| Kasuga Taman | |
|---|---|
| Born: | Unknown |
| Died: | Unknown |
| Spouse: | Otomo Hoketuhime's niece |
| People | |
Kasuga Taman was a courtier of the Tortoise Clan.
Courtier[]
Taman was a smuggler-turned-courtier. [1] He was married to Otomo Hoketuhime's niece. [citation needed]
Winter Court - 1168[]
Taman came to Winter Court at Kyuden Otomo in 1168. The charming and friendly Taman was a fixture throughout the court, negotiating numerous treaties for the Alliance of Minor Clans. He served the Tortoise Clan so well that his daimyo, Kasuga Taigen, named him as karo. Taman became the primary organizer for court entertainments such as kabuki plays and a masquerade ball. He was one of the few samurai who met with the imprisoned Daigotsu Soetsu, under the facade of becoming an ambassador of the Lost, though this was merely a ruse. His true goal was to gain Soetsu's trust in order to use him as a source of information to warn the Emperor in case the Lost were planning another attack. [2] He received training in kenjutsu from the noted sensei Toritaka Tatsune. [3]
The Crystal Sword[]
Taman killed a sailor in order to cover up the smuggling a Crystal Sword that he gave as a gift to the Otomo Daimyo Otomo Hoketuhime. [1] This led to a protracted and indecisive criminal investigation by the Emerald Magistrates and their yoriki. They suspected that Taman was the killer, but found it impossible to prove it under Rokugani law, especially once Taman had passed the sword on to Hoketuhime, thus winning her favor and making her an accomplice to his crime. Furthermore, one of the yoriki, Ikoma Kyoro, leaked the information on the investigation to the Lion and Imperials. [4]
Enmity[]
Despite being the focus of enmity for many individuals, Taman also cultivated a network of friends and allies which included Hoketuhime, Doji Tanitsu, Isawa Ochia, and Toritaka Tatsune. [5]
Station[]
At winter's end, in “punishment” for his murder of the sailor, he was given an assignment to spend six months as advisor to the notorious painter Otomo Taro, the Ugly. [5] Given that Taman had shown himself to be a patron of Taro in some of the gifts he had given to others over the course of the winter, whether or not this was actually a punishment was ambiguous.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Winter Court Kyuden Otomo 1168, p. 3
- ↑ Winter Court Kyuden Otomo 1168, pp. 3-4
- ↑ Winter Nights: Sowing the Wind, by Nancy Sauer
- ↑ Winter Court Kyuden Otomo 1168, p. 5
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Winter Court Kyuden Otomo 1168, p. 4
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