Phoenix Clan

The Phoenix Clan is known throughout Rokugan mostly for their skilled shugenja and their mastery of elemental magic. The Phoenix are also noted pacifists, preferring diplomacy to war if at all possible. The Phoenix' presence in the courts of the land is not great, and their courtiers are relatively few in number, although they are not isolationists like the Dragon Clan. The Phoenix were founded by the Kami Shiba, although the family of his first vassal, Isawa, generally run the affairs of the clan.

Shiba
The Shiba family was founded by the Kami Shiba. Shiba's descendants remain the Champions of the Phoenix Clan, although the line of succession has not always been inherited. For most of the clan's history, when a Champion died, the successor was chosen by Shiba himself, through the clan's Ancestral sword; at the death of a Champion, the sword would disappear and reappear with the person who would begin leading the clan.

When Shinjo scattered all of the clans' swords into the heavens, however, this method of selection was lost. When Shiba Tsukune ascended to Tengoku to become Fortune of Rebirth, the Elemental Masters refused to accept her son as Champion, and instead decided to appoint the new champion themselves.

Isawa
Isawa was a great scholar and sorcerer before the Kami fell to the earth. When Shiba came to him to ask for his help, Isawa refused without a pledge from Shiba to protect his family. In response, the Kami Shiba knelt before Isawa and gave him that promise.

Currently, the Isawa use this promise to retain control of the affairs of the Phoenix clan. The Shiba control the armies, but even this is done under the direction of the Isawa. There are those in the Shiba family who would argue that the Kami did not promise subservience, but these are greatly ignored by the Isawa. There are those in the Empire who would argue, especially after the near-destruction of the clan during the Clan Wars, that the Shiba need to do a better job of protecting the Isawa from themselves, but these people generally make sure that the Phoenix do not hear their comments.

Asako
Asako was the second follower of Shiba who was granted her own family within the clan. Since the death of Shiba, there has been a bitter rivalry between the Asako and the Isawa, for after his death, the spirit of Shiba visited Asako, not an Isawa, to explain to her the ultimate secrets of Man. The Isawa were furious when they learned of this, and tensions between the two families have been very high throughout the thousand years since.

Agasha
Agasha was actually a follower of Togashi, the founder of the Dragon Clan, not Shiba. But after the immortal Dragon Kami died fighting Fu Leng in the Second Day of Thunder, Mirumoto Hitomi took the leadership of the clan. Hitomi was being driven mad by the influence of Onnotangu and began killing all of the followers of Togashi who refused to take her name instead. The great majority of the Agasha family saw her madness and refused to take part in her destruction of her own clan. They left the traitorous Hitomi, and the Phoenix, who lost a great number of their own shugenja during the Clan Wars, were more than happy to take them in.

Not all of the Agasha left the Dragon, however. For almost thirty years, each clan had a family named Agasha. That changed when Emperor Toturi I gave the Dragon Agasha the new name "Tamori". This was a move the Emperor was forced into as a part of his truce with Hantei XVI. The largely-defeated Hantei took great joy in having the Dragon rename one of their families after a man they considered to be a traitor.

Schools
The following are the schools within the Phoenix Clan:
 * Agasha Shugenja
 * Asako Courtier
 * Asako Henshin
 * Isawa Ishiken
 * Isawa Shugenja
 * Isawa Tensai
 * Shiba Bushi
 * Shiba Tejina
 * Shiba Yojimbo

Samurai
The following list noted members of the Phoenix Clan, both current and historic:


 * Leaders of the Phoenix Clan: A chronological listing of those in charge of the clan.
 * Samurai of the Phoenix Clan: An alphabetical listing of notable members of the clan.