There are many different religions within Rokugan. While one would think that an empire ruled by a goddess and organized by her children would have a unified single vision about how spirits work and what happens after death, it seems even the Kami themselves had wildly different views on how things worked and most of them accepted and promoted belief systems that had been advanced by humans. It seems likely that they knew only what existed within their realm of Tengoku and when the Kami advanced different ideas about how the universe worked, she never told any that they were incorrect.

As such there are numerous religions within Rokugan who advance different ideas about how the universe works. While it may seem odd, even as people are very faithful to the rites and practices advanced by one of them until they have shaped how Rokugani society works as a whole, they also do not attempt to dispute or contradict any of them. In fact almost all Rokugani practice nearly all of them to varying degrees and even the most devout practitioners of one often also practice others. The generally accepted belief is that all these religions are entirely true-- especially the parts where they directly contradict one another. Religious scholars have written countless manuscripts about how these religions are fundamentally connected and work together as a whole, although the exact details of such writing can differ quite dramatically.


Animism
While not explicitly recognized as a uniquely named religion, perhaps because it is so easily demonstrable, this faith holds that every rock, every tree, every puddle and every gust of wind has its own unique spirit. As shugenja can call upon these spirits, there can be little doubt that this is in fact true. The faith further instructs that one should try to stay in balance with the elemental spirits and pay respect to them, particularly great ones like the spirit of the mountain or forest or ocean.

However, there are bad spirits too and one can be afflicted by these bad spirits. As such, one should avoid any activities that would cause one to become afflicted and that one should regularly undergo rites of cleansing, usually involving washing oneself thoroughly. It is due to these ideas of purity that buke (samurai) avoiding touching sick or dead bodies of either humans or any animal, generally avoid eating animal meat and many avoid using any products made of animals. Animals that come from the sea are an exception to these rules, and between the clans, and even among the clans, there is a wide variety of adherence to these practices with the Phoenix being the most extremely faithful to these practices and the Unicorn almost entirely ignoring them. Even within a single clan there can be wildly different practices, for example the Togashi order entirely avoids using any animal products while the Mirumoto do not hesitate to eat goat meat and are not shy about handling dead bodies, particularly the magistrates from the family during investigations-- but will thoroughly wash themselves after doing so.

The purest of souls, upon death, may ascend to a realm of eternal peace and happiness, Tengoku, while those that are quite laden with sin and taint are doomed to be dragged into a realm of strife and pain, Jigoku, Toshigoku or Gakido. But most lay somewhere in between and will have to work off the spiritual filth they have accumulated after death. It is more important than life itself to remain pure.

Of course someone has to handle dead bodies and leather is used commonly in Rokugan, so someone has to handle those tasks. This is where the hinin come in-- the "non-people" who were assigned to this sort of dirty work and are considered to be spiritually fouled so the point that they and all their descendants are considered to be forever cursed. They are both an extraordinarily necessary part of Rokugan society but also entirely devalued and routinely abused. All due to this understanding of spirituality. And it is so ingrained within the hearts and minds of the people of Rokugan as to not even have a name by which its practices can be criticized.

Foreigners are also considered a major aberration to this belief system as the foreign belief systems are often entirely incompatible with these understanding of how the world works and they do not adhere to the same societal order. They are considered even more wrong than even hinin and the most extreme of the spiritual people are actively hostile to everything that comes from outside Rokugan. Often the singular exception to this is the Yobanjin who were once the same people as the Rokugani, but rejected rule by the Kami. Since they share some of the basic tenets, there is seen to be hope for real redemption for them.

The Phoenix Clan is the primary proponent of these views, though virtually every shugenja family found in the other 7 clans and, indeed, the entire basis of the social order of Rokugan is based on these views. In fact, some historical records suggest that there was no distinction between kuge, buke, bonge and hinin prior to a Phoenix Shogun's rule in the 4th century. However, the official stance is that this system always existed and was crafted by the Kami in Tengoku. The barrier between buke and bonge is still permeable and one shifts from one to the other on occasion.


Ancestor Worship
The people of Rokugan believe that after people die, assuming they led a good life, or at least so long as their descendants prayed enough for them to be forgiven for their sins in life, that they entered a realm of honored ancestors. There they look out for the living for as long as the memory of them is kept alive. So long as there is someone praying to them, they will bestow their blessing upon them. Such spirits naturally favor their descendants over other mortals just as those descendants tend to favor them over other spirits of the dead.

However one doesn't necessarily need to be a blood relation to be considered a descendant. Rather the spirits will usually favor those who carry the same name or are from the same clan or who carry the same will and ambition that they did in life. The more degrees of separation one has, the less likely a spirit is to hear your prayer.

