Yakamo

Hida Yakamo was the firstborn son of Hida Kisada and Hida Tsuriko. He had one brother, Hida Sukune, and a sister, Hida O-Ushi. He succeeded his father as Crab Clan Champion and was the Crab Clan Thunder. He became Lord Sun after Amaterasu committed jigai.

Heir to the Great Bear
Groomed at an early age to follow his father, it was well known how much he resembled his father physically and mentally. He was quick to anger, very hot headed and would speak in a frank and direct manner. His battlefield prowess was unquestioned. When entering the fray he often wielded a tetsubo in one hand and his katana Chikara in the other. He also was a very capable duelist, never refusing a challenge from an opponent.

Mirumoto Satsu
Yakamo's dueling skills were impressive. The most notable duel he won was against Mirumoto Satsu, killing the older Dragon samurai with his tetsubo. After the duel, Mirumoto Hitomi swore vendetta against Yakamo.

Personality
His abrasiveness earned him a bad reputation in the imperial courts. Yakamo, however, saw politeness and etiquette as a burden to endure, not an honor to uphold. He was a very canny and perceptive man, clever enough to understand his own nature and impression on others, learning to time his rants for maximum impact on other people, keeping them off balance. He valued honesty above all traits, would not lie and equated his word with his honor. He saw politeness as deceit and would not pretend to enjoy someone's presence if he didn't.

Scorpion Coup
When news arrived of the Scorpion Coup, Kisada assembled an army that joined the combined forces of the Great Clans at Otosan Uchi in the fourth day of the Coup. Yakamo, Kuni Yori, and Kaiu Suman were part of the Crab forces.

Yakamo's Hand Severed
In the 18th day of the Month of the Rooster Hitomi exacted vengeance upon Yakamo in the Imperial City during the assault of the combined Clan forces against the Scorpion. Disobeying orders she challenged Yakamo, and during the duel Hitomi removed his hand. She had to be dragged away by fellow Dragon to prevent her from bringing shame upon her clan. Kisada was furious and demanded her life but the Mirumoto refused.

Alliance with the Shadowlands
In 1124 Hida Kisada believing Hantei XXXIX was not strong to rule the Empire ordered the Kuni Daimyo Kuni Yori to find a way for the Crab to wage war and seize the throne. Yori proposed an alliance of convenience with the Shadowlands. In 1125 Yakamo began slowly withdrawing troops from the Kaiu wall no longer fearing the creatures on the other side. Kisada formed a formal alliance with the Shadowlands in 1126, and the combined forces began to march on Beiden Pass.

Yakamo's Claw
Kuni Yori manipulated Hida Kisada into allowing a large claw to replace Yakamo's lost hand. Yakamo gave his name to the oni that the claw had come from, Yakamo no Oni, due to the alliance his father had forged between the Shadowlands and the Crab Clan.

More than thirty years later part of the Yakamo's blood, which was in one of the blades used by Yori to attach the Claw, was used by Iuchiban to cast the Rain of Blood.

Dragon Sword is Broken


After Sukune was nailed to the Terrible Standard of Fu Leng for failing to defeat the rag-tag army led by the Toturi the Black, Yakamo led the army of Crab and Shadowlands creatures into Beiden Pass. Yakamo returned the favor Hitomi had given him by ripping Hitomi's hand off when he used the Oni's Claw, also shattering the Ancestral Sword of the Dragon.

Kisada's Last Charge
When Kisada's fleet arrived on the shores of Otosan Uchi, he was greeted by the mighty roar of hundreds of Lion Samurai ready to die to protect their Emperor. Before she could engage the Great Bear, an order from the palace arrived, commanding Tsuko to stand aside and let her army fight without her. Without warning, the Lion army found themselves fighting on two fronts as Crab archers rose up from the southern hillside. The leaderless Lion cavalry charged into Kisada's ranks with fire and fury, and only Tsuko noticed the Crab cavalry moving quickly through the woods flanking them to the North. As the Lion cavalry charged, the Crab cavalry fell back forcing the Lions to fall into wall of blades that Kisada had prepared for them. Tsuko watched with tears in her eyes as Kisada trampled over her shattered forces and marched into the Imperial Palace. Kisada charged into the throne room and the mad-eyed Emperor who awaited him cut the Great Bear down with a single stroke. Hida Yakamo, carried his father over his shoulder through the tunnels while one of Kachiko's servants led the way.

