Hantei XXXVIII

The reign of Hantei XXXVIII was marked largely by a lengthy period of peace in Rokugan. The Emperor mnaged to keep the Clans from warring excessively, though it had a toll on his health. His death at the hands of Bayushi Shoju, however, marked the beginning of one of the bloodiest periods known in Rokugani history.

Birth and Coronation
Hantei Jodan was born in the year 1078. Since his youngest years he has been a pupil in the Kakita Dueling Academy. He was known for his idealism and hope for a better Empire. He deeply believed in the code of bushido, and his beliefs were recognized and amplified by his teacher, Kakita Toshimoko. The eldest son of Hantei XXXVII chose the name Jodan upon his gempukku, the name he used until his coronation in 1103 when he became Hantei XXXVIII.

He also proved to be an exceptional student of the court, and a wise and compationate man, his rule expected to be long and prosperous. (3E p. 16)

Early Reign
The daring and spirited young man that Jodan was, he quickly found his life force slowly crushed by the relentless conflicts that erupted among the Clans. (3E p. 16)

Wives and Heirs
At that time he was a different man, perhaps due to the fact that he has wed three times, and had to attend the funeral of each of his wives. The majority of his reign was fairly uneventful, and a majority of his concentration was spent on trying to secure a heir. Through barrenness and misfortune, he, his wives, and his concubines had great difficulty bearing and keeping children. In the year 1107, his concubine from the Crane Clan bore him a son: Hantei Sotorii. Jodan married her. She died three years after giving birth to Sotorii, wracked by a mysterious fever.

The Heir and the Bloodspeakers
In 1111, the Empress Hochiahime, Hantei XXXVIII's fifth wife, and Sotorii were kidnapped by Bloodspeakers while traveling with a caravan. They were intended for a sacrifice to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Sotorii was rescued by a mountain-dwelling Ronin, Yotsu. Yotsu went into the bloodspeaker camp, armed with a katana taken from one of the fallen Seppun, and, knowing he cannot defeat the Bloodspeakers alone, asked the Empress for permission to die in her name. The Empress forbade it, instead insisting that Yotsu rescues the young heir, and passes her husband a message to mourn for her, and the child she would never have borne. Having no choice, Yotsu replaced Sotorii with his own son. When the Bloodspeaker sect realised what had happened they planned to kill the Empress, what was not known at the time was that the empress was pregnant with the second son of Hantei the XXXVIII, the child was raised by the Bloodspeakers and placed in a different spirit realm until he had matured. This child became Daigotsu.

After Yotsu managed to return to Otosan Uchi and reunite Sotorii with his father, the Emperor recognized his sacrifice and gave him the name Yotsu Yatoshin, a small fiefdom in the Mountains of Regret, and authority over a district in Otosan Uchi. 

Later Reign
The Emperor fell into even deeper polithical apathy, and devoted himself completely to raising his son. The clans, and various military oligarchies grew in power, up to the point where the Crab Clan Champion, Hida Kisada, spoke openly against the Emperor: ''He's a fool. A weak product of a corrupted and dying bloodline. Hantei got his power from the gods, that's true, but how long ago?''

For a thousand years, the dynasty has not known a crisis such as this. A civil war seemed to hang on a thread, and only the loyalty of the Akodo family and the strategic genius of Akodo Toturi seemed to hold back the events that were waiting to transpire.

Death
Hantei XXXVIII was killed at the beginning of the Scorpion Coup. Bayushi Shoju claimed the throne afterwards, until the Great Clans wrested control from the Usurper and placed it back in control of Sotorii, then Hantei XXXIX.