defeat.

Canon examples of
such large-scale Yobanjin
invasions include the one
Toturi Tsudao faced during
the Four Winds era and, of
course, the War of Dark
Fire in the latter half of
the twelfth century.
If the GM decides to
place the Firefly in an
earlier era of Rokugan,
they might have partic-
ipated in the Battle of
White Stag, and suffered
destruction at the hands
of the Thrane and Me-
renae fleets. Regardless,
any survivors from the
Firefly Clan could swear
fealty to the Agasha,
the Shiba, or even the
Tortoise Clan. Another
interesting possibility
OST MINOR CLANS

would be for them to

lose their clan status (due to
take their time to assess new characters. However, once sharply reduced numbers) but prove their honor and valor
the trust of a Hotaru is earned, they become stalwart and enough to join the ranks of the Seppun.
amiable friends. Despite their cautious nature, the Hotaru

66
are leery of triggering any conflict and tend to be self-
effacing and polite at all times.
The Tanuki Clan
While they are at heart a peaceful clan, the Firefly “Tanuki, Tanuki,
The Imperial Archives

embrace all kinds of martial arts. As part of their general

philosophy of vigilance, they consider martial training
to be of the utmost importance and practice as often as
possible, even when not on active service. Hotaru Jainu
also made sure all his vassals were competent riders, and
in later generations the Firefly remain fine horsemen, used
to traveling long distances over any sort of terrain.
To keep abreast of current martial developments in the
rest of the Empire, Hotaru samurai frequently volunteer
to participate in martial tournaments where they can face
samurai from other clans. Although they usually perform
adequately, Firefly bushi rarely win any of those events;
however, this is considered acceptable, since their purpose
is not to gain glory but to observe the techniques of
other samurai in case they ever must face them in a real
conflict. Of course, the humble Firefly have no intention
of mounting an attack on any other clan, but they see it
as their duty to be ready for any threat. The Firefly are
always careful to keep this attitude to themselves, lest they
offend samurai of higher status.
Demise of the Firefly
The most likely cause of the Firefly’s destruction would
simply be their duty. Standing guard in a vulnerable
region of the Empire, they could be destroyed by an attack
from a larger force of yobanjin pirates, although not
easily and not without warning the Empire before their
Where did you go Tanuki,
Tanuki, Tanuki,
In the forest for no one to see.”
-Traditional Rokugani childhood rhyme
The Tanuki were a peculiar clan from the moment of
their inception, even by the standards of the Minor Clans.
One of the most unusual facts about them was that their
founder was not a samurai of the Great Clans, but in
fact came from a Minor Clan himself – specifically the
Badger. Oddly enough, his name was never recorded, but
it is believed he was a yojimbo to an Emerald Magistrate.
Supposedly, he got lost in the vast Shinomen Forest
after pursuing a bandit there. He was presumed dead,
but emerged from the forest exactly one year later,
seemingly unharmed. At first, the lone samurai seemed
confused by the passage of time and unsure of what had
happened. But he soon began to remember things in his
dreams, especially conversations with the many animal
spirits of the forest. Some thought he had simply lost his
mind, but the Emperor at that time had a keen interest in
all things spiritual, and he summoned the lone samurai
for an audience. After three days in conversation, the
Emperor granted the former Badger the right to found his
own clan and to further investigate the mysteries of the
Shinomen Forest. The new-made Clan Champion named
himself Tanuki Jiro, leader of the Tanuki Clan, to honor
the shapeshifting spirits of the forest.
 Jiro recruited a few samurai to his cause, but here again
his choices were peculiar. He mostly recruited from other
Minor Clans, such as the Hare, the Fox, and the Badger
themselves. His criteria seemed variable, to say the least,
and on at least one occasion he accepted a ronin into
the clan, supposedly just because she won a dice game
against him. Regardless, the new Tanuki samurai traveled
with their leader to the Shinomen Forest, bringing a few
(understandably recalcitrant) heimin with them. Despite
the sinister location, the homes of the Tanuki samurai
