Battle of the Cresting Wave

The Maw Marches
Int he year 716 the mighty oni calling itself The Maw raised an army of thousand monstrosities that had not seen the likes of since the days of Fu Leng and marched on the Crab. The army overwhelmed the Crab ramparts and struk deep into Crab territory taking Kuni and Hiruma lands.

The Crab had retreated to Kyuden Hiruma, sounting on it's defenses which had worked for the past 600 years, but the oni army had counted on this and spirited a contigent of the most bloodthirsty demons beneath the castle walls. The rampage was bloody and terrible and although the defenders prevailed they were too much weakened to defend against the rest of the army, and so they retreated to Kyuden Hida.

The Sacrifice of Kuni Osaku
With The Maw's army within 2 days march from Kyuden Hida the Crab Clan Champion Hida Banuken called a hasty meeting to determine a course of action. Nothing could be decided on that could be done in the short timeframe until the young teacher, Kuni Osaku, stepped forward and offered Banuken the time they needed to construct sufficient defenses.

The spell she cast was very effective, using the Saigo River to block the movement of the army, but every sunrise she stood there keeping the army at bay she lost a year of her life, and 73 days later her body could no longer take the stress.

The Final Battle
The Maw had been patiently waiting for the moment when the spell ended, and as Osaku died it oredered it's army to attack. The oni surged forward only to find the Crab ready for them.

As the oni broke on the defenses Hida Banuken launched his counter attack, emerging from a hundred secret tunnels in the riverbed, pinning The Maw between them and the defenses. The oni could not mount a defense in time and were slaughtered.

The river was renamed Seigo no Kamae in honor of the battle and the skull of The Maw was purified by Kuni shugenja and hung above the gates of Kyuden Hida, a testiment to the strength of the Crab.

Kuni Osaku's name is revered among the greatest heroes of Rokugan.

The Aftermath
Having lost the Kuni and Hiruma lands to the Shadowlands the Crab had very little land remaining and demanded sone recompense for their sacrifice on behalf of the empire. Some of the Great Clans conceded either out of genuine gratitude or fear of the might of the Crab Clan. Some however did not, the Scorpion in particular refused, causing many battles to be faught. Squabbling did not end until the return of the Unicorn.

In the following 300 years most of the Kuni lands were recaptured, but the Hiruma lands became a bastion for the Shadowlands, and only in recent times did the Hiruma recapture Kyuden Hiruma.

(Crab p. 31-34)