Shinsei (TCG)

Shinsei (TCG)

Shinsei, the Little Teacher, was the founder of the Rokugani theology which would be managed through the Brotherhood of Shinsei, the philosophical understandings of reincarnation and the elements, known as Shinseism. Shinsei was a teacher, orator, and philosopher who traveled Rokugan to share truths.

Mentor of the Kami

Shinsei and Hida

In the Tournament of the Kami the agile Shinjo defeated Hida, because he had fought clumsily and was unable to bring his great strength to bear. Shinsei told Hida that strength, by itself, was insufficient for victory. Hida began to set about learning how to refine and focus hos strength with strategy and cunning.

Shinsei and Lady Doji

One day, during a heavy snow at the height of winter, Shinsei appeared at the gates of Kyūden Doji. Lady Doji saw him, a mysterious beggar who made her curious when Shinsei declined her invitation for shelter. She went out and sat beside him in the snow. Their conversation made her realize the beauty inherent to an impermanent world, found even in the smallest snowflake. From this lesson, Doji resolved to live keenly aware of each passing moment, to transcend mortality through appreciation of beauty, and in so doing, show all what it meant to live a noble life.

War Against Fu Leng

Tao of Shinsei

The fledging Empire founded by Hantei was assaulted by a dark army from the Shadowlands, led by the fallen Kami Fu Leng. One day, an old man dressed as a monk came to Hantei's camp. He said his name was Shinsei, and that he knew how the Emperor could defeat the armies of Fu Leng. Hantei would not listen at first, but after Shinsei defeated, unarmed, the guards sent to remove him, the Emperor because curious. The two talked the whole night, and Shiba diligently copied down all that was said. These teachings were recorded in full in the writings which became known as the Tao of Shinsei.

“The sharpest bite comes from hidden teeth.” -Shinsei

Shinsei and Akodo

After the audience Akodo One-Eye made to leave. Hantei stood, angry that his brother had insulted the Little Master, requesting an explanation. Akodo said Shinsei's way was not his way. Akodo ordered the Tao would not enter Lion lands, but Hantei reversed his order, so a copy of Tao was included in every Lion dōjō. Akodo decreed that the Lion Clan should never open their copy of the Tao.

Entreating Isawa

As they walked together out of the Emperor's palace, Shinsei and Shiba had a short, private discussion. Following this momentous meeting, a reluctant but determined Shinsei went to assembly the Seven Thunders to confront Fu Leng. Shinsei and the Kami Shiba entreated the priest Isawa and his tribe to join them in fighting the forces of the Shadowlands.

Day of Thunder

Fu Leng marshaled a large and powerful aemy, and the Rokugani realized they would not stop it. Shinsei came to the Kami with a bold plan. He told the Emperor that fortune favors the mortal man, and so he would gather seven human warriors, traveling deep into the Shadowlands and confront Fu Leng himself. Hantei gave his permission, and so one warrior from each of the clans was chosen. Shinsei led these warriors, the Seven Thunders, into the South. Deep into the Shadowlands the Seven Thunders and Shinsei found Fu Leng and defeated him on what became known as the Day of Thunder. The cost was heavy, as only the Scorpion Thunder Shosuro survived the fight. Isawa had sealed their eternal enemy into the Black Scrolls and Shosuro could escape the Shadowlands with the scrolls, pursued by the armies of the Shadowlands. Shiba alone stood between a vast horde of its foul denizens and the last Thunders. Drawing Ofushikai, Shiba swore that these lives were under his protection and cut his way through the host to the First Oni. As a result of his prowess and sacrifice, the Thunder Shosuro and the prophet Shinsei survived. When Shinsei and Shosuro returned to the Empire, Hantei ordered that the twelve scrolls never be opened and gave them to the Scorpion Clan for safekeeping.

Shinsei and Togashi

Shinsei visited Togashi, after the Day of Thunder. The Little Teacher asked the Dragon Kami the reasons behind his isolation in the mountains. Togashi explained he would not move until he could understand, and Shinsei sat alongside him and said, 'Neither will I.' Nine days Shinsei was fasting and without moving, and on the tenth day Shinsei was near to death. Togashi understood that his quest for wisdom had affected the world around him. A plum blossom fell into his lap, and he was enlightened. Shinsei and Shosuro had returned with the Black Scrolls, and they were met by Kuni himself in the presence of Togashi. Before succumbing to her wounds, Shosuro gave Kuni an account of the battle between the Thunders and Fu Leng. They kept the record secret, guarded. Shosuro's account was written in one of the Asako family cyphers by Lady Asako herself. Shinsei's plan was to buy time. Time for ‘Togashi's Duel.’ Time for the next Day of Thunder.

Leaving the Empire

Shinsei was said to have told the so-called Final Riddle to Togashi before he left the Empire, and the answer to which would define the meaning of existence.

Legacy

Shinsei sparked a revolution in Rokugan's life, prayer, and thought. He prophetically explained how life, death, the elements, and society worked together in a grand cycle that spinned far beyond human perception. Humans were no mere pawns in heaven and hell's game of good and evil. Humans were responsible for their own betterment, and that of the society around them, through contemplation and compassion. Some saw him as a philosopher, a logician who expounded upon the nature of existence and the human condition out of compassion for others. These followers tended to be introspective and thoughtful, whether through common sense or academic rigor. Some saw him as a hero, who advocated a life of right action and great compassion for others, as described in the Thunder Dialogue. These followers wandered among Rokugan's people helping others, particularly the poor and powerless. Monastic orders that followed such beliefs took a greater involvement in politics and even warfare, intervening directly in events for the good of the people. And also were some who saw Shinsei as a god, the shintai for a Fortune known as Kongōten, who had a superhuman knowledge of the workings of the elements and reincarnation, and by following him, others could be as well. These claims aligned with the views of the heretical Perfect Land Sect. The clan most enraptured with Shinsei the god were the Unicorn. The Crane Clan enthusiastically embraced Shinsei the hero, donating generously to heroically inclined temples and monasteries.

Reincarnation

In the last decade of the 11th Century Shinsei reincarnated in the persona of Senzai.

Notable Quotes

• “Not every question has a perfect answer, but every answer has a perfect question.”
• “Large and small waves break upon the same shore.”

References

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