Suigyujin (swee-gyoo-jeen)
Shuiniuren - Dayangyu, Ngưuzuntohk - Xiaoyu
“Upon encountering the Shuiniuren one can not but see that they cleave tightly to the samurai code. Doing their best to uphold the tenets Compassion, Duty, and Loyalty. These encounters have brought to light many ways in which the Superior Being must act. Surely a truly superior being would act with as much Benevolence, Righteousness, and Loyalty as these gentle people. To judge by their lands, it can only be for the good of society as a whole.”
Sage, Tong Zhao-sa
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Suigyujin are an endoskeletal, warm-blooded species with two arms, two legs, a horned head, and a tail. Most of their bodies are covered in a short, coarse fur with the exceptions of the palms of their hands and feet. This fur is a bit softer on their faces, and somewhat longer and thicker on their upper backs and on their legs. The fur on their chests and bellies is shorter and somewhat finer than on the rest of their bodies. Though this fur tends to be slate grey to black, the fur on the lower legs is often lighter and white small, white crescent shapes can be found on their chests or throats. There have even been some throwbacks to their more primal ancestors with dark brown, white, or piebald fur coloration. Their legs are digitigrade allowing for a lower center of balance and their feet are a pair of cloven hooves which allows for greater traction on many environments. The fur at the tips of their tails is long and bushy.
Biological Traits
Males of the species tend to be around 8 ft tall with a weight average of 500 - 600lbs. Females are smaller with heights averaging around 6.0 ft tall and averaging 350 - 400lbs in weight. Males of the species tend to be larger and more powerfully built, with denser muscularity and denser bone mass. Females tend to have a wider hip to shoulder ratio to accommodate live birth and breasts for suckling young. Horns appear on both sexes with the horns of males tending to be shorter and thicker than those of the females'.
Genetics and Reproduction
Reproduction is accomplished between the male and female sexes of the species. Young are birthed live after a gestation period of 13 months.
Growth Rate & Stages
Suigyujin babies are mostly helpless and completely dependent upon adult caregivers. They learn to walk within the first year of life, go through an adolescent period of about 11 years, and reach sexual maturity between 12 - 14 years of age. Though, this can occur at a younger or older age depending on factors such as diet, parentage, or environment.
Ecology and Habitats
Though suigyujin can survive in a wide range of habitats and climates, they are mostly found in the lowland paddy fields and wetlands of the Endless Fields of Reeds river basin.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Suigyujin are a strictly vegetarian species and gain all their sustenance through vegetable matter.
Biological Cycle
Suigyujin age at the same rate as humans. They are considered to have reached adulthood between the ages of 15 - 20. Old age is reached around 60 years. Death usually occurs around the age of 80+. Though, these stages can occur at a younger or older age depending on factors such as diet, parentage, or environment.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Suigyujin live side-by-side with the humans of the province they call home and organize themselves into a clan-based structure largely reminiscent of the ancient warrior-societies of the samurai. Each clan has pledged its allegiance to a single county, the head of House Midorinoike, and the Imperial Seats themselves. Like the other clan-based societies extant within the empire, the nucleus of any clan is the main family branch with the head of that family holding most of the power within the larger clan structure. The power structure is typically based on age and social rank with the heads of each family acting mostly in an advisory position. Major decisions are usually come to through a consensus vote, but the ultimate decision lies with the clan head who has absolute veto power over any consensus.
Though, because they work alongside and have pledged their loyalty to, the humans they live among, the head of a particular clan or branch family will often act in an advisory position to the village head, magistrate, or even the Daixue, themselves.
Though, because they work alongside and have pledged their loyalty to, the humans they live among, the head of a particular clan or branch family will often act in an advisory position to the village head, magistrate, or even the Daixue, themselves.
Facial characteristics
The faces of suigyujin are bovine in nature. They have a long, narrow face ending in rather wide, blunt snouts. Their faces are mostly covered with fine, dark fur that is much softer than that on the rest of their bodies excepting their chests and stomachs. The sides of their heads have large, backward-curved horns set just above their drooping, arrowhead-shaped ears. Though they tend to look mostly bovine, there are subtle differences, however, in that their large, dark eyes are centered more closely toward the center of their skulls. Giving them better depth perception than a mundane bovine.
While females have an even finer, leaner face than those of their male counterparts. Though more delicate, their horns tend to be longer. As well, their fur tends to be much finer and softer than that of the males'.
While females have an even finer, leaner face than those of their male counterparts. Though more delicate, their horns tend to be longer. As well, their fur tends to be much finer and softer than that of the males'.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Though invidual suigyujin, or small groups, can be found nearly any place within the empire, they primarily occupy the low wetlands at the southern edge of the empire where many of the great rivers from the Land of Ten Thousand Rivers empty into the river basin on their way to the sea further south. It is a place most well-known for its production of wet rice.
Average Intelligence
Suigyujin are a sapient species capable of having complex thoughts and possess self-awareness. They form societies and utilize the technologies extant in the empire.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
As a result of their long association with the humans around them, the suigyujin naming conventions have been greatly influenced, and tend to follow the conventions of the Daiinjin. Surnames are typically written using the standard imperial characters with a general maximum of three characters. Some of the oldest clans and families, however, might have elven names given to them by river and bamboo elves in the distant past. One such clan being the Bao'duk'Sanh. Written with the characters for "green" and "bull."
