The Steadfast Samurai

The Steadfast Samurai
The Rokugani believe that, during childbirth, the mother is in close contact with the spirit world, and so it is the father's duty to distract evil spirits while she is giving birth. He wanders about the house, crying out, with a heavy mortar stuck under his kimono to give the illusion of pregnancy and labor pains.
The second of a pair of twins, Mirumoto Tokeru was initially named Omosa, which means "heavy." Tokeru's twin was born with little difficulty, but Tokeru, victim of spirits his father failed to distract, required much effort, nearly killing his mother. So, when he was finally born, his father gave him the name Omosa.
Upon his graduation, Omosa chose the name Tokeru and became his brother's most trusted lieutenant. Tokeru's brother, Ryudumu, was not much of a general or a commander. The soldiers admired and trusted Tokeru but ridiculed Ryudumu in secret. All through his life, Tokeru supported his brother, never once betraying him.
When Ryudumu married, he watched the way his lovely wife eyed his handsome younger brother and became instantly jealous. The jealousy soon turned violent and Ryudumu challenged his younger brother to a duel to the death. Tokeru could have easily killed his brother, but instead chose to lose the duel. His death is one of the most tragic, and heroic, in the Mirumoto family history, and he is remembered every year on the third day of the month of the Rat.
Steadfast Samurai
Steadfast Samurai
Steadfast Samurai
Steadfast Samurai