Fall and Redemption
Yakamo and Kisada fled, with the Ancestral Sword of Hantei still lodged in Kisada's gut. Kisada intended on committing seppuku to cleanse the shame they had brought on the Crab. Yakamo revealed that Dragon Clan Champion Togashi Yokuni had approached him while his father was unconcious, and told him there was still a purpose for him. Yokuni had given Yakamo the Jade Hand, which he placed upon the stump of his arm after tearing off the Oni's Claw. Yakamo convinced Kisada that he should not give up, and they should help Toturi and the rest of Rokugan defeat Fu Leng. The Jade Hand was connected to a prophecy, and now that someone had claimed the Hand, the prophecy began to unfold. The prophecy of the Jade Hand was at last complete, as Hida Yakamo was revealed to be one of the Seven Thunders.

Second Day of Thunder
The armies of the Clans finally united under Yakamo and Toturi on the Second Day of Thunder.

Confronting Yakamo no Oni
During the battle at Otosan Uchi Yakamo saw the oni that had stolen his name. During their fight the oni's acrid blood sprayed into Yakamo's eyes, temporarily blinding him. When he recovered his vision, the oni's head has been crushed by Hitomi's Obsidian Hand.

Crab Thunder
Yakamo was the Crab Clan Thunder on the Second Day of Thunder in 1128. He fought Fu Leng alongside the other Thunders in the throne room, and was one of the survivors.

Marrying O-Ushi
In 1129 Yakamo summoned a contest to marry his sister O-Ushi. Shinjo Yasamura was the fortunate groom.

Naga abandon the Crab
After the Second Day of Thunder, the new Crab Champion Yakamo focused on retaking the Hiruma lands, and gathered an army of Crab and Naga, marching them into the Shadowlands. They successfully took Kyuden Hiruma in 1130. In 1131 the Naga abruptly left, heading north, leaving Yakamo and his Crab army who subsequently became besieged by the Horde.

The Three Sieges of Hiruma Castle
Kuni Yori swiftly attacked the castle, but was repelled by Yakamo. Two months later Yori attacked again using undead minions and the Crab utterly crushed the Shadowlands forces. This ease of this victory pushed the Crab into overconfidence on their part, and it would prove to be their undoing. In 1132 Yori and the reborn Moto Tsume assaulted Hiruma Castle again, this time with overwhelming odds. The besieged Crab needed to send for additional reinforcements to survive the assault but were isolated by the battle. With the aid of the Nezumi Third Whisker Tribe HidaYakamo escaped the Siege of Kyuden Hiruma in 1132 through subterranean tunnels, but he was eventually captured by Moto Tsume in the Shi-Khan Wastes.

Yakamo's Death
Yakamo was imprisoned in the Sepulcher of Bone where Kuni Yori tortured him during thirty days. Finally in 1132 in the month of the Monkey Yori killed Yakamo. The Jade Hand was cut and casted in the Black Finger River. The spirit of his brother Sukune guided Yakamo during the wait until the Thunder could return.

The Crab tried to retake the fallen castle again, but their first assault was repulsed. A relief Lion force, led by Ikoma Tsanuri began a journey to Crab lands in 1131 and finally reached the castle in time to assist in a second successful assault, taking the castle back from the Shadowlands. Oseuth, who was commanded by the Qamar to seek the Jade Hand, found Yakamo's corpse near the Hand, and retrieved both for the Naga.

