Order of Eisai

The Order of Eisai were the name used by a Mirumoto courtier to designate a group of Tattooed Monks who in the 12th century had taken a vow of silence, only permitting themselves to speak during the new moon of every year during the time when no moonlight shines. It was named after Eisai, wife to Togashi Hoshi, who took up a vow of silence through the majority of her adult life.

Tradition
Its ranks were drawn mostly from the Tsurai Zumi, and a few Ise Zumi. The monks of the Order were universally scholars, taking a path toward enlightenment through regular study of esoteric subjects. They rarely communicated in any fashion; even writing was infrequent and always laced with cryptic remarks of some sort. They were found on pilgrimages to the shrines of Fukurokujin or Tengen, within the libraries of the Dragon Clan, or in the midst of research projects.

Kitsuki Support
These individuals displayed a sort of rare and almost prescient grasp of the world around them. The Kitsuki placed the members of the Order under their wing in hopes of encountering some new revelation when the monks of the Order do speak. The Scorpion, the Clan of Secrets, was the only other group in the Empire to take particular notice of the Order.