Tourist Guide to Rokugan

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In the beginning:

There was Nothing. Nothing was alone and afraid. This Fear led to the Desire which gave birth to everything. This birth led Nothing to Regret. Then the three unnamed gods created Lady Sun and Lord Moon. Lord Moon chased Lady Sun through the sky, and when he caught her the land went dark, and she bore him children, ten in total. They were: Akodo, Doji, Fu Leng, Hantei, Hida, Ryoshun, Shinjo, Togashi, and the twins Bayushi and Shiba.

Lord Moon and Lady Sun travelled the land naming everything in creation, but a small bit of Nothing did not wish to be named, and hid behind Lord Moon. Whispering into his ear that his children would betray him. Driven mad by the whispers, Lord Moon tried to eat all of his children. However, Lady Sun hid Hantei, got Lord Moon very drunk and fed him a small rock in which was contained a small snake.

Lady Sun secretly trained Hantei how to fight, and when he was ready, he challenged Lord Moon to a duel. He split open his father's belly, and his brothers and sisters fell out and towards the earth, except for Ryoshun who had already passed onto the realm of the dead. As they fell, Fu Leng grabbed onto Hantei, and pulled him out of the Heavens as well.

Eight of the Kami fell to earth on Seppun Hill among the Seppun Tribe of man. Unable to return to the Heavens, they sought to brought the order of Heavens to earth. They held a tournament to choose their ruler, which Hantei won. He gave each of his brothers and sisters a Duty, and they moved through the human tribes, drawing followers and founding families among men which would become clans, serving Emperor Hantei as he ruled from the newly formed capital.

However, Fu Leng had fallen farther and harder than his siblings. Far to the south he struck through the earth creating an enormous pit, and fell directly into the hell that is Jigoku. The foul energies of that realm twisted him, driving him to hate his siblings for their perceived failure to save him. The direct pit to Jigoku allowed demons to enter into the world, and the foul energy emanating from the pit twisted everything about it into monsters. Fu Leng returned to the realm of his siblings leading an army of monsters and demons seeking to destroy his siblings Empire.

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The Imperial Families

Founded by: Hantei.


At the very top of Rokugan's social order sits the Emperor. All serve the Emperor, all belongs to the Emperor, he is the head of the Empire's religion and their connection to the Heavens. The position of Emperor, like most positions in Rokugan, is hereditary. The Emerald Champion is both his personal yojimbo, and the head arbiter of Rokugan's laws. This makes him the second most powerful person in the Empire, though his position is won through a tournament when the office is vacant.

As there can only be one Emperor, those siblings who are not the Emperor either marry into other families, retire to a monastery, or most commonly join one of the Imperial families, renouncing their claim to the throne (though this claim can be restored when the Emperor dies tragically without an heir.)

There are three Imperial families, each which serve a different function:

The Otomo family: These are the bureaucrats that keep the massive government running. Secretly they also work to ensure that the clans never united against the Emperor.

The Seppun Family: These are the guards, both mundane and mystical, of the Imperial lines.

The Miya Family: The heralds of the Emperor, they are responsible for making sure that the Emperor's commands are received throughout the Empire. Additionally, each year the Miya's Blessing is a large group of samurai dispatched to aid the most devastated areas of the Empire (Or at least who was able to convince the court were the most devastated)

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The Lion Clan
Founded by: Akodo
Duty: Ensuring the strength of the Empire through warfare
Dominant Element: Water
Most important tenet of Bushido: Honor
Least important tenet of Bushido: Compassion
Favorite Fortune: Bishamon, Fortune of Strength
Quote: "My Life, but never my Honor."

The Lion Clan, the strong right hand of the Emperor, is what the average person envisions when one says the word 'samurai'. Warrior poets who are extremely honorable. Their territory is in the heart of the Empire and is mostly flat, though the Spine of the World Mountains controls passes from one half of the Empire to the other.

There are four families of the Lion clan:

Akodo: The brains of the Lion, it is said that no army led by an Akodo general has ever known defeat. The daimyo of the family is the Lion clan champion.

Ikoma: The voice of the Lion, Ikoma are historians and storytellers that serve the Lion in court and ensure that the glory of the Lion is never diminished.

Kitsu: The soul of the Lion, the Kitsu family tend to the spiritual needs of the Lion clan and have a close connection to their ancestors.

Matsu: The muscle of the Lion, this matriarchal family is composed of some of the Empire's fiercest warriors.

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The Crane Clan
Founded by: Doji
Duty: Art and Culture
Dominant Element: Air
Most important tenet of Bushido: Courtesy
Least important tenet of Bushido: Courage
Favorite Fortune: Benten, Fortune of Romantic Beauty
Quote: "Beauty is important BECAUSE of it's impermanence."

The Crane Clan, the gracious left hand of the Emperor are warrior-poets, although leaning more towards the poet aspect than the warrior part.

There are four Crane families:

Doji: Compromised of some of the Empire's most connected courtiers. The Doji daimyo serves as the Crane clan champion.

Daidoji: The shield of Doji, they protect the Crane both militarily and economically.

Asahina: Pacifist shugenja of the Crane.

Kakita: Finest artists of the Empire, both in fields such as painting, sculpting, and so on, but also the High Art, iaijutsu. Iaijutsu dueling is the most well recognized method of settling conflicts without war.

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The Crab Clan
Founded by: Hida
Duty: Keeping the Empire safe from demons and monsters
Dominant Element: Earth
Most important tenet of Bushido: Courage
Least important tenet of Bushido: Courtesy
Favorite Fortune: Osano-Wo: Fortune of Fire and Thunder
Quote: "We are the Wall."