The most revered of these are called the "Blessed Ancestors", made up of the Kami themselves and others whose names have been carried on by the most honored and righteous of samurai families as well as the greatest heroes who accomplished unlikely tasks or made impossible sacrifices. Countless statues have been made of these Blessed Ancestors and their tales are passed on in order to ensure they are never forgotten.

The Lion Clan is the primary proponent of this religion. In fact, the Lion Clan is one of the least faithful adherent to any of the other religions of all the clans, sticking closely to the teachings of the code of Bushido written by their founder. However the Ikoma family keeps records on the family trees of all samurai within the empire, paying special care to those who are descended from the Kami. Officially all samurai are supposed to submit reports of the birth of any child to the Ikoma. Furthermore, thanks to the influence of the Lion, there is hardly a private or public building within Rokugan that does not contain some small shrine with the express purpose of praying to ancestors. Only buildings such as warehouses and outhouses will be without such shrines.


Shinseism
Shinsei was a mysterious traveling teacher who entered into the empire at the dawn of the empire. Those in his presence could clearly tell that he was something beyond a mere mortal and a well of vast and deep wisdom. He gathered followers of his own until he drew the attention of the Kami. Three Kami approached Shinsei-- Akodo, Hantei and Togashi. They listened as he told them how the spirits of this mortal realm were born over and over again in a cycle of reincarnation-- of how the entire universe was about cycles, something easily seen in the seasons and in the stars. Each life lived provided additional insight and wisdom that one could only appreciate between lives. Those who live good lives are born into better lives while those who lived bad lives are born into worse ones-- however every soul of a person or animal is on some part of the path on their journey to enlightenment. One need not be a mighty lord or high priest to fight enlightenment, even the meekest and lowliest of creatures may find it-- and may find it easier in some ways as they do not carry distractions such as wealth or finery nor are they tempted with nearly so many opportunities to indulge in things for the sake of only pleasure. Togashi even wrote everything Shinsei told them about the universe and it has come to be known as the Tao of Shinsei-- excerpts from it, for it is far too unwieldy to be easily carried in its entirety, are carried by most samurai. People often quote it adnaseum to the point that it seems hardly a piece of writing can be done within Rokugan without a quote from the Tao accompanying it.

The three Kami had very different reactions to the teachings of Shinsei.

Akodo outright rejected what he was being told and left the lecture early. Some even believe that he wrote the code of Bushido as a direct refutation of what Shinsei said about how humans should act. However, after the Tao was completed, Akodo did agree to have a copy of the text present in every Lion Dojo-- but it is also a point of pride for the Clan that these copies are never opened. The Lion Clan will always side with their personal interpretations of Bushido rather than anything that comes from the Tao, however they do not dispute the basic tenets-- though they tend to know only the basics and what they have learned is usually absorbed second-hand through interactions with members of other clans.

Hantei's interpretation would be considered the most common interpretation that people in the empire adhere to. In Hantei's interpretation, people are born into the roles they are meant to fill in life. Not only are one's rank, family and clan important in determining one's identity, but a large part in one's destiny is determined by astrology. One should not flee from their destiny, but instead accept it and learn from their experiences. If there is a dispute between how one feels things should be in their life and how their life really is, they encourage trying to change one's own heart to better fit with the world than to change the world.

But Hantei's interpretation is not without sympathy. Proper communication, kindness and understanding shown to others is highly emphasized. They believe that people should be honest and sincere in their interactions with others, and accept that others born with different destinies are meant to behave in ways differently than one's own and to not try to force change on them. The result of this is that the adherents of Shinsei are often much more polite and understanding towards foreigners, hinin and even criminals. It has been sarcastically suggested that the most devout Shinseist may try to talk a Bakamono into abandoning Jigoku and returning to the celestial order even while his hand is eaten by the creature. They also tend to worry less about doing work that would be considered below their station so long as it is good, hard, honest work. They would be the first samurai to put aside their blade to plow or harvest a field that has been left abandoned.

Being the form of Shinseism formed by Hantei, the Owl Clan is the primary proponent of this religion. In fact, they fund monasteries throughout Rokugan for those who have suffered tragedies that make them unable to perform their life's duties can instead life a peaceful, if meagerly, existences where they can study the Tao and act as advisors and counsel to the people of the surrounding regions. Their goal is not just to find enlightenment for themselves with whatever time they have left, but also help those who are struggling in life to also find their way back to their right path. Those who grow elderly, orphans, the mentally impaired and the disabled are the most common of the people who retire to these monasteries. While these monasteries usually funded in good part by donation, they are usually originally founded by the Owl Clan and often have a member of the Hantei family serving them as guards. Because these monasteries are found all over Rokugan and have such a strong impact on the surrounding areas, the Hantei form of Shinseism is incredibly popular, especially among the commoners.

