Togashi Mitsu

Please note: This article is about the Rokugani hero and Oracle of Thunder. For other uses of the term, please see Mitsu (disambiguation).
The boy born as Soh would become Togashi Mitsu, the legendary Ise Zumi of the Dragon Clan. Born a Tamashii, Mitsu prepared himself to one day offer his body to host the soul of the Kami Togashi. The death of Togashi on the Second Day of Thunder left Mitsu free to pursue his own interests.
== Tattoos ==
Mitsu was known to have Dragonfly, Clan War: Dragon Army Expansion, p. 35 Crow, Monkey, Tiger Way of the Dragon, p. 54 Centipede, Dragon, Enlightened Madness, Part Two, by Rich Wulf and Crab tattoos. Clan War: The Clans, p. 27
== Youth ==
Soh raised in Fukurokujin Seido, having been left there as a foundling. He was an acolyte by 1114 at age 14, when he was approached by the Dragon Clan Champion Togashi Yokuni. Yokuni offered Soh the opportunity to join the Togashi family, gain magical tattoos and become an ise zumi. Soh immediately took to the idea, and decided that he would take the name Togashi Mitsu. Enlightened Madness, Part Three, by Rich Wulf
Some of his teachers at the temple were outraged at this apparent disregard for their traditions, but one wise sensei said; "Do not expect the crow to swim just because you tell him he is a goldfish." 
== Appearance ==
Almost all of Mitsu's body was covered in tattoos, and he would show off these tattoos by only wearing leggings and sandals. He was quite tall, standing almost six feet, completely bald and heavily scarred on his face from years of close calls fighting swordsmen. He never carried any weapons, relying upon the powers of his tattoos should it come to a fight. He could almost always be seen with a smile on his face. He could talk to anyone about anything, be it peasants about rice crops or an Utaku about her saddle. The only matter he was ever shy about was himself. Way of the Dragon, p. 55
== Tales of Mitsu ==
Mitsu was a fun-loving and carefree monk who frequently wandered Rokugan helping those in need and dispensing justice as needed. There are many tales of Mitsu's exploits, including defending villages from ogres, catching Scorpion attempting to blackmail honest daimyo and leaping off a mountain to impress a Phoenix shugenja. He traveled the Empire for over ten years, appearing in small villages or the courts of nobles, acting the tattooed jester. He would make friends with those who displayed a noble nature, regardless of status. In his prime, Mitsu was one of the most recognizable Ize Zumi to ever live as he did not choose the standard path of seclusion and meditation. 
The Naga called him the "Firebreather". The Storming of Morikage Castle, Part 1, by Ree Soesbee
=== Thrillseeker ===
Some would go as far as to say that Mitsu was just another thrill seeker. In truth he never undertook any course of action without having carefully weighed the potential outcome first. He saw the mountain jumps near Kyuden Togashi as a way of relaxation. He could occasionally be seen flirting with geisha, going hungry at great feasts and drinking sour tea during sake festivals. When asked why he would torture himself so he would merely say that he found it as exhilarating as jumping off a cliff. Way of the Dragon, pp. 54-55
=== Meeting the Doomseeker ===
Mitsu visited Shiro Iuchi to meet the Iuchi Daimyo Iuchi Karasu, the Doomseeker, who told his time imprisoned by Moto Tsume. Coils of Madness, by Robert Denton, Yoon Ha Lee, Seth Mason, & Brian Yoon
=== Pilgrimage ===
Mitsu made several pilgrimages through the lands of the Emerald Empire. One of them was in 1123, as emissary of his Lord Togashi Yokuni. His most recent 'stunts' involves his mastery of acting, which had allowed him to impersonate peasants, nobles, and even his own Champion. Winter Court: Kyuden Seppun, p. 114
=== Scorpion Coup ===
When news arrived of the Scorpion Coup, Mitsu moved with the Mirumoto Elite force that joined the combined forces of the Great Clans at Otosan Uchi in the fourth day of the Coup. Otosan Uchi: The Scorpion's Sting, pp. 46, 54
== Clan War ==
=== Meeting Toturi ===
His Lord Togashi Yokuni sent Mitsu and Mirumoto Daini to meet Toturi the Black as ambassadors of the Dragon. Daini disliked the task, because he saw Toturi as a man without honor, while Mitsu believed to meet Toturi as an equal was great indeed. Player's Guide: 2nd Ed, pp. 28-29
=== Toturi's Army ===
During the Clan War, Mitsu was a staunch ally of the ronin Toturi. Mitsu, along with many other members of the Dragon Clan, joined Toturi's Army before the Battle of Beiden Pass and fought with the Black Lion throughout the war. He never held any rank in the army and came and went as he pleased. His service to Toturi however, was considered invaluable. Four Winds, p. 61
=== The False Hoturi ===
After the Battle at Iyosha Hill Akiyoshi delivered the recently freed Doji Hoturi to Toturi. Hoturi said that Emperor's wife Bayushi Kachiko used some kind of magical egg to make a duplicate of him, which Mitsu recognized as the Egg of P'an Ku. Clan Letter to Toturi's Army #2 (Imperial Herald v1 #2)
=== Tamashii ===
Mitsu was one of the tamashii, those rare ise zumi capable of serving as a host to the soul of the Kami Togashi himself. Mitsu had known that he would one day be called upon to become the next Dragon Clan Champion, and hold the soul of Togashi, but when Togashi Yokuni was killed on the Second Day of Thunder Mitsu wondered about his purpose in life. 
