A Kami on his Knees
In the time before the fall of the immortal Kami, the blood of the Moon fell from the heavens, mixing with the tears of the Sun. Between these two most illustrious substances, a bit of earth was caught, and the world was formed. Man walked upon the surface of the world, and the greatest of these was Isawa.
When the Kami gathered the population of the world together and divided them into clans, Isawa stood among them, watching carefully as the Kami fought for dominion of the land. When the first Hantei was crowned and the awestruck populace bowed before the Prince of the Heavens, Isawa did not bend his head to the ground. “What makes them worthy of our servitude?” whispered Isawa to his brothers and sisters, and they nodded in unison. With that, the Isawa left the hill which was to become Otosan Uchi, and headed to the north, to begin their own city.
While the other humans in Rokugan were content to be led by Hantei and his siblings, Isawa and his followers simply ignored the expanding Empire, spending their time in research and study of the world around them. Legend says that it was Isawa’s younger brother who first discovered the craft of magic, but it was Isawa himself that realized the tremendous potential of the art. “Now,” said Isawa, “the Children of the Sky will have no power over us. We, the Children of the Earth, are their Masters.”
In the cold northern mountains, despite bitter cold and harsh conditions, the city thrived. Isawa saw this as another mark that mortals did not need the guidance of the Kami. “We can live in the world without their help,” he said to his growing fellowship. “Is it not by the work of our own hands that we have survived and prospered?”
It is said that when the armies of Fu Leng invaded Rokugan from the corrupted fields of the Shadowlands, the people of the city of Isawa ignored the threat at first. Because it was so far to their south, and they were shielded by the young Empire, the danger of the invading horde seemed irrelevant to their peaceful tribe. Soon, however, the wandering groups of Oni and goblins made their way to the northern lands, destroying the peaceful villages and blackening the land with their Master’s foulness.
The spellcasters of the Isawa attempted to defend the city with magic, but it was clear that the overwhelming numbers of their enemy would soon take their toll; even their greatest shugenja could not maintain the fortification.
Perhaps their arrival was guided by Lady Sun, or perhaps holy Shinsei knew more about the city of Isawa than he claimed. On the day that Isawa’s youngest sister was killed by a marauding Oni, Shinse and Shiba arrived to call Isawa and his people to fight for the Empire against Fu Leng. The daughter of Isawa met them at the gates to the city, dressed in white, her hair torn in mourning. “My father cannot see you,” she said to the visitors, but they did not heed her, and continued to the pyre in the city square. There, a strange sight met their eyes.
Around the fires stood the Isawa, their arms raised to the heavens, and their voices lifted in a strange chant. From their hands flowed blood as red as the setting sun. This was before the time of the great maho-users, when the magic of blood was unknown to all but the greatest sorcerers. Isawa knew only that his magic was not magic of the Kami to whom he had sworn never to be a slave.
After the burial, Isawa, Shiba, and Shinsei met in the gardens outside Isawa’s hom, and Shiba asked how such foulness could be a tribute to the spirit of a beloved sister. Isawa answered only, “It is our way.” Until that moment, the word ‘maho’ had never been used within the Empire. The creatures of Fu Leng knew nothing of blood magic, nor did the children of the Kami know of its power – or its price. It was the Children of Earth who first unleashed this terrible dark power, not the servants of Fu Leng. Even after the primitive Isawa foreswore its use, centuries later a man known as Kuni Nakanu researched methods of blood magic which raised maho from a primitive art to a destructive and evil force.
With maho, Isawa had learned the techniques to bind an immortal soul to the material world. In the fields of Isawa’s lands, united around the castle, stood the spirits of the fallen, risen with blood and bound to the walls themselves. “Without the strength of our brothers and sisters,” said Isawa, “we can not hope to survive this evil which you have brought upon us. It is the nature of the Children of the Earth to survive – no matter what the cost. If we must sacrifice our very souls, we will preserve life for our children.”
Shiba stepped forward then, and spoke. “If your concern is for the children, then be concerned not for their bodies, but for their souls.”
