Castles as Political Centers

[Vutall]

Castles as Political Centers
Across Rokugan, kyūden and shiro serve as monuments to the engineering prowess of the clans. Some castles are bastions of military might, like Yōjin no Shiro, with its majestic lion statues standing defiantly at its entrance. Others are sanctuaries, like Dragon’s Breath Castle, hidden amid the jagged cliffs of Iron Mountain. The most dangerous lull visitors into a sense of false security with peaceful surroundings, like one of the Emerald Empire’s crowning jewels, Kyūden Doji, the Esteemed Castle of the Crane. Its stark white cliffs and terraces lined with cherry blossom trees are a façade. Behind clan banners, masonry, and exquisite tapestries lies an intricate web of deception and political manipulation waiting to entrap the careless courtier. Only those armed with the cunning to avoid the assassins, ruthless courtiers, and powerful nobles inhabiting the treacherous political landscape within can hope to survive.

Castles’ geographic locations may provide insight into a clan’s mind-set. For instance, the isolation of holdings in the difficult-to-traverse northern mountains dissuades outsiders from visiting the aloof Dragon. The Unicorn, on the other hand, place their structures on open plains for both practical and tactical reasons. Such sites give their mounted warriors space to maneuver around encroaching enemies. Further, their placement at the confluences of trade routes serves to funnel business through Unicorn strongholds, enabling the Unicorn to bolster their economy while avoiding political ostracism

Identity By Design
The ancestral castles of Rokugan hold familial, political, and spiritual meaning, each an embodiment of its clan’s and family’s ideology and temperament. The layout of ancillary buildings and statuary, the craftsman-ship and design of stonework and woodwork, and the selection of works of art all reveal elements of clan and family identity.

Design Elements
A daimyō who has a castle constructed or altered employs architects to translate their vision for its design, encapsulating their clan’s identity. The stone archways of Lion castles, for example, feature intricately carved murals depicting great Lion Clan fables that convey the Lion’s most cherished values of bravery, loyalty, and victory. The spindly high towers of Mountain’s Anvil Castle represent the Dragon Clan’s stoic nature and resilience in the face of adversity. The Phoenix mix red tint from the redwood trees of their lands into all of their roof tiles to suggest that the Phoenix speak with a single voice.

Purpose and Placement
The closer a building or facility is to the central keep, the more important it usually is. Rooms within castles also follow this rule; the daimyō’s quarters are centrally located, often on a top floor, and the most important spaces tend to be as near the daimyō’s quarters as pos-sible, the less important being sited nearer the outer walls. For example, libraries receive pride of place in Phoenix Clan keeps, a constant reminder that the Phoenix revere knowledge above all else.

Attention can also denote importance. Crab Clan fortresses elevate function over form, devoting the most space to towers, mustering rooms, and even fortified rooms in the interiors of castles. Their utilitarian, battle-worn strongholds convey their singular focus on defense. Visitors to Unicorn lands may notice that their stables are more elaborate than their living quarters, reflecting the Unicorn reverence for their horses

Sometimes, the true purpose of a building is concealed, or twofold. The Scorpion, for example, construct castle bathhouses for use by their nobles. In addition to using them for cleansing, they often host quiet meetings there, amid dripping walls or in steam-filled saunas. Exposing opponents physically can leave them off guard emotionally, providing hosts an edge in negotiations. The baths also allow a measure of safety, assuring every-one there are no hidden weapons among them.

Focused Decorations
During celebrations, festivals, and other social events, a daimyō might spend a small fortune remodeling their estate to communicate a specific message to visitors. Most of the Great Clans, but especially the Crane and Phoenix, curate displays of artwork before important visitors arrive to convey unspoken mes-sages. If a Crab Clan emissary is visiting Crane lands, the local daimyō might hang a painting depicting the Kaiu Wall, Crab banners held high, and white-feathered cranes perched below, suggesting an offer of support. Before negotiations even begin, the astute observer receives a message of intent.

Elemental Decor
Spread throughout castles are dedications to the five elemental forces of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void. Artisans who study the teachings of fū sui dedicate rooms, and sometimes entire floors, to single elements by hanging banners, paintings, and other decorations displaying elemental colors and iconography.

Arrangements of red camellias might represent the heat of passion and flame, while a blue-and-white urn might denote gentle waves of water. Artisans use art forms like ikebana flower arrangement to create these messages, while architects incorporate the cos-mic hierarchy of the Five Elements into their major projects, starting from the ground with Earth and working upward to Water, Air, Fire, and Void

Karmic Structure
The idea that balance should be found in all things is an ancient one, predating even Rokugan itself. Within Rokugan, a key element of this balancing act is understanding the kami, and so priests work with architects and builders to ensure that castles, fortresses, monasteries, and towers adhere to the principles of fū sui. According to these principles, each structure and room must provide balance to the kami who reside within. This is accomplished through sacred geometry, decor, and interior design, and may be done by the head priest, or even a prominent shugenja.

