Kitsuki Tadashi

1100 - 1187

Kitsuki Tadashi first came to the attention of the Empire in the Naishou Province Gaki War in of 1122. Tadashi was one of a group of young yoriki under Emerald Magistate Seppun Aramaki - Hida Yoko, Isawa Banuken, Asoko-no-Yamanaka Jeijun and Moto Temujin. Together they investigated a number of suspicious murders, which turned out to be humans possessed by Gaki spirits. As they followed these cases, they discovered that a force of Tsuno had opened a portal to Gaki-Do in the forests to the west of Naishou Province, causing the influx of Gaki into the province - and had amassed an army of thousands of Gaki-possessed undead, ready to invade Rokugan.

The yoriki raised the alarm, first to the Scorpion forces who were stationed near the forest, then to the provincial capital, Toshi no Naishou. Tadashi took part in a number of the subsequent battles, was instrumental in bringing the Lion Clan force from Sujuu Mura to engage the Gaki horde, and nearly sacrificed himself so that the Ishiken Isawa Banuken could close the portal to Gaki-Do. His wounds would have been mortal, had they not been healed by a Crane shugenja.

Tadashi served diligently as an Emerald Magistrate in the years after the Gaki War. He gained a reputation as a clever and tenacious investigator, solving crimes and thwarting conspiracies, famously including a nearly decade-long cat-and-mouse game with a shinobi only known as Whisper, who he often thwarted but never captured . He survived numerous assassination attempts, often by using his self-developed art of Hojōjutsu, which enabled him to tie up his opponents even as they attacked him.

In 1132 he married Bayushi Oyuki in what appeared to be a political marriage, although their affection seemed genuine (Unknown to anyone else, Oyuki was, in fact, the shinobi Whisper. They had grown to respect, and finally love each other in their long duel. Oyuki's marriage was her "retirement" from active duty). They had several children together.

In his mid 40's, Tadashi began to find his reputation as an investigator a hindrance, as the mere suggestion of his presence would lead to criminals and corrupt Samurai suspending their activities and destroying evidence. So, he began to adopt disguises that allowed him to investigate unobtrusively, gathering evidence before suddenly revealing himself to be an Emerald Magistrate and taking the villains into custody. He was often helped by a small group of yoriki, as well as his wife, who took on roles themselves, in order to trap the criminals. In one case, he found himself having to take the role of a Kabuki actor whose part was Kitsuki Tadashi himself, as a young man in the Gaki War!

His wife died in 1160. Tadashi's whereabouts for the next two years are unknown. Rumour has it that his wife was poisoned by an old rival or even an ally from her shinobi days, and Tadashi sought her killer. Regardless, in 1162 he entered a monastery near his birthplace, on the border between Dragon and Lion lands. He became an expert herbalist and doctor, finding peace tending a herb garden after a life-time involved in crime and murder.

Despite his retirement, he still occasionally was involved in solving crimes that occurred in the region around his monastery, but always he returned to his life of quiet contemplation and gardening. He died peacefully in 1187.

### Notes

The disguise-to-catch-criminals schtick is nicked from a samurai drama I'd read about but had never actually seen at the time, Mito Kōmon.

The retiring to a monastery to raise a medical herb garden, yet somehow getting involved in murder mysteries is based off the Cadfael series of novels.