Sex in Rokugan

Sex and Gender in Rokugan

Gender roles in Rokugan are descri bed in two paragraphs in the core rulebook, and most of those two paragraphs are just wishy-washy bullshit that doesnt really say anything. Though Masters of Court has an insert that elaborates on the topic, I d still like a more thorough description. So, once again, here is my particular interpretation of Rokugani culture. Each GM interprets Rokugans society differently; some posit it as a feminists utopia, while others take a pag e from feudal Japans strict segreg ation of men and womens duties. Mine falls in between these two e xtremes, if a bit on the stricter side. In short, Rokugan is a patriarchal society. Most damiyos and clan champions are and have been men, 1

and only a handful of Empresses Regnant have ruled in the thousand years of the Empires existence  and, interestingly, none of them have ever been succeeded by a direct descendant. Empress Iweko I seems set to continue the trend, being unmarried and having no children; if she will choose an Emperor Consort, and who he will be, will undoubtedly be a hot topic of conversation over the coming months. Generally speaking, men are expected to be strong, decisive, and stoic, while women are expected to be demure, beautiful, and clever. Neither g ender is allowed to show strong emotion in public except during a few allowable instances, such as when a spouse dies  in such a case, both men and women are expected to make a grand show of crying and wailing. Naturally, the gender roles are adhered to more strongly by some than others, and some Rokugani are more prejudiced/sexist than others, though most keep their opinions to themselves.

War

In Rokugan, war is primarily the domain of men  and, since Rokugan is a highly martial society, this leads to the dominance of men in positions of power and importance. Though women are not expressly  forbidden from becoming bushi, the importance that Rokugani society places on having descendents means that women who are (or even may be) pregnant are immediately pulled from active duty to ensure their unborn children are unharmed. This leads many married samurai-ko to take a formal or informal vow of chastity immediately preceding and during their campaigns  that way theres no chance of their duty being cut short. Other young women bushi delay their marriage (getting married in their twenties or early thirties instead of their teens) so they can spend their youth serving their Champion before retiring to married life  though they are still technically in active se rvice to their lord, they will wi ll usually serve in a non-military aspect, such as a courtier or a manager m anager of an estate.

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An Empress Regnant is an Empress who rules in her own right, while an Empress Consort is merely married to the Emperor  in other words, shes the First Lady. Likewise, an Emperor Regnant rules while an Emperor Consort is the First Husband. Usually, though, the titles are shortened to just Empress and Emperor.

Of course, whether a samurai-ko is married or not, accidents still happen; many female bushi discreetly carry packets of certain herbs, suc h as dong quai or tansy, so they can quietly take care of an unwanted pregnancy before their commanding officer notices their condition.

Religion

The Brotherhood of Shinsei, despite the gendered name, is generally more egalitarian than Rokugan as a whole. There are more male monks than female monks simply because fewer women become monks when they get old; as most women ar e courtiers and such, they dont have a hard time performing their duties as they age, unlike bushi. The Brotherhoods hierarchy is determined entirely by ones wisdom, so a monastery is just as likely to have an Abbess as an Abbott. Some monasteries segregate by sex, while others do not; it depends on the philosophy of that particular sect. Most, but not all, monks take vows of chastity upon joining the Brotherhood, as they believe carnal pleasure is a distraction on the path to enlightenme nt; a minority believe that experiencing the physical world is an important part of enlightenment, and that as long as desire is indulged in moderation, it can be beneficial. Shugenja occupy a tenuous position, simultaneously samurai and clerics. As genderless beings, the kami obviously dont discriminate between genders, so theres roughly an equal number of male and female 2

shugenja . Some shugenja, like monks, take vows of chastity; most, however, do not seek enlightenment to the same extent that the monk does  they believe it is their duty as samurai to bring the next generation of the Empires subjects into the world, an d thus marry and have children.

The Courts

The courts are possibly one of the few places in Rokugan where women have a distinct advantage. The emphasis on etiquette, appearance, and genteel negotiation instead of outright force dovetails perfectly with womens gender roles (not to mention that a woman can effectively negotiate even in late stages of pregnancy and in old age); thus, many women are appointed as ambassadors, chancellors, emissaries, attachés, and so on. However, men still have considerable power and presence in the courts, and most people dont consider it unmanly to be a courtier. It should also be noted that, though Rokugan is a m artial society, all bushi are expected to also be we llversed in high culture, and therefore many accomplished soldiers also serve on the battlefield of the courts. So while most courtiers may be w omen, when considering everyone who participates in the courts, men still slightly predominate.