The Crab clan has the unfortunate duty of patrolling the Kaiu Wall which separates the Empire from the Shadowlands (a nightmare land packed full with monsters and evil)

There are five families of the Crab:

Hida: Hida are some of the largest samurai of the Empire, carrying massive tetsubo and enduring the never-ending war with the Shadowlands. The daimyo of the Hida is the Crab clan champion.

Hiruma: Hiruma are the scouts who risk their lives sneaking through the Shadowlands to see what the forces of evil are up to.

Kuni: These faces covered in white makeup are the shugenja of the Crab. They will figure out how to kill evil, no matter what.

Kaiu: The engineers of the Crab that build and maintain the massive Kaiu wall along with it's siege equipment and traps.

Yasuki: Originally belonging to the Crane clan the Yasuki secure the wall by making sure the money and political support of the courts flows to the Crab.

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The Phoenix Clan
Founded by: Shiba
Duty: Magic and Knowledge
Dominant Element: Fire
Most important tenet of Bushido: Righteousness
Least important tenet of Bushido: Sincerity
Favorite Fortune: Fukurokujin, Fortune of Wisdom
Quote: "My life, my honor, my soul for the Phoenix."

The Phoenix are known as the clan that has the most powerful shugenja in the Empire, studying the elements up in the mountains.

There are four families of the Phoenix:

Isawa: The family focused on magical prowess. The elemental council of Masters who actually lead the Phoenix are almost always Isawa.

Shiba: The yojimbo of the Phoenix. The Shiba daimyo is the Phoenix Clan Champion, who serves as the link between the Elemental Council and the Imperial Court.

Asako: Loremasters and monks who often serve the Phoenix interests in court.

Kaito: Bow wielding shrine attendants who can banish demons with their bows.

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The Dragon Clan
Founded by: Togashi
Duty: Enlightenment
Dominant Element: Void
Most important tenet of Bushido: Sincerity
Least important tenet of Bushido: Duty and Loyalty
Favorite Fortune: Fukurokujin, Fortune of Wisdom
Quote: "Many paths, one destination."

While the Phoenix are scholars of the elements, their neighbors the Dragon tend to focus more on the mystical concept of enlightenment, seeking a oneness with the world.

There are four families of the Dragon:

Mirumoto: Bushi that use the fighting style known as Niten, fighting with a sword in each hand. The Mirumoto family daimyo is the Dragon Clan champion.

Kitsuki: Courtiers and investigators. In Rokugan law, testimony is the standard requirement for deciding law, but the Kitsuki believe that evidence should have a stronger role.

Agasha: Shugenja and alchemists.

Togashi: A strange order of monks with magical tattoos.

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The Scorpion Clan
Founded by: Bayushi
Duty: Villany
Dominant Element: Air
Most important tenet of Bushido: Duty and Loyalty
Least important tenet of Bushido: Honor and Righteousness
Favorite Fortune: Jurojin, Fortune of Longevity
Quote: "I will be your villain."

Dark mirror of the Crane clan, the Scorpion deal in all matter of dishonorable activities such as blackmail, opium, and theater.

There are four families of the Scorpion clan:

Bayushi: Stylist masters of being tricky both on the battlefield and in court. Their daimyo is the Scorpion clan champion.
Soshi: Shugenja specializing is illusion magic.
Shosuro: Assistants to the Bayushi, many of them are secretly ninja.
Yogo: A family of shugenja doomed to betray their one true love.

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The Unicorn Clan
Founded by: Shinjo
Duty: Calvary and exploration
Dominant Element: Water
Most important tenet of Bushido: Compassion
Least important tenet of Bushido: Courtesy
Favorite Fortune: Daikoku, Fortune of Wealth
Quote: "The wind never stops."

Having left the Empire in it's early centuries to explore the world outside the borders of the Empire, the Unicorn evolved many traditions of their own. They are some of the finest cavalry in the Empire, though their weirder traditions such as wearing fur and leather and eating red meat are off-putting to more traditional samurai.

There are five families of the Unicorn:

Moto: The Moto family were a tribe that was sworn into the clan by Shinjo on their travels. They are fierce horseback riders using curved heavy scimitars to great effect.

Ide: The Ide family are the courtiers of the Unicorn, and have honed their traditions to seek acceptance in a myriad of foreign lands.

Iuchi: The shugenja of the Unicorn who have learned to store kami within sacred trinkets.

Shinjo: The original family of the Unicorn who left the Empire, the Shinjo are excellent mounted scouts. the Shinjo daimyo is the Unicorn clan champion.

Utaku: This matriarchal family boats the best of the best horseback riders.

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Minor Clans

Rather than being founded by the original Kami, minor clans have been appointed and disbanded throughout history by Emperors who saw a need for their creation. They are much smaller and less powerful than the Great clans, but imperial edicts forbids the Great clans from warring upon them.

Badger: Defenders of the northern border.
Cat: Acrobats who are secretly ninjas for hire.
Centipede: Matriarchal sun worshippers.
Dragonfly: Diplomats at the entrance to the Dragon lands.
Falcon: Ghost hunters.
Fox: Defenders of the shinomen forest.
Hare: Hunters of maho-tsukai.
Mantis: Seafaring samurai living in the tropics.
Moth: Masters of Dreams
Otter: River-faring samurai.
Sparrow: Live a life of honorable poverty keeping watch over the Golden Plains of the Emperor.
Tortoise: Voice of the minor clans in the Imperial court, publicaly in charge of maintenance of the imperial capital, secretly in charge of monitoring ronin.
Wasp: Bounty hunting archers.