seemed miraculously incident free for several years, and
the peasants slowly adapted to their new lands, living
off gathering, fishing, and hunting more than any real
farming. Oddly, they are also said to have excelled at
sake brewing, importing rice for that purpose; the Tanuki
claimed the beverage was for spiritual usages, but visitors
enjoyed it for what it was. This was the clan’s only
claim to fame, since most other samurai dismissed their
“official” duty of investigating the Shinomen as merely
symbolic. The Tanuki samurai obviously disagreed, and
often disappeared into the forest for days at end, bringing
back reports for their Clan Champion which he obediently
forwarded to the Emperor.
Lands of the Tanuki
As noted above, the term “lands” does not really apply
to the situation of the Tanuki Clan. They maintained a
few scattered settlements in the Shinomen Forest, many
of them housing only a single samurai family with a few
peasant houses clumped around it. Since the Tanuki were
reluctant to harm the trees in the forest, their houses were
usually built in clearings, around existing tree-trunks, or
even in the branches. Ubiquitous in and around Tanuki
houses were small statues and carvings of their smiling
namesake, the mischievous tanuki raccoon-dog, which
were considered to bring good fortune to the house. Other
decorations were frequent, particularly in the many sake
houses; for a clan which lived in one of the most sinister
places in Rokugan, the Tanuki were oddly jovial. Many
thought the large quantities of sake they produced were
responsible for this merry attitude, but others also pointed
out how the Tanuki never seemed to suffer from any
troubles or accidents in the forest itself.
Demise of the Tanuki
The Tanuki Clan was quite the oddity, and owed its
status solely to the whims of an Emperor fond of stories
involving spirits. After this Emperor’s passing, the Tanuki
became somewhat of a laughing stock. The next Emperor
often read the Tanuki Clan’s strange reports in front of
the Imperial Court, amusing the samurai gathered there
with their bizarre tales of badgers the size of houses or a
quest for a magical acorn. However, the next Emperor –
grandchild of the one who had granted the Tanuki their
status – found them much less amusing, and issued an
order for them to stand before him for a review of their
duties.
This Also Looks Familiar...
Like the Firefly Clan described above, the
Tanuki Clan is not entirely new to Rokugan. It
was introduced in the world of L5R in the 3rd
Edition supplement Freedom and Fealty (2005). It
was presented there as a historical long-lost Minor
Clan, intended to add flavor to a campaign and
inspire some stories. However, just as with the rest
of this chapter, there is no reason why you should
deprive yourself of the Tanuki Clan if you like
having them around! Just ignore the “demise” part
of this chapter and assume the Tanuki carried on
more or less the same.
So what is the significance of the “tanuki” name
and image? In Rokugan, this refers to a race of
trickster spirits from Chikushudo, the Realm of
Animals. Like other such spirits, they are normally
in a “natural” form as their namesake animal,
but can take other guises and have a variety of
supernatural abilities. Their animal form, the
natural creature also called the tanuki, is Rokugan’s
The Imperial Archives
version of the real-life Japanese Raccoon-Dog.
Calling the Tanuki the “Raccoon Clan” would not
be an exact translation, but is a valid option if the
GM wants to maintain a difference between the
clan’s name and the family name.
67
OST MINOR CLANS
The Imperial agents dispatched to deliver the Emperor’s
command found nothing in the Shinomen Forest. The entire
Tanuki Clan had disappeared without a trace. Nothing
was ever found, and to many this meant the monsters of
the Shinomen Forest had finally gotten the better of the
small clan. Others thought the whole clan had been but a
trickster’s joke and might have been entirely comprised
of actual Tanuki shapeshifters. The Emperor, disgusted
with the whole affair, declared the clan dead and ordered
them stricken from any records, with the result that their
very existence remained a secret for centuries after. They
were only rediscovered when a scroll mentioning them
was found in a forgotten archive which had been spared
from censure. The truth of their fate remains a mystery,
although it is not impossible that a later samurai might be
able to root it out.