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Kaimetsu-Uo 
Kaimetsu-Uo 
Born: 65 [1] 
Died: c.141 
Parents: Hida Osano-Wo,
Matsu Kyoda 
Siblings: Hida Kenzan (half) 
Children: Fumiko,
An unnamed Son 
Titles: Mantis Clan Founder
People

Hida Kaimetsu-Uo was the son of Hida Osano-Wo [2] and half-brother of Hida Kenzan. When Osano-Wo declared that leadership of the Clan would pass to Kenzan, Kaimetsu-Uo's mother left Crab lands in outrage. She took Kaimetsu-Uo with her, and traveled to the Islands of Spice and Silk where Kaimetsu-Uo founded the Mantis Clan.

Family[]

Parents[]

Kaimetsu-Uo was the son of Crab Clan Champion Hida Osano-Wo and a daimyo of the Matsu family, [3] Matsu Kyoda. [4]

Brother[]

Osano-Wo's marriage was not what he had hoped for, and the Champion prayed for his wife to bear him a son. The day she announced to him that she was pregnant he celebrated, drank too much sake and woke up the next morning next to a peasant girl. Nine months later on the same day the Crab Clan Champion had two sons, Kaimetsu-Uo and Hida Kenzan. Osano-Wo acknowledged both as his sons, and they were raised together. [3] [5]

Gempukku[]

As the two brothers grew up they were encouraged to compete against each other, and Kaimetsu-Uo would always best his brother, but not by much. When the two passed their gempukku, everyone asked who would hold the blade Chikara and be the designated heir to Osano-Wo. [6] In the year 80 [7] the Champion declared that Kenzan would be his heir to the championship, deciding that Kaimetsu-Uo did not know how to lose and still keep trying. The Matsu was outraged, and the following morning she took her servants and Kaimetsu-Uo and left Crab lands forever. [6] [5] [8] Kaimetsu-Uo knew that he had to find his own place in the world. [9]

"I do not know what I am, but I know what I am not."
-Kaimetsu-Uo [9]

Weapons[]

Kaimetsu-Uo preferred to wield his Blade [10] or an Ono, [11] but the Kusarigama was his trademark weapon. It was claimed that Kaimetsu-Uo created it during his voyage to the Mantis Islands, to win a test of agility and skill in which targets would be hung from various locations all over the ship's deck. He tied a kama to a rope to cut down the higher targets without climbing so much. [12]

Islands of Spice and Silk[]

Leaving his clan as a ronin, [13] Kaimetsu-Uo, his mother, and their followers traveled out to the Islands off the coast of Rokugan, and settled there [6] in the year 79. They could not figure out how to manage a life on the islands, and they began to die one by one to disease and predators. [14] The koumori, bat spirits of Chikushudo, were part of the wildlife of the island. The bats were hunted by a deadly evil, and Kaimetsu-Uo made a bargain with the Koumori and struck the evil down. In turn, the koumori taught Kaimetsu-Uo and his followers how to make a life on the islands, and the Mantis Clan was truly born. [15] Kaimetsu-Uo named the islands the Islands of Spice and Silk. [8]

Unmei the Storyteller[]

When Kaimetsu-Uo first arrived on the Islands he sought out a creature his grandfather Hida had told him about. He searched for weeks, but was finally approached by Unmei who began telling Kaimetsu-Uo about the first years of the Empire. [16]

"I wish to hear about the Day of Thunder."
-Kaimetsu-Uo

Destinies[]

The stories told by Unmei brought Kaimetsu-Uo to the realization that it had not been his destiny to lead the Crab Clan. He no longer resented his father for passing leadership to his brother Hida Kenzan, and instead began his own journey. [18]

"I thought my destiny was to lead the Crab Clan, but such was not to be. I resented my father… but no longer. He has merely given me leave to find my own path."
-Kaimetsu-Uo

Mantis Clan[]