However, most of the names of the clans and families of the buffalo-folk are sei which were granted to them by imperial decree due to their ties to House Midorinoike.
Though there may be some elvish throwbacks from an ancient ancestor, many of the given names of the suigyujin also follow the rulesets of their Daiin neighbors. While male names do often end in -ro or -o for "son" or "man" like their human counterparts, the more popular ending for the buffalo-folk is the -hei ending using the character for "warrior." Some examples of this include: Kouhei, Yohei, Ryohei, Kaihei, Junpei, Johei. The more common endings for female names are -ri or -mi using the character for "green," or -mi or -na using the character for "water," names beginning with that character are popular as well. Some examples of these include: Minori, Miori, Harumi, Ikumi, Sana, Nanami, Haruna, Kanami, Misaki, Miharu, Mizuki.
By far, the most popular names for either sex are those drawn from the tenets of Bushido. The following is a list of more common names using the characters for Honor, Sincerity, Loyalty, etc. Male names using the Sincerity character can include: Akira, Kiyoshi, Satoshi, Satoru, Takashi, Daisei, Osei, Nobuyoshi. Female names using the Sincerity character can include: Aki, Kiyo, Makoto, Sane, Sumi, Naruse, Masayuki, Seyuki. Male names using the Righteousness character can include: Haruki, Akito, Yoshiki, Yoshiaki, Yoshinori, Takayoshi, Masayoshi, Kiyoshi. Female names using the Righteousness character can include: Akina, Yoshimi, Yoshika, Tsumugi, Yoshiko, Isako, Isayo, Hagie. Male names using the Courage character can include: Yuuki, Yutaka, Yuuto, Yuusei, Yuuji, Isana, Isajirou, Isanosuke. Female names using the Courage character can include: Yuuka, Yuuki, Mio, Miyu, Yuuri, Isami, Isako, Kaisa. Male names using the Compassion character can include: Akito, Haruto, Masaki, Azuto, Tsunahito, Jinshi, Ryojin, Hitonari. Female names using the Compassion character can include: Yuki, Misaki, Miharu, Minori, Ayami, Misato, Kimika, Satomi. Male names using the Respect character can include: Akito, Hiroto, Ayato, Mahiro, Akira, Yoshinori, Reiji, Reo. Female names using the Respect character can include: Ayaka, Yuki, Minori, Rika, Akina, Reika, Yukie, Ayami. Male names using the Honor character can include: Yoshiki, Takashi, Takahiro, Yoshitaka, Takato, Harutaka, Yoshihiro, Yoshio. Female names using the Honor character can include: Honoka, Kaho, Eri, Yoshimi, Yoshika, Kiho, Riho, Sayo. Male names using the Loyalty character can include: Atsuki, Atsuto, Tadashi, Tadaki, Jou, Akitada, Tadayoshi, Naritada. Female names using the Loyalty character can include: Norika, Tadami, Tadae, Tadayo, Tadako.
However, most of the names of the clans and families of the buffalo-folk are sei which were granted to them by imperial decree due to their ties to House Midorinoike.
Though there may be some elvish throwbacks from an ancient ancestor, many of the given names of the suigyujin also follow the rulesets of their Daiin neighbors. While male names do often end in -ro or -o for "son" or "man" like their human counterparts, the more popular ending for the buffalo-folk is the -hei ending using the character for "warrior." Some examples of this include: Kouhei, Yohei, Ryohei, Kaihei, Junpei, Johei. The more common endings for female names are -ri or -mi using the character for "green," or -mi or -na using the character for "water," names beginning with that character are popular as well. Some examples of these include: Minori, Miori, Harumi, Ikumi, Sana, Nanami, Haruna, Kanami, Misaki, Miharu, Mizuki.
By far, the most popular names for either sex are those drawn from the tenets of Bushido. The following is a list of more common names using the characters for Honor, Sincerity, Loyalty, etc. Male names using the Sincerity character can include: Akira, Kiyoshi, Satoshi, Satoru, Takashi, Daisei, Osei, Nobuyoshi. Female names using the Sincerity character can include: Aki, Kiyo, Makoto, Sane, Sumi, Naruse, Masayuki, Seyuki. Male names using the Righteousness character can include: Haruki, Akito, Yoshiki, Yoshiaki, Yoshinori, Takayoshi, Masayoshi, Kiyoshi. Female names using the Righteousness character can include: Akina, Yoshimi, Yoshika, Tsumugi, Yoshiko, Isako, Isayo, Hagie. Male names using the Courage character can include: Yuuki, Yutaka, Yuuto, Yuusei, Yuuji, Isana, Isajirou, Isanosuke. Female names using the Courage character can include: Yuuka, Yuuki, Mio, Miyu, Yuuri, Isami, Isako, Kaisa. Male names using the Compassion character can include: Akito, Haruto, Masaki, Azuto, Tsunahito, Jinshi, Ryojin, Hitonari. Female names using the Compassion character can include: Yuki, Misaki, Miharu, Minori, Ayami, Misato, Kimika, Satomi. Male names using the Respect character can include: Akito, Hiroto, Ayato, Mahiro, Akira, Yoshinori, Reiji, Reo. Female names using the Respect character can include: Ayaka, Yuki, Minori, Rika, Akina, Reika, Yukie, Ayami. Male names using the Honor character can include: Yoshiki, Takashi, Takahiro, Yoshitaka, Takato, Harutaka, Yoshihiro, Yoshio. Female names using the Honor character can include: Honoka, Kaho, Eri, Yoshimi, Yoshika, Kiho, Riho, Sayo. Male names using the Loyalty character can include: Atsuki, Atsuto, Tadashi, Tadaki, Jou, Akitada, Tadayoshi, Naritada. Female names using the Loyalty character can include: Norika, Tadami, Tadae, Tadayo, Tadako.