== Mitsu left the Dragon ==
Following the Second Day of Thunder, Mitsu was one of the many Togashi who refused to take the Hitomi family name. His once eternally optimistic demeanor vanished, and he retreated from the public eye. Many assumed that he was disgusted with the civil war that consumed his brethren, but the truth was more complicated. His true concern was his destiny as a tamashii with no future. 
=== Armor of Earth ===
In 1132 the Oracle of Earth through Mitsu and Hoshi gifted the Armor of Earth, an Elemental Nemuranai crafted in 1127, to Otaku Xieng Chi. The Storming of Morikage Castle, Part 1, by Ree Soesbee They told her Otaku Kamoko, the disappeared Otaku Daimyo, was in danger. She was being hunted down in Phoenix lands by unspeakable evils. They believed it was Xieng Chi's destiny to save the soul of the Unicorn Thunder. Hidden Emperor, pp. 25-26
=== Hidden Emperor ===
This year Mitsu came to Morikage Forest together with Hoshi, and Suana, seeking the kidnapped Emperor Toturi I. The Shadows were aware of their incoming, and sent his minions to attack them. Hoshi Eisai appeared while they were fighting the Goju. Suana believed they could do nothing more for the Emperor and it was time to escape. The four magically were transported out of the forest. The Storming of Morikage Castle, Part 3, by Ree Soesbee
=== Assault on Otosan Uchi ===
Mitsu joined the combined forces lead by Shinjo in the assault on Otosan Uchi against the Lying Darkness and its hold over Toturi. War in the Heavens, by Ree Soesbee
=== March to Volturnum ===
Mitsu shows to the Empire's forces the way to march toward Volturnum. Far From the Empire (Fire and Shadow flavor)
=== Hitomi Kobai's Vengeance ===
Mitsu was sought out by Hitomi Kobai in 1133 following the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. Kobai wished for Mitsu to aid him in exacting vengeance upon Kokujin, who had betrayed Hitomi and stolen Togashi's Daisho. Mitsu would have no part in Kobai's petty quest for vengeance. Enlightened Madness, Part One, by Rich Wulf
== Kokujin ==
Mitsu was approached in 1151 by Hoshi Kaelung, and asked to aid in the defeat of Kokujin. Again Mitsu refused. 
== Retirement ==
In 1158, Four Winds, p. 31 after a time Mitsu's years were catching up with him, and he began to doubt his destiny. At this time he happened to be nearby when a patrol led by Mirumoto Rosanjin was attacked by a Lion patrol led by Matsu Tejin. The Lion were winning until the timely arrival of Mitsu, who disarmed Tejin. Tejin and his men fled, but not before Tejin swore he would have his revenge. The dead and wounded around him reminded Mitsu that he still had to remove the greatest threat to the Dragon, Kokujin. Unfinished Business, by Rich Wulf
=== Seikitsu Pass ===
An aged Mitsu had witnessed the cataclysm that formed the Great Crater, creating a new pass in the Seikitsu Mountains. Mitsu told he had spoken with the Celestial Dragon for two days. The ise zumi's accounts, combined with eyewitness reports of a huge dragon-like figure creating the pass at Lord Sun's direction, became all the testimony the Empire needed to verify that a Celestial Dragon did indeed exist. Before the event, the existence of the Celestial Dragon was not known by Rokugan. Fortunes & Winds, p. 74 Mitsu secretly took up residence in Seikitsu Pass following the re-opening of the pass in 1150, living off of the fresh water and blind fish there for six years. 
In 1151, Kaelung sought out Mitsu in the Seikitsu Pass. He hoped to enlist the aid of the legendary ise zumi in finding and killing Kokujin, but Mitsu refused to help for the third time. 