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With the curious exception of the Moshi family of the Mantis clan, which for some reason produces exclusively female shugenja.

Marriage, Divorce, and Infidelity 3

In Rokugan, marriage is a business and political arrangement foremost . Usually, a marriage is arranged when both spouses are still children, and the arrangement is fulfilled soon after their gempukku (except for some samurai-ko, as mentioned above). Sometimes the spouses-to-be dont meet until a few days before the wedding! Often a married couple grows close over the years, becoming good friends as they learn to respect and even love one another. However, this is by no means guaranteed; it isnt at all unusual for a husband and wife to live in separate wings of an estate or even in different houses altogether. It i s possible to get a divorce if ones marriage is truly unbearable. However, one must get permission from ones lord to get divorced  and if the husband and wife are from different clans or families, then both involved lords must agree that a divorce would best serve the empire. Usually the aggrieved

spouse must provide their lord with solid proof that their spouse has been unfaithful or has been actively trying to undermine the aggrieved spouses duties, though some more lenient damiyo have granted divorce simply if the couple is unhappy; this is the exception rather than the norm, however. As can be expected in such an environment, infideli ty is rampant and a public secret; though everyone understands that many samurai fall in love (and consummate that love) with someone other than their spouse, it is never talked about. Obviously, in a world of paper wall s, its almost impossible to keep an affair truly secret, but as long as those involved are discreet about it, most politely turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the myriad affairs that take place. (That doesnt stop gossip from abounding, however.)

Concubines

Though uncommon, it isnt unheard of for a well-to-do samurai to take a concubine or two. The vast majority of the time it is a male samurai who takes a female concubine, but all gender combinations have occurred, depending on the role of the concubine. Whatever the gender ge nder of the parties involved, the concubine is always of much lower status than either spouse  usually a ji-samurai or from a vassal family  and several years younger, as well. Some concubines join the household to provide the em otional and/or sexual satisfaction that lacks in the main marriage. This is one of the few ways someone can have an openly homosexual relationship 4

within marriage, though many people will look askance at such an arrangement. In cases like this, it is possible for the concubine to not even be of the samurai caste; sometimes a peasant artisan, actor, or even a geisha will infatuate a samurai enough to be taken into the household. Also, some samurai will

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Most of the time, that is  a lucky few samurai do get to marry for love, and some clans are more tolerant of that than others; the Dragon in particular are known for indulging in such things. 4 When a male samurai takes a boy as a concubine, the boy usually dresses in girls clothing and adopts a feminine role; when a samurai-ko takes a young female concubine theres a bit more leeway in gender presentation, as the concubine can be either traditionally feminine or androgynous in appearance.

take a concubine for the purpose of producing heirs if the wife is infertile. In this case, the concubine will always be of the samurai caste.

Homosexuality and Other

Eccentricities

Rokugans foremost concern, besides fulfilling ones duty to the Empire, is on, or face. Whether one is actually respectable doesnt matter as much as if one appears respectable. As such, Rokugani society is

surprisingly tolerant of sexual deviancies of various sorts  as long as its kept under wraps. If Ikoma Hadatoshi prefers the company of a strapping young peasant boy to his wife, or if Utaku Riiko enjoys tying up her servants and making them recite the Tao of Shi nse nsei  while she paddles them with a war fan, no one will say boo as long as they keep t heir preferences to themselves. Unless their preferences prevent them from producing heirs  then weve got problems. It should be noted that the concept of sex ual identity is unique to modern Western society. I n Rokugan theres no such thing as gays or straights  there are merely gay and straight acts, and a majority of  Rokugani at least dabble in both at some point in their lives. A samurai who heretofore has been attracted only to people of the opposite gender does not have an identity crisis upon experiencing their first homosexual attraction; they merely recognize that such a thing happens sometimes  more for some people than others.