Major Organizations
The Bao duk Sanh, being the oldest and largest clan of suigyujin, is considered to be the nominal head of the race as a whole. When it comes to dealing with the other races or the imperial government, it is the Bao duk Sanh which has the power to consult and speak on behalf of the race. Though rarely to the buffalo-folk interact directly with the heads of other races or the Bureaucracy in any official capacity. Most often this is done through the intermediary of House Midorinoike to whom they owe their fealty.
The Bao duk Sanh generally only interact in any official capacity with the great house and with their own people. The clan head interacts with the Daixue of the great house on an individual basis over matters which may impact the race as a whole in order to come to a mutually beneficial understanding. However, the great bulk of the Bao duk Sanh's duties involve punishment and the settling of disputes between individual families or clans.
The Bao duk Sanh generally only interact in any official capacity with the great house and with their own people. The clan head interacts with the Daixue of the great house on an individual basis over matters which may impact the race as a whole in order to come to a mutually beneficial understanding. However, the great bulk of the Bao duk Sanh's duties involve punishment and the settling of disputes between individual families or clans.
Beauty Ideals
While faces and facial features are found attractive by the suigyujin, and are one of those things that can inflame physical desire, a major factor in the beauty ideals of either sex is their fur. The overall quality, thickness, and even the color of an individual's fur can effect whether or not they're considered to be attractive by other buffalo-folk. Patchy, dirty, or otherwise unkempt fur, or fur that's too thin or too thick, can be a detriment to the suigyujin who is looking to find a partner. That said, unique fur colors or patterns such as a piebald or blonde fur color, may draw more attention and be considered more attractive for its very uniqueness.
Another factor outside of the norm for facial or body types, is that size, shape, and condition are all things which can raise or lower an individual suigyujin in the eyes of their peers. Horns, in fact, are probably one of the largest determining factors of whether or not a person is considered to be attractive. A male, for instance, with an impressively thick, glossy pair of curved horns can have relatively bad fur without it being too much of a hindrance for him in finding a mate. While a female with delicately large, sweeping horns will always find herself at the top of the stack.
For males, when it comes to the facial features of females, a finely shaped, soft muzzle with wide eyes and large ears are considered to be attractive. Females tend to pay more attention to the quality of facial fur and the teeth of any potential male mates. Tending to prefer their facial fur to be a bit rougher and large, white teeth. A couple of scars across the muzzle aren't looked at askance either.
When it comes to bodies, like many females, they tend to prefer their males to large-bodied and muscular. In truth, males who are rikishi are the veritable rock stars of the Middle Empire by the standards of female buffalo-folk. Again, a few scars across the body doesn't hurt anything, either. Males, much like the kobito, tend to prefer thicker build on their women. While they are rarely fat, even female buffalo-folk tend to be more heavily muscled than the females of other species which is something that the males of the species loves. They also tend to prefer wider hips and ample breasts as these features are traditionally associated with childbearing and motherhood.
Much like with their fur or horns, an individual who cannot be bothered to take care of their own feet; whose hooves are cracked, chipped, dull, or flaking are not considered to be worthwhile.
Another factor outside of the norm for facial or body types, is that size, shape, and condition are all things which can raise or lower an individual suigyujin in the eyes of their peers. Horns, in fact, are probably one of the largest determining factors of whether or not a person is considered to be attractive. A male, for instance, with an impressively thick, glossy pair of curved horns can have relatively bad fur without it being too much of a hindrance for him in finding a mate. While a female with delicately large, sweeping horns will always find herself at the top of the stack.
For males, when it comes to the facial features of females, a finely shaped, soft muzzle with wide eyes and large ears are considered to be attractive. Females tend to pay more attention to the quality of facial fur and the teeth of any potential male mates. Tending to prefer their facial fur to be a bit rougher and large, white teeth. A couple of scars across the muzzle aren't looked at askance either.
When it comes to bodies, like many females, they tend to prefer their males to large-bodied and muscular. In truth, males who are rikishi are the veritable rock stars of the Middle Empire by the standards of female buffalo-folk. Again, a few scars across the body doesn't hurt anything, either. Males, much like the kobito, tend to prefer thicker build on their women. While they are rarely fat, even female buffalo-folk tend to be more heavily muscled than the females of other species which is something that the males of the species loves. They also tend to prefer wider hips and ample breasts as these features are traditionally associated with childbearing and motherhood.
Much like with their fur or horns, an individual who cannot be bothered to take care of their own feet; whose hooves are cracked, chipped, dull, or flaking are not considered to be worthwhile.
Gender Ideals
Among the males, their physical strength often plays a significant part in their societal roles. Whether that's assisting the humans in the more physically demanding farm chores, participating in a sumo match, or performing their more traditional roles as the warrior-protectors of farming villages throughout their home province, their great strength plays a deciding role in their various duties. This often leads them to taking on the more physical and traditional roles of warriors and protectors within their own society, as well. While males, being closer to the Yin Principle than their female counterparts, are often in leadership roles within the various clans and families, these roles don't often come to them until their elder years. Long past the point of their physical prime.
