Kojuro Hizashi
Dedicated
Lord of Kiyonai
Roleplay posts: 354 
Age: 23
Physical Description: Kojuro stands at a little above average height, and a slender, athletic build. His dark brown hair falls to just beneath chin level, and he usually wears it tied back. His eyes are a bright brown colour, so light as to be close to orange. He is usually well but simply dressed, and carries himself with a relaxed air, taking most things in his stride. He has several recently acquired scars, including a sword cut to his left arm which has left him only partial use of that hand, and a another from a sword cut along his jawline on the right side.
Clothes and Equipment: He is normally dressed in conventional attire for his culture and social class. As a lord, his clothing is high quality, though not ostentatious. For everyday wear a simple kosode and hakama, silk courtly robes for official duties, and armour on the battlefield. He prefers greens and blues, though often may be wearing the maroon and gold of the Hizashi clan.
In battle he can be noticed from a distance by the dragonfly crest on his helmet. He also wears a surcoat in Hizashi maroon and gold and a set of lacquered armour bearing the Hizashi clan cherry blossom crest. In battle he is armed with a tachi (long sword) and a tanto (dagger), and also carries a fan to signal orders. He will also be found carrying his swords everywhere, as is usual for samurai.
Allegiances: Tawakoshi, The Hizashi Clan
Player's online availability : For play: Some evenings, GMT. I am not around every day for RP, because life. For chatting/PMs: Most days/eves GMT.
Registered: May 10, 2017 13:44:12 GMT -8
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Post by Kojuro Hizashi on May 26, 2019 2:08:51 GMT -8
Unknowing about Yasuke's thoughts of how he was constructing a vast cover for his lies and bteyrals, Kojuro merely laughed.
“Yes, I have. Before I killed them,” he replied. “Some honouring the bushi way, some just fighting for their survival. If you've only seen the second one, you may not think it, but there is a difference. If you've killed a true samurai, he dies without fear and anger in his eyes, just determination. That's how I'd hope it would be with me. Not that I'm planning to die yet,” he added with a kind of wistful laugh, as he gave a brief thought to the times ahead, then promptly dismissed it.
“Oh, I thought you had some philosopies to share... I was looking forward to hearing about the inner Shisou Yasuke and his greatest dreams and desires...and what is inside his heart. Well, you're right,” he shrugged, “I'm a simple enough person, there's no great mystery to Hizashi Kojuro. Just trying to do what I need to do and enjoy life while I have the chance.” He laid his head back on the bank of the pool.
“Look Yasuke, I'm truly sorry your father was a horrible person, and I'm not trying to compete with you,” he gave Yasuke a sidelong look with his eye half-closed. “Fathers gave us life, and they raised us, and to some extent we are as we are because of that. We can't change that. But we choose who we are in life, and what we do, and whether we want to live up to those expectations or make our own expectations for ourselves. I realised I could never live up to what my father wanted, so I had to just be what I am. You realised that you could never stoop down to what yours wanted, so you became what you are. I don't think either of us are doing too badly, do you?”
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Yasuke Shisou
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 213
Age: 27
Physical Description: Sou Yasuke is about average in height and carries himself with a straight back and has his black hair tied up into a pony tail for practical purposes. Otherwise not bulky built you notice that he is indeed very muscular though his muscles are more of the shape of tree trunks and body wears the scars of both battle and hard work.
His eyes are brown and focused.
Clothes and Equipment: Sou Yasuke wears a traditional samurai rope and a hakama that fits a lower ranking officer of House Hizashi. He uses a standard katana and a wakizashi which he holds no special affection for.
Allegiances: Tawakoshi
Player's online availability : Sometimes at day but mostly evenings GMT +1
Registered: Sept 2, 2017 11:28:00 GMT -8
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Post by Yasuke Shisou on May 26, 2019 3:05:28 GMT -8
Yasuke scratched his chin listening to Kojuro's tales about the honorable bushi who died with the expression of pure determination and zero regret. Kojuro's rose red version was pretty cool he thought and he wished he could buy into it, but it just wasn't what he had experienced.
