Senshi question 3

[Bayushi Senshi]

As I sit here watching the big game, I wonder: What kind of sports exist in Rokugan? I have heard of hacky sack for court, and of course sumo. Any team sports?

[tadakasan]

Nope. Sumo, Kemari, and that's about it for "sports" as we think of them. There's also hunting and falconry which could be considered sports of a sort, and I suppose you could do those as teams.

Makes some deal of sense since Samurai usually prefer not to touch one another, so that would leave a lot of team sports out. The exception is if it has something to do with war, which is where Sumo came from of course. There are other contests partaken by certain Clans, like Lion tactical contests or Scorpion espionage excersizes, but I'm not sure those would be counted as sports. Every other entertainment would more be artistic like plays or games like go.

[Bayushi Senshi]

Lion tactical contests: Are these like war games? How are they done?

[tadakasan]

Unfortunately I cannot find the correct 3rd edition book at the moment (found all but 2 on the shelves!); but it's not all that complex, even if I can't remember the specifics. Lion who are trained at the War college and as leaders sometimes do excersizes where they will hold mock battles, to take a fort or capture the enemy general, etc. No real weapons are used of course and instead rules are followed such that when someone is struck they are out of the contest; if I recall correctly there's something more specific to it, but basicaly you could think of it kind of like... well capture the flag I guess or a very elaborate game of flag football or such. If you get what I mean.

But it's purely an Akodo tradition from what I remember, a training excersize for one of the most premier tactician schools in the Empire. So I doubt Senshi or Tadaka would be doing any of that any time soon.

[Bayushi Senshi]

So then what events are there for people to get all excited about? What draws the rokugani equivalent of tailgating from the masses of people?

[Kasuga Shinobu]

That depends really who you're speaking about. Sumai matches tend to draw crowds, a mix of samurai. No "sport" really daws large crowds otherwise. Entertainment for crowds is most usually going to be a play (Noh, puppet or Kabuki), or even a dance troupe or a group of traveling musicians.

If I had to state a reason WHY no sports really draw like that, it's an issue of duty. For a peasant, your duty is to your lord, and you work the fields day in and day out, so you have no time to play sports professionally. For a Samurai, your obligation is the same even if what you do for your lord is different. Either case, organized physical sport means you can be hurt, and a hurt samurai or peasant is a follower that can't serve.

[Bayushi Senshi]

So then, what about the underground? Are there any illegal arena, pitting one man against another?

[Soshi Kiso]

Not so much underground, but you can compete on the kaiu wall for goblin heads

[Kasuga Shinobu]

There might be some sort of thing in Spider lands like that. In great clan lands, no matter how bad a samurai is he wouldn't risk hurting himself like that (his lord would kill him even if he lived). If you're looking for an unground activity that might draw crowds, gambling is much more prevalent.

[tadakasan]

Well as far as gathering crowds for tail-gaiting and such, doesn't get much more exciting in Rokugan than the Topaz Championship, biggest yearly crowd drawer for sure. Though in the CCG story arc that may not be true so much anymore, now that all the jeweled championships have yearly events (I would imagine the Jade and Emerald tournaments would draw a larger crowd).

Otherwise, on the topic of underground activities, gambling is definitely the most common crowd drawer. I would imagine there are illegal duels for money, but mostly not to the death and only for those more dishonorable individuals; like Shizuyo said, very few Samurai would stupid enough to do an illegal challenge to the death for many reasons. The one exception might be Ronin, since they're much more likely to do things for money and have no one to care if they throw their lives away. Can't see that having any sort of crowd though unless you're really in a large city where such things could be hidden, more likely Ryoko Owari Toshi than anywhere else. And even then I would imagine the Scorpion would keep such things under wraps at the very least.

[Bayushi Senshi]

So then what about the lower classes?

[tadakasan]

Like Shizuyo said, the important part to remember is this; almost everyone in the Empire has a duty; most of a peasant's or samurai's day is taken up by those duties; when a duty isn't apparent, much time is spent doing every day things that make up a person's life. For instance a samurai would practice their kata or take care of their equipment, or perhaps writing reports. The lower classes have eben less time free time and more to do when they're not working; taking care of their houses or businesses, maintaining their clothing or houehold items, cleaning, and such; and for both classes there is normal stuff like eating, sleeping, bathing, praying at the temples, grooming, or studying. More or less most people in Rokugan are busy most of the time.

Really though, even in their actual free time, most Rokugani don't want to do anything physical to relax. In the case of Samurai it's not only their chance to rest from all the day's duties, but it's a chance to show themselves true samurai, since most samurai accept the fact a samurai is supposed to be a "culutured warrrior", at least to a certain degree. And for the part of the lower classes, they just have so little free time and so little time to rest, they would rather relax and unwind than tire themselves out more.

Then there's the matter of "illicit activities"; underground fights, arenas, gambling, etc. Frankly, that's also something both classes try to avoid. For the part of Samurai, the risk of dishonoring one's self and either being executed or made a ronin is a pretty good deterant from such activities. And for the lower classes, giving their samurai masters any reason to kill or punish them is definitely something they avoid. Even in Clan's most people think are dishonroable this is the case; in fact the Scorpion are probably more likely to kill everyone involved in an illegal activity than other more honorable Clans.

That's why for both classes plays, puppet shows, and boards games dominate leisure activities; after spending all day working under grueling physucal conditions, most people just want to relax and unwind, rather than work up a sweat or have to worry about getting caught doing something that could mean horrible consquences. Kemari is an exception only because courtiers don't have as physical of duties as their fellow samurai, and sumai traces unique roots back to the kami Hida in it's own way. But either way both are steeped in ritual; court uniforms and not touching in the case of Kemari... and uniforms, purification rituals, and preperations in the case of sumai.

There are of course always exception to the rule. Like I said, some ronin might do such things, and I'm sure bandits would do such things. I just don't see there being many cases where such things would be events people would gather at, except perhaps bandit camps; There is almost no populated areas where people would be willing to risk discovery by magistrates for such activities.

Still, if you wish such things, there are places you could find them, especially gambling. Just have to realize how rare they are and how out of the way.

[Bayushi Senshi]

Sumai, is that like Sumo?

[Kakita Kyoshi]

Feb 7, 2011 18:45:26 GMT -5 Bayushi Senshi said:

Sumai, is that like Sumo?

More or less.

I think the main events for everyone in Rokugan are festivals, when dragon dancers are in the street or the Statue of a local kami is carried through the town/village.

There is no media in Rokugan, so everything is always just on a local scale. And Sports are rare because most have no time for such things.