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Shudo

Shudo is the tradition of two samurai comrades of the same gender forming a close romantic, sometimes sexual relationship. Such relationships often start in school between two students, either in the same class or one slightly older than the other, and some dojo actively encourage shudo as a way to build camaraderie among the students, as well as a way to give young adults the sexual experience they will one day need (without the risk of illegitimate children). Students in a shudo relationship will help each other with their studies as we ll as court each other; when they r each their gempukku and are given their first real assignments, such a relationship is generally expected to end, though it may continue if the two are consistently assigned duties together (a rarity). Shudo can also occur outside of the dojo, among the rank-and-file of the clan armies. In this instance, it usually occurs between a (older) veteran and a (younger) rookie samurai; the veteran takes the rookie under his or her wing, teaching them the subtleties of warfare that arent taught in the dojo, and romantic relationships often follow. Commanding officers dont usually encourage shudo, but neither do they d i i scourage scourage it, as there are few sights more fearsome in battle than a samurai fighting to protect her shudo comrade.

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The definition Im giving shudo is not the same as the actual  definition of shudo, which consisted solely of an older man and a younger boy in both a mentor/student and sexual relationship, much like what the Greeks did.

Unsurprisingly, many samurai encounter great internal conflict when forced to choose betwe en duty to their lord and love for their partner. Monogatari (novels), plays, and poetry abound with depictions of  the tragic results of such a situation.

Matriarchies

There are always exceptions to the rule, and Rokugans patriarchal society is no exception. There are three matriarchal families in Rokugan: the Matsu of the Lion Clan, the Moshi of the Mantis, and Utaku of  the Unicorn. They all trace lineage on the maternal side, most of the positions of power in the families (damiyo, sensei, etc.) are held by women, and the wife usually has higher status (and is the one more likely to take concubines) in a marriage. The Utaku are the most rigidly matriarchal family, and are usually the first family that springs to mind when the topic arises. Utaku men me n are not even allowed to ride their famous warhorses; instead they 6

serve in the infantry, manage their family estates , and also breed the Utaku steeds tha t their family is renowned for. The Utaku also have a custom of forbidding marriage between individuals more closely related than seven generations, and no Utaku woman may marry out of the family  which means that almost all men born Utaku are married out of the family, and most Utaku husbands were originally from a different family or clan. As one can imagine, many of the Utaku husbands, originally hailing from patriarchal families, chafe at the new societal restri ctions, but Utaku women command enough respect  even fear  that marital strife is kept to a minimum. The Matsu are less strict than the Utaku, but only just so. Like the Utaku, U taku, the women never marry out of  the family (the men can, but dont have to). The Lions Pride, the Matsus elite unit of samrurai-ko, consists of the fiercest warriors in Rokugan and is fe ared by all who oppose them on the battlefie ld. The Lions Pride live, eat, and serve together at all times; many never marry because of this extreme commitment to the Pride. The Matsu damiyo must live with the Lions Pride for the first few months of  her reign to gain their respect and loyalty. The Moshi are a peculiar family in that their affinity for the elements is passed on exclusively on the maternal side. This probably is due to the Moshis origins as a cult devoted to Lady Amaterasu, the first Sun. All Moshi shugenja are women, and the vast majority of courtiers as well; it has become the mens m ens role to serve as yojimbo to these p owerful women. Thus, the Moshi have developed the curious custom of a husband and wife serving together as yojimbo and charge; this often leaves the house without a master/mistress, and care of the estate is usually left to a trusted senior servant.

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In Rokugan, managing ones family estate  whether done by the husband or, more commonly, the wife  is no small undertaking. That spouse is in charge of all the home finances and doles out a yearly allowance to the spouse who is occupied in the army or elsewhere. A wife (or husband) who can run an efficient and prosperous household commands great admiration.

Though not matriarchal, the Crane tend to be more egalitarian than the norm  probably because they were the only clan (besides the U nicorn) founded by a female kami. The Doji, in particular, are more likely to have a female damiyo than other families.

Conclusion

As always, this is not an exhaustive description of Rokugani culture, and is far from a definitive interpretation! Always talk with your DM about what kind of Rokugan your party inhabits; one of the most satisfying parts of RPing, in my experience, is working together to build a rich and vibrant world.