Even though they're also trained in the warrior's arts, particularly in the bow and naginata, because of their smaller size, females are traditionally often placed in nurturing and caretaker roles. Nonetheless, females are more often placed in advisory or leadership roles much earlier than their male counterparts. Outside of the warrior ranks, it is more usual to see females speaking with the voices of clan heads.
Even though they're also trained in the warrior's arts, particularly in the bow and naginata, because of their smaller size, females are traditionally often placed in nurturing and caretaker roles. Nonetheless, females are more often placed in advisory or leadership roles much earlier than their male counterparts. Outside of the warrior ranks, it is more usual to see females speaking with the voices of clan heads.
Courtship Ideals
As a result of their long association with humans, a certain blending of cultural elements has occurred throughout the millennia. For this reason, suigyujin women expect their men to be passionate only in private and reserved at all other times. Marriages are often arranged and accepted with far greater occurrence than they are in the Yang lands. It is only logical to expect one's parents to know, and arrange, the best match possible. While the young men and women do get a say in any arrangement, any argument is nearly always made from a logical standpoint as opposed to an emotional one.
Courtships among the buffalo-folk are, like everything else, reserved affairs. Chaperones are always present when the arranged pair meet. Ideally, they will meet several times over the course of three moons, get to know each other, and pronounce the match as fitting to their parents. At which point, a wedding is arranged.
Relationship Ideals
A man is expected to cleave to the tenets of Bushido, to be stoic and reserved at all times but with those who are close to him. A woman is given greater leeway, but is expected to let the reserve slip when defending those she cares for. A man is expected to run the household with logic, and a woman to provide her family with a nurturing touch. Both parents are expected to defend their home and family with all of their great strength.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Daiingo is the major language spoken by the suigyujin because of their close relationship with the humans who speak it. They also tend to pepper their speech with random, half-remembered words of elven due to past associations with the zhu xiao and kawa yosei.
Common Etiquette Rules
Like much of the rest of the empire, regardless of individual race or ethnic group, respect and politeness are the hallmarks of suigyujin common etiquette. The backbone of this politeness is the use of courteous language and the appropriate honorifics when speaking to others. Especially strangers. Honorifics come after the name or title of the subject being addressed:
Like most peoples of the empire, buffalo-folk bow when greeting each other. Whether stranger or friend. The bow is usually brief and slight at 15 degrees. For a friend, it is usually a simple inclination of the head. Whereas, for a stranger, it is a more formal bow from the waist. This bow is usually accompanied by a standard greeting such as a "Hello," or "Nice to meet you." This bow is called eshaku.
The next type of bow is the most commonly used in social situations. Especially when interacting with someone of slightly higher social status. The body is inclined from the waist at about 30 degrees and the gaze is on the floor. This bow is also used to express gratitude for something, or to apologize for a small infraction. This bow is called keirei.
The final bow is meant to show the utmost respect towards the other person. The person bowing bends forward at the waist at a steep 45 degree angle or more, depending upon the personage being bowed to. The gaze should, as above, rest firmly on the floor. The bow is used when greeting someone of significantly higher social status, expressing deep gratitude, asking for a favor, or showing deep sincerity for a large infraction. As such the bow should be held for an appropriate time to express one's deep feelings, whether respect, gratitude, or sorrow. This bow is called saikeirei.
With all standing bows, the hands should remain firmly at one's sides, with the eyes on the floor. The sitting bows also have three different ways of bowing, also used in much the same way as the standing bows, and with the same, general, reasons. The first one, called senrei, is used in primarily informal occasions, such as visiting the house of an acquaintance or stranger of equal social standing. The bow is from the waist at a slight 30 degrees, hands slid forward along the thighs, til the fingertips touch the ground.
The second sitting bow is called futsūrei and is the most commonly used seated bow in formal settings, or to show respect for someone of slightly higher station. The waist is bent until one is looking directly at the floor with hands placed flat on the ground before the face, fingertip touching, to form a triangle.
The third, and most formal seated bow, is also called saikeirei. It has the same connotations as the standing saikeirei, above. The person bows forward until their chest is touching their knees, and their forehead is on the ground between the triangle made by their hands.
There is even a semi-formal bow to be used when presenting a gift or offering called the sashiire. The bow is usually fairly slight while presenting the gift with both hands. While the receiver bows just as deeply in gratitude and receives the gift with both hands.
Suigyujin are as at home in the water and the wet as they are on dry land. It's in their very name, after all. So, bathing is very nearly as important a part of their daily routine as it is for the kobito. For them, bathing is more of a ritual of relaxation and, among the lower classes, communal bonding, than it is about actually getting clean. Therefore, the bathtub, itself, is seen more as a vessel for joy and relaxation and the actual bathing is done outside of the tub. It is considered to be the height of rudeness to actually get into the bathtub before cleaning oneself. Usually done with a stool and a bucket of water and a rag. Only the rich and powerful may have their own, private, bathing facilities; therefore, the rest of the more common folk make do with public bathhouses called sento.
For eating, many of the same rules apply as they do for the rest of the empire. One of the main differences, however, is that the leaving of food on the plate tells the host that person would like another serving. Whereas, a completely clean plate is viewed as the eater being satiated. In a ritual copied from their Daiin neighbors, itadakimasu is always said before eating a meal. This is a phrase which gives thanks to the gods and all those whose work went into preparing the food. Which is something buffalo-folk are very conscious of.
