Mirumoto Tanaka


 * 8406_Mirumoto_Slice_and_Dice_2_2.jpeg"It could not be helped" - Mirumoto Ichiro

Background
All is known is that Mirumoto Ichiro is a young Dragon Clan member. He has spent all is life in the Dragon Clan mountains and left them for the first time to attend the Topaz Championship in the year 430.

Perhaps more with be revealed durring the campaign...

Personality
Mirumoto Ichiro is ENTP - Rational temperament, Inventor type

Ichiro seems to be a confident yet humble.

Ichiro is curious about how the world outside the Dragon lands work. He has never experienced any life style outside the Dragon so some things people do seem foreign to him. Unfortunately for him a lot of things he does seem foreign to others outside his clan.

When Ichiro has free time he enjoys physical activity as well as meditation. He also likes to learn. It is not strange to see him talking with others about philosophy.

Meta
Ichiro is a man of many talents but master of none; his highest rings are Fire and Earth, and his highest Skills include Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu. The character is designed to be the ideal bushi, profecient in physical activity but can handle his own in a variety of situations. His talent is his rings not skills. Where many people buy many ranks in skills his skill ranks are relativly low, but he has many of them. His real strength is his reliance on is rings/traits, so anything dealing with Stamina, Willpower, Agility, or Intelligence and he should have no problem. Currently, his Strength, Reflexes and Void are a little underpowered. He's built to be able to hold his own in most situations but the courts and investigating are most definitely his weak spots.

Journy to Tsuma and Start of the Championship
After joining seven other hopeful samurai on the road to the The Village of Tsuma for the Topaz Championship, Ichiro bears witness as a strange heimin bearing a heavy load runs headlong into him. Ichiro apologizes profusly. It is later revealed that the heimin was asked by his Lord to test the first group he ran into along the road, and dispenses a fine katana to Ichiro and an exquisite fan to a Shosuro of the Scorpion Clan, who the heimin said were the two members of the group that showed greatest Compassion.

At Tsuma Village, he stops briefly at the town message board, then heads to the Tsuma Temple with Moshi Setsuko and Shiba Tamotsu for meditation. He later attends the arrival of the Son of Heaven. As the Festival before the Championship begins that night, Ichiro leaves to the temple to pray to his ancestors. As he does he see's the most enchanting woman he has ever laid eyes upon, after following her to the shrine of Bishamon he watched her offering a show of strength to him by breaking a stone with her hand, but notices the pain in which her offering inflicted upon her hand. She then notices him and almost angrily accuses him of spying. After a brief exchange she startes to leave the temple. Ichiro follows and apologizes, and talks for a moment ending in the woman becoming frustrated and leaving. On her exit she introduces herself as Doji Nagiko, one of the four judges of the Topaz Championship.

The Foot Race
The next day, the Championship begins with a footrace. Mirumoto Ichiro gained first place in the footrace and brought honor to the Dragon, and gained the eye of Doji Nagiko.

The Heraldry Competition
After the footrace Mirumoto Ichiro and the others ran to get changed and clean up before the heraldry contest. Tanaka was able to run quickly to the onsen before many others to clean the sweat off themselves. While getting out of the onsen he noticed Yogo Hino also in the men’s onsen. Being from the Dragon mountains he has been with many dragon monks didn't see a problem with nudity so as she waved at him he waved back and continued to put on clothes and head to the heraldry contest.

Before the heraldry contest began Yogo Hino came to talk to Mirumoto Ichiro about a seemed advantage of having caught one of the judges eyes. He explained he prefers to have his success based on his skills. She seemed to imply that they weren't. He didn't acknowledge her jibs. It was almost sad to watch her attempt to goad a reaction from him he thought, but it could not be helped.

