Crane Clan Letter - #15
My dear friend, There is grace and harmony in every moment. There can be grace and harmony in every action.
I know I do not need to tell you this. Not you, of all of us, who have served as a shining beacon to the rest of the Empire, a guiding light of honour, dignity, and of courage.
You have shown the Empire what it means to be a samurai - not just to wield the blade, but to turn a clever word without barbarian drawl, to perform the tea ceremony without fumbling with fingers numbed by hoisting a tetsubo, to breathe excellence in every gesture. To be more than a general, but also a poet who can capture the presence of the kami in three lines gifted to the Court. To live in the world and be part of it rather than spend decades in stunted isolation to emerge with only a tattoo and a begging bowl.
Despite the ravages [of] the Shadowlands and the devastation inflicted upon our clan by the Stone Crab, you have ruled our people wisely and with an eye towards the calm order that is always dear to the Emperor's heart.
And yet now there is no Emperor. Toturi has ascended to the Yomi, realm of the blessed ancestors. We must sort through affairs here on earth while his children vie among themselves to decide who will be the true heir. Each of them has [a] legitimate claim. When we have determined which of them satisfies our clan's desires for excellence best, only then will we choose.
In the meantime, we are charged with obtaining resolution to the matter of the Yasuki. The lands that have always been truly ours have once again been delivered into our hands. The Otomo have rendered their decision. Daidoji Hachi is the legal heir as the Yasuki daiymo. Of this there can be no doubt. The imperial registry does not lie. But the Crab favour their own lesser blood over the true line. Even the Crab cannot defend what they have never honestly possessed. What can we do, when the voices of the imperial heirs do not rise in unity, when honourees clans would curry favour by promising things that do not belong to them?
As a young man, I would not know how to say this, how to react to such blatant dishonour.
As one who has lived long and been greatly blessed by the spirits of Kakita and Lady Doji, I believe I know.
Now.
The moment is now.
Kakita Kaiten
Master of the Kenshinzen