illegitimate son. After learning of this, his wife ordered the woman and child out of the family and made Sadaakira cut all ties between them.

Though he seeks out the best for his children, Sadaakira always favored his eldest son Shigen over the younger, and less ambitious son Shou. He is also very protective of Ran, his only daughter, whose marriage to a novelist is one he initially disapproves of.

He placed both of his sons in arranged marriages with women who came from families that would prove beneficial to the Shiba clan as a whole, a practice through which his own father had done.

Amongst all his grandchildren, Noboru is the one who he is the closest to. It's heavily implied that Sadaakira would've chosen him over Shigen's eldest son Raiden, had he been born first instead.

Background
Sadaakira was born as the second child of Shiba Mamoru and his first wife, Ayanokōji Yayoi. His elder brother was Shiba Nobutada and his two younger brothers were Shiba Sadazane and Shiba Sadahiko.

It was noted that he had a difficult relationship with his father, who was controlling towards his children for the sake of augmenting the family's influence. Sadaakira was somewhat close to his elder brother, who he remembered as 'too kind for his own good', and lamented his early death during a trip abroad in South Africa. It was then that his father placed the burden of becoming the family head on Sadaakira's shoulders, as he was the second born son, and sent him to a prestigious boarding school in England to finish his years in high school.

He returned to Japan to attend Keio University, and was re-introduced to Ashikaga Haruka sometime during his years at study. Shortly after graduating, they were married.

Trivia

 * He has remarkable English from his years abroad in Britain, and has also adapted to a taste for their tea.
 * He is a member of the prestigious Nippon Club, along with many of his colleagues and old friends.
 * He isn't at all fond of the parties hosted at the family's residence in Azabu, and often tries to leave the job of hosting them to his wife.
 * His favorite food is egg drop soup while his least favorite is haggis.
 * The only kind of chocolate he can stomach is dark chocolate.