| Emma-Ō | |
|---|---|
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| Born: | Unknown |
| Died: | - |
| People | |
Emma-Ō [1] was the Fortune of Death and Judge of the Dead, reigning over Meido. [2] Emma-Ō was assisted by the Tenth Kami, Ryoshun. [3]
Appearance[]
Everyone who looked upon Emma-Ō recognized that the ruler of the underworld was a very, very tired Fortune. His face was scowling and red, with tusks and fangs. He wore a hat with the character for "king" inscribed on the front, and he always carried an antique board to which he fastened the record of a soul's karma before he judged its reincarnation. He had priests, but received few prayers, as they were generally considered to annoy him, since he was so overworked he would never have time to get to them. Bureaucrats and administrators often placed images of Emma-Ō in their offices; his fearsome visage was meant to be a bulwark against corruption and inefficiency. [4]
Ruling the Underworld[]
Origins[]
It was said that Emma-Ō was the first human ever to die. Alone, he journeyed from the land of the living down to the underworld of Yomi. He became the Fortune of Death and Judge of the Dead, ruling fairly and justly. Some stories said that Emma-Ō built the facilities of the underworld himself. [5]
Tōshigoku[]
Emma-Ō originally created Tōshigoku as a special division dedicated to rehabilitating the overabundance of Rokugani dead who fell in unjust and unproductive war. He cleared out a particularly miserable neighborhood in Gaki-dō, built Tōshigoku Castle there, and appointed an especially competent mazoku, Mujōki, the Ghost of Impermanence, as warden of its legion, whose ranks swelled swiftly with souls who died engaging in pointless violence. [6]
Jigoku[]
Those mortal souls with true wickedness in their hearts and whose deeds were undeniably vile were thrown into Jigoku as oni after being judged by Emma-Ō. [7]
Ruling Meido[]
Yomi's impregnable borders had kept Jigoku's evils in check, but Fu Leng's fall into the underworld ruptured those borders. As Fu Leng, saturated in Jigoku's evil, increased his power and influence, Jigoku encroached further on Yomi, even capturing several unlucky sorei, who suffered there to this day. Then came the Day of Thunder. Because the Kami so loved the Thunders, they petitioned Heaven that the fallen Thunders might ultimately live alongside them in Heaven instead of risking corruption in Yomi. The stewards of the Heavens went further, transporting the entirety of Yomi and all its sorei into the sky, where Jigoku's defilements could not reach them. Yomi was safe, but the underworld was lost to Jigoku, save for Meido. Emma-Ō, his Kings of Hell, and their loyal mazoku descended from on high to reconquer the world below. They seized the levels now known as Meido, Gaki-dō, and Tōshigoku from the forces of Jigoku. [8] Emma-Ō judged the souls on his own Estate in this Realm, away from his true estate in Tengoku. His servants in the Mortal Realm were the Shinigami. [9]
Ryoshun[]
Ryoshun, the first Kami to be eaten by Onnotangu and the only one to perish before Hantei, was found by Emma-Ō in Meido, waiting. The Tenth Kami was appointed to oversee the defense of boundary between Jigoku and the other levels. [10]
Shugenja of Emma-Ō[]
Every Great Clan boasted a sect of Fortunist priests of Emma-Ō, who traveled constantly, carrying their sacred artifacts with them, to ensure the souls of the departed could find their way to Emma-Ō's judgment and their proper destination. Shugenja of Emma-Ō were especially rare, identified early by signs of the Fortune's blessing, such as jagged birthmarks. Distinguished by their white robes and ceremonial sode, being trained exclusively to interpret the rare and cryptic replies of their patron. Among their greatest abilities was the capacity to sway Emma-Ō's decision regarding the deceased's next destination. Their presence outside of funerals was considered unlucky. [11]
Kyūden Asako[]
Kyūden Asako, a palace which surrounded structures and a castle that predated the Emerald Empire, boasted hot springs that dispensed mineral-rich water into natural basins. The palace was also a place that aligned frequently with various Spirit Realms. In the dead of night, the administrators of Jigoku and the employees of Emma-Ō and his Kings of Hell made the long climb from far beneath the earth to unwind from their stressful jobs, bathing in the waters. [12]
References
- ↑ Small Mercies, by Robert Denton III
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings - Roleplaying, p. 15
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 10
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, pp. 141-142
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 141
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 138
- ↑ Celestial Realms, p. 10
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 134
- ↑ Celestial Realms, pp. 25-26
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 139
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 150
- ↑ Courts of Stone, pp. 42-43
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