Kaimetsu-Uo created what he called the Mantis Clan in 80, although he and his followers were not officially recognized as a minor clan. [8]

Death of his Father[]

In 97 Osano-Wo was murdered and since Hida had become a recluse and Hida Kenzan had to run the Crab Clan his son Kaimetsu-Uo was given the opportunity to track the traitor responsible. Kaimetsu-Uo leapt at the chance and quickly tracked the person to Kyuden Isawa in Phoenix lands. The Phoenix first refused to open their gates, but when Kaimetsu-Uo cried out to his father for vengeance, lightning struck the gates of the castle, opening them. The Phoenix saw this as a sign to release the traitor to Kaimetsu-Uo and their scholars requested Osano-Wo be granted the status as Fortune of Fire and Thunder from then on. Because of Kaimetsu-uo's loyalty to his father Osano-wo declared the Mantis to be his favored children. [19] [20] [21] Unknown to Kaimetsu-Uo was that he had killed a Kolat Master, who had attempted to utilize blackmail against Osano-Wo for personal gain. The late Crab Champion had openly attacked the man, and the kolat had defended using a poisoned blade, striking down the legendary Osano-Wo. [22]

Children[]

Kaimetsu-Uo had at least one son [23] and a daughter named Fumiko. [24]

Death of Kaimetsu-Uo[]

At the age of 76, Kaimetsu-Uo passed the Championship to his son, and sailed out to sea east from Kyuden Gotei and past the Mantis Isles. Several months later his ship was found by a Mantis trading vessel, a ronin pirate vessel grappled to it's side. Kaimetsu-Uo was found dead on-board, surrounded by dead pirates. The ship was set ablaze, a fitting grave for the Thunderer's son, and a shrine known as Kaimetsu-Uo Seido was founded in his memory once the trading vessel returned to the Mantis Isles. [25]

Legacy[]

Denied as Fortune[]

The monks who would eventually found the Order of Kaimetsu-Uo petitioned the Emperor Hantei Genji to grant Kaimetsu-uo the status of Fortune of Serenity, but their request was denied. [26]

Doji Barahime[]

Centuries after his death, Doji Barahime implied that Kaimetsu-Uo founded the Mantis Clan because his father was a Hida who couldn't keep his hands to himself and his mother was a Matsu who lacked propriety. [27]

See also[]

External Links[]


Preceded by:
None
Mantis Clan Champion
80 - c.141
Succeeded by:
'Kaimetsu-Uo's Son'


References

  1. Imperial Histories 2, p. 34
  2. Art of the Duel, p. 73
  3. 3.0 3.1 Way of the Crab, p. 23
  4. Great Clans, p. 152
  5. 5.0 5.1 One Man's Courage
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Way of the Crab, p. 24
  7. Imperial Histories, p. 19
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 10
  9. 9.0 9.1 Code of Bushido, p. 45
  10. Kaimetsu-Uo's Blade (Wrath of the Emperor Title)
  11. Kaimetsu-Uo's Ono (Honor Bound Title)
  12. Book of Water, pp. 21-22
  13. Great Clans, p. 153
  14. Fealty and Freedom, p. 23
  15. A Hero's Legacy, by Rich Wulf
  16. Dawn of the Empire, by Rich Wulf
  17. Fires of the Phoenix, by Shawn Carman
  18. 18.0 18.1 Day of Thunder, by Rich Wulf
  19. Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game: Third Edition, p. 10
  20. Way of the Phoenix, p. 109
  21. Way of the Minor Clans, p. 11
  22. Way of the Thief, p. 13
  23. Secrets of the Mantis, p. 18
  24. Four Winds, p. 164
  25. Secrets of the Mantis, pp. 18-19
  26. Book of Earth, p. 112
  27. Emerald Empire; 3th Edition, p. 32


Crab This Crab Clan related article is a stub. That means that it has been started, but is incomplete. You can help by adding to the information here.


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