"Yeah I've seen that expression, only I thought it was just because I killed them so suddenly they had no time to change it." Yasuke said and scratched his head not quite able to understand why that way of life was celebrated. "If it's like that, doesn't it mean that they weren't doing enough to keep themselves alive?" he inquired though he was careful because it seemed like Kojuro really hoped to be a real bushi and he didn't want to mock that.
"I haven't... thought much of that to be honest." Yasuke said feeling slightly backed into a corner here. His 'inner Yasuke' he hoped would stay inside him a while yet - but from Kojuro's wording that was probably not what he meant. Pressed with the issue he tried to dig a bit deeper than usually. "I guess my inner Shisou, whatever that is supposed to mean..." Yasuke shrugged with a nervous smile before proceeding. "If anything I don't think my inner Shisou is as courageous and fearless as he'd like to be..." Yasuke admitted. "It's more like... he's still running and the thing he's running from is so scary that nothing before him seems noteworthy." Yasuke said his expression set in stone for a brief moment.
Yasuke listened to what Kojuro told him and his words somehow eased his heart a bit.
"Yeah I'm with you there, still it feels like it's inner Shisou who defined my choices - but yeah it would have ended worse..." Yasuke said giving Kojuro a small but genuine smile leaning slightly forward in the onsen his head still in a ponderous state. "My dad at least didn't kill me and I guess a goody good dad would mean I had become a goody good farmer." he said folding his hands. "It would have been... odd not knowing you I suppose." he said smiling again. "Fleeing through the streets of Kiyonai with the Lord of The Lands is probably something inner Shisou likes better than swinging a hoe to farm crops." he said with a wry smile.
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Kojuro Hizashi
Dedicated
Lord of Kiyonai
Roleplay posts: 354
Age: 23
Physical Description: Kojuro stands at a little above average height, and a slender, athletic build. His dark brown hair falls to just beneath chin level, and he usually wears it tied back. His eyes are a bright brown colour, so light as to be close to orange. He is usually well but simply dressed, and carries himself with a relaxed air, taking most things in his stride. He has several recently acquired scars, including a sword cut to his left arm which has left him only partial use of that hand, and a another from a sword cut along his jawline on the right side.
Clothes and Equipment: He is normally dressed in conventional attire for his culture and social class. As a lord, his clothing is high quality, though not ostentatious. For everyday wear a simple kosode and hakama, silk courtly robes for official duties, and armour on the battlefield. He prefers greens and blues, though often may be wearing the maroon and gold of the Hizashi clan.
In battle he can be noticed from a distance by the dragonfly crest on his helmet. He also wears a surcoat in Hizashi maroon and gold and a set of lacquered armour bearing the Hizashi clan cherry blossom crest. In battle he is armed with a tachi (long sword) and a tanto (dagger), and also carries a fan to signal orders. He will also be found carrying his swords everywhere, as is usual for samurai.
Allegiances: Tawakoshi, The Hizashi Clan
Player's online availability : For play: Some evenings, GMT. I am not around every day for RP, because life. For chatting/PMs: Most days/eves GMT.
Registered: May 10, 2017 13:44:12 GMT -8
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Post by Kojuro Hizashi on Jun 15, 2019 13:23:03 GMT -8
Kojuro just chuckled quietly. To him, Yasuke not believing in the true samurai spirit of dying without fear was the same as him not believing in magic. “If I were to commit seppuku in front of you right now, you still wouldn't believe it, would you? Don't worry I'm not going to,” he added, in case Yasuke thought he had really had too much booze and had decided to do something really stupid to prove a point, “but sometimes being alive is not the most important thing to a samurai.”
Kojuro was listening with great curiosity as Yasuke began to think about his inner dreams and desires. Even though he looked a bit uncomfortable, he was planning to answer anyway and was actually thinking hard about it. Kojuro remained quiet and still so as not to disturb him as the cogs rotated. “Well, who is as fearless as they'd like to be really, Yasuke? Anyone who says he's afraid of nothing at all is lying. Unless that person was Uncle Genji or Takahashi-san, ” he modified himself with a slight frown, wondering what Takahashi might be afraid of deep down and coming up with nothing. “What is Inner Yasuke --- Inner Shisou running from? His father?”
