Mon of the Monkey Clan
The Monkey Clan was a minor clan founded by Toku. He chose the Monkey as his symbol, an animal as cheerful and resourceful as he was. [1]
History[]
Thinking like a Monkey[]
During the early reign of Toturi I, Toku saw a Ki-Rin, wishing to approach and touch the mythical creature. This attitude was retorted by Toturi, being the first time Toku was linked to a monkey. [2]
"You think like a monkey, Toku, always wanting to grab what is just out of your reach."
-Toturi [2]
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Founding[]
Creating the Monkey Clan
In 1129 the position of Captain of the Imperial Guard was offered to Toku from the Emperor Toturi as a reward for his actions in the Clan War. Toku declined the offer and revealed to Toturi that he was in fact not a samurai, but a heimin who had been impersonating one. Toku offered to commit seppuku as his final act as a samurai, but Toturi pardoned Toku for his crime and offered the position a second time, as well as minor clan status for Toku and his followers. In this way the Monkey Clan was founded. Shortly thereafter, Fuzake Garou, founder of the clanless Fuzake family, swore fealty to Toku and joined the Monkey Clan along with his small family. [3] The fledging Minor Clan, filled with ronin who owed their fame and respect to Toturi I, made an excellent pool of apolitical Imperial Magistrates. The clan's duty was set to keep law and order in the Empire. [4] The Monkey were not yet granted with any official lands, but made her home in the Imperial City, Otosan Uchi, [5] in the Diligent Estate of the Monkey. [6]
The Monkey Receive Lands[]
In 1130 after the banishment of the Scorpion Clan to the Burning Sands, the Monkey Clan was given a stretch of valley in the former Scorpion territory. [4] The Vale of Father and Daughter was renamed as the Vale of the Monkey. [7]
The First Edict[]
In 1132, Toku was commanded by the newly rescued Toturi I to take the Monkey Clan and end the fighting between the Naga, Brotherhood of Shinsei, and the Dragon Clan in the Siege of Sleeping Mountain. [8] The Monkey Clan was granted with lands, formerly belonged to the Scorpion Clan, which had been exiled from the Empire. [9]
Scorpion Clan returned[]
This year the Scorpion Clan returned from their exile in the Burning Sands. As part of a political arrangement Shosuro Inao, sister of the Shosuro Daimyo, Shosuro Yudoka married Toku. The Monkey champion offered to return the lands given the Monkey, but the Scorpion refused and instead, they entered into an alliance with the tiny clan. [9] [10]
War Against the Shadow[]
The Monkey Clan was targeted for destruction by the Shadow, because the Monkey were a symbol of hope and virtue. The clan survived the assault, but their fortress was destroyed. [11]
War of Spirits[]
The returned spirits serving Hantei XVI did not care for a Minor Clan which had not existed in their leader's original time, destroying their fortress again. [11]
Four Winds[]
After the death of Toturi I in 1158, the Monkey Clan did not choose to officially support any of his four children, although Toku permitted his followers to serve them as their own consciences dictated. Many swore fealty to Toturi Tsudao, the eldest legitimate child of the emperor and leader of the Imperial Legions, and thus took the Toturi name. Rather than directly intervening in the politics of the Empire, Toku undertook the training of large numbers of Monkey Clan samurai, who travelled all over the Empire to maintain peace while the Clans warred.
Granted Toku family name[]
After the death of Toku in 1165, the Emperor Toturi III declared him to be Fortune of Virtue, and bestowed upon the Monkey Clan the family name of 'Toku'. His widow Toku Inao was the first to bear it. [9]
Blessed by the Heavens[]
In 1167 the gods turned their attention to an Empire that had lost its way. The Celestial Heavens found the Great Clans unworthy of their favors, and turned instead to the lesser among their children, the humble samurai that served the Minor Clans. [12] The Monkey Clan was the blessed one. [13]
Colonies[]
During the Age of Exploration, the Imperial Chancellor was a member of the Clan, Toku Hikaru. [14] The Monkey could afford to send several representatives to the Colonies. [15]
Monkey Clan Lands[]
The Monkey Lands were nestled to the east of the Shinomen Forest, [16] a very small area to the east of the Scorpion provinces. The Vale of the Monkey comprised the majority of the territory. They were fertile lands, and that which was not farmlands was covered by light untamed forests. The fertility of the Monkey lands was such that often they produced more rice than was required for their own meagre needs. Traditionally, the excess was sold at no profit to the other Minor Clans. [15]
At the heart of Monkey lands lied Toku Torid-e, the Vigilant Keep of the Monkey. The Vigilant Keep of the Monkey had twice fallen to enemy forces. Once it fell to the Living Shadow and the other time to the forces of Hantei XVI. Both times the keep was quickly rebuilt larger and better defended then before. This showed the Monkey resilience which was their hallmark. This was Toku's lesson and his students had learned well. [17]
The Keep itself was a small building, barely looking like the centre of a clan's territory. Only the large village around it gave an indication of its importance. Inside the main courtyard, the Monkey installed a shrine to Toku as the Fortune of Virtue, at which all who passed by stopped and offered their prayers.
Details[]
Customs[]
Monkey samurai kept personal journals which they passed on to their children upon retirement. The Monkey were famous for their uniquely upbeat attitude toward life, full of cheerfulness and humor even in the face of the darkest times. [18]
Colors[]
The Monkey were mostly identified with orange and brown colors. [19]
Families[]
The following were the families of the Monkey Clan:
In addition, several members of the clan had sworn fealty directly to the Imperial line by taking the Toturi family name.
Samurai[]
See Samurai of the Monkey Clan for a listing of notable members of the clan, both current and historic. For the leaders of the clan, see also:
Schools & Paths[]
Schools[]
The following were the basic Schools within the Monkey Clan:
Path[]
The following were the basic Paths within the Monkey Clan:
Paths[]
There were currently no Paths within the Monkey Clan.
References
- ↑ Secrets of the Empire, p. 59
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clan War: Call to Arms, p. 2
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 20
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fealty and Freedom, p. 53
- ↑ Hidden Emperor, p. 11
- ↑ Fealty and Freedom, p. 58
- ↑ Fealty and Freedom, p. 57
- ↑ Creating the Monkey Clan (Dark Journey Home flavor)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Worldly Matters, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Hidden Emperor, p. 94
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Secrets of the Empire, p. 60
- ↑ Toshi no Ichi, The Year’s End Festival (Tourney Storyline)
- ↑ The Fortunes Smile, by Brian Yoon
- ↑ Chosen of the Emperor, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Secrets of the Empire, p. 61
- ↑ Toku (Hidden Emperor flavor)
- ↑ Way of the Samurai, p. 77
- ↑ Secrets of the Empire, p. 65
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 70
- Way of the Wolf p. 72 - 74
- Legend of the Five Rings 3rd Edition p. 68
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