At the Heraldry contest they announced that heraldry is more than just the memorization of mons, but the knowledge of what the symbols of the clans mean, and represent. There were many things shown to represent many clans and families, when it came time for Mirumoto Ichiro to identify a piece he was matched against Yogo Hino. They were presented with a beautiful gold and silver sword with a fiery bird engraved. After a moment of thought and seeing if the Yogo had the ability to answer Ichiro identified it as the sword of the Isawa family, and with that he was one step closer to the championship.

The Test of Horsemanship
From there all of the potential samurai were escorted to the field outside where it was announced that they were competing in the horsemanship competition. They announced the top five people to hit three targets and cross the finish line first would win another point to their gempukku. Unfortunately he had not been proficient with his bow or spear and missed the targets, he was still able to acheive sixth place, but alas was just short of getting another point torwards his gempukku.

Demontration at the Tsuma Dojo
The samurai-to-be were given an hours respite before the next competition. While they relaxed they were offered a chance to see a demonstration by the students of the tsuma dojo. Being a student of the sword himself Mirumoto Ichiro was quite intrigued to attend. After the demonstration everyone was given the honor of practising with them for a moment. Many people were shocked to see Ichiro practice with two swords. Doji Nagiko publicly asked Ichiro to show them his technique. The Sensei of the Tsume dojo was intrigued to see it as well. So swords drawn, he began a dragon kata. At the end, Ichiro sheithed his swords and the Sensei asked the name he had planned on taking after finishing his Gempukku. He told him it would be Tanaka, for Tanaka means 'in the middle of the rice field' and he thought that being in the middle he would be able to observe the whole rice field. The Sensei said he would have to warn his students of Mirumoto Tanaka's technique. Ichiro was greatly honored.

It was then that Doji Bosai stormed into the hall and accused a young Daidoji contestant (Daidoji Kimi) of insubordination about pulling a prank on him and smacked her in the face. A young scorpion contestant Shosuro Schuchong vouched for her saying there was no way she could have because he was with her the entire time. Doji Sekidera took up for both of them while his brother’s anger grew. Daidoji Kimi's twin brother Daidoji Jedaite confessed to the crime, saying it was entended for Matsu Nami. Mirumoto Ichiro was saddened at the fact that years of emninty would cause such useless aggression.

Test of Law
The next competition was that of law, they brought the students in one at a time and asked them 7 questions regarding law and bushido. Ichiro was able to answer 5 of them earning the next point torward to his gempukku.

The Sumai Match
Then they were taken outside to an area where many people came to watch, this was a dirt circle with a white ring around it. Ichiro recognized it as a Sumai ring. Two by two the students faced off against each other. Ichiro was quite interested to see Doji Nagiko compete (not to mention to see her in sumai uniform). She faced off against Shosuro Schuchong, and easily defeated him, but on the last of their bouts he "accidentally" ripped off the wrap covering her chest. Ichiro almost lost his footing. There was no women in the empire that could match her beauty. When it was his time he was pited against Kitsune Minako. Whom he was able to beat using her balance agaisnt her.

The Trial
We then told there was a special sumai competition of the four best sumai master int he empire, but were asked by Doji Sakimi to attend a meeting by the Crane Clan Champion himself and in apoligies for having to miss the Sumai matches we were offered a spot at his dinner table. How could we refuse? This meeting was for the sentencing of Daidoji Jedaite. We thought they were going to take our testemonies but they went to the sentencing. The two children were going to be sentenced as ronin, but their father Daiymo of the Hiramichi Vassal family offered his seppukku instead and just the boy exiled. Which was taken instead. The Hiramichi Daimyo thanked Shosuro Schuchong for his help and saving his childrens lives. After that sour time, we then prepared for dinner at The House of the Red Sting

The Banquet
Doji Nagiko Sits next to Ichiro at the House of the Red Sting and invites him to spar later that evening which he accepts.

Later they spar for a while, and while Nagiko knocked the swords out of Ichiro's hands, he knew that was not enough so he engaged her in a grapple, it went back and forth for a while until Doji Sekidera intervienes. He then warns Ichiro to not to mess with her, she then drags Ichiro to a Duel in which she was challenged to by Shosuro Momonjii.

