Brotherhood of Shinsei

Mon of the Brotherhood

The Brotherhood of Shinsei was a religious organization that governed and oversaw the thousands of temples, shrines and monasteries of Rokugan. It was named after Shinsei, the monk who led the Seven Thunders to victory over Fu Leng at the dawn of the Empire on the first Day of Thunder. Devoted to the study of the Tao of Shinsei, the worship of the kami no michi and the pursuit of enlightenment, the Brotherhood was the pre-eminent spiritual body in the Empire.

History

Brotherhood Sensei

Origin

Those who had personally met Shinsei were moved by his words and continued his work. Shrines, libraries, and temples that had already been independently erected in honor of Shinsei were put to use by Shinsei's followers in the hope of helping seekers of wisdom to attain enlightenment. Over time, the successors of these simple monks became known as his brothers and sisters and the appellation "Brotherhood of Shinsei" was adopted and widely accepted.

Organization

By the end of Hantei Genji's reign, the Brotherhood of Shinsei had attained its basic organizational structure in the form of a network of temples, shrines, and monasteries scattered across the Empire that were attended by monks pursuing lives of ascetic self-denial, intense spiritual focus, and scholarly study. The Brotherhood of Shinsei remained vigilant against any False Paths, and when a sect of monks was found to be practicing such a path, a council held at a Great Convocation declared the doctrine heretical and summarily expelled any who refused to relinquish their false practices from the Brotherhood.

Fudoism

The Brotherhood chased the followers of the heretical prophet Fudo, whose teachings were recorded in the Writings of Fudo. In the 4th century the Fudoists secretly found refuge under the protection of the pacifist Asahina family.

Gozoku

In 428 during the first Gozoku the Emperor Hantei Kusada requested that the Brotherhood of Shinsei act as Agents of the Hantei, spying on the Gozoku consortium. The leader of the Anshin sect, Bunrakuken, agreed to assist Emperor Hantei, putting aside differences. Seven months later, four Anshin monks were apprehended while spying on the Crane Clan Champion and executed. Bunrakuken felt betrayed when the Emperor did nothing to save them, and his entire sect fell into heresy. The martyrdom of a number of pious monks and the subsequent burning of three monasteries caused the common people to turn against the Gozoku conspiracy and played a significant part in the conspiracy's eventual downfall. The Brotherhood saw this era as a dark spot in its history due to its involvement in the sordid world of politics.

Heresy of the Five Rings

In the 6th century the religious beliefs of the famous monk Gorinno were the foundations of a religious movement which would be known as the Heresy of the Five Rings. The Empire barely averted plunging into full-fledged civil war.

Great Famine

In the 7th century during the Great Famine, a retired Lion Clan Champion who was actually the monk Rojin led a large peasant uprising. When the People's Legion was defeated, the vindictive Emperor Hantei XX imposed harsh new restrictions on the peasants of the Empire, extending some of these strictures to the Brotherhood. These laws were later rescinded by Hantei XXII, whose life was saved by a monk who nursed him back to health.

Clan War

The Brotherhood's Abbey

For a thousand years the Brotherhood prepared for the next Day of Thunder. During the Clan War, the infamous Shadowlands shugenja Yogo Junzo sought to slay Shinsei's descendant and destroyed numerous temples and shrines in his ruthless quest. In time, the Hooded Ronin revealed himself as the descendant of Shinsei and defeated Fu Leng in the Second Day of Thunder alongside the Seven Thunders.

War Against the Shadow

During the War Against Shadow the Brotherhood lent its wisdom and power to the might of the Great Clans. Takao, Head of the Brotherhood of Shinsei, defeated Lord Moon's avatar and became the Master of Five.

Purge of Fudoism

In the 12th century, Fudoism emerged in the Colonies to fight those touched with the madness spread by the mad dragon P'an Ku. The Fudoists destroyed entire villages in order to make sure the area was cleansed from madness. Once the Fudoists were revealed to the Empire, monasteries and hidden strongholds of the Fudo cult were sought out and put to the torch by the Rokugani.

Influenced by the Kolat Conspiracy

The former Yasuki Daimyo Yasuki Jinn-Kuen was appointed as Head of the Brotherhood of Shinsei. He was also the Kolat Master Coin, and placed the Brotherhood under the direct influence of the Kolat conspiracy. The Head Abbot used the Brotherhood to follow his secret agenda, mostly by sowing discord among the Great Clans and fostering divisiveness.

Rise of Jigoku

The Dragon Clan foresaw the rise of Jigoku and that the Empire would be ruled by the Spider Clan. To avoid the destruction of the Tao of Shinsei teachings they sequestered themselves from the Empire. In 1200 all Dragon were moved north of Last Step Castle alongside with those Tonbo and monks of the Brotherhood of Shinsei who decided to follow them. The Dragon Wall was magically built with no gate and no door, stretching to the top of the mountains and from the high base of Morning Frost Castle to the other side of the pass.

Philosophy

The monks of the Brotherhood sought understanding and harmony, and through that path some attained enlightenment.

Vows

Shinseism was a religion with no dogma and relatively few inherent strictures for its practitioners. The Book of Duties listed the responsibilities of Shinseist monks, but each sect interpreted the Tao's instructions differently, with the vows of one sect sometimes differing wildly from the next. All sects adhered to the Four Vows, which were considered central to a monk's duties: to save all living beings, to eliminate defilements, to learn Shinsei's teachings, and to seek enlightenment.

Sects

The Brotherhood was not a single cohesive whole, but instead consisted of numerous sects and orders. Traditionally, the Four Temples of Kyuden Seppun acted as the "voice" of the Brotherhood of Shinsei when it spoke as one or was represented in the courts. The Brotherhood's primary goals were to foster spiritual enlightenment and cultural improvement, and the monks eschewed materialism or involvement in politics.

Largest Sects

The largest sects of the Brotherhood were the Lotus, Questioners, Shintao, Sohei, Yamabushi and Shinmaki.

Fudoism

A monk severed from the Brotherhood for his heretic thoughts, Fudo, created his own sect, Fudoism, which became popular in the Colonies during the Age of Conquest. There were heated discussions among mainland Rokugani sects as to what the Brotherhood's response should be.

Details

The Brotherhood of Shinsei

Monk Schools

Monk schools were very different from traditional samurai schools. The schools were usually a network of temples or a specific temple where the monk received induction into the monastic life.

• The Four Temples
• The Shrine of the Seven Thunders
• The Temple of Kaimetsu-uo
• The Temple of Osano-Wo
• The Temples of the Thousand Fortunes

Other Notable Orders

• The Order of Resolution
• The Order of Strength, devoted to Bishamon
• The Order of Heroes, devoted to Goemon
• The Order of Rebirth, devoted to Tsukune

Members of the Brotherhood

See Members of the Brotherhood of Shinsei for a listing of notable monks.

See Leaders of the Brotherhood of Shinsei for a listing of the notable leaders throughout time.

External Links

• The Brotherhood of Shinsei (Crimson and Jade)
• The Brotherhood's Abbey (Siege: Clan War)

References

This Brotherhood of Shinsei related article is a stub. That means that it has been started, but is incomplete. You can help by adding to the information here.