Hiruma Usigo

Hiruma Usigo is a well-known and renowned Emerald Magistrate, famous both for his methodical and logical approach to investigation, his use of the Tsukubo (considered unusual for magistrates), his habit of chain-smoking from a karesu, and for his unusual cases.

When he was very young, Usigo showed an attention to detail that his peers lacked. Perception is highly values by Hiruma Scouts, and Usigo excelled in his dojo exercises. By the time he completed the Twenty Goblin Winter, he already had a position within a elite scouting group.

Usigo served in the second company of Hiruma Scouts and participated in five Shadowlands excursions. During the last one, he organized a counter-ambush to a goblin raid and saved the lives of three men. After this he was promoted to Gunso and directed Shadowlands excursions and explorations from the wall. During this time, an incident in the barracks gave him an interest in Law. He began to study Law, taking a particular interest in bounty hunting work.

At the age of 20 he was sent to Winter Court at Kyuden Asako. While there, he attracted the attention of the Emerald Magistrates with his attention to detail and his interest in the pursuit of criminals. He performed successfully during a Winter hunt and made a name for himself. Recommendations were sent to his lord and he became a Magistrate within the Crab Clan by the end of the Winter.

Usigo was trained by the prestigious Doji Magistrate School, along with five other Crab students. During his time there, he excelled in Investigative training, and also in hunting criminals and Jujutsu. He found that he was very poor at wielding the Jitte; being more familiar with smashing weapons, he eschewed the Jitte and instead carried a Tsukubo, earning him some ridicule. It would eventually become his trademark, as it was often his solitary weapon, and he somehow accomplished every combative task using only the Tsukubo, even those that would traditionally favor more traditional weapons.

After graduating, Usigo was assigned to oversee and manage a small village called "Benevolent Kappa Village." He was arranged to marry the daughter of the village elder and started a family there. One day, at the age of 26, he uncovered a smuggling party staying in his village, something that previous Magistrates had overlooked. His attention to detail uncovered the illegal activities and he successfully apprehended the smugglers, turning them over to the Emerald Magistrates. He so impressed the local governor and the Magistrates that he was recommended for induction into their ranks. At an age where Investigation was just beginning to come into the forefront as a crime-fighting tactic, Usigo found himself a newly-appointed Emerald Magistrate, assigned to Otosan Uchi, the capital of the Empire.

During his time as an Emerald Magistrate, Usigo participated in multiple odd cases that other Magistrates were unwilling to pursue. He gained a reputation as a man who would take any case; he didn't care if the trail had gone cold, or if the case was unusually dangerous. His skills at investigation, his hard-boiled demeanor, and his keen perception all earned him the title "the Shelled Detective." Even during this time, Usigo carried and used his Tsukubo everywhere he went. His Jitte remained in his obi, never drawn.

His accomplishments include:


 * He single-handedly exposed a complex Opium operation, which resulted in the closing of three opium dens and the arrests of forty people.


 * He was once pushed out of a second-story window by drug lords, only to land on his feet.


 * He was known for utilizing rooftops to pursue criminals.


 * He defeated four men in personal duels, each time using his Tsukubo instead of Katana.


 * He once arrested an actor in open court; the man was actually a wanted murderer who used the acting disguise to prevent detection. Usigo was the only one in years who had recognized him despite his make-up.


 * He was once run over by the horse and cart of a fleeing criminal, but still managed to stand up and raise the alarm afterwards.


 * He managed to capture an assassin after an attempt on the life of a high-ranking official within the Imperial Court. He tracked the assassin to a geisha house and pointed out the killer based on pure deductive reasoning. When she fled underneath the house, he pursued her in person, eventually dragging her out by her ankle before arresting her.


 * He currently holds the record for most people arrested at one time in Otosan Uchi. He arrested 70 illegal gamblers at once, lined them up, and marched them down to the Governor's Court for processing.


 * He has been cut seventeen times, ambushed eight times, and there have been two assassination attempts on his life. He once woke up in a burning building and escaped by breaking through the floor into the underground well and awaiting rescue until after the building burned down.

In the year 433, Usigo is currently 50 years old and an honored retainer within the Emerald Magistrates. For the last three years, he has served as a Sensei to the Emerald Magistrate Dojo, which just opened in 430. Thanks to him, the Tsukubo is now considered a legitimate law enforcement weapon, a part of the "torimono sandogu," with techniques he developed for the weapon being taught to a new generation of young magistrates. His technique of predicting where criminals will hide or run to is being incorporated into the regular cirriculum. He is an extremely influential man to law enforcement and is well-respected by the magistrate community.

His older injuries are starting to catch up to him, he's not as spry as he used to be, and his sight and smell are starting to fade with age. For these reasons, he intends to retire on his fifty-first birthday.

Meta
Usigo is inspired by Chang Apana, a real-life detective of Chinese descent who lived in Hawaii from 1898 to 1932 as a member of the HPD. He used a bullwhip instead of a gun and was tough as nails.