Judging the Duel
Shosuro Momonjii and Doji Nagiko had arranged a duel together and they elected Ichiro as the Judge. I guess they didn't know what they were thinking by appointing a Dragon judge, but the end result was a tie for them. They are then inturupted by guards for Nagiko who inform her that there has been a murder. And with that Ichiro decided to go to the templ and pray to his ancestors before retiring for the evening.

The Weapons, Theology, Go, and Archery Contests
Doji Sakimi (One of the judges who happens to have a jad leg in place of her real one) enters the weapons contest to show that there is no bias in the judges. It just so happened that Ichiro was to face her. He fought hard but was unaccustomed to fighting someone of her skills and was defeated, must to his disgrace and the crowds displeasure.

Ichiro then went to the Theology test and won with ease.

Next was the contest of Go, which Ichiro was defeated.

Lastly before lunch was the archery contest, which Ichiro also fails.

The Rhetoric, Calligraphy, and Tsu Fish Contest
Ichiro was asked Which tenet of Bushido is most important to which he argued Honesty, and by doing so and defending his position, he was granted another point torward his gempukku.

Then came the Calligraphy test which Ichiro did not complete in a way as to gain another point.

Last was the Tsu Fish egg hunt. He left with Kitsune Nayoko o and they searched for a while. They then came upon a pond with a log looking thing that mysteriously dove into the water. Ichiro followed only to find it was a SWAMP DRAGON!!!!! He fought couragiously with the Kitsune and fended off the beast. They then met up with more contestants and found the eggs they were looking for. Ichiro also ate an extra one.

The Celebration
At the House of the Red Sting, Ichiro Was challenged by Doji Nagiko to a drinking contest, not wanting to back down from a challenge Ichiro accepted (though he was pretty sure he was going to loose). Round after round of shots with various styles of alcohal were consumed but eventually through some stroke of luck, Nagiko had succumbed to the cries of her liver and she passed out cold.

Tanaka and Sekidera drag Nagiko's unconcious body to the stables. Sekidera then talks to Ichiro about his future and proposes marriage for him and Nagiko, under certain conditions.

The Iaijutsu Tournament
Ichiro is the first to take to the dueling grounds after Doji Nagiko let him use her wakazashi in the duel, only to loose to Shosuro Momonjii rather embarassingly. Ichiro is greatly shamed, Nagiko told him he would have to come to crane lands soon to train with her in developing his technique, which cheers him up a little bit.

The Aftermath
Ichiro Takes the name Mirumoto Tanaka.

He then drinks tea with Nagiko where he learns that she secretly likes him and is in favor of the marriage.

He then head back to Dragon lands.

The 3 year jump.
Tanaka overhears that his father intends to cut him from the Mirumoto Leadership (as he is the only son of the Mirumoto Daimyo) in order to remove the curse of lord moon from the family line. This would ruin his plans to marry Nagiko, and against all his better judgement he takes some advice that Nagiko once told him and he barges into his fathers meeting. After his father dismisses everyone else Tanaka confronts his father on his actions. With that his father takes him down a secret path that had looks barely trodden. At the end was a shrine to the Mirumoto Daimyo ancestors with the original Mirumoto's Armor and Dashio. They talk for some time then Tanaka convinces his father to let him try to break the curse on his own, should he succeed, he will claim his birthright of Daimyoship and win the hand of Doji Nagiko. His father agree's, and takes the sword off the shrine and hands it to Tanaka. He tells him that Tanaka's grandfather also attempted to do the same, and that he could see the ancestors in him, and for this he granted him his ancestors blade to protect him and help guide him on his journey.

While packing to leave Tanaka bumps into Kitsune Nayoko and asks if he could accompany a familliar face into the empire, in his search for Enlightenment and a way to break the Curse of Lord Moon. She agree's and they set out into the empire.