=== Matsuo ===
Mitsu's depression lasted until Dragon Clan Champion Togashi Hoshi introduced him in the Seikitsu Mountains to another young Ise Zumi, Togashi Matsuo, in 1156. Hoshi revealed that Matsuo was a tamashii, and Mitsu agreed to take Matsuo as his student, to teach and to study so he could find Matsuo's purpose as well as if he himself had one once more. 
Mitsu was surprised to learn of the existance of Matsuo, as he believed that with Togashi dead, there would be no more tamashii. Matsuo was very much like Mitsu, and several veterans of the Clan War had commented on how he was like a younger Mitsu. He was a vigorous and pleasant man who preferred the simple to the complicated and the mundane to the glamorous. Four Winds, p. 92
== Four Winds ==
=== Dragon-Phoenix War ===
Mitsu and Matsuo were sent to the village of Mikoto Mura by Togashi Satsu in 1158 during the Dragon-Phoenix War, to aid in any way they could. 
Mitsu later intervened in a skirmish between a patrol of inexperienced Mirumoto led by Mirumoto Rosanjin and a patrol of Matsu led by Matsu Tejin. The Dragon were losing until his timely arrival. Mitsu disarmed Tejin, forcing the Matsu gunso and his men to flee. Mitsu let slip that he now understood that he must deal with someone sooner rather than later, but would not reveal who that someone was to Rosanjin. 
=== King of the Trolls ===
In 1159 Matsuo and Mitsu were scouting the southwestern Dragon provinces when the King of the Trolls was awakened. Excavations in the Troll's home, the City of Night by the Unicorn Clan, caused it to awaken and slowly begin it's journey there. When the two monks sought shelter they found the zokujin Zgkol, who put them in contact with Bayushi Ogura. Ogura was the descendant of Asako Gohiro, the shugenja who had successfully returned the King of the Trolls to it's slumber the last time. Ogura enlisted the help of the Kuni Witch Hunter Kuni Junji, and together they were able to recreate Gohiro's spell, sending the King of Trolls back into slumber. Ogura, knowing the ritual took the life of its performer, backed out in the middle of the spell, which resulted in the death of Junji. The King of the Trolls laid in it's new slumber near the Great Crater, at the mouth of the Seikitsu Pass. The King of the Trolls, Part II Mitsu remained in the area in order to find Zgkol and get more information from him, but the Zokujin eluded the monk. Four Winds, p. 89
== Kokujin, Once Again ==
In 1159, Mitsu become indirectly involved in the quest to end the shame of Kokujin. While training with his student Togashi Matsuo, he encountered Togashi Satsu. Satsu revealed that he knew the location of Kokujin, but again Mitsu did not become involved. His student Matsuo joined the seven Dragon samurai who travelled to the Twilight Mountains to confront Kokujin. 
=== Kaelung ===
Eventually, Mitsu decided that he would have to take part in the conflict with Kokujin and sought out Kaelung, the former Hoshi sohei. He tracked him to the Lion city of Foshi where the two fought. After fleeing the city following the trouble they caused, Mitsu explained why he had come seeking Kaelung. Togashi Satsu and six other Dragon had accepted Kokujin's Challenge, and Mitsu needed Kaelung's aid in helping them defeat Kokujin. Kaelung accepted and the pair began their journey south. 
The two arrived in the Twilight Mountains exhausted from their use of their Centipede tattoos. Mitsu suggested they start looking in the ruins of Shiro Heichi, as he suspected Kokujin would think them a good place to hide. Kaelung made it clear to Mitsu that he was only here to defeate Kokujin, and warned the ise zumi not to get in his way. Mitsu in turn explained that he was only there to rescue Satsu and the others, and warned Kaelung not to get in his way either. Enlightened Madness, Part Four, by Rich Wulf
=== More Allies ===
The two became lost in the mountains until they encountered Togashi Matsuo, Mirumoto Rosanjin and Heichi Jianzhen, who had been led to the two monks by the Shakoki Dogu. Rosanjin, Kaelung and Jianzhen began bickering until Tamori Chieko's scream echoing through the mountains brought a more pressing matter back to their attention. 
