On Lion Greatness
A few excerpts from David R. Henry: "So, let us consider the Lion. What is known about them, for certain? They are the largest Clan in Rokugan; indeed, the Matsu family alone is greater in numbers than the entire Phoenix Clan (discounting commoners, of course). They maintain the largest standing army in Rokugan, and officially act as the Emperor's "Right Hand". When the Empire goes to war against some foreign invader, it is the Lion who are supposed to represent the Emperor's fury (except for the duty of guarding against Shadowlands incursions, which, of course, falls to the Crab). They are known for their brilliance in battle and devotion to bushido, which was developed by their semi-divine founder, Akodo One-Eye. The dislike of the Lion for the Crane is perhaps the defining political movement in Rokugani politics, and most of the major developments in the Empire's history could probably be traced to fallouts over this struggle between these two, the most powerful Clans in the Empire. "But what does the Emperor need a standing army for? Aside from defending again attacks from the Lord of Evil, which aren't their responsibility, the Sunset Empire has never actually been invaded in its entire history. There are minor incursions from the barbarians to the West, and once, centuries ago, representatives from the Sword Empire made it to Rokugan, only to die in a tragic misunderstanding, but again, that was not a dedicated invasion. To what end stands this vast army of Lions, if there is no need of them? Does the Emperor's ego demand nearly half a million troops standing ready at all times, just to show his power? "The answer is far subtler than that, as one might guess. The true purpose of the Lion is to pursue Imperial politics - their own, as well, but they are in many ways an extension of the Imperial Will. The Lion are arguably the most powerful Clan in Rokugan, and I will hereby present my argument: "Consider their attitude across the Empire. Who can the Lion call as allies? The Dragon ignore them, like everyone else. The Crab admire them, but offer no real support, and any political support from the Crab would hardly be considered very useful to the other Clans. The Scorpion fear their armies, mock their bushido, and claim to have the Lion dancing at their fingertips. The Lion still have yet to truly regard the Unicorn as actual Rokugani, and would spurn any political support that the Unicorn would offer them. The Phoenix, great pacifists that they are, tend to oppose the robust militarism of the Lion, and would oppose them in any case as they are close allies to the Crane, who are, of course, the Lion's greatest rivals. "So whom do the Lion look to for help when they are in trouble? None of the Great Clans is their ally. Their aggressive stance and conservative views openly irritate their neighbors. They are openly opposed by no less than the Crane, who supposedly control the entire Imperial Court. They are situated in the exact center of the Empire, surrounded by hostile parties, mocked by most of the other Clans, sitting upon some of the most desirable croplands in all the Empire, yet they can maintain an outwardly aggressive attitude towards basically the entire remainder of the Empire. and yet they still stand. They have been locked in a political struggle with the Imperial Court for over one thousand years, yet the Imperial Court (in its incarnation as the Crane) have yet to decisively bring the Lion under their control. "In my view, a Clan that can, and has, actively opposed the actions of every other Great Clan for over one thousand years, and yet is still capable of standing on its own with no real support from the other Clans, has a clear call towards being the true power of Rokugan. While the Crane might control the Imperial Court, and the Scorpion the underworld, and the Phoenix the shugenja, the Lion still stand, uncontrolled and powerful, and every major political decision of the day still must be filtered through the lens of Lion interference. To view them only as a Clan of military might hampered by stupidity and tradition is very wrong; to think them as puppets at the whim of the "real courtiers" in other Clans is fatal. The Lion define the traditional Rokugani samurai for a very good reason, I believe - they are the average. Their power is great enough to have established the Lion as the centerpin of the Empire. Remove them, and the other Clans will spiral out of control. They are the center of Rokugan, physically and socially, and it is not too great a reach to attempt to see how much of Rokugani politics is how the other Clans rotate around the fixated conservatism of the Lion. "The Lion armies are instruments of the Emperor's ill will, but not towards outsiders, as none have yet to ever invade Rokugan. They are used as weapons against recalcitrant oathbreakers in other Clans; while couched in platitudes, the "enemies of the Emperor" talked of in the Lion's oath of purpose are those land-owning samurai who have lost favor in the Imperial Courts. If they cannot or will not come to a resolution over the problems at hand, it is the Lion who step