It is considered to be a great honor to be invited into another person's home. As these are generally considered to be rather formal situations, it is customary to bring a small gift when visiting another person's home. Shoes, are of course, never worn inside the home so as to keep the floor of the home from being stained with dirt or mud from the outside world. Suigyujin, of course, go an extra step with their own feet and usually have a basin of clean water, rags, and a small pick to clean one's hooves as well as soft, cotton socks to slip over them so as not to scar the floors of the home. Their human neighbors also offer these things as a matter of course, as well.
- Han: Han is the most commonplace honorific used by the buffalo-folk. Replacing -san in the greater parlance of Daiingo due to their association with the peoples of the Endless Fields of Reeds.
- Sama: Sama is the more respectful version of -han to be used for individuals of higher rank. This is also the term most appropriately used when addressing gods or spirits.
- Tono: Pronounced -dono when attached to a name, this honorific is used between those who are of high social rank. Roughly translates to "milord."
- No kimi: This is often considered to be a more archaic term in the empire. However, it is still sometimes used to refer to the nobles of the Great Houses.
- Ue: This is a term which tends to denote a high level of respect from the speaker. It is generally used to refer to one's parents or older siblings. For example, chichi-ue, haha-ue, or ani- or ane-ue, for mother, father, older brother, or older sister, respectively.
- Senpai/Kohai: Senpai is used to refer to one's senior colleagues, again either in age or seniority, at a school or occupation. While senpai is used when speaking to a senior, kohai is never used when speaking directly to a junior, only when referring to them. Instead, one of the other honorific forms are used depending upon the speaker's relationship to their kohai.
- Sensei/Hakase: This term is used to refer to those who have achieved a mastery in some artform or skill. Therefore, it is most often used for teachers, doctors, or other artisans. It can be used either as a suffix or a title. Despite their perceived mastery, those who have achieved ranks in the Imperial Bureaucracy are not referred to as sensei. Instead, hakase is used.
- Kun: In general, this honorific is used by seniors when speaking to juniors, whether in age or status. While it is most often used for males, it can also be used for females to denote a more serious, less childlike, air. It can also be used for males whom the speaker has a more personal attachment.
- Chan: -chan is more a term of endearment than a standard honorific. It is generally used for young children, close friends, grandparents, or young women. It is not generally used for strangers or new acquaintances.
- Shi: This honorific is rarely used, and even then only in formal writings or incredibly formal settings. It is used to refer to someone of whom the speaker is unfamiliar. Meaning, the speaker knows this person by reputation only and has never formally met them.
Like most peoples of the empire, buffalo-folk bow when greeting each other. Whether stranger or friend. The bow is usually brief and slight at 15 degrees. For a friend, it is usually a simple inclination of the head. Whereas, for a stranger, it is a more formal bow from the waist. This bow is usually accompanied by a standard greeting such as a "Hello," or "Nice to meet you." This bow is called eshaku.
The next type of bow is the most commonly used in social situations. Especially when interacting with someone of slightly higher social status. The body is inclined from the waist at about 30 degrees and the gaze is on the floor. This bow is also used to express gratitude for something, or to apologize for a small infraction. This bow is called keirei.
The final bow is meant to show the utmost respect towards the other person. The person bowing bends forward at the waist at a steep 45 degree angle or more, depending upon the personage being bowed to. The gaze should, as above, rest firmly on the floor. The bow is used when greeting someone of significantly higher social status, expressing deep gratitude, asking for a favor, or showing deep sincerity for a large infraction. As such the bow should be held for an appropriate time to express one's deep feelings, whether respect, gratitude, or sorrow. This bow is called saikeirei.
With all standing bows, the hands should remain firmly at one's sides, with the eyes on the floor. The sitting bows also have three different ways of bowing, also used in much the same way as the standing bows, and with the same, general, reasons. The first one, called senrei, is used in primarily informal occasions, such as visiting the house of an acquaintance or stranger of equal social standing. The bow is from the waist at a slight 30 degrees, hands slid forward along the thighs, til the fingertips touch the ground.
The second sitting bow is called futsūrei and is the most commonly used seated bow in formal settings, or to show respect for someone of slightly higher station. The waist is bent until one is looking directly at the floor with hands placed flat on the ground before the face, fingertip touching, to form a triangle.
The third, and most formal seated bow, is also called saikeirei. It has the same connotations as the standing saikeirei, above. The person bows forward until their chest is touching their knees, and their forehead is on the ground between the triangle made by their hands.
There is even a semi-formal bow to be used when presenting a gift or offering called the sashiire. The bow is usually fairly slight while presenting the gift with both hands. While the receiver bows just as deeply in gratitude and receives the gift with both hands.
Suigyujin are as at home in the water and the wet as they are on dry land. It's in their very name, after all. So, bathing is very nearly as important a part of their daily routine as it is for the kobito. For them, bathing is more of a ritual of relaxation and, among the lower classes, communal bonding, than it is about actually getting clean. Therefore, the bathtub, itself, is seen more as a vessel for joy and relaxation and the actual bathing is done outside of the tub. It is considered to be the height of rudeness to actually get into the bathtub before cleaning oneself. Usually done with a stool and a bucket of water and a rag. Only the rich and powerful may have their own, private, bathing facilities; therefore, the rest of the more common folk make do with public bathhouses called sento.
