The Crane Clan

The Crane Clan

Clan Champion: Doji.
Clan Colours: Sky blue, white, silver.
Main worship: The Fortunes.
Virtue: Courtesy.
Allies: Ki-Rin, Phoenix, Owl.
Rivals: Crab, Scorpion.

The Clan of Doji has been one of the slowest to grow and form as a singular group, some of the reason being that Doji seems to set the highest standards for her followers. Not only in terms of manners and nature, but also appearances and dedication. Many have sought to join the Princess of Starlight's side, drawn by her legendary beauty and grace, but many have also found themselves gently recommended to join any of her siblings instead. Doji seeks exceptional people, those who will make the world better in some way, and so the Crane might not boast the largest number of warriors, scholars, priests, or artisans, they claim to have the finest of them.
Togashi, like with many of his siblings, has not given Doji a specific duty - rather she has found her duty herself, and that is to beautify, grow, and nurture the Empire on gentler topics. When the construction of the Emperor's High House of Light began, the Crane sent their very best workers and artisans to help with the project, and their very best scholars and advisors have spoken on Lady Doji's behalf to the Emperor's advisors in regards to how to implement policies. Some have found these moves to be a bit presumptuous of the Crane, but Lady Doji and her followers have been quite clear that all they do is with the Emperor's vision of harmony in mind.
Where some clans are still trying to find their way and purpose as a group, the Crane have had a very clear purpose from the beginning; to be the light of culture in this world. They care little for the threats of monsters as that is best handled by Hida and Hantei, and the threats of bandits, ronin, and yobanjin is something Doji believes can be solved more with courtesy and learning, and less with brute force. Where the other clans, even the Ki-rin and the Phoenix, believe that they must resort to violence, Doji's words and teachings are firm that peaceful discourse will resolve more than violence ever will.
The Crane are a peaceful clan, and even their spiritual practices place a focus on aesthetics as well as shunning practices that are harmful or violent. They have a preference for magic that is performed without the spilling of blood when possible, and the priests of the Crane strictly avoid using magic to cause harm or pain in honour of Asahina's vow of pacifism. For the Crane, the world and humanity does not improve by causing further pain and suffering in the world, but rather by appreciating and celebrating beauty and harmony. Already the lands of the Crane are becoming exceptional in the Empire, with several engineering-projects to build beautiful temples and shrines, and many of Doji's followers find peace and purpose by cultivating the land to not only be bountiful but also beautiful, and they can currently claim to have some of the most prosperous and fertile territories. With Asahina as the leader of matters spiritual within the clan, her own experience and preference for worship of the Seven Fortunes has become a standard within the clan, and all seven are greatly revered among the Crane for guidance and blessings.

The Doji Family

Daimyo: Doji, The Princess of Starlight.
Mon: A crane holding a snowflake in its beak.

While all the Kami are considered beautiful in the eyes of humans, no one can deny that Lady Doji is the most beautiful of them all. Doji is known for her beauty, but also for her warmth, kindness, and courteous manners. And those who come to know her better among her followers also learn that she is quite quick of wit and intellect too, and she is always happy to teach those who wish to learn. Those who have sworn themselves to Doji find themself more at ease in social situations as Doji taught them.
Doji leads by example for her people, never making a demand of them that she would not do or be able to accomplish herself, and while she can sometimes seem demanding it all comes from a place of wanting to help others improve and learn. After all, one must have some challenge to improve. And given the size of the clan, Doji has been able to give personal attention to most of her followers in one way or another, mostly focusing on teaching diplomacy and culture. Her teachings are also strongly focused on supporting the growth of the Empire overall, which includes learning to think of matters on a grander scale to better understand the full picture of what the Empire is and what it will become. Surprisingly, this sort of thought is something that is placing the Crane in a strong position with the Imperial families as well as many of the other clans, for with Doji's guidance they seem to have a headstart in understanding the complexities that an Empire brings. Doji would of course not impose herself on her brother the Emperor, especially not to overstep on Shiba and Shinjo who are his chosen aides in matters of military and politics, but it's no secret that even Shiba and Shinjo are close friends to their sister Doji too and will often heed her advice.

As Doji's followers see how she effortlessly makes friends and alliances, so do they follow in her footsteps as they use courtesy as their weapon of choice to build friendships and networks. By Doji's words, one should always strive to be the best they can be, and no one should try to make themselves superior by bringing others down or resorting to dishonourable or cruel behaviour. With virtue and honour as their strength, they should be able to face anything. And if Hantei is the favored son of the sun, then Doji is the favored daughter of the stars, bringing light and beauty even to the darkest corners of the Empire. Not only is she the most beautiful one could ever see, but her presence alone seems to lift the spirits of those who look upon her and kindle a light of hope within their hearts.

The Asahina Family

Daimyo: Asahina, Lady of Peace.
Mon: A crane holding a peach blossom in its beak.

