Matsu family (TCG)

The Matsu were a family of the Lion Clan, known for their hot-tempered, emotional, strong willed and intractable members. Matsu were born and bred to fight for any cause they find just. The Price of War, by Mari Murdock Each warrior was raised from the womb for war, to wield the katana with fearsome skill and to die for the glory of Rokugan. The Great Clans (Learn to Play Rulebook) Last Breath Castle was its ancestral seat of power. The family was renowned by both the berserkers and beastmasters they trained. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 5
== Within the Family ==
=== Mon ===
The Matsu mon was a lion's paw clutching a sword handle. Family Duty, by Robert Denton III In early centuries, the depicted sword was a chokutō. This was amended to a wakizashi in the sixth century. Fields of Victory, p. 51
=== Matriarchal Traditions ===
The largest family in the Empire, the Matsu filled the ranks of the vast Lion armies. Founded by one of the greatest of all samurai in the early Empire, they retained many matriarchal traditions in her honor, including several elite military units that were exclusively female. Legend of the Five Rings - Roleplaying, p. 52 Seeking to emulate their founder in all aspects and famous for their hot-blooded temper, they were the beating heart of the Lion Clan, embodying the will, fierce emotion, and courage of their founder. The Matsu family discouraged its daughters to marry men of higher status. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 53 The second-born sibling of the Matsu Daimyō was appointed as the Defender of the Hall, chief of the Hall of Ancestors. Courts of Stone, p. 24
=== Temper ===
The Matsu believed their honor was their greatest weapon. Bushidō was an innate truth of the universe, the distilled mindset of a warrior. A Matsu general always plunged into the thickest fighting, galvanizing everyone around them. For all that the Matsu were famous for their honor and battle prowess, as well as for their natural charisma and fierce loyalty, the Matsu were most famous for their strong emotions. The Matsu battle rage was the hallmark of their school. A common saying was, “The Akodo do not forget, but the Matsu do not forgive.” The Matsu regarded their anger as a source of strength to be harnessed. This was epitomized in the Matsu battle rage, an entranced state in which a warrior is at one with their martial instincts. 
=== Culture and Traditions ===
Matsu poetry was spontaneous and improvised, as simple as it was audacious. It was composed from cutting words and delivered with unflinching emotion. Matsu theater favored the Kabuki style and was filled with action and passion, focusing on the individual and packed with special effects. The Matsu pursued all arts as a battle to be won. Matsu culture was thoroughly martial. From the age of six, Matsu children were trained in lethal combat. Those who do not take to martial arts were swiftly placed elsewhere: fostered to other families or sent to monastic life. Even Matsu who become artists and courtiers conducted themselves as warriors, destined for a very different battlefield. 
=== Gempuku ===
Matsu gempuku was considered draconian. Students must pass many tests to reach adulthood, including reciting memorized passages from Leadership, proving their martial prowess with a variety of weapons, quartering a tossed pomegranate before it touched the ground, and enduring numerous strikes from a bamboo practice sword against their bare back. Those who passed the tests were marked with the Matsu crest as a sign of their eternal devotion. Those who did not pass were “allowed” to commit seppuku. Fields of Victory, p. 53
=== Enmity with the Kakita ===
The Matsu family never forgot the slight Kakita offered their founder Matsu at the first Emerald Championship. Many among the Matsu would like nothing more than the destruction of the Kakita family, for honor demanded nothing less. Courts of Stone, p. 58
=== Expansionists ===
Matsu lords and vassal families were always seeking to expand their territory. Matsu even encouraged limited intrafamily warring, believing it will keep the family strong. 
== History ==
=== Defeated by Cavalry Tactics ===
When the Unicorn Clan returned to Rokugan, their tactics defeated those of the Matsu. Since then the Matsu began to use an enormous sword, the zanbatō. Legend of the Five Rings: Roleplaying Game (Beta), p. 99
== Lands of the Matsu ==
Oxen and lion prides freely roamed the flatlands of the Matsu lands, while herds of deer wandered through the few but dense forests. The lands grew steadily hillier as they reached south and west, eventually culminating in the Spine of the World Mountains, whose foothills housed copper mines. To the southwest was Beiden Pass. Near their borders sat Kyūden Kakita, the capital of their ancestral rivals. Fields of Victory, p. 54
=== Notable Holdings ===
* Hall of Ancestors
* Humility's Lesson (Kenson no Gakka)
* Last Breath Castle (Shiro Matsu) and Valley of Storms
== Politics ==
=== Matsu Daimyō ===
The following is a listing of the known daimyō of the Matsu family:
Matsu 	? - 42
Matsu Uniri	? - 1100
Matsu Tsuko	1100 - 1123
=== Vassals of the Matsu ===
The following were the known vassal families of the Matsu family: 
* Shion family
== See also ==
* Matsu family/Meta
Category:Lion Clan Leaders (TCG)
Daimyo Matsu