Asako Sagoten

Asako Sagoten was the only son of the first Asako and her husband, Asako Yogo.

Yogo's Curse
When Sagoten was a boy, during the War against the Shadowlands, the tides of war were not treating Sagoten's family very well. His mother, a healer, was in the support units of the Phoenix Clan armies, but his father was a general of the troops. During one of Yogo's battles, though the forces of the Phoenix were victorious, Yogo was cursed to betray the one he most loved.

Yogo was crushed and on the verge of requesting seppuku when Bayushi offered him a place among the Scorpion, where he could be safe because Yogo did not love Bayushi. Yogo accepted and left, never to return to his home or family.

Asako was crushed. She left the war and returned home to her son, but she was changed for the worse and had become of very bitter temperment. Sagoten was affected even more deeply, vowing to avenge his father's cruel abandonment. Even Shiba's generous offer of a place to live and begin a new life did not convince Sagoten to fogive his father.

Isawa's Wish
Eventually Shinsei appeared and told the Clans how to defeat Fu Leng: the Seven Thunders. After much debate, Shiba finally managed to convince Isawa to join the Little Teacher, offering to protect his family. Though Shiba's promise is spoken of more often, Isawa also requested a commitment from Asako. He required that Sagoten, upon his gempukku, marry his daughter, Isawa Akiko, uniting the houses of the Phoenix. Sagoten, seeing how he could use the situation to inflame his father's enmity towards the Isawa family, agreed to Isawa's terms.

During Isawa's last public announcement, the shugenja announced the pending wedding of his daughter. Preparations began immediately. Among them, by Isawa's request, was to be the construction of a grand elemental masterpiece created by the shugenja of the clan -- Isawa and Asako. In a true gesture of peace, Isawa intended the creation to be a testament to the union of the families of the Phoenix Clan and a monument to the peace that would be built between them.

Major References

 * Way of the Phoenix Page 44.