For eating, many of the same rules apply as they do for the rest of the empire. One of the main differences, however, is that the leaving of food on the plate tells the host that person would like another serving. Whereas, a completely clean plate is viewed as the eater being satiated. In a ritual copied from their Daiin neighbors, itadakimasu is always said before eating a meal. This is a phrase which gives thanks to the gods and all those whose work went into preparing the food. Which is something buffalo-folk are very conscious of.
It is considered to be a great honor to be invited into another person's home. As these are generally considered to be rather formal situations, it is customary to bring a small gift when visiting another person's home. Shoes, are of course, never worn inside the home so as to keep the floor of the home from being stained with dirt or mud from the outside world. Suigyujin, of course, go an extra step with their own feet and usually have a basin of clean water, rags, and a small pick to clean one's hooves as well as soft, cotton socks to slip over them so as not to scar the floors of the home. Their human neighbors also offer these things as a matter of course, as well.
Common Dress Code
The clothing worn by the suigyujin is much the same as those worn by the Daiin humans they live beside. Except much larger. The clothing they wear tends to be more loosely worn and lighter due to the southern climes from which they hail. Kimono are almost universally worn, though they tend to be shorter, falling only to the upper thigh, amongst the more active social classes such as soldiers and farmers. To supplement the shortness of these kimono, a pair of loose-fitting trousers, gathered at the knee on buffalo-folk, called hakama are worn over the kimono. The traditional, white, loincloth is worn as an undergarment in both sexes. Rather than the strips of linen worn by human women, buffalo-folk women wear a large, leather band with thick, reinforced ties at the back to support and keep their breasts bound back. This is one of the few articles of traditional buffalo-folk clothing that's been kept through the centuries.
For those of higher rank, such as clan heads, the hakama are sometimes nowhere to be seen. Instead the kimono is longer and falls to the ankles. Though those who cleave closely to their samurai ideal, wear traditional hakama that are wide and billowy, almost skirt-like in their construction. On normal occasions, these stop at just above the feet, allowing the wearer to walk unimpeded. On formal occasions, however, they drape down to the floor, encasing the feet entirely and making it difficult to walk or maneuver without much practice.
A sort of black, sleeveless overcoat with wide, stiffened shoulders, bearing the clan crest, called the kataguri, is worn by all suigyujin on formal occasions. Otherwise a sleeveless, black haori is worn which bear's the wearer's crest. Soldiers in service to the clan also wear these haori.
The most luxuriously colorful kimono often indicate a person of wealth or standing. These people often have several dozen such garments, each carefully embroidered and dyed to reflect the occasion and the season in which it is worn. As there are strict, traditional rules about which colors and what embroidery can be worn in a particular season. For example, darker colors with russet colored leaves are to be worn in the cooler months; whereas lighter colors with floral designs are acceptable during the months of Wood and Fire. As a general rule, men's clothing tends to be darker and solid in color without any elaborate print, or embroidered, designs.
The standard uniform of the warrior class is an enlarged set of the ancient oyoroi armor worn by the samurai class of the distant past. This armor is a lamellar armor combining plates laced together with metal scales, and is made up of six components called hei-no-rokugo. These six components are the cuirass, the helmet, the mask, the armored sleeves, the greaves, and the cuisses (thigh armor). This armor is often worn together with the daisho, the pair of katana and wakizashi, which were a symbol of the samurai class. Like the armor, these swords are also enlarged to accommodate the greater size of the suigyujin. A larger haori or mon (crest banner) are often worn with the armor to identify the individual warrior's clan.
For those of higher rank, such as clan heads, the hakama are sometimes nowhere to be seen. Instead the kimono is longer and falls to the ankles. Though those who cleave closely to their samurai ideal, wear traditional hakama that are wide and billowy, almost skirt-like in their construction. On normal occasions, these stop at just above the feet, allowing the wearer to walk unimpeded. On formal occasions, however, they drape down to the floor, encasing the feet entirely and making it difficult to walk or maneuver without much practice.
A sort of black, sleeveless overcoat with wide, stiffened shoulders, bearing the clan crest, called the kataguri, is worn by all suigyujin on formal occasions. Otherwise a sleeveless, black haori is worn which bear's the wearer's crest. Soldiers in service to the clan also wear these haori.
The most luxuriously colorful kimono often indicate a person of wealth or standing. These people often have several dozen such garments, each carefully embroidered and dyed to reflect the occasion and the season in which it is worn. As there are strict, traditional rules about which colors and what embroidery can be worn in a particular season. For example, darker colors with russet colored leaves are to be worn in the cooler months; whereas lighter colors with floral designs are acceptable during the months of Wood and Fire. As a general rule, men's clothing tends to be darker and solid in color without any elaborate print, or embroidered, designs.