Quiet and serene, Asahina and her followers are among the more monastic and pious shugenja families in the Empire, on par with the Seppun, and they are sworn pacifists who abhor violence who value art and beauty highly.
Originally a member of the tribe of Isawa, Asahina was once a tempestuous shugenja with a gift for fire magic. In the past, she was outraged that the Kami claimed to rule the land and the humans in it, believing that they were arrogant and possibly frauds to make such claims. She personally set out to confront this self-made Emperor of theirs, reaching as far as the imperial High House of Light where she found herself turned away by the Mirumoto guards. Fuming, as she turned to leave, she was met by lady Doji who politely offered to speak on the woman's behalf to the Emperor. Instead of accepting the offer, Asahina lashed out at what was the closest target she had for her rage - namely doji herself, attacking her with her fire magic. Doji's honour guard and the Imperial guards were horrified at this flagrant attack on one of the Kami, but Doji ordered them all to stand down as she weathered Asahina's assault. Finally spent and exhausted, Asahina finally saw the battered and injured Doji standing proudly against her, still regal and beautiful despite all she had endured. Realising her errors and Doji's true divinity, Asahina fell to her knees to beg for a swift death to make amends. Doji however, one always to see a potential friend than an enemy, acted with compassion and courtesy and said she didn't wish for Asahina's death, but rather wished for her to live on and become a better person - and if she was willing she could have a place with her clan to learn and grow. Asahina swore her fealty to Lady Doji there and became a dedicated ally to the divine Kami.

It would take some more years before Doji declared that Asahina should form her own family within the Crane, to be the spiritual guide for her clan so the two of them could work closer together towards the vision of a more beautiful and peaceful empire.
Asahina has since that fateful day sworn off all violence and does not teach her followers any magic that can be used to cause harm or pain, and instead encourages her students to use magic to protect, heal, and create more beauty in the world. And while Doji treats her almost as an equal, Asahina remains steadfastly humble and almost ascetic in comparison, a behaviour that many of those who bear the Asahina name emulate.

Culture

The Crane believe in cultivating themselves and the world around them in an effort to create more harmony. There is beauty to be found in all things, and enhancing beauty is enhancing the soul of a person or an object. A cultivated mind can learn to see new solutions to problems, and resorting to bloodshed is failing in achieving harmony. 
Their clothes tend toward flowing robes of light and airy fabrics, adorned with pleasant accessories, such as elegant jewelry or pleasing scents. Designs are inspired by the beauty of nature, even their clothing. 

Public Agenda

The Crane are staunch supporter of the Emperor, and Doji along with her most skilled followers have offered the Emperor and his servants many helpful suggestions and political options to implement in order to benefit the new Empire, many of them accepted or under consideration. For the Crane, the most important objectives is to assure a prosperous rule for the Emperor, and for his subjects to benefit from that in a civilized society. 

Assets

Silk is still an expensive commodity, and the Crane produce some of the finest in the Empire. After the Owl Clan's introduction of tea and rice-wine, they have begun their own production as well, though at a slower pace as Lady Doji is not one to rush projects. The Crane Clan also produce works of art, clothes, and accessories, all which are slowly spreading throughout the Empire as trade moves more and more. 
Their coastal lands are among the most bountiful areas in the Empire, and the Crane are constantly working to expand and improve their agriculture. They often have quite a surplus after harvest and make sure to send some of it to the other clans as a sign of good will. 

Religion

Doji sees the new order of the Empire mirroring the ways of Heaven, where the Great Seven Fortunes stand first and foremost as servants to the royal sovereigns of Heaven, just as how the clans stand as servants of the sovereign in the mortal world. However it was not until Asahina joined that proper procedures and rituals to honor the Seven Fortunes were implemented, as she would draw upon her background from the tribe of Isawa and put that knowledge to use to create a more uniform worship within the Crane Clan. Previously, Doji had mostly focused on unifying the different faiths to conform to the worship of the Heavens and their representative Fortunes, to avoid any potential conflicts that could arise with different beliefs and practices. 

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

Founding Date

Year 6 of the Isawa Calendar

Major Exports

The majority of exports from the Crane are food stuffs, ranging from seafood to grains. Though the most popular trade goods are luxury items such as silk, perfume, incense, art, clothes, and accessories. They also produce many different dyes that are growing in popularity as more people are following the trend of wearing articles of clothing dyed in the favoured colours of their leading Kami.

Major Imports

Unlike the other clans, the Crane have little interest in importing weapons and armor. Instead, they will happily trade for more refined items such as paper, incense, tea, medicinal herbs, as well as rare plants in attempts to see if they can make them thrive in their lands as well. Many materials make their way to the lands of the Crane, where they find new uses and purposes for them as they seek to bring out beauty in even the more simple and plain.
Goods flow very freely from the Crane to other clans, but doubly so to the Owl whom Lady Doji considers close friends.