“Inner Shisou would have been a farmer without me?” he exclaimed, then laughed. “When I first saw you that wasn't exactly a rake in your hands – it was a great big spear that you were skewering bandits on. What, were you planning to go back to the fields after that?” Thinking about it for a minute, and after he had cleared the mental image of Yasuke standing in a rice paddy with a stalk of grass behind his ear, Kojuro calmed down and looked at him squarely as something dawned on him.
“Oh, I see. I always assumed that you came from a ronin family, but I guess you must have found a wandering swordsman to teach you or something.” He looked at Yasuke with an expression of fond confusion. “I think I probably let my imagination get away from me, forgive me. But I meant it then, and I mean it now – farmer, ronin, or samurai – where you come from doesn't matter to me, Yasuke. You've more than proved yourself a bushi at heart. This life definitely suits you better than a tiller of the soil.”
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Yasuke Shisou
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 213
Age: 27
Physical Description: Sou Yasuke is about average in height and carries himself with a straight back and has his black hair tied up into a pony tail for practical purposes. Otherwise not bulky built you notice that he is indeed very muscular though his muscles are more of the shape of tree trunks and body wears the scars of both battle and hard work.
His eyes are brown and focused.
Clothes and Equipment: Sou Yasuke wears a traditional samurai rope and a hakama that fits a lower ranking officer of House Hizashi. He uses a standard katana and a wakizashi which he holds no special affection for.
Allegiances: Tawakoshi
Player's online availability : Sometimes at day but mostly evenings GMT +1
Registered: Sept 2, 2017 11:28:00 GMT -8
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Post by Yasuke Shisou on Jun 16, 2019 8:58:38 GMT -8
Yasuke threw his arms out not particularly impressed by his arguments.
"Of course you don't want to - no one sane does! It doesn't make you more or less a bushi, it simply makes you alive." Yasuke said and chortled a bit. In his mind this bushi thing about dying honorably had made quite a few dirty deeds easier in his earlier and not-so-honorable life.
"There is more important things than being alive? But... when you die you seize being a samurai and can't be honorable any longer. Isn't that just a cheap escape from duty?" Yasuke leaning back his head on his hands looking into the night sky as his mouth loosened up to a degree that probably wasn't healthy for a discussion with most samurai besides Kojuro. "I wonder what Nakatani would have to say about this codex of honor - or your sister or any of your friends. You really think they'd prefer to see you dead if there was any way you could avoid it?" his words colored by his own idea about death being rather meaningless and his constant fighting to stay alive no matter what, because it was the only thing he could cling to at times.
"So you think that everyone has some deep down fear..?" the sentiment had Yasuke think for a while and it was actually a soothing thought and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Takahashi is an oni. He's only afraid of himself, we both know that..!" Yasuke said and laughed.
"Inner Shisou..? I haven't really asked him for some time..." Yasuke gaving Kojuro a quite cheeky answer and a smirk, but he was willing to see what a genuine answer would lead to. "Prooobablyyy..." he said but suddenly stopped a feeling of fear coursed through him as he stiffened up. "I don't want to talk about that, it's an odd thing anyway..!" he jested though he's eyes were still serious and haunted.
Yasuke nodded to Kojuro talking about him being a farmer.
"I was raking in bandits you could say..." a smile returning to his lips again. "I may have needed a father that understood the difference between a ho and a hoe if I was to do any good in the fields." Yasuke added hoping Kojuro would mind his jestingly straight forwardness which was aided quite a lot by the sake he had drunk.
"Ohhh I found a wondering swordsman in my travels and... well he showed me few things. Or rather I followed him and I bugged him to tell me exactly how he did it when he cut someone down, what steps he took and how he got the upper hand mentally. Apparently I was persisting enough that he knew it was no use sending me away and so pathetic looking that I would have been no fun cutting down." he sighed and reminisced. "He was a ruthless samurai running from something - even in his age being at least sixty years old - but he also had a warm heart which I could tell from the stories he told me over the fire." Yasuke inclining his head and narrowing his eyes still staring into the sky. "Bastard died one day puking up his own guts because he ate some weird mushrooms he'd insisted spicing up rabbit soup with the day before - luckily I had declined. Didn't learn much about who he really was - but damn he could fight and even at that age he could wrestle a boar to the ground." Yasuke explained a nostalgic look on his face appearing. It had been a forming moment of his youth and his first taste of freedom.