Beginning in the first century, spiritually directed construction became very import-ant to the fierce and enigmatic Kuni family, who firmly believed in harnessing the energy around buildings and places to stave off evil creatures such as oni. Embracing this practice hundreds of years later, the Crane’s Asahina family instead began using it to establish a balance between aesthetics, practicality, and spiritualism. This system of geomancy harnesses the natural energy of the land—its ki—and the favor of the spirits who inhabit it to positively affect a family’s fortune

Flexible Design
Adjustable walls give flexibility to rooms that may need to serve myriad purposes. Partitions and walls made from paper on wooden frames slide along tracks, allowing for speedy reconfigurations. Meeting rooms may quickly become a dōjō, then later a banquet hall. This is particularly useful during special events where space is limited, especially within smaller kyūden during major gatherings such as the Winter Court

Unlucky Numbers
Certain numbers can also sound the same as other unpleasant words in Rokugan Because of there, there are superstitions as follows when building:

Buildings with only four floors attract vengeful ghosts, oni, and other malignant spirits. This might lead to fewer buildings with only four floors, and including a building with four floors might foreshadow an scene with twisted supernatural beings.

Rokugani interrogators might refer to their chambers jokingly as the “ninth room.” These rooms are located below ground to muffle the ghastly screams of hapless victims trapped within their bloodstained walls.

The number eight, the sign of infinite possibilities, confers good luck and prosperity, and architects regularly build structures with eight rooms per floor.

Kyūden and Shiro: The Importance of Name
The walled castles housing the families of daimyō of regional or greater importance are known as shiro. Most daimyō work toward elevating their shiro to a kyūden, which requires an Imperial decree and usually means that the castle complex can hold an Imperial Winter Court. To host a Winter Court, a shiro or kyūden must be able to accommodate at least 250 guests, all at a level of comfort and luxury befitting the Emperor and Rokugan’s most esteemed samurai, and it must provide ample space for activities and events, as well as spectator seating

Although the Emperor can travel anywhere within the realm, such an august individual rarely leaves Otosan Uchi except to attend Winter Court, due to the risk of assassination, kidnapping, or ambush. As a result of such risks, geographical placement may also impact a shiro’s eligibility to become a kyūden and host a Winter Court. Crab and Unicorn holdings, for example, rarely host Winter Courts since the Crab lands border on the Shadowlands and the Unicorn are isolated in the far West. Though long-established kyūden play host to most Winter Courts, the Emperor may name a qualifying shiro instead, usually granting it the title of kyūden.

Honorary Kyūden
While the mammoth Kyūden Hida can easily accommodate a Winter Court, its constant focus on fighting the evil armies of the Shadowlands make such a distraction dangerous and impractical. However, Rokugan’s Emperors have understood the political stigma a clan faces when it has no kyūden. For the countless sacrifices the Crab have made to protect Rokugan, Emperors have honored the main castle of the Hida, along with several other Crab holdings, with the title kyūden.

Heart of Power
A kyūden or shiro is both a home and a political center for the aristocracy who reside within. Inside its walls, a family’s political heavyweights do battle across the courtroom, negotiate alliances, parley with enemies, and discuss economic and social strategies impacting their provinces

Daimyō are the heart of an estate, making daily decisions and focusing on the goal of strengthening their province or region. They establish a chain of command to help ensure that others follow their vision and edicts. Individuals within a daimyō’s estate hold specific stations based on their standing within the greater Rokugani community.

High ranking samurai advisors, or hatamoto, engage in rigorous debate before presenting ideas to their daimyō. Most of the issues they raise fall under one of three key areas of concern: administration, security, and spirituality. Administration encompasses the management of human resources, food, supplies, and trade. Security involves the fortification of the estate, the protection of the daimyō, and the disposition of any armed forces stationed there. Issues of spirituality are those that relate to satisfying the kami and understanding the Tao of Shinsei. Through this process, the daimyō becomes well informed about any points of concern and can make decisions based on all the facts and considerations presented.

The effectiveness of a daimyō’s administration is dependent upon collaboration among their advisors. Like many bureaucrats in Rokugan, a daimyō’s advisors may possess conflicting agendas both dogmatic and personal. The courts of prospering estates are close communities, setting aside differences to work together for common goals. Unforttunately, the more power an estate contains, the more likely it is that corruption and hidden agendas have crept into its court

Individual advisors form alliances and clash as they jockey for position, smear each other to gain favor, or conspire to downplay a rival’s concerns. Their motivations may include a desire for promotion within the court, to gain favors from opposition, or to establish an excuse in order to shift blame. However, those who are constantly at odds with their counterparts may well find themselves ostracized, with compromise their only solution