Togashi's interpretation however was quite different. He believed that as people had past lives, in order to reach enlightenment one should try to remember their past lives. And he did not at all share in Hantei's belief that everyone was born into their proper place-- instead he believed that it once an individual was born into the world, it was up to them to find their own individual path towards enlightenment and things like the social order or astrology merely distracted from one truly finding themselves.

Togashi has his own monasteries, but most of them are within the mountains in Dragon Clan lands. They are insular places with little contact with the outside world. Every now and again an Ise Zumi, a monk with magical tattoos that give them mystical abilities, is seen outside of their monasteries-- but they are never open to outsiders. Those inside spend most of their time in meditation trying to unlock their past lives. It is even said that all members of the Togashi Order are former members of the Togashi Order who simply find their way back after being reborn again into the world.

The freedom and self-discovery preached by the Togashi Order finds itself into other families within the clan, indicated most famousy by the Agasha and Kitsuki's sceintific and analytical approaches to their work that are considered quite strange by the rest of Rokugan. While the Togashi Order is insular, other orders inspired by Togashism have sprung up around the empire. This can be a point of some contention as these teachings are quite easily used to advocate for peasant revolts.


Fortunism
The Fortunes were gods that the people of Rokugan worshipped even before the Kami appeared. Each one was the embodiment of some emotion or concept or part of nature. The exact number of these gods is unknown, but there are said to be at least 1000 named fortunes even if no one knows them all. It is important to know who the right fortune to pray to and what rites to perform in order to gain their blessings. Furthermore it is important to pray at a shrine dedicated to the particular fortune. Luckily these shrines can be found in every village, along every roadway and anywhere some particularly heroic feat had taken place. Many of these shrines even predate the empire.

The eight most common Fortunes that one pre-date the formation of Rokugan are

• Bishamon: Fortune of Strength
• Ebisu: Fortune of Hard Work
• Daikoku: Fortune of Wealth
• Benten: Fortune of Art and Love
• Hotei: Fortune of Contentment
• Juroujin: Fortune of Longevity
• Fukurokujin: Fortune of Wisdom and Mercy
• Kisshouten: Fortune of Happiness, Fertility and Beauty

They are often called the 7 Fortunes-- as, for reasons unclear, often either Fukurokujin or Kisshouten get left off the list in these orders. However, even orders that promote 7 Fortunes still acknowledge the others so it is not as though there is anyone debating that all 8 are important Fortunes-- it just seems that they considered the number 7 to be lucky and someone perhaps arbitrarily chose which 7 they felt were important.

Although there are 8 Fortunes and 8 clans descended from the Kami and some attempts have been made to associate each clan with a specific Fortune, all the clans value at least a few of these Fortunes equally dearly and any attempt to specifically map the clans to the fortunes seems doomed to failure.

Although it is not believed that these Fortunes were ever mortal, once Empress Amaterasu took the throne or, more precisely, after the first Crane Shogun-- the greatest heroes of Rokugan began being elevated to the station of Fortunes. Perhaps most notable is the fortune of Osano-wo, Fortune of Storms, who is particularly revered and worshipped by the Mantis Clan.

Unlike many of the other religions on this list, there is no clan in particularly that truly advocates for Fortunism above the other religions. The southern clans-- Crab, Crane, Mantis and to a lesser degree Scorpion may be seen to favor this religion over the others simply because the others all seem to advance the philosophies and agendas of the northern clans.


Foreign/Nonhuman Gods
Outside of Rokugan there are many gods who are worshipped that are not recognized within Rokugan. Their followers have their own clans about how the heavens work and how the world was formed. They also have different rites for how to pray to or otherwise honor them. There are two competing lines of thought within Rokugan to these gods-- the first is that these individuals are surely praying to some sort of dark spirit and that a quick stop should be put to any such practices, violently if necessary. The second line of reasoning is that there are over 1000 Fortunes, many of whom are nearly forgotten within Rokugan, and that these foreign gods are almost certainly either additional fortunes that they had not heard of yet or the same fortunes who simply go by different names in different nations of the world.

Which of these lines of thought prevails usually depends very much on whether the rites practiced when worshipping these gods are similar enough to the rites used to pray to Fortunes within Rokugan. A few members of the Mantis Clan or Owl Clan who have come by certain holy artifacts from foreign cultures that seem to have ties to a great spirit simply consider those spirits to be additional Fortunes and show respects and obediently perform the rites lest they anger spirit attached to the artifact (or sometimes, selfishly, in hopes of gaining power from the spirit). This is generally not considered a major problem so long as the proper religions of Rokugan continue to be observed as well.