As Kojuro spoke those words he let his head roll towards him a brow raised.
"Hmm...?" the question needed digestion for a few moments before he realized what sort of compliment it really was. "Ahh... well... that's very kind of you to say..." Yasuke was slightly out of words not used to being praised that highly.
"I think you're right, I'm better at removing the weed than I am at harvesting the crops." - 'though I can't really say that I feel like a samurai still' the last words kept tightly locked inside his mouth. "How about we head home? I've warmed up quite nicely, how about you?" he asked with a genuine smile and perhaps these springs had warmed up a bit more than just his skin.
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Kojuro Hizashi
Dedicated
Lord of Kiyonai
Roleplay posts: 354
Age: 23
Physical Description: Kojuro stands at a little above average height, and a slender, athletic build. His dark brown hair falls to just beneath chin level, and he usually wears it tied back. His eyes are a bright brown colour, so light as to be close to orange. He is usually well but simply dressed, and carries himself with a relaxed air, taking most things in his stride. He has several recently acquired scars, including a sword cut to his left arm which has left him only partial use of that hand, and a another from a sword cut along his jawline on the right side.
Clothes and Equipment: He is normally dressed in conventional attire for his culture and social class. As a lord, his clothing is high quality, though not ostentatious. For everyday wear a simple kosode and hakama, silk courtly robes for official duties, and armour on the battlefield. He prefers greens and blues, though often may be wearing the maroon and gold of the Hizashi clan.
In battle he can be noticed from a distance by the dragonfly crest on his helmet. He also wears a surcoat in Hizashi maroon and gold and a set of lacquered armour bearing the Hizashi clan cherry blossom crest. In battle he is armed with a tachi (long sword) and a tanto (dagger), and also carries a fan to signal orders. He will also be found carrying his swords everywhere, as is usual for samurai.
Allegiances: Tawakoshi, The Hizashi Clan
Player's online availability : For play: Some evenings, GMT. I am not around every day for RP, because life. For chatting/PMs: Most days/eves GMT.
Registered: May 10, 2017 13:44:12 GMT -8
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Post by Kojuro Hizashi on Jun 23, 2019 11:38:59 GMT -8
“I would do it if there was a good reason to do it,” Kojuro persisted, “but just to demonstrate to you that I can and would, is stupidity even beyond my level and I don't think my ancestors would be impressed if that's how I died.”
“To die honourably is better than surviving dishonourably if you're a samurai. You would cease being a bushi that very moment. If your life means more to you than your duty, then you're a coward, and not fit to claim the title of samurai at all. How would it be if soldiers all just ran for their lives instead of fighting, or a lord's bodyguard just decided one day to throw him in front of attackers as a human shield? It doesn't make your life worthless to give it up for duty, it makes it more. It's the ultimate gift you give to the others around you, who benefit from it – your lord, your clan, your family, your country.”
Yasuke wasn't born into this kind of structure and maybe he didn't understand it on the same instinctive level as someone raised in a samurai household, but Kojuro was emphatic about trying to make sure he impressed the bushi values into him, even if he found it difficult to grasp. It must have been lonely for him to go through his existence feeling that there was nothing worth giving his life for. “Anzen-onee-san would understand. She is a samurai woman, and knows how to end her own life if she needs to. Even Nakatani understands that duty always comes first for a samurai, although she probably would prefer it otherwise. They,” he laughed, out of embarrassment, “just don't want to see me die in a stupid way. And I've promised them that at least.”
Yasuke's jokes had Kojuro laughing so much he nearly slid down into the water of hot springs. One taste of the sulphurous water was enough and he resumed his earlier position with his head firmly on the bank, to listen to the story of Yasuke's ronin mentor. “Do you think dying of mushroom poisoning is a better way to go than dying for duty?” he asked after the story had finished. “But, we should be grateful to him. Let's go to the temple and pray for his spirit.”
Kojuro pulled his hand out of the water and examined it. “I'm wrinkling up like a pickled plum, definitely time to go home... “ he grinned at Yasuke, “unless you fancy some more sake? I'm almost sober again.”
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