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in: Crane Clan Families, Crane Clan Leaders, Succession Timelines, Crane Stubs

Daidoji family

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Daidoji family

 

Clan: Crane Clan 
Founded: 46 
Daimyo: Daidoji Akeha 
"The spear waits not for its master, but rushes forth to guard the way." [1]

The Daidoji were the primary military arm of the Crane Clan. They trained the yojimbo used by Crane dignitaries, and their Harriers were the elite forces that most samurai, even within the Crane, did not even know existed. They also contributed the most men to the rank and file of the Crane armies, the Daidoji Iron Warriors.

History[]

The Daidoji were renowned throughout Rokugan for their unusual tactics and stubborn defense of the Crane Clan lands. The family was founded after the youngest son of Doji and Kakita, Doji Hayaku, entered the Shadowlands after the Day of Thunder in search of his sister Doji Konishiko. Three years later he returned, his hair completely white and his speech lost due to a scar across his throat. In his hand was the blade Shukujo, which his sister had carried into the Shadowlands. Hayaku was given leave to found the Daidoji family, the "Defender of the Doji", and his children followed the duty to protect their kinsmen. To this day many Crane dye their hair white as a tribute to Hayaku and as a mark of loyalty to their clan. [2] The highest and most glorious responsibility for a Daidoji is to serve as the personal guard of the Crane Clan Champion. [3]

Trade[]

Most of the Crane trade had been organized and controlled by the Yasuki family, but after its defection in 387 [4] the cunning Daidoji performed this role, including the creation of the Daidoji Trading Council. [5]

Daidoji Civil War[]

A Blood Feud between the Daidoji Daimyo Daidoji Kamei and his insane brother Daidoji Hira led to the Foxfire War, a feud which lasted two generations and only ended when Hira's line was nearly completely destroyed. As a consequence of the conflict two vassal families were formed, the Hiramori and Hiramichi families. [6]

Military Action[]

The two most well known instances of the Daidoji military in action were the Battle of Tidal Landbridge, where the Daidoji Daimyo Daidoji Masashigi stood alongside the Hida defending against a Shadowlands attack, and the Swordsman's Last Stand, when the Crane lost Shiro no Yojin to the Lion Clan. [7]

Civil War[]

In 1132 the Daidoji Daimyo Daidoji Uji defied the orders of his Lord Doji Kuwanan, beginning the Crane Civil War. [8] Even at that dark moment, the Daidoji personal guard of Kuwanan was not dismissed. [3] Eventually both leaders met and put their differences aside after realizing that miscommunication between them had been orchestrated by shapeshifters in service to the Lying Darkness. [9]

Harriers disbanded[]

One of the most secretive schools of the Daidoji, the Harriers, were disbanded in 1169 when the current Champion, Doji Domotai, discovered them to be engaging in illegal activities which violated Imperial law. [10] The last remnants were killed by Daidoji Fumisato and Domotai's Daidoji personal guard, led by Daidoji Kimpira. [3]

Politics[]

Yasuki family[]

After the defection of the Yasuki family in the fourth century there were many Yasuki who refused to break their vows of loyalty to the Crane. These Yasuki joined the Daidoji and since then the Daidoji have openly despised the Yasuki. The good relations between the Hida and the Daidoji were all that held the shaky truce between the Daidoji and Yasuki families, and it was often commented upon how the two are like two sides of the same coin. [7]

Vassals of the Daidoji[]

The following were the known vassal families of the Daidoji family:

Daidoji Daimyo[]

The following were the known daimyo of the Daidoji:

Doji Hayaku 46 - ?
Daidoji Kuzan ? - ? (Third Daidoji Daimyo)
Daidoji Tsuyoku ? - ?
Daidoji Kamei ? - (c. 520)
Daidoji Kasako (c. 520) - ?
Daidoji Kasami (c. 523)
Daidoji Katsunan ? - 663
Daidoji Masashigi ? - 715
Daidoji Yuzan c. 960
Daidoji Yurei ? - 998
Uji's Father ? - c. 1123
Daidoji Uji c. 1123 - 1150
Daidoji Rekai 1150 - 1164
Daidoji Kikaze 1164 - 1173
Daidoji Akeha ? - Present

Unknown Dates[]

The following were Daimyos of the Daidoji family, but the dates of their reigns were not recorded:

Daidoji Chiroku's father ? - ?
Daidoji Jubei ? - ?

Within the family[]

Tactics[]

The Daidoji knew they could not match the strength or sheer numbers of their traditional enemy, the Lion Clan. Instead they learned to use guerrilla tactics such as ambushes, sabotage, and explosives. The Daidoji were also experts at exploiting the terrain to their advantage. They were masters of unconventional warfare, and the Daidoji's expertise was the only reason the Crane survived being pitted against much stronger rivals for so long. Their methods often skirted the edges of dishonor, but the Daidoji were confident in their abilities and proud of the service they did for their Clan. In addition to their martial duties, the Daidoji were often required to conduct illegal smuggling operations to maintain supply lines for Crane forces in war-torn areas. Daidoji were also sometimes found in court, although not in a courtier capacity. Their presence there was to gather sensitive information for the Doji courtiers. Daidoji could also occasionally be seen as yojimbo to some important courtiers. [11] [12]

Mon and Motto[]

Daidoji tattoo

Daidoji tattoo

The Daidoji respected the spear (yari) as a weapon and many of their bushi learned to use it in addition to the katana. Their motto emphasized their readiness to leap to the defense of their clan, military or otherwise. The mon was a crane with spread wings above a snake coiled around a yari. A bushi of the Daidoji would have their mon tattooed on their wrists on the day of their gempukku as a reminder of their sworn duty to the Crane. [1]

Weapons[]

To the Daidoji family the yari was nearly as sacred as the katana. [13]

Schools & Paths[]

The following were the Schools and Paths within the Daidoji family:

Lands[]

The Daidoji were given lands that held strategic value or resources best used in military endeavors. As a result, the family's lands were distributed across the Crane provinces, covering a variety of useful territories. [14] The northern Daidoji provinces promoted swift movement, defensible locations, and easy transportation, while agriculture and military training were focused in the southern areas. [15]

Provinces[]

Northern Daidoji provinces

Northern Daidoji provinces

The following were known provinces under the control of the Daidoji family; [16]

Daidoji Holdings[]

The main two holdings of the Daidoji were Shiro Daidoji and Kosaten Shiro, the defense line against the Lion, and Niwa Shita no Kage Toshi against the Crab to the south. [7]

The Daidoji Shrine[]

Southern Daidoji provinces

Southern Daidoji provinces

The Daidoji family shrine specifically honored Lady Doji, their family founder Doji Hayaku, and Daidoji Masashigi -- the hero of the Battle of Tidal Landbridge. [17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Way of the Crane, p. 42
  2. ↑ Way of the Crane, p. 39
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Disavowed, by Nancy Sauer
  4. ↑ Way of the Crab, p. 24
  5. ↑ Imperial Histories, p. 109
  6. ↑ Secrets of the Crane, pp. 31-32
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Way of the Crane, p. 41
  8. ↑ Hidden Emperor, p. 29
  9. ↑ Hidden Emperor, p. 66
  10. ↑ Imbalances, by Nancy Sauer
  11. ↑ Way of the Samurai, pp. 26-27
  12. ↑ Way of the Crane, pp. 40-41
  13. ↑ Riding Yari (Gold flavor)
  14. ↑ Secrets of the Crane, p. 24
  15. ↑ The Atlas of Rokugan, p. 41
  16. ↑ Secrets of the Crane, p. 96
  17. ↑ Way of the Phoenix, p. 33

See Also[]


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