Yakamo's Funeral
The whole Empire mourned, for Yakamo was both a Thunder and a true hero. The Crab Clan held a great funeral and prepared to cremate his body so that, even though he was killed in the Shadowlands, he would not rise again. As the funeral began, the Naga came and stole Yakamo's body away. Infuriated, the Crab attack the Naga for this desecration. When Hitomi took the place of Lady Moon, Amaterasu committed jigai and the Celestial Order was imbalanced. Shashakar had noted the imbalance and attempted to redeem the Naga fault using an old naga ritual, that allowed the reincarnation of a naga soul.

Rebirth
The naga marched to the ancient naga city of Kalpa, where the buried remains of Qatol, the legendary leader of the naga race, were located, inside the Temple of the Bright Eye. Shashakar sacrificed his life to the Child of the Pale, using the greatest Black Pearl in a magic ritual that merged his mind with Hida Yakamo and restored the Crab Clan Champion to life in 1132 The ceremony involved a merging Yakamo's soul with the Akasha's. What had returned was not merely Yakamo but also the reincarnation of the Qatol, leader of all naga. Many clans distrusted the Naga, but a newly reanimated Yakamo assured them that only by working with them would they be able to defeat the Lying Darkness.

Leader of the Goju uncovered
Yakamo told the naga about the Shadows and where they really lied. The Balash a naga warrior who had been at Morikage Toshi rescuing the kidnapped Emperor, was taken by the naga priests, rode his mind and became one with Balash soul to see what had happened at Morikage. The Balash whispered one name, Goju Adorai. This ancient man believed dead was the leader of the Shadows, and his illusion had been uncovered.

Erasing the Past
With the information collected by the Naga Yakamo was aware that the memory of the past could be erased. With the strength of the Shadowlands allied with the Goju, Adorai could destroy the past itself, killing the ancestors who dwelled in the Spirit Realms.

March to Volturnum
The empire had been warned about the Shadows, who were gathering their forces in Volturnum, aided by a massive Shadowland's army. The Naga began to march there led by Yakamo. They met the Crab army in the border with the Shadowlands, and O-Ushi requested they leave, despite the presence of the Qatol-Yakamo as Naga leader. The Balash fired with his bow, and O-Ushi saw her own death. The arrow passed through O-Ushi's arm and into the chest of a man behind her, who was a Goju Shapeshifter. The Balash had saved O-Ushi's life, and both armies marched against their true enemy, the Foul.

Lord Sun
When Hitomi defeated Lord Moon after the Twenty-Seven Days of Darkness, Amaterasu committed jigai. Yakamo was led to the site of the event by the Akasha and he served as her second, and because of his special ties to the Naga Akasha and Hitomi, Yakamo was able to ascend to the Celestial Heavens and became the new sun. Amaterasu herself had allowed it shortly before her suicide. Yakamo's sacrifice was the price for humanity's deeds. And ever after, the Moon and the Sun circled in the heavens, always seeking to finish their final duel. The cycle of Atman had begun again, and again the world had found peace.

Fortune of Steel
Yakamo invited Tsi Xing Guo to ascend the Celestial Heavens as the Fortune of Steel.

Seikitsu Pass
In 1150, following the destruction of Beiden Pass, Yakamo hurled a great fireball at the Seikitsu Mountains, creating the Great Crater. The crater re-opened Seikitsu Pass, which had been blocked since it's collapse in 99. The exact reasons for Yakamo doing this are unknown. Some theories claimed that Yakamo mereley wanted the Empire to have a new pass through the mountains. Others suspected a samurai had earned Lord Sun's wrath and the location was merely a coincidence. Another theory claimed that Yakamo felt the need to show himself the equal of his ancestor Osano-Wo, well known for grand displays with little provocation.