However many of the Unicorn Clan, having spent time outside of Rokugan, have a religion that worships gods known as the Shitien Yenwong or Lords of Death. And the rituals used to pay respect to them and to beseech them for power involve the handling of dead objects. In addition to the Unicorn regularly wearing leather and fur clothing, eating meat and handling dead bodies, this is the supreme violation of the basic spiritual tenets of Rokugan that make a few other clans, particularly the Phoenix Clan, quite hostile to them. Although a former Unicorn Shogun declared that the Empress decreed that the Lords of Death were proper Fortunes. And while this may be accepted, the rites practices by the Unicorn Clan in the worship of these gods are far from accepted.

Furthermore, the Unicorn's foreign religion also utilizes a practice that binds kami from the air into physical objects so that those spirits will be available to be called upon at a future time when the wielder of the object wishes to beseech them to cause a physical effect in the world-- effectively to cast a spell. The Phoenix naturally object quite strongly to this capturing and imprisoning of free spirits for mortal use. This means the Phoenix and the Unicorn are nearly irreconcilable enemies when it comes to matters of spirituality, with most of Rokugan siding firmly on the side of the Phoenix in the dispute.

However, the Unicorn are still officially recognized as a proper Great Clan among the others and members of the clan work alongside the others every day. They simply have to be very careful about how they observe their religion while among members of other clans.

The religions of non-human creatures are often met with skepticism and suspicion. Much like with foreigners the people of Rokugan would prefer to simply classify any gods they call upon as Fortunes, if not the same Fortunes Rokugani worship but simply by different names. However the manner in which they are worshipped and the rituals associated with them are judged as to whether they seem more aligned with Tengoku or Jigoku.


Name Magic
Although proper Name Magic is used by the Nezumi in Rokugan, there is a general understanding in Rokugan of the power of names. It is believed that if people share a name, they to some extent share an identity. If you wear someone's name, you become ever more like them. This is why the practice of family names began within Rokugan, with people taking on the names of the Kami and their greatest servants in order to become more like those whose names they were using. Of course, that also comes with a great responsibility not to take actions that would stain or damage that name for those in the future who might use it.

For related reasons, children in Rokugan are usually given very simple names that might reflect their birth order such as "Ichiro" or "Niro", most common in boys, or reflect the season in which they were born "Haru", "Natsu", "Aki", and "Fuyu", most common in girls. Girls are also often named after certain flowers like "Yuri" or "Sumire" or, most commonly, "Sakura". Upon passing their gempukku at age 16, people are expected to take on an adult name which generally consist of two characters and three or four syllables. These names often share one of the two characters with their father or mother, whichever is of higher status. Many even intentionally choose the name of previous members of their own clan that they wish to emulate. Choosing this name for themselves is choosing their identity and every deed they take shapes what that name means and how it will alter those who may adopt it in the future.

The most horrid thing one can do with their name is to sacrifice it to Jigoku. However, some people who have walked a dark path have found means through which to do this. A demon summoned to earth by sacrificing a name with a lot of history and value to it can be a truly destructive force and is sure to leave great damage upon the empire. Only the most desperate enemies of Rokugan or those who foolishly think some good will come out of it would be desperate enough to do this. Even the Lost, worshippers of Fu Leng, would rather die than do this knowing what it costs.

Finally there is the understanding that every spirit in the world has a "true name", one that is attached to the soul through every reincarnation. If it is at all possible to discover the true name of a soul, then one has absolute power over it. Naturally if one can discover the true name of their own soul, they also have absolute power over themselves and can possibly achieve true enlightenment and unlock truly great powers. However the only person even rumored to have ever done so was Togashi.


Cult of the 9th Kami/Blood Magic
Those who worship Fu Leng and Jigoku in general are the bane of the Empire. Many who enter this worship see it only as a fast means to power-- there are those samurai who, pushed to desperation, let out a prayer to the darkness in hopes of salvation. Far more fanatical and dedicated worshippers though may see Fu Leng as salvation, the Kami who rebelled against the others and offers freedom from the rigid order of his mother and siblings. They believe that the same power of the Kami lies within all humans, particularly in their blood, and use blood in rituals to invoke dark spirits to do their bidding.

Blood magic does seem to allow for more powerful effects than traditional shugenja of similar ability are able to create, however it comes at quite a cost. In return for their service, the dark spirits take from their humans whatever aspects of themselves they least value. Some age rapidly, others turn into hideous beasts, some wither away while others simply become entirely callous and blood-thirsty. There are tales suggesting some lose their ability to retain the shape of a human or lose their sense of identity or lose their sanity and begin living in an imagined reality of their own-- each worshipper is sapped of their human aspects in different ways. However, the worst of these transformations befalls those who utilize the dark magics for personal ends. True, selfless, dedication to Fu Leng is able to protect individuals from the worst of the effects. Although all the clans, but particularly the Crab, Scorpion, and Phoenix are dedicated to hunting down these dark individuals, the true agents of Fu Leng are often able to fool others and fully infiltrate Rokugani society.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:12, Thu 25 Feb 2021.