in to adjudicate the manner. And the Lion are more than happy to use whatever force is necessary to attain their goals. "While their public face is that of warmongers, it is important to consider that there is no way I can think of to maintain such an independence of nature and aggression without the Lion's vast military might being matched with an equal amount of talented negotiation. and spying. Indeed, as the opening quote from their founding kami indicates, the very nature of spying is considered appropriate to the Lion's role in the Empire. While they are happy to crush an enemy of the Imperial Court, it is a waste of time and energy to divert more than is necessary to the problem at hand. To do any less would be an insult to the very image of military precision that the Lion prefer to adopt in their mannerisms. "To that end, Lion diplomats can be found throughout the Empire. They are as much a fixture in any daimyo's court as the Crane courtier. Indeed, anywhere where there is a Crane, you will probably find a Lion, matching and undermining their counterpart in every way. The diplomats serve to keep an eye on the politics of the entire Empire for the daimyo of the Lion. It appears to me that, in their eternal quest for precision and efficiency in the Emperor's name, the Lion prefer to strike at those offensive to Imperial sensibilities before the Emperor even hears about them. There is another proverb from Akodo One-Eye, which runs somewhere along the line of the best servant is one who knows what must be done before his master, and arranges for such matters to be done before his master arises. "While the Lion cannot match the vast political gifts that the Crane can bestow on their diplomatic targets, they have a brutally effective equal gift to bestow: the favors of the mightiest army in Rokugan. The Crane diplomat can arrange for your daughters to marry wealthy and famous men, the Scorpion diplomat can arrange for your enemies to die humiliating deaths. but the Lion diplomat can promise you that the Lion will not destroy your entire province so long as you follow the Emperor's Will. In face of such simple truths, even the cleverest Kakita haiku seems commonplace." This message was presented, in part, on the L5R Mailing list by one David R. Henry and should be considered as his words, not mine. I would make my own arguement, but when one has shown the skill and grace that he has, it seems only wise to look to his words. Afterall, if we can not heed the words of those wiser than us, why then would we consult our ancestors or the annals of History?
A few excerpts from David R. Henry: "So, let us consider the Lion. What is known about them, for certain? They are the largest Clan in Rokugan; indeed, the Matsu family alone is greater in numbers than the entire Phoenix Clan (discounting commoners, of course). They maintain the largest standing army in Rokugan, and officially act as the Emperor's "Right Hand". When the Empire goes to war against some foreign invader, it is the Lion who are supposed to represent the Emperor's fury (except for the duty of guarding against Shadowlands incursions, which, of course, falls to the Crab). They are known for their brilliance in battle and devotion to bushido, which was developed by their semi-divine founder, Akodo One-Eye. The dislike of the Lion for the Crane is perhaps the defining political movement in Rokugani politics, and most of the major developments in the Empire's history could probably be traced to fallouts over this struggle between these two, the most powerful Clans in the Empire. "But what does the Emperor need a standing army for? Aside from defending again attacks from the Lord of Evil, which aren't their responsibility, the Sunset Empire has never actually been invaded in its entire history. There are minor incursions from the barbarians to the West, and once, centuries ago, representatives from the Sword Empire made it to Rokugan, only to die in a tragic misunderstanding, but again, that was not a dedicated invasion. To what end stands this vast army of Lions, if there is no need of them? Does the Emperor's ego demand nearly half a million troops standing ready at all times, just to show his power? "The answer is far subtler than that, as one might guess. The true purpose of the Lion is to pursue Imperial politics - their own, as well, but they are in many ways an extension of the Imperial Will. The Lion are arguably the most powerful Clan in Rokugan, and I will hereby present my argument: "Consider their attitude across the Empire. Who can the Lion call as allies? The Dragon ignore them, like everyone else. The Crab admire them, but offer no real support, and any political support from the Crab would hardly be considered very useful to the other Clans. The Scorpion fear their armies, mock their bushido, and claim to have the Lion dancing at their fingertips. The Lion still have yet to truly regard the Unicorn as actual Rokugani, and would spurn any political support that the Unicorn would offer them. The Phoenix, great pacifists that they are, tend to oppose the robust militarism of the Lion, and would oppose them in any