Kaeru Tomaru

Please note: This article is about the Kaeru Daimyo. For other uses of the term, please see Tomaru (disambiguation).
Kaeru Tomaru was the daimyo of the Kaeru ronin family who offered fealty to the Ikoma family in 1159, and several years later it would the reason of the War of the Rich Frog.
== Weakened Kaeru Rule ==
The major wars and conflicts of the recent past served to deplete the pool of ronin, many of whom joined Toturi's Army, the Wolf Legion, the Shogun, or were offered fealty in a Great Clan. In the Four Winds era, the Machi-Kanshisha were severely undermanned, and the Kaeru hold on the city was beginning to slip. The situation had degraded to the point where it was obvious that the Kaeru could no longer adequately administer and protect the city. Way of the Thief, p. 74
== Kaeru Join the Lion ==
In 1159 the Ikoma Daimyo, Ikoma Sume, visited Tomaru in the City of the Rich Frog. Sume convinced Tomaru that Ikoma patronage would serve the interests of both parties. The Kaeru family was made vassal of the Ikoma, and the Lion annexed the city. Honor's Grave, by Shawn Carman The Kaeru would enjoy the authority and backing of the dominant
military force in the Empire, while the Lion would receive a portion of the substantial income in running the city. What had been less obvious was the consequence of refusal, that it would be taken as an insult to the Lion Clan. Tomaru, outmaneuvered and unwilling to offend the most powerful army in the Empire,
was forced to accept Sume's offer. Way of the Thief, p. 75
== War of the Rich Frog ==
Tomaru was never pleased with the deal he struck with Ikoma Sume. The trade coming from Dragon and Unicorn lands stopped. With the Lion demanding a tax upon what income was generated by the city, the Kaeru, were not as prosperous as they once were. When the War of the Rich Frog began, Tomaru sent agents to approach old contacts in both the Dragon and Unicorn regarding the resumption of trade with both Clans, no matter who wins the war. He knew that the hardliners within the Lion would surely interpret his initiative as treasonous, a calculated risk to maintain the Kaeru as the major power within the city. Way of the Thief, p. 78 The systematic lack of recognition for the Kaeru and their forces caused Tomaru to reexamine the relationship he had with the Lion. Way of the Thief, p. 81
== Death ==
Tomaru was assassinated at the end of the War of the Rich Frog, poisoned by his own son, Kaeru Meiji, who resented his family fealty towards the Lion Clan. The War of the Rich Frog, Part Two, by Shawn Carman
== External Links ==
* Ikoma Tomaru (Heaven and Earth)
Category:Lion Clan Leaders
Category:Ronin Leaders