Heimin

Heimin ("half-people") are the laborers of Rokugan, and without them the Empire could not continue in its current fashion. The ranks of heimin, from highest to lowest, are Farmer, Artisan, and Merchant. The Bonge Caste consists of the heimin.

The Farmer creates the food that feeds the entire empire, thus granting them the highest status amoung the Bonge. If it were not for them, the fields would lay fallow and unused, and society would deteriorate into a collection of scavengers.

The next rank is the Artisan, who also create things for life, however they create the comforts, not the necessities. While those who build homes and such would be valued for their more practical creations, the custom of giving gifts ensures that all talents are equally important. Artisans often have a samurai Artisan Patron that gives then venues for their wares to be traded, bought and sold. However the process of purchase is not conducted by either the artisan or their patron. Matters of money are left to the Merchants.

The Merchant creates nothing by himself, and constantly deals in money, which by Rokugani customs and standards, is considered dirty. They are above the eta however, as money is the only dirty thing they handle. They conduct the process of buying and selling, save for major cases such as the food supply of a Clan. Several families have Merchant Patrons that deal with the merchants in this process, though the actual monetary exchange is still done exclusively by the merchants. Amoung the Unicorn Clan, however, the merchant is often valued higher than the farmer, as they spent several centuries as a nomadic people. The constant movement made it difficult, if not impossible, to grow their own crop, and so thus the merchants were their clan's way of getting food and supplies from the cultures and societies they encountered.

Information gathered from L5R 3rd Edition, Way of the Daimyo, Way of the Unicorn, and Secrets of the Unicorn.