Before his words could spark disagreement, the small monk stepped forward. “Blood calls for blood,” he murmured, “but there is another way…”
Isawa listened, and Shinsei spoke long into the night. By the time the moon set in the summer sky, a bargain had been made. Isawa would come with Shinsei into the darkness of the Shadowlands, if Shiba would swear that he and his descendents would always protect the city. To cement this, Isawa swor his fealty to Shiba’s line – but with a condition. “I am not your subject,” Isawa thundered, “and I will not have my people believing that I have sold them into slavery. If I am to swear my children to your line, you must kneel before me as I offer service.”
To another Kami, this request might have seemed preposterous – a son of Amaterasu bending down before a mortal. However, to Shiba, the price was low. By bending his knee, he would gain not only the powers, knowledge and strength of the Isawa family, but also a Thunder for the salvation of the Empire. It was a simple choice between pride and the lives of thousands in the Empire.
To the South, on the fields of Otosan Uchi, the threat of war grew nearer. Thousands died on the battlefield, Lion and Crab alike, defending the bastions of the Empire. As they fell back before a brutal assault, a tremendous light scared the heavens above them. From the north, twenty shugenja flew, their robes fluttering in the wind which held them aloft. Their hands moved with dangerous incatations, and fire sprang from their fingers. Confused and unable to counter the sorcery, the Oni fell back from the battle, fleeing to their master’s side.
When the news spread of the price Shiba had been asked to pay for Isawa’s help, the Kami only smiled and said, “The arts of peace and war are like the two wheels of a cart which, lacking one, will be unable to stand.”
It was Lady Doji who explained her brother’s enigmatic words. “Shinsei teaches that man, not the Kami, have the power to change the world. Shiba’s children will be the wardens of the world, not the makers of it. Their duty is more honorable than ours, for the Master teaches us to know all paths as one. Perhaps only Shiba understands this.”
In many depictions of Isawa and the Phoenix Kami, Shiba is shown in the classic ‘kneeling’ stance – not out of disrespect for the Phoenix, but to show his dedication to the defense of the children of Isawa, and to their studies. In fact, Shiba’s kneeling is considered to be one of the most heroic and valiant moments of Phoenix history, and children of the clan who are too stubborn or prideful are asked, ‘Are you so tall that you cannot bend your knee as Shiba did?’
When the Kami gathered the population of the world together and divided them into clans, Isawa stood among them, watching carefully as the Kami fought for dominion of the land. When the first Hantei was crowned and the awestruck populace bowed before the Prince of the Heavens, Isawa did not bend his head to the ground. “What makes them worthy of our servitude?” whispered Isawa to his brothers and sisters, and they nodded in unison. With that, the Isawa left the hill which was to become Otosan Uchi, and headed to the north, to begin their own city.
While the other humans in Rokugan were content to be led by Hantei and his siblings, Isawa and his followers simply ignored the expanding Empire, spending their time in research and study of the world around them. Legend says that it was Isawa’s younger brother who first discovered the craft of magic, but it was Isawa himself that realized the tremendous potential of the art. “Now,” said Isawa, “the Children of the Sky will have no power over us. We, the Children of the Earth, are their Masters.”
In the cold northern mountains, despite bitter cold and harsh conditions, the city thrived. Isawa saw this as another mark that mortals did not need the guidance of the Kami. “We can live in the world without their help,” he said to his growing fellowship. “Is it not by the work of our own hands that we have survived and prospered?”
It is said that when the armies of Fu Leng invaded Rokugan from the corrupted fields of the Shadowlands, the people of the city of Isawa ignored the threat at first. Because it was so far to their south, and they were shielded by the young Empire, the danger of the invading horde seemed irrelevant to their peaceful tribe. Soon, however, the wandering groups of Oni and goblins made their way to the northern lands, destroying the peaceful villages and blackening the land with their Master’s foulness.
The spellcasters of the Isawa attempted to defend the city with magic, but it was clear that the overwhelming numbers of their enemy would soon take their toll; even their greatest shugenja could not maintain the fortification.
