Kasuga

Please note: This article is about the Tortoise Clan founder. For other uses of the term, please see Kasuga (disambiguation).
Agasha Kasuga was a shugenja of the Dragon Clan who became the founder of the Tortoise Clan. He was born in 420. Winter Court: Kyuden Kakita, p. 89
== Imperial Court ==
Kasuga was a brilliant man, but his unorthodox views on the teaching of the Elements made him to be relegated in station of lower rank at Otosan Uchi. He used the post to apply Agasha's theories to observe the behavior of the heimin and hinin, which earned the trust of the Yasuki Merchants, themselves accustomed to minimizing caste differences in the name of profit. Imperial Histories, p. 92
== Gaijin ==
Kasuga was fascinated by the gaijin who appeared in the Imperial City. When violence between them and the Rokugani began, Kasuga suspected something darker had happened that was not the doing of the gaijin themselves. Kasuga gave refuge to Teodoro Cornejo, the Merenae leader and helped the gaijin survivors of the Battle of White Stag and Battle of Raging Seas escape Rokugan following the battles. He enlisted his Yasuki friends to arrange passage for the foreigners and himself, back to their homeland. His name was thereafter stricken from Imperial records and his immediate family imprisoned for his dishonorable actions. Way of the Minor Clans, p. 90
== Founding the Tortoise ==
Upon his return to Rokugan, Kasuga requested, and received, a private audience with the Emperor. It was not publicy known what Kasuga said, but afterwards, the emperor pardoned him of his crimes and granted him and his followers Minor Clan status. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 12 It was formed by Kasuga's family, the Yasuki captains , and also several Merenae who decided to remain within Rokugan. Imperial Histories, p. 85 They obtained the land which the gaijin had invaded, and a clan title: Tortoise. The Emperor named himself the Daimyo of the Tortoise, thus ensuring that they would never have a family name. 
== Ancestral Duty ==
After his return Kasuga had convinced Hantei Muhaki to conduct covert trade with the overseas gaijin in order to spy on them. Imperial Histories, p. 77 He also granted the Tortoise a distant island, Kameyama Jima, to serve as their home away from home. Secrets of the Empire, p. 101 When Emperor Hantei Muhaki passed on from life, the Crane attempted to undermine the Tortoise. Kasuga was granted an audience by the new Empress, Hantei Retsuhime, and the next day, she announced the Tortoise charter had been expanded: henceforth they would also be caretakers for the Imperial City of Otosan Uchi, keeping the streets clean, repairing the homes, and performing other such menial but necessary tasks. Secrets of the Empire, p. 98
== Children ==
Kasuga only daughter was Kasuga Genjiko. Way of the Minor Clans, p. 91 His son built the Shrine of Agasha Kasuga, to honor his father, and started a line of caretakers who tended the shrine since. Secrets of the Mantis, p. 73
== See also ==
* Agasha Kasuga/Meta
Category:Tortoise Clan Leaders
Agasha Kasuga