Court (judicial system)

Courts in Rokugan are held with either a Chief Magistrate or, in the case of purely local and internal matters, a daimyo presiding as judge over the proceedings. The judge has full responsibility for deciding the accused's sentence, though he has little say over the question of guilt or innocence, as the accused brought before a court will have already confessed to the crimes in question.

The Courtroom
While the appearance of courts will vary across Rokugan, areas designed as courts (and not merely the standard audience chamber of the presiding daimyo) are generally similar. The courtroom is an open courtyard within the judge's complex. On one side of the courtyard is a shaded, raised dais that provides a confortable area for the judge to preside over his court. Next to the dais is space for the judge's yojimbo as well as the court's scribe, to record the proceedings.

The opposite side of the courtyard is the "white sands of judgment." This is a flat area several yards wide that hold pure, white sand. The accused is placed kneeling in this area (those criminals thatdecide to make trouble are beaten until they submit or fall). The sands absorb all of the heat of Lord Sun, leaving the accused in a very uncomfortable position.

The Court Complex
In additon to the courtroom, the court complex will include offices for the court's scribe(s), a library of legal texts as well as the court's own records and transcripts of proceedings, and barracks for the yoriki and doshin; deputies are not housed within the court complex. A judge's home is often also within the court complex, although it may be located elsewhere.

Proceedings
Once the accused is kneeling (or collapsed) upon the white sands in the courtroom (or merely upon the floor, if in a daimyo's audience chamber), the scribe reads the crimes of which he is accused. When the lsit of charges is finished, the scribe then reads the accused's confession.

At this point, the judge may question the accused. Judges often ask questions to help clarify any confusing parts of the confession or to better understand the accused's character before deciding his verdict. After the questioning, the judge decides on the accused's sentence. The judge's decision is final, and the sentence is carried out immediately.

Major References

 * "Way of the Magistrate" Written by Scott Gearin and published in the Imperial Herald.