Oyo Seido

The Shrine of Asako Oyo is just north of Kyuden Asako, hidden within the woods of Mori Isawa. The structure is a new addition to the Asako family holdings, having been built only twenty years ago. This shrine is dedicated to Asako Oyo, the man who catalyzed a new age of learning among the henshin. Oyo reportedly died shortly after Asako Isamu reached the great insight that placed the Asako back onto the Path of Man. Only Isamu witnessed the older Asako's death and did not speak of the matter before his own disappearance.

Oyo Seido has become the center of many ghost stories among the Phoenix due to secretive nature of the Asako family. To the majority of the Empire, Oyo was a madman and fool, a pawn of Kuni Yori who was used to divide the Phoenix. Naturally, many wonder why such a man would deserve a monument, and the Asako are stingy with answers. Outsiders have filled this gap with their own colorful tales: the restless spirit of Oyo demanded this tribute before he could find peace, or the Asako found Kuni Yori and entombed him in jade deep beneath the earth on this spot.

Nonetheless, none who have visited the shrine have been able to deny the serenity of the location. Many among the Asako and Isawa visit the shrine to calm their minds and meditate upon complex problems. The Asako rever Oyo as an ancestor and request his guidance in finding their way through troubling times and difficult mysteries.

(SoPhoenix, p. 33)