Kakita Dueling Academy

Kakita Dueling Academy

The Kakita Dueling Academy was the most renowned swordsmanship school in Rokugan. Exemplifying the Crane Clan's constant pursuit for excellence, students of the Kakita Dueling Academy studied iaijutsu to perfection. The Dueling Academy was a subsection of the Kakita Academy.

Location

It was located in Shiro sano Kakita, the Castle of the Kakita, teaching the Kakita Bushi, Kenshinzen, and Hoturi's Blade schools.

History

The origins of the Dueling Academy lay with Kakita himself. The first followers of Kakita learned his style from him directly, but after his death the class could not remain where it was. The Lady Doji would visit less and less as seeing the students practicing her husband's style caused her great pain. Not wanting to offend her, the students moved their training facility, creating the Kakita Dueling Academy. The dojo was relocated to relatively unfertile lands and even with a lack of seasoned troops stationed there the school never suffered a major assault. During the Clan War and War of Spirits it served as a rally point for refugees.

Since the school's founding, every Emperor had sent his sons to the Kakita to study the art of war and personal combat.

Traditions

The oldest tradition in the dueling academy was the rivalry they had with the Mirumoto Swordmasters of the Dragon Clan. Kakita attempted to heal the rift when he duelled Mirumoto's son Mirumoto Hojatsu. He killed Hojatsu and then threw himself on Hojatsu's sword saying; "Do your master's bidding". Unfortunately due to the Kakita family arrogance and the Mirumoto families stubborness, the rivalry flourished.

Heirs of the Crane

Heirs apparent to both the leadership of the Crane Clan and the Kakita family had always found it politically expedient to train with the Kakita iaijutsu sensei, whether they particularly cared to become master duelists or not. 

The Eight Elders

The Academy was governed by the Master Sensei, supported by the Eight Elders, sensei of the academy who dealt with most of the advanced instruction and administrative business there.

Training

The Steel Gardens of the Kenshinzen

The training at the dojo was a traditional and ritualized process, where the sensei looked for performance milestones to determine when the student was ready for their next level of training.

First Tier

The first few years the students trained on every mechanical aspect of iaijutsu, when they had mastered the basic draw and strike they then moved on to the next level.

Second Tier

The students practiced surrounded by nature, during heavy rain, wildlife-filled forests, under waterfalls, etc. This way they learned to focus on their strike and not their surroundings, also it aided in their realization of the spiritual element of their craft.

Other Arts

In addition to their normal training the students were taught a variety of other arts. The Crane Clan were renowned for their sophistication and culture and could not have their most visible representatives demonstrating inappropriate skills. In addition to the sword training they learned history, literature, poetry, etiquette, varied artisan skills, and meditation under the tutelage of monks from the nearby temple, Seido Kakita.

Dojo Benefits

Kakita Dojo Training

The dojo was established to be the finest institute of iaijutsu in the Empire, and aspiring duelists saw the Academy as a birthplace of greatness. Students of the dojo enjoyed a considerable social and psychological advantage when facing other duelists. The symbol of the Academy was a single stripe of silver on the right side of the student's family mon on their kimono. This symbolised the lightning strike of Kakita himself.

"The Sword"

Kakita's Dojo, sacred to the Crane, held the final manuscript of the Kakita's epic work, "The Sword". Few were allowed to learn his techniques and fewer still mastered them.

Notable Locations

• Pool of the Perfect Stroke

Sensei

Notable Sensei

• Kakita Getai
• Kakita Kaiten
• Kakita Konyo
• Kakita Shimizu
• Kakita Toshimo
• Kakita Toshimoko
• Kakita Noritoshi
• Kakita Yariga

Notable Students

• Almost every Hantei Emperor
• Doji Hoturi
• Doji Reju
• Doji Yasuyo
• Kakita Atoshi
• Kakita Korihime
• Kakita Toshimoko

External Links

• Kakita Dueling Academy (A Perfect Cut)
• Kakita Dojo (Heaven and Earth)
• Steel Gardens of the Kenshinzen (Lotus)

References

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