Jianzhen and Rosanjin created a distraction outside Shiro Heichi, allowing Mitsu, Matsuo and Kaelung to enter Kokujin's lair. Mitsu and Kaelung confronted Kokujin while Matsuo freed Togashi Satsu and Hitomi Hogai. Matsuo escaped with the severely wounded Chieko, and when it appeared that the gathered Dragon had the upper hand Kokujin sacrificed his vassal Kokujin Kobai upon the Anvil of Despair, releasing the First Oni from it's prison beneath Shiro Heichi. This revealed Kokujin's true plan all along, to release the First Oni in exchange for Fu Leng's true name.Enlightened Madness, Part Six, by Rich Wulf
=== Apparent Death ===
Mitsu and the Mad Dragon became locked in single combat. Using the Anvil of Despair as a weapon, Mitsu knocked Kokujin, himself, and the Anvil into a lava-filled pit, presumably to their fiery demise and the Anvil's destruction. Enlightened Madness, Part Seven, by Rich Wulf
== Mitsu guided Fujimaro ==
In 1160 Mitsu appeared again and met Ikoma Fujimaro to guide him toward the trapped Lion forces in Phoenix lands. Recruiting Drive (Fall of Otosan Uchi flavor) Kitsuki Bashin, personal friend of the Ikoma Daimyo Ikoma Sume, had sent Mitsu to aid the group behind enemy lines. Secrets of the Dragon, p. 16 Fujimaro found his wounded nephew Ikoma Korin, Matsu Watako and a unit of Lion's Pride. All vowed to leave the Phoenix lands alive. Four Winds, p. 55
== Continuing the Legend ==
Since his apparent death, many had since claimed to have seen the Ise Zumi helping wounded escape from battles, some of them after the death of Iuchiban in 1166. News of Rokugan, Circa Lotus Edition (Imperial Herald v2#17), by Rich Wulf
== Oracle of Thunder ==
In 1167, Mitsu was presented as the new Oracle of Thunder to the Imperial Court at Toshi Ranbo by the Jade Champion, Asahina Sekawa. The Test of Enlightenment, Part 1 (GenCon SoCal 2005), by Shawn Carman Around the same time, Kokujin has returned as well. Few see this as a coincidence. Kharmic Struggle (Path of Hope flavor) The Dragon courtiers were offended that Mitsu chose a Crane to make this announcement rather than a Dragon. It not improved the issue that a Temple to Thunder will be built in Crane lands. With the Oracle of Air he was one of the Oracles who returned to Ningen-do while the rest of Oracles of Light remained out of the mortal realm. Revelation, by Shawn Carman
=== The Lost Ambassador ===
An emissary of the Lost, Daigotsu Soetsu, was brought to the Imperial Court by Kisada to approach Toturi III. Soetsu put forth Daigotsu's demand to form a Great Clan from his followers in the City of the Lost to fulfill ultimate destiny of Fu Leng: to be just as his brothers and sisters and have a clan of his own. He also claimed that Fu Leng's centuries of aggression towards Rokugan was the result of brainwashing by the forces of Jigoku, and that the honor of Daigotsu was beginning to overcome that and would allow the Empire and the Lost to co-exist as peacefully as any of the other clans. 
Kisada was banished from the Imperial City, and might not return on pain of death. The Lost was made a guest of the Scorpion Clan, Doji Tanitsu should conduct all interviews with him, and the Emperor retired to his private chambers, to meditate upon the mysteries of Enlightenment and cast a final judgment over Soetsu's petition. Empress Toturi Kurako oversaw the court in his absence. The Test of Enlightenment, Part 2 (GenCon SoCal 2005), by Shawn Carman
=== Topaz Championship - 1171 ===
Mitsu appeared at Topaz Championship in 1171. He congratulated the winner, Shinjo Tae-Hyun, who asked the question any mortal could address to an Oracle. The Topaz Championship, by Rusty Priske
=== Destroyer War ===
In 1173 during the Destroyer War Mitsu appeared at Zokujin Mura. He encouraged the defenders who repelled the assault of the forces of Kali-Ma. The Destroyer War, Part 17, by Shawn Carman
== Rise of Jigoku ==
In 1200 the destruction of the first of the Sacred Seals, made thinner the barrier between Ningen-do and Jigoku. Mitsu would not permit him to remain apart from the events taking place, and the Celestial Dragon allowed Mitsu to be severed from the Heavens, that he might fight for Rokugan once more. Favored of the Celestial Dragon (Storyline Tournaments: European Championships 2015)
== See Also ==
* Togashi Mitsu/Meta
* Togashi Mitsu/CW Meta
* Togashi Mitsu/Diskwars
== External Links ==
* Togashi Mitsu Inexp (Coils of Madness)
* Togashi Mitsu (Pre-Imperial)
* Togashi Mitsu Exp (Crimson and Jade)
* Mitsu (Jade)
* Togashi Mitsu Exp2 (Soul of the Empire)
* Togashi Mitsu Exp2KYD (1000 Years of Darkness)
* Togashi Mitsu Exp3 (Drums of War)
Category:Dragon Clan Members
Category:Oracles
Category:Toturi's Army
Mitsu