Magistrate
From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings
A magistrate is a person tasked with enforcing the laws of a province, family, clan, or the empire as a whole.
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[edit] Types of Magistrates
In Rokugan, there are three distinct types of Magistrates. Clan magistrates uphold the local laws of a specific clan. Emerald Magistrates uphold imperial law. Jade Magistrates specifically handle magic-related cases throughout Rokugan. Each of the different types of magistrates answers directly to different offices, though all are tasked with upholding the laws within their jurisdiction.
[edit] Clan Magistrates
Clan magistrates generally have defined duties that are similar from clan to clan. Higher ranking magistrates serve as judges and as overseers of the lower ranking magistrates. Magistrates may be assigned to a specific area or city, or they may travel a circuit within their clan's lands, dispensing aid and justice where needed.
[edit] Emerald Magistrates
Emerald Magistrates are the enforcers of the Emperor's laws. They have broad powers to achieve this goal, including the standard powers to recruit assistance and hold court common to all magistrates, but their powers are only applicable in cases where capital offenses have been committed. The Emerald Magistrates are under the control of the Emerald Champion and the Emperor himself.
[edit] Jade Magistrates
Jade Magistrates are the forces of the Jade Champion. They are tasked with crimes involving magic and the arcane. Specifically, the Jade Magistrates are some of the foremost hunters of maho-tsukai in Rokugan. Their primary goal is the eradication of blood magic throughout the empire.
[edit] Magisterial Structure and Organization
[edit] Chief Magistrates
The Chief Magistrates of a province, family, or clan report directly to the samurai in charge of their assigned territory (the daimyo of the province or family, or the Champion of the clan). These magistrates have more junior magistrates assigned to them to deal with matters on smaller levels, though the Chief Magistrates are generally the only ones with the power to preside as judge over a court. For instance, provincial Chief Magistrates are under the command of family Chief Magistrates, and they are in turn under the command of the clan's Chief Magistrate. A magistrate's subordinates often swear fealty to the magistrate directly, to avoid any conflicts of interests with the lords of their assigned areas.
The Emerald and Jade Magistrates have a similar structure to the clan magistrates, though they do not answer to local (or even clan) leadership. Their Chief Magistrates report directly to the Emerald or Jade Champions, respectively. Their business involves only imperial crimes, and as such, local authorities do not have input into their affairs. Conversely, since the duties of these imperial magistrates involve only imperial crimes, they cannot interfere with local issues.
[edit] Traveling Magistrates
Lower ranking magistrates, both Imperial and clan, do not have a specific area assigned to them. Instead, they travel through assigned swathes of territory, dispensing justice were it is needed. Such magistrates often have duties that are more social than legal in nature, such as presiding over festivals, overseeing duels, and taking care of the roads.
[edit] Yoriki
Yoriki are the assistants to the magistrates, performing investigative and police work for their lords. They find witnesses to crimes and record their testimonies, handle prisoners and conduct questioning (including torture), and they oversee the doshin in their master's service. The yoriki are the samurai who actually enforce the laws and prepare the cases instead of rendering judgment. However, the yoriki do not enjoy the diplomatic immunity that magistrates have from local daimyo. As such, they must be careful in the execution of their duties, lest they run afoul of local law enforcement. Despite this, yoriki have a great share of autonomy in the execution of their assignments.
Like magistrates to Chief Magistrates, yoriki generally swear fealty to the magistrates they serve. Unlike magistrates, however, yoriki are hired directly by their superiors. Each magistrate is responsible for finding and paying his own yoriki.
While clan magistrates are nearly always members of the clan they serve, yoriki to those magistrates are often of different clans. This allows magistrates to hire personnel with specific knowledge and abilities -- a Scorpion's knowledge of the criminal underworld, or an Isawa's knowledge of spellcraft, for instance -- that might otherwise be unavailable from members of their own clans.
[edit] Doshin
The doshin are the lowest ranking samurai working for a magistrate. Their position is easily identifiable by their dress and their use of the jitte. These samurai serve under a specific yoriki, for whom they patrol their assigned areas. They are often skilled at intimidation, and groups of doshin are generally effective deterents to crime. In theory, doshin have the power to arrest, detain, and question anyone they suspect of a crime, but in reality a suspect of much higher rank than the doshin will be treated with respect due his station, if the doshin does not simply inform his superior of his suspicions, avoiding a public scene entirely.
[edit] Deputies
Below the doshin are the deputies. Deputies are not samurai, but are peasants employed by doshin as assistants or informants, often keeping their employment secret. Without specific authorization from their superiors, deputies only have the power to end or prevent violence, and cannot effect law enforcement in any other way.
[edit] Magistrate Dojo
Though there are certain schools across Rokugan designed specifically to train magistrates, not every magistrate in service to clan or Emperor has trained specifically to serve in this capacity. A position as magistrate in any capacity is an appointment that can be granted to any samurai.
[edit] Magistrate Appointments
Appointments to magistrate positions come from the authority to whom the new magistrate will answer. Emerald Magistrates are appointed by the Emperor himself, though the Emerald Champion will occasionally recommend someone for a post. Jade Magistrates are appointed by the Jade Champion (in times where the office of Jade Champion had been defunct, shugenja within the Emerald Magistrates largely performed the role of the Jade Magistrates). Clan magistrates are appointed by the Champion of a clan or the daimyo of one of its families.
[edit] Symbols of the Magistrate
The symbol of office for Emerald Magistrates is a small jade orb, four inches in diameter. Magistrates often emblazon the orb with their own mon and the mon of the Emerald Champion etched on the surface. The orb is a symbol of the magistrate's authority. It can conveniently serve as a gavel when struck against a table. Clan magistrates use a variety of symbols, but the most common is the mon of their lord in jade.
Yoriki and doshin carry a jitte as the symbol of their authority. The jitte is also very useful for stopping fights and disarming aggressors. Traveling magistrates who have worked their ways up to that position often continue to carry their jitte.
[edit] Income of the Magistrates
All those who enforce the laws of the Emperor and his lands receive a salary for their work and dedication. Emerald and Jade Magistrates are paid through the office of their respective Champions, and clan magistrates are paid either from the coffers of their family or clan. Yoriki, doshin, and deputies are paid directly by the magistrates for whom they work. Because of this, a magistrate's pay may seem high to some, but the magistrate incurs a great deal of expense in keeping his own staff paid.
Magisterial officers also generally expect some supplement to their income in the form of gifts from the daimyo of their province. Such gifts are seen as rewards for diligent service the the daimyo's lands. As material goods should not be able to sway an officer from his duties, these gifts are not seen as bribes. Magisterial officers who are convicted of taking rewards for anything other than dilignet service, however, receive only a slow, shameful death.
[edit] See Also
[edit] Major References
- "Way of the Magistrate" Written by Scott Gearin and published in the Imperial Herald.
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