case as they are close allies to the Crane, who are, of course, the Lion's greatest rivals. "So whom do the Lion look to for help when they are in trouble? None of the Great Clans is their ally. Their aggressive stance and conservative views openly irritate their neighbors. They are openly opposed by no less than the Crane, who supposedly control the entire Imperial Court. They are situated in the exact center of the Empire, surrounded by hostile parties, mocked by most of the other Clans, sitting upon some of the most desirable croplands in all the Empire, yet they can maintain an outwardly aggressive attitude towards basically the entire remainder of the Empire. and yet they still stand. They have been locked in a political struggle with the Imperial Court for over one thousand years, yet the Imperial Court (in its incarnation as the Crane) have yet to decisively bring the Lion under their control. "In my view, a Clan that can, and has, actively opposed the actions of every other Great Clan for over one thousand years, and yet is still capable of standing on its own with no real support from the other Clans, has a clear call towards being the true power of Rokugan. While the Crane might control the Imperial Court, and the Scorpion the underworld, and the Phoenix the shugenja, the Lion still stand, uncontrolled and powerful, and every major political decision of the day still must be filtered through the lens of Lion interference. To view them only as a Clan of military might hampered by stupidity and tradition is very wrong; to think them as puppets at the whim of the "real courtiers" in other Clans is fatal. The Lion define the traditional Rokugani samurai for a very good reason, I believe - they are the average. Their power is great enough to have established the Lion as the centerpin of the Empire. Remove them, and the other Clans will spiral out of control. They are the center of Rokugan, physically and socially, and it is not too great a reach to attempt to see how much of Rokugani politics is how the other Clans rotate around the fixated conservatism of the Lion. "The Lion armies are instruments of the Emperor's ill will, but not towards outsiders, as none have yet to ever invade Rokugan. They are used as weapons against recalcitrant oathbreakers in other Clans; while couched in platitudes, the "enemies of the Emperor" talked of in the Lion's oath of purpose are those land-owning samurai who have lost favor in the Imperial Courts. If they cannot or will not come to a resolution over the problems at hand, it is the Lion who step in to adjudicate the manner. And the Lion are more than happy to use whatever force is necessary to attain their goals. "While their public face is that of warmongers, it is important to consider that there is no way I can think of to maintain such an independence of nature and aggression without the Lion's vast military might being matched with an equal amount of talented negotiation. and spying. Indeed, as the opening quote from their founding kami indicates, the very nature of spying is considered appropriate to the Lion's role in the Empire. While they are happy to crush an enemy of the Imperial Court, it is a waste of time and energy to divert more than is necessary to the problem at hand. To do any less would be an insult to the very image of military precision that the Lion prefer to adopt in their mannerisms. "To that end, Lion diplomats can be found throughout the Empire. They are as much a fixture in any daimyo's court as the Crane courtier. Indeed, anywhere where there is a Crane, you will probably find a Lion, matching and undermining their counterpart in every way. The diplomats serve to keep an eye on the politics of the entire Empire for the daimyo of the Lion. It appears to me that, in their eternal quest for precision and efficiency in the Emperor's name, the Lion prefer to strike at those offensive to Imperial sensibilities before the Emperor even hears about them. There is another proverb from Akodo One-Eye, which runs somewhere along the line of the best servant is one who knows what must be done before his master, and arranges for such matters to be done before his master arises. "While the Lion cannot match the vast political gifts that the Crane can bestow on their diplomatic targets, they have a brutally effective equal gift to bestow: the favors of the mightiest army in Rokugan. The Crane diplomat can arrange for your daughters to marry wealthy and famous men, the Scorpion diplomat can arrange for your enemies to die humiliating deaths. but the Lion diplomat can promise you that the Lion will not destroy your entire province so long as you follow the Emperor's Will. In face of such simple truths, even the cleverest Kakita haiku seems commonplace." This message was presented, in part, on the L5R Mailing list by one David R. Henry and should be considered as his words, not mine. I would make my own arguement, but when one has shown the skill and grace that he has, it seems only wise to look to his words. Afterall, if we can not heed the words of those wiser than us, why then would we consult our ancestors or the annals of History?