The standard uniform of the warrior class is an enlarged set of the ancient oyoroi armor worn by the samurai class of the distant past. This armor is a lamellar armor combining plates laced together with metal scales, and is made up of six components called hei-no-rokugo. These six components are the cuirass, the helmet, the mask, the armored sleeves, the greaves, and the cuisses (thigh armor). This armor is often worn together with the daisho, the pair of katana and wakizashi, which were a symbol of the samurai class. Like the armor, these swords are also enlarged to accommodate the greater size of the suigyujin. A larger haori or mon (crest banner) are often worn with the armor to identify the individual warrior's clan.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The very core of the modern suigyujin culture is the bushido code and the ancient samurai class. Young buffalo-folk are raised on the tenets of the Code and are taught the warrior's ways from the time they're old enough to walk and talk. The tenets of Honor, Righteousness, and Compassion, in particular, have shaped their society as a whole. Their compassion is the reason they offer up their bodies and even their lives to defend their human neighbors. Their righteousness is why they take up the sword and strike down those who would harm the innocent. Their honor is why they continue to tie themselves to their human benefactors and the empire as a whole and to defend those weaker than themselves through the long centuries.
The code of bushido was easy for the relatively benevolent folk to take up in the early years. It was considered a natural outcropping of their already beneficent natures as well as the existing, though unorganized, warrior culture of the shouren. All the Code did was give them a tangible, moral framework with which to measure themselves against. In every aspect of their lives, the buffalo-folk attempt to live up to these ideals. Though the tenets of honor, righteousness, and compassion are those they most revere, the other tenets of loyalty, sincerity, courage, and respect are as closely followed.
The code of bushido was easy for the relatively benevolent folk to take up in the early years. It was considered a natural outcropping of their already beneficent natures as well as the existing, though unorganized, warrior culture of the shouren. All the Code did was give them a tangible, moral framework with which to measure themselves against. In every aspect of their lives, the buffalo-folk attempt to live up to these ideals. Though the tenets of honor, righteousness, and compassion are those they most revere, the other tenets of loyalty, sincerity, courage, and respect are as closely followed.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
A tradition having its roots in wood elf society, the tea ceremony is an elaborate ritual often utilized by the ancient samurai to show admiration to close comrades, to show favor to promising underlings, or to show respect to a superior. The ceremony is incredibly complex involving such minutiae as the proper way to pick up the tea cup and drink the tea to the proper edibles to be served and consumed at what stage of the ceremony and which season it's being held in. With even settings and displayed art being dependent upon the season.
Sumo is a popular sport among, both, the Daiinjin and suigyujin and is one those few traditions that don't have their roots in the Age of the Bushi. The sport, rather, traces its ultimate origin to the Xiong Xue, the Rite of Ferocious Blood, of the buffalo-folk . This incredibly ancient blood rite eventually grew into what is known as sumo in the modern empire. Though sumo is highly ritualized and many of its aspects are tied into the imperial religion, it is a highly popular spectator sport. Particularly in the Endless Fields of Reeds where it was originated. The final grand tournament, or basho, is considered a festival day among the peoples of the province. This is held in the Grand Dohyo in the Endless Fields.
Due to their rigid societal structure and their near-compulsive aversion to any perceived loss of Face, privacy is considered to be almost sacrosanct. Therefore, to be invited into another person's home is both a great honor and a privilege. It is considered the height of impropriety to show up at a person's home without a small gift to thank them for the honor they've shown.
In social situations, it is considered highly inappropriate for a person to pour their own drink. It is expected that the lowest ranked person in the room will pour drinks for everyone starting with the highest ranked person first and going down from there. The next lowest ranked person is expected to pour for the lowest and to be thanked for the courtesy shown.
Although the courtship of the suigyujin are as staid and reserved as those of their human counterparts, the weddings o fthe buffalo-folk are nearly as lively as the Daiin humans' are solemn. While the beginnings of the buffalo-folks' wedding traditions are much the same as their human counterparts', including calling matchmakers, arranging the courtship and wedding, creating trousseaus, and setting the date for the wedding on a full moon night.
In the distant past, before even the War of Tears, when many of the shouren, including the buffalo-folk, were more tribal, weddings were more about shows of physical strength and power. Males would often win their brides in bloody contests of dominance called the Xiong Xue. Some of these more primal traditions survive into the modern age in various forms like sumo. One, particular form of these ancient rites even takes place during the wedding ceremony. As well, due to their long relationship with the elves, some of their customs were retained when the suigyujin adopted the samurai traditions of the humans centuries later.
Both bride and groom still ritually bathe themselves to symbolically cleanse themselves of any negative energies from their pasts. The main difference between the buffalo-folk and the humans being that they bathe in physical Dragon Pools used expressly for the purpose of ritual bathing. The male and female dress in larger versions of the same clothing their human counterparts do. Buffalo-folk women, however, do not apply cosmetics to their faces. Nor do they don the tsunokakushi. They instead don what is called the tsunoboshi. This headdress is similar in form to the wataboshi worn by ancient samurai brides and upper class women of the modern age, but instead features a circular peak in the middle meant to symbolize the moon and sits between the female's horns.
Meanwhile, no attempt is made to cover or "hide" the female's very real, very physical horns. These are, instead emphasized by painting them in a bright vermillion lacquer. Which the buffalo-folks' wataboshi fits around.
The next step is another point where the buffalo-folks' wedding traditions veer from the humans' in that, once the sun has set it's not the bride who begins the march with her wedding party, it's the groom and his party. The groom leaves his home, along with his entourage who are carrying gifts for the bride's family wrapped in red cloth, and makes his way to his new bride's home. Once there, he is met by the bride's father and her male relatives standing before her gate with a thick rope circle before him. The rope circle is fully ten feet across and the groom comes to a stop outside it along with the males traveling with him stationing themselves around him.
