Isawa Tadaka

Isawa Tadaka was an enigmatic and sinister person, scarred by dark magics and with a burning desire for revenge against the forces of the Shadowlands, especially Oni no Akuma, the stealer of his ancestor's name. Tadaka was the Phoenix Clan Thunder, and died on the Second Day of Thunder in 1128.

Isawa Kaede
Tadaka always shared a special bond with his older sister, Isawa Kaede. Kaede was always considered a prodigy as they grew up; she had obvious skill, and she was managing to master the extraordinarily difficult intricacies of the Void. Despite Kaede's well earned celebrity, Tadaka loved her just as much as any of his clansmen, and possibly more. Though Kaede was older, the two were close enough in age that they shared many interests and studies and they had many common friends. The two remained close until Tadaka chose to spend a year studying in the lands of the Crab Clan, and even then, couriers would regularly carry letters between the two.

Isawa Akuma
Tadaka was a descendant of the reviled shugenja Isawa Akuma. Tadaka took it as a personal insult that there existed a beast within the Shadowlands that, centuries earlier, had stolen his ancestor's name in order to secure its own existence. Tadaka had devoted his life to finding and destroying Oni no Akuma.

While studying with the Kuni family, the spirit of Akuma appeared to the young Tadaka. The apparition was bound and silent, but Tadaka understood that the poor soul was begging for his help to restore his name. This is the point at which Tadaka's obsession with Oni no Akuma began. His letters to his sister became less and less frequent, and it came as a surprise to no one when he asked to extend his stay with the Crab.

For years, nearly the entire period between his gempukku and his death, he spent every available moment -- and many he should not have spared -- to studying the Shadowlands, discovering the rituals of its denizens, observing the creatures there, and attempting to find the oni that stole his ancestor's name. He had risked everything -- his body, his life, his mind, and his soul -- in his quest.

Master of Earth
After having spent far more time with the Kuni than originally planned, Tadaka was called truant and tracked down by no less than the Master of Earth, Isawa Rujo. Rujo found the wayward shugenja, challenged his research, and even questioned the validity of his quest. Tadaka was furious and challenged the Master to a duel. The stakes he set were high: the loser would renounce his fealty to the Phoenix Clan and become forever ronin, and the winner would be Master of Earth. Rujo agreed.

Tadaka handily defeated the Master. Rujo was cast from the Phoenix, per their agreement, and Tadaka became Master of Earth in his place. The Council of Five was somewhat shaken by the outcome, but in the end, they were not disappointed. They saw Rujo as arrogant for entering a duel that he lost, and were not upset at his departure because of that. Tadaka saw his new position as an opportunity to more fully search for Oni no Akuma, which led him to be absent from the rulership of the clan quite frequently, allowing the Council to continue greatly in the manner to which they had already become accustomed.

Major References

 * Way of the Phoenix Pages 75-76.