Shrine of the Sun
Togashi Nyima, Mirumoto Daisuke and Hitomi Hogai were fighting in an engagement against the Phoenix that ended with Tamori, Dark Oracle of Fire, showing up in disguise as Shiba Aikune and wrecking havoc on the Dragon army, leaving the three men as the only survivors. They were saved by the intervention of Osano-Wo, who explained Tamori's deception and told them to construct a shrine dedicated to Lord Sun, in order to gain his assistance against Tamori. Nyima volunteered to be one of the monks to tend to this temple.

Invasion of the Celestial Heavens
In 1159 Fu Leng was freed from Meido by Daigotsu and began the Assault of the Celestial Heavens. Yakamo fought against them and encountered again in battle with his nemesis, Yakamo no Oni. In 1160 the invasion was halted when the words of Hantei Naseru tricked Fu Leng into distrusting Daigotsu, whose faith was the source of Fu Leng's power. Taking advantage of this moment of weakness, Bishamon deprived Fu Leng of the Emma-O's Spear, and Hoshi pushed him back to the gates of Tengoku. Fu Leng was once again confronted by the Seven Thunders and decided to retreat.

Jade Dragon and Oracle
The Jade Dragon fomented purity and righteousness. And it was for that reason that Jade attracted the attention of Yakamo. His blessings allowed Jade to sacrifice its freedom in 1159, binding itself to Omen, and in return had gained a mortal Oracle to enact its purpose. Lord Sun's favor created an imbalance that could not be endured in the Celestial Heavens, and led in the awaken of the Eighth Dragon, the Obsidian Dragon, and its Oracle, the Oracle of Obsidian in 1167.

Legion of the Dead
In 1166 Yakamo joined the Legion of the Dead. He had stepped forward to answer Matsu Goemon's call to fight the Legion of Blood. As the two forces initially battled for control over the newly forming realm in 1166, Isawa Tsuke released a massive explosion intending to stop the First Oni, but it also disrupted the realm and knocked everyone in it into private memories of critical choices in their lives. The Realm of Thwarted Destiny was testing each of them, to see if they would embrace their destines or reject them. The realm could become a place where those who failed their destinies could repeat their failures for eternity or a place where those who failed could embrace their fates and find redemption.

Lost in the Mists of the new Realm
Yakamo saw his oni brother appearing from the mist. The oni had been sent by Fu Leng to aid the Legion of the Dead, but Yakamo refused any Shadowlands aid and engaged it in combat. Their power was so evenly matched that neither could win and the fight stopped. The oni left Yakamo warning him about the Shadow Dragon and his true goals.

The Will of Heaven
In 1170, the Dragons, tired of Man's rule of the Heavens, exerted their will upon Tengoku. The Seven Fortunes allowed the Dragon of Jade and the Dragon of Obsidian to attempt to replace Yakamo as Lord Sun and Hitomi as Lord Moon respectively. The other Dragons, save the Dragon of Thunder, left mankind to cement their power.

Yakamo was defeated by the Dragon of Jade in the Month of the Horse in 1170, and cast down. His dying words were heard by Moshi Amika.

""A third will fall, and in its place a darkness will grow. The fire is a lie.""

- Yakamo's last words

His body turned to a giant cache of jade, the Yakamo's Last Gift. The Crab Clan champion Hida Kuon ordered to be used to create a shrine to Yakamo adjacent to Kisada's Shrine. Kuon also ordered the Kaiu smiths to create weapons able to accept jade inlays and use the rest of Yakamo's body to arm his clan. The Jade Champion Kuni Daigo used the piece once was the Jade Hand to cleanse the previously unredeemable ground of the Tower of Fear. This piece must remained forever in the earth outside the Kaiu Wall, or the Tower would begin to regrowth where it once stood.

Forewarnig
In 1171 the words "The fire is a lie" were understood by Yoritomo Omura in the Battle of Dragon Heart Plain during the War of Dark Fire. The yobanjin leader the Son of Fire used his shaman to summon thick plumes of smoke that concealed their movement to attack the palanquin of the Empress Iweko I.