What follows is a series of grunted challenges and replies from the groom and the bride's father. Once the challenges have concluded, the groom and his party will begin a traditional dance and a chanted song which involves a lot of stamping, rhythmic slapping of the body, and roared responses to bits of the chant in order to intimidate the bride's father's party and psych themselves up for the next part. After the groom is done, the father's party responds in kind, then both the groom and the father step inside the rope circle.
What follows is a mostly ritual battle where the goal is for the groom to showcase his own strength and ability to protect his bride by overpowering her father. In the distant past, this would have been a real battle between the prospective groom and anyone willing to challenge him for the right to take the female as his bride. These usually ended in the deaths of one or more buffalo-folk. In the modern day, these battles are ritualistic and the male is simply meant to get the bride's father to accept the new son-in-law by submitting. There is a lot of grunting, growling and bashing of skulls, but the father almost always willingly submits.
Once the battle is over, the female members of the bride's family comes out to meet the groom's party. They retire into the house where the gifts are given to the bride's family and the groom serves tea to them as a way to respect them and thank them for giving him their daughter. The mother then leads the bride out and, together, her and the groom kneel before her ancestral shrine to thank them as well. After which the bride's father leads her to her palanquin and the waiting trousseau where the entirety of both parties makes their way back to the groom's home for the rest of the wedding ceremony.
The rest of the ceremony is much the same as the human ceremony. Sake is exchanged before an altar to the gods. Benedictions are given by a priest and a miko. Parents are thanked, and food is served. The only difference here is that, after the sake is exchanged, the groom ties a hanging, red tassel to each of his new wife's horns to symbolize their union and to show that she's a married woman. Pregnancy is generally looked on as a time of joy and celebration in the empire, regardless of race, ethnicity, or location. While many, if not all, women will go to a shrine dedicated to children and childbirth upon learning they're pregnant, a uniquely Daiinjin ritual is that of the obi iwai. In the fifth month of pregnancy, on the first day of the Kirin, itself a benevolent spirit of Balance and Protection, the pregnant woman goes to the shrine as normal. However, while she is there she may obtain a special obi, blessed by the priestesses of the shrine to ensure the health and protection of the growing child. The obi, typically the yellow color of the Kirin, is worn under the clothes and against the abdomen and will keep the belly warm for the fetus and also help support its weight as it grows. As well, it is supposed to ensure a safe and painless delivery.
Another custom celebrated throughout the empire is the Naming Day. This is typically done on the seventh day after the child is born when the parent that isn't still in pain writes the child's name on a special fuda in calligraphic script and places it inside the family's shrine where it will remain until they come of age. This officially announces the child's name to the family and the ancestors.
Once the child is a month old it is dressed in formal attire and brought to the local shrine to be introduced to the gods and to the community as a whole. This latter is especially true in smaller villages. A small blessing is bestowed by the kamunushi for the child's health and general well-being, after which a small feast is prepared to celebrate by either the family or village.
At age three, the toddler is taken to the shrine once again, this time before the head miko. There, the miko will commune with her god and determine the child's most probable life path. This path is not set in stone as the future is murky even to the gods. However, in most cases, it can be eerily, or even completely, accurate. The child of farmers is most likely to be a farmer, after all. Until they reach their age of majority at the age of sixteen, buffalo-folk children are trained in the warriors' ways. Upon being determined ready to enter adulthood, the children are taken, once more, before the local shrine by their parents and what is called a "capping parent." This is usually an elder that will train a child in their desired field of work; usually a tutor, patron, a higher-ranked noble or master of their craft. This person is there to usher in the child to adult status and help them don the ceremonial, adult clothing and, most importantly, the headgear appropriate to their chosen profession.
The ceremonial headgear is placed upon their heads. The headgear varies with the profession, whether that be the traditional hat of a priest or bureaucrat or the large helmet of a samurai is up to the individual child, at least in theory. To state that the parents have no say in their children's choices would be a fallacy. Once this is done, the child-no-more goes to a private area to don their first adult clothing. They return to the shrine to be blessed by the priest and have their new, adult name recorded by both the priest and magistrate, and they are then welcomed into the community as contributing, fully-fledged men or women. With all the privileges and responsibilities contained therein. When a person dies in the empire, the small doors to the family shrine are closed and sealed with white paper to keep the impure dead out and a small table with incense, flowers, and a candle are placed by the deceased, then the eldest, living child begins the funeral preparations. The first thing that must be done, as close to the actual time of death as possible, is the anointing of the deceased's lips with water to symbolize the person's last drink. After this, the body is ritually washed clean, dressed in a white kimono and placed with the head facing north. This is normally done by the family, or, in wealthier families, professionals called nokansha, are hired from among the burakumin to perform these unclean tasks.
Either just before the moving of the body, or during if nokansha are being used, the family announces the death to the spirit world through prayer and memorialization at the family shrine. After the body is placed and a ceremonial knife laid at its side, food offerings are made to the gods. Afterwards, the body is placed in a coffin, again either by the family or nokansha, and daily food offerings begin to be made to the deceased twice a day until the body is laid to rest. Traditionally, these offerings are to be the deceased's favorite foods.
At this point, the local shrine is contacted and informed of the spirit's "return to the shrine," and the priests begin ritually purifying the ground in which the departed will be buried with water and prayer. After this is done the priest will then purify him- or herself in preparