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A Tortoise Bushi
The Tortoise Clan was a Minor clan which was specifically permitted to trade with foreigners. [1] Kyūden Kasuga was their ancestral seat of power. [2]
Founding[]
The Tortoise were founded in the middle of the Fifth century after the Battle of White Stag. The Emperor bestowed minor clan status on Agasha Kasuga and his followers despite the fact that they apparently helped the enemy gaijin survivors to safely escape after their defeat. The reasons for the Emperor granting this status were known only to Kasuga and the Emperor. [3] They were granted the Kasuga family name, and widely renowned as the best contenders in sadane games. [4]
Duty[]
The Tortoise were born as a secret defense against gaijin activities that might imperil the Empire, tasked with monitoring and covertly trading with the gaijin, in order to ensure the tragedy of White Stag was never repeated. Tortoise ships sailed across the Sea of Amaterasu, visiting gaijin ports, where their crews learned about (and keep watch on) foreign cultures and trade for exotic goods to bring back to Rokugan. [3]
Tortoise Clan[]
Families of the Kasuga[]
The Kasuga family was the main family of the Tortoise. [2]
Customs[]
Tortoise merchants acted like mere peasants (and often behaved and dressed like them), ignoring the open contempt from other samurai. Most clans simply ignored them, though Tortoise connections to the smuggling of gaijin goods were an open secret in many areas. All the while, the Tortoise secretly served the Emperor by controlling and limiting such smuggling and gathering intelligence on gaijin activities. [2]
Reputation[]
As magistrates of Slow Tide Harbor, the Tortoise Clan presided over one of the most notorious havens for smugglers, criminals, and gaijin in the Empire. This association tainted them in the eyes of other samurai, but the Kasuga family had been permitted and instructed to treat with gaijin by Imperial decree for centuries, and they would not shirk their duties. [5]
Tortoise Lands[]
Most of the original Tortoise samurai were gaijin stranded in the Empire after their fleet was driven away. [6] The Tortoise Clan remained quite small, with only a few hundred samurai and a single tiny province. The Tortoise also controled a secret offshore holding, a remote island called Kameyama Jima, where much of their covert trade with the gaijin actuaily took place. [3]
Schools[]
The following were the schools within the Tortoise Clan:
Tortoise Clan Champion[]
The Tortoise Clan Champion was the leader of the Tortoise Clan. The following are the known Champions of the Tortoise Clan:
| Agasha Kasuga | Middle of the Fifth century |
| Kasuga Genjiko | ? - ? |
See also[]
References
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