Tsubo

Shinjo Hanari was the sensei of the Shinjo family archery school for several years, up until at least the time of the Scorpion Clan Coup. He was renowned among those who knew him to truly be a master of the way of the bow, in particular the Unicorn Clan style that used agility rather than reflexes called yomanri. Hanari was known to be a strict teacher, gruff and somewhat unsociable. It could be said his only true friends were his steed and an equally-surly Ki-rin war-dog named Koji, whom followed his master everywhere.

Hanari and Hida Tsuru
Hanari was involved in an incident that stained the normally amiable relations with the Unicorn's neighbor, the Crab Clan. When a group of Crab farmers began to cultivate the land south of the Naga Plains that was in Unicorn territory, it was Hanari whom discovered them. The Crab told the Unicorn that as protectors of the Empire from the Shadowlands, it was the duty of the other clans to support them during lean times. The Unicorn, on the other hand, realized they would never get the land back if they allowed the Crab's village to remain.

The task to oust the Crab was given to Hanari, who decided to use a small force of cavalry to try and dislodge the peasants with a series of quick, lightning raids that would kill the defenders of the village so the heimin could be sent back to Crab lands. Unfortunately for Hanari, the Crab were prepared for the Unicorn's tactics. Hida Tsuru, cavalry master of the Crab, trapped Hanari's much smaller force with relative ease. While Hanari was prepared to surrender himself for his men's sake, Tsuru had something else in mind. Instead, he had the Unicorn dismount and then had his own men slit the throats of the horses the Unicorn rode. The Unicorn looked on in dismay as their mounts' bled out into the rocky ground. Tsuru warned them that if the Unicorn tried any further action, that their children would take the place of their steeds the next time. Shinjo Hanari never forgot the act, and there was emnity between the two men from then on.

The Way of the Bow
Not everything in Hanari's life was such doom and gloom, however. One of Hanari's few pleasures was traveling to the yearly kyujutsu tournament held by the Wasp Clan. He there developed a friendly rivalry (though it certainly didn't seem such to outsiders at times) and healthy respect for Mirumoto Sukune, a Dragon Clan master of the bow whom Hanari was never able to best. He had great respect for his Dragon counterpart, and would often spend time discussing new archery techniques with Sukune and the Wasp daimyo, Tsuruchi.

The Brotherhood
After retirement, Hanari joined the Brotherhood of Shinsei and took the name Tsubo. He wrote a series of letters before his death arguing that the flight of an arrow was similar to no-mind and that archery could aid in the quest for enlightenment. These letters went unnoticed until after the Battle of Toshi Ranbo, when they were found by the Unicorn. A sect began to form around the teachings, and Ide Eien planned to reveal Tsubo's identity and thus bring prestige to the Unicorn.

Endnotes
[[Category:Members of the Brotherhood of Shinsei}}