Seppun Ishikawa (TCG)

Seppun Ishikawa was the Captain of the Seppun Honor Guard during the reign of Hantei the Thirty-Eighth. He befriended Isawa Kaede, the spiritual advisor to the Hantei. Smokeless Fire, by Katrina Ostrander
== Early Years ==
=== Training ===
Ishikawa was born in Otosan Uchi during a New Year's festival. He showed martial skill from an early age, and was sent to be trained by the Kakita, Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 47 at the prestigious Kakita Dueling Academy. The Cornered Lion, Part II, by Robert Denton III
=== Secret Love ===
When child Ishikawa became friend of Isawa Kaede, during the summer visits her father spent with Ishikawa's ones. Fireflies, by Robert Denton III Eventually he fell in love with Kaede, who was betrothed to Akodo Toturi. Ishikawa believed the Lion Clan Champion was not worthy of her. Seppun Ishikawa (Fate Has No Secrets flavor)
== Station ==
Initially posted as an ordinary member of the Imperial House Guard, he soon drew positive notice from the Emerald Champion Doji Satsume, who appointed him as an Emerald Magistrate and, after Ishikawa distinguished himself in that role, named him Captain of the Seppun Honor Guard. Ishikawa was a deceptively ordinary-looking man and a surprisingly gentle one, for the consideration he showed to the lower castes. A romantic at heart, he secretly longed for a woman who was already betrothed. He was an honorable and dedicated bushi and took his duty extremely seriously. He knew the value of having trustworthy allies and contacts throughout the Empire and would be always on the lookout for more. 
=== Influence ===
The Imperial Herald Miya Satoshi provided Ishikawa]] with knowledge of criminal syndicates of Otosan Uchi. In return, Ishikawa provided Satoshi with certain information that, from time to time, came into his possession. How the World Ought to Work, by D.G. Laderoute
=== Meishōdō ===
In 1123 the Phoenix Clan believed they had foreseen a great and powerful danger in the use of meishōdō, the name magic used by the Unicorn Clan during their wanderings outside Rokugan. Their warning reached the Emperor himself, who conferred with his counselors to determine whether this magic served the Empire or endangered Rokugan. Smokeless Fire, by Katrina Ostrander Ishikawa announced to the Unicorn ambassador Ide Tadaji that the Emperor saw fit to allow the Unicorn Clan to continue practicing meishōdō, but officially requested their assistance in teaching its use to his Hidden Guard. A Most Suitable Teacher, by Katrina Ostrander
=== Investigation ===
Ishikawa investigated the disappearance of a golden netsuke inscribed with the Hantei mon, a memento of the Emperor's late first wife which went missing from his chambers in the Imperial Palace. The discovery of the theft meant the honorable and capable woman member of the Seppun Honor Guard assigned to watch that portion of the palace would have to commit seppuku. A group of samurai recovered the item after they exposed that a servant had stolen and taken out the netsuke, giving it to the master of the gambling den in the outer city to pay off his sick father's gambling debts, who in turn had expected to pass to a mahō-tsukai cult that wanted a Hantei heirloom for its own sinister purposes. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 46
=== Emperor's Death ===
In 1123 Ishikawa attended a poetry reading organized by Kakita Ryoku during the Harvest Moon festival. Unbeknownst by the attendants, the Emperor Hantei the Thirty-Eighth had passed away shortly before the event. He was with Kaede when she found her husband Toturi mortally wounded by unknown assailants. Toturi's spirit was forced by Kaede to remain in the Mortal Realm, instead to pass into Meido, and Toturi survived. Ishikawa found evidence that shinobi had been involved in the assassination attempt, and he began to investigate. Falling Stars, by Mari Murdock Once the former Emerald Champion was wealthy enough he began to investigate who was behind his assault. Toturi met Ishikawa who accepted to cooperate with Toturi in finding what was behind his assault, but warned Toturi not to endanger Kaede's life again, under menace of death. In the following days Ishikawa and Toturi, disguised as a rōnin, gathered information through every way possible, including leaders of criminal syndicates such as Tamanegi. 
=== Lion Seized Control ===
The Scorpion Clan Champion Bayushi Shoju became the Imperial Regent, but eventually Toturi and Sumiko appeared together at Imperial Court and resigned from their posts, accusing Shoju as the person behing the regicide of the late Emperor. The Last Leaf Falls, by D.G. Laderoute Shortly after the Army of the Rising Wave seized the Imperial Palace, and its leader Mirumoto Hitomi put Shoju under arrest for the murder of the Emperor, to deliver him to the justice of the Imperial Chancellor, When the Wave Strikes the Shore, by Mari Murdock Kakita Yoshi, who replaced Shoju as Regent. The Careful Gardener, by Annie VanderMeer Unexpectedly Shoju escaped, so Hitomi ordered her troops an immediate manhunt throughout the city to search for him, spreading her troops thin across the capital. Eventually the former Lion ambassador Ikoma Ujiaki claimed the leadership of the Imperial Legions, mostly consisted of Lion soldiers, to retake the Capital with the support of Scorpion forces stationed there. Led by Ujiaki, the Lion and Scorpion forces smashed through the southern gates of the Forbidden City, scattering the fragmented units of the Army of the Rising Wave and swallowing Ishikawa's trapped guards. The Villain’s Mask, by Mari Murdock
=== Shoju's Death ===
In the 12th day of the Month of Togashi, Ishikawa and Bayushi Kachiko, Shoju's wife, helped Hitomi to sneak her within the Forbidden Palace. The Imperial Captain killed Shosuro Ibuki, one of Shoju's guards, while Soshi Angai was killed by KAchiko, leaving Yogo Itoju as the only enemy between them and the usurper. Hitomi crossed the doors of the Imperial Throne room. She wielded Itsuwari, the Ancestral Sword of the Scorpion, and struck Shoju down with her wakizashi. By tradition, Itsuwari was supposed to strike down the Scorpion Champion if he ever betrays the Empire. Heroes of Legend: Chapter Five, by Marie Brennan
== See also ==
* Seppun Ishikawa/Meta
== External Links ==
* Seppun Ishikawa (Fate Has No Secrets)
Category:Imperial Families Members (TCG)