Appearance

Physical Description

Tall and well built, Hakenka looks almost as if he had Hida ancestry.

Facial Features

Hakenka has handsome features with a chiseled jawline and intense brown eyes shadowed by thick, dark brows.

Apparel & Accessories

Hakenka very often wears his resplendent lacquered armor with a lion patterned fur collar and shoulderpad.

Mentality

Personal history

Akodo Hakenka is the son of the renowned Akodo Moritaka. He grew up spending many winters with Asahina Orochi as a guest in Shiro Ichime, but their relationship was quite rocky. At a young age, he witnessed his mother's suicide shortly after his father publicly recognized his illegitimate son, Sokoi, and gave the courtesan Amai a permanent home in the castle.
 
From this point on, Hakenka and Moritaka's relationship steadily declined over the years. Their conflicts reached a boiling point the night before Moritaka passed. Between the public fight they had and the claims of the highly incompetent court shugenja Akodo Toshiin that a curse was the cause of death, his suitability as heir was called into question. Hakenka's claim and very life were saved when a cadre of shugenja from the Kanjo District of Otosan Uchi, including his old childhood acquaintance Orochi arrived to satisfy their curiosity regarding the delay in burial rites.
 
The shugenja conducted an investigation with the permission of Hakenka's karo, Nari Matsu. It was uncovered that Amai, despite her long loyalty to Moritaka, had used a concoction of beeswax and the toxic obuno oil to mark Moritaka with a symbol resembling that which appeared on Moritaka's own father's corpse. She died due to exposure to the poison as well, and at Nari's suggestion, Akodo Toshiin was charged with blackmailing Amai into poisoning Moritaka to preserve his own position in the castle.
 
While Hakenka was pleased to remove the dangerously incompetent priest before he further damaged the spiritual integrity of the castle, he found the whole thing painfully convenient. To his luck, so did several of the shugenja. Otomo Izaya remained behind in guise as a servant, and Orochi offered to attempt to divine a suitable replacement for Toshiin. He quietly asked Orochi to remain in the shrine, and remained vigilant. Eventually Nari, actually a Scorpion shinobi who had long been impersonating the dead karo, struck in the dead of night. Nearly dealing a maiming blow to Hakenka, thanks to the timely intervention of Izaya and Orochi, the shinobi was driven off, though not defeated.
 
Tragedy would strike Shiro Ichime once more before Orochi would depart the castle; the young Akodo Sokoi met his demise drowning in the courtyard pond chasing after his late mother's cat.

Education

Akodo Hakenka graduated from the Akodo Tactician school at the top of his class.

Employment

Currently, Hakenka serves as the daimyo of Shiro Ichime, which manages Kokoro Province.

Failures & Embarrassments

Hakenka's efforts to assure his court there was no curse were less than successful. Within days, every single notable figure within the castle save for Hakenka himself and the retired general Tamoru Akodo were dead, executed, or missing, and many of his retainers wonder who is next.

Personality

Social

Birthplace

Shiro Ichime

Current Residence

Shiro Ichime

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Daimyo of Shiro Ichime, Lord of Kokoro Province

Wealth & Financial state

As the lord of a province, Hakenka is fairly wealthy.  The castle is decorated with trophies and icons of past glory, and the finances of the castle are not inconsiderable.  That said, he cannot afford to be overly casual with his wealth; he has armies to outfit, repairs to the family shrine to conduct, and faith to restore with his court.

Family Ties

Hakenka is a childhood acquaintance of Asahina Orochi.  The two did not always get along well, as Hakenka was something of a bully in his youth - and still is to a degree - but thanks to Orochi's aid in Hakenka's time of need, he has formed a genuine respect for the Crane.  Time will tell how this will impact Hakenka's campaign against the Crane armies.

Religious Views

A traditional Lion, Hakenka places reverence of the Ancestor Spirits first and foremost above the worship of the Fortunes and elemental kami.  His actual participation in religion however is merely what is required of him; he is no shugenja and makes no attempt to appear spiritual.  Rather than abide by long religious ceremonies, he prefers to honor his ancestors through action and deed in the field.