Machi-Kanshisha
From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings
The Machi-Kanshisha is an Otokodate who act as a band of "volunteers" that follow the orders of the magistrates in Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru. They replace the job of the yoriki that the magistrate should have. (Wolf p. 33)
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[edit] Dojo
At first their numbers were few, but as the holdings of the Kaeru family grew, so did the need for armed enforcers. Word spread that a rich family wished for capable ronin, and there were so many that answered that the Kaeru could pcik and choose from them to select those who best suited their interests. Eventually a barracks was "gifted" to them, and the small training room included became the dojo of the Machi-Kanshisha. It is little more than a large room with a sparring mat on the floor, but the ronin who spar there can claim a master, a sensei, a duty and a steady pay. More than many of them frequently boast about this.
[edit] Training
The training is a practical one. As the Kaeru practically rule the city the enforcers are taught that they serve the Kaeru, not the Empire. To help the image of magistrates and law enforcers the ronin do their best to keep their swords sheathed, even in combat. A mark of acceptance into the brotherhood is a long iron smoking pipe. This pipe is often used as a bo staff, and is used to bludgeon a suspect into submission. Then the officer can sit down and calmly have a smoke. In general the Machi-Kanshisha favor practicality over concepts of honor and Bushido. Their status is not that of a full samurai, and their employers hold no real claim to the city, so while the members of the Machi-Kanshisha are loyal they would not go out of their way to aid a fellow member in furthering their individual prospects.
[edit] Sensei
The master sensei of the Machi-Kanshisha is always appointed by the leaders of the Kaeru family. This sensei becomes the master of the ronin brotherhood, and the Kaeru expect him to keep his enforcers in line and on duty.
[edit] Notable Sensei
[edit] Major References
- Way of the Samurai Page 94.
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