Perhaps their arrival was guided by Lady Sun, or perhaps holy Shinsei knew more about the city of Isawa than he claimed. On the day that Isawa’s youngest sister was killed by a marauding Oni, Shinse and Shiba arrived to call Isawa and his people to fight for the Empire against Fu Leng. The daughter of Isawa met them at the gates to the city, dressed in white, her hair torn in mourning. “My father cannot see you,” she said to the visitors, but they did not heed her, and continued to the pyre in the city square. There, a strange sight met their eyes.
Around the fires stood the Isawa, their arms raised to the heavens, and their voices lifted in a strange chant. From their hands flowed blood as red as the setting sun. This was before the time of the great maho-users, when the magic of blood was unknown to all but the greatest sorcerers. Isawa knew only that his magic was not magic of the Kami to whom he had sworn never to be a slave.
After the burial, Isawa, Shiba, and Shinsei met in the gardens outside Isawa’s hom, and Shiba asked how such foulness could be a tribute to the spirit of a beloved sister. Isawa answered only, “It is our way.” Until that moment, the word ‘maho’ had never been used within the Empire. The creatures of Fu Leng knew nothing of blood magic, nor did the children of the Kami know of its power – or its price. It was the Children of Earth who first unleashed this terrible dark power, not the servants of Fu Leng. Even after the primitive Isawa foreswore its use, centuries later a man known as Kuni Nakanu researched methods of blood magic which raised maho from a primitive art to a destructive and evil force.
With maho, Isawa had learned the techniques to bind an immortal soul to the material world. In the fields of Isawa’s lands, united around the castle, stood the spirits of the fallen, risen with blood and bound to the walls themselves. “Without the strength of our brothers and sisters,” said Isawa, “we can not hope to survive this evil which you have brought upon us. It is the nature of the Children of the Earth to survive – no matter what the cost. If we must sacrifice our very souls, we will preserve life for our children.”
Shiba stepped forward then, and spoke. “If your concern is for the children, then be concerned not for their bodies, but for their souls.”
Before his words could spark disagreement, the small monk stepped forward. “Blood calls for blood,” he murmured, “but there is another way…”
Isawa listened, and Shinsei spoke long into the night. By the time the moon set in the summer sky, a bargain had been made. Isawa would come with Shinsei into the darkness of the Shadowlands, if Shiba would swear that he and his descendents would always protect the city. To cement this, Isawa swor his fealty to Shiba’s line – but with a condition. “I am not your subject,” Isawa thundered, “and I will not have my people believing that I have sold them into slavery. If I am to swear my children to your line, you must kneel before me as I offer service.”
To another Kami, this request might have seemed preposterous – a son of Amaterasu bending down before a mortal. However, to Shiba, the price was low. By bending his knee, he would gain not only the powers, knowledge and strength of the Isawa family, but also a Thunder for the salvation of the Empire. It was a simple choice between pride and the lives of thousands in the Empire.
To the South, on the fields of Otosan Uchi, the threat of war grew nearer. Thousands died on the battlefield, Lion and Crab alike, defending the bastions of the Empire. As they fell back before a brutal assault, a tremendous light scared the heavens above them. From the north, twenty shugenja flew, their robes fluttering in the wind which held them aloft. Their hands moved with dangerous incatations, and fire sprang from their fingers. Confused and unable to counter the sorcery, the Oni fell back from the battle, fleeing to their master’s side.
When the news spread of the price Shiba had been asked to pay for Isawa’s help, the Kami only smiled and said, “The arts of peace and war are like the two wheels of a cart which, lacking one, will be unable to stand.”
It was Lady Doji who explained her brother’s enigmatic words. “Shinsei teaches that man, not the Kami, have the power to change the world. Shiba’s children will be the wardens of the world, not the makers of it. Their duty is more honorable than ours, for the Master teaches us to know all paths as one. Perhaps only Shiba understands this.”
In many depictions of Isawa and the Phoenix Kami, Shiba is shown in the classic ‘kneeling’ stance – not out of disrespect for the Phoenix, but to show his dedication to the defense of the children of Isawa, and to their studies. In fact, Shiba’s kneeling is considered to be one of the most heroic and valiant moments of Phoenix history, and children of the clan who are too stubborn or prideful are asked, ‘Are you so tall that you cannot bend your knee as Shiba did?’
