Badger Clan



The Badger Clan was a minor clan once charged with the defense of the Empire's northern border. The clan colors were pale gray with stripes of white and black.

Birth of the Badger Clan
History said that when the first Hantei watched the Ki-Rin Clan depart through the uninhabited northern mountains he became concerned that a foreign invader could enter unnoticed into his young Empire. While he died shortly afterwards, his son and successor Hantei Genji, shared this worry, so he made sure that the region remained populated by those followers of Shinjo that had remained. With time, however, the followers were pushed out of those lands by the Lion and so they were relocated elsewhere as the Fox Clan. Knowing that the Lion didn't know the lay of the land, Genji worried again and decided to hold a tournament to create a new minor clan to guard this part of the border.

Hantei Genji believed that it would need to be a strong clan so the challenge would be a contest of strength. The duel came down to a wrestling match between the top two contenders for the prize, Hida Domogu of the Crab Clan and Shinjo Mako of the Ki-Rin. Domogu won and Mako became his first retainer. Genji awarded Domogu the Ichiro name and made him the first daimyo of the Badger Clan, independent of the Crab, tasking him with guarding the northern passes of the Empire.

And so, in 110 IC, the Badger Clan was born.

A discovery by Asahina Hira in the middle of the twelfth century suggested that the true reason why the Badger was charged with the protection of these lands was because it contained holy ground, the tomb of Ryoshun.

The First Years
Over the next five years Domogu built the first fortress of the Badger called Shiro Ichiro. Also, they soon made contact with the other Minor Clans, the Fox and the Mantis, to pool resources. One of their joint initiatives was to make a regular event of the tournament that gave birth to the Badger, that would eventually be known as the Tournament of the Emperor's Favored.

Champion's Assassination
In 1118, the Clan Champion Ichiro Akitomo was murdered while visiting the lands of the Crane Clan. The dishonor of the assassination was of great embarrassment to the Crane, and there are rumors that it was a plot to increase tensions between the Crane and the Lion Clan. The killer was never caught.

Near Destruction
In 1126, the Emerald Magistrate Kuni Osuki traveled to Badger lands to deliver an edict only to find the strongholds of the Badger destroyed. A monstrous oni, Hideo no Oni, had been summoned by Ichiro Koturi and killed virtually every living being within the northern mountains. The oni was eventually destroyed, but the Badger were all but extinct. Because of the Emperor's failing health at the time, the Badger's status as a minor clan was never formally revoked.

Mantis Civil War
After the death of Mantis Clan Champion, Yoritomo Aramasu, and the ascension of Yoritomo Kitao, the Badger Clan were requested by Yoritomo Kamoto to support the Mantis faction that worked against Kitao. In return the Badger would gain the support and wealth of the Mantis.

True Duty
In 1166 the Badger turned to the Crab Clan aid. They dared that Toturi III could revoke their Minor Clan status if they could no longer protect their borders from outsiders. In a visit to Badger lands the Keeper of the Void Asahina Hira re-discovered the true duty given to the Badger. Forgotten to time and isolation was their guardianship over the tomb of Ryoshun. When the Clans learned of this, they rushed to help the Badger to rebuild so they would be able to continue on their sacred task.

The War of Dark Fire
The Badger were assaulted by the Yobanjin forces under control of Tamori Chosai early in the War of Dark Fire. All but one of the Badger's fortresses was overrun and destroyed. Ichiro Kihongo was able to effect an evacuation with the aid of Doji Koin.

Location
The lands of the Badger Clan were located North of Mizu-umi Ryo along the northern road called Komichi no Kanashimi. It was little more than a collection of foothills and small mountains.

Provinces

 * Domogu province

Families
The Badger Clan only had one major family, the Ichiro, and two vassal families which managed to survive the Oni no Hideo attack.
 * The first one, the Fureheshu family, was a small familiy of expert wrestlers who trained with the Hida sumai in crab lands.
 * The second, the Tashimi family, was a very small family of instructors who kept the Ichiro Bushi School alive so that there was always a sensei for the next generation of Ichiro.

Samurai
See Samurai of the Badger Clan for a listing of notable members of the clan, both current and historic.

Schools
The following were the basic Schools within the Badger Clan:


 * Ichiro Bushi

Paths
There were currently no Paths available within the Badger Clan.