Situated within an inactive volcano with buildings ringing a wide, flat caldera that has long since gone cold. Volcanic rock forms a naturally smooth ground, though no plants can grow there. The reason for such a choice of location becomes more obvious when one understands this temple houses the Edict of War, the most numerous of any of the Edicts. Numbering in several hundred, it is not inaccurate to say that Daisen Temple is a community in its own right.
Construction
At the north-eastern edge of the caldera is a natural break in the earthen lip where a torii gate has been erected. Were one to step through the gate, he or she would immediately see a vast stretch of open terrain filled with open aired pavilions and training equipment. Merely reaching this point, however, is a long winding trek around the mountain itself that tests one endurance and willpower.
Dozens of buildings ring the caldera, from barracks to kitchens and bathhouses, each serving a specific purpose in maintaining the human body and keeping it at peak performance in body and mind. These form the eye to the pupil that is the open aired shrine that sits at the center pavilion. Unlike other Edicts, who hide their shrine away from the public eye, the Edict prefers to let their own be visible to any and all who venture into the sect.
The shrine itself is a typical wooden construction with offering tabel in front and several paper tags around it. It is often surrounded by local monkeys, each of odd coloring. Their fur glimmers oddly in the light as they lounge or leap from pavilion to pavilion, every so often intruding on a lecture or combat session with loud smacks or yowling. Most do not know that these are Chima, the bound spirits of this Edict.
Culture
Honed and well established, Daisen Temple is controlled by Daio. A kaminoha aged over fifty years, he has seen wars and conflicts come and go and seeks to, above all else, prepare those who come to his temple for the same. Under him, Daisen accepts any and all supplicants regardless of background or crime. Nearby samurai have had issue with this, but have come to understand that opposing the priests of this temple has dire consequences.
Depending on one's perspective, however, coming to the temple is only a temporary reprieve from the mistakes in one's life. To remain a part of the temple, one must endure terrible back-breaking labor, sit through borish lessons on the art of war and history, and learning to mend and repair anything from a door hinge to one's own clothing. The only thing not taught to all is reading, though a series of numbers and characters useful in warfare are ingrained.
This grueling, fourteen hour training day six days a week causes a vast amount of trainees to fail out within weeks or months of joining - many preferring the relaxation of a prison cell or the coldness of death over such hard working conditions without compensation beyond food and a roof. Others, however, a forged in the flames and become incredible battlefield commanders. Some go on to leave the temple regardless and work for one samurai clan or another while others attain the vaunted spirit bond with a spirit of Chima.
History
Established in 1190, Daisen Temple's creation was headed by Minamoto Noriyori. Brother of the shogun who won the war, Noriyori's execution was fabricated so that he could forge the Godblades at his brother's behest. During the Genpei War, Noriyori experienced the trials of War through happentance and bonded with his Chima - a golden ape that is said to have been taller than the man himself.
As is common in the field of battle, Noriyori died in conflict with a yokai years later. Almost to a man, the leaders of the Edict have died in combat ever since - to the point that some aging leaders have lead personal crusades into Japan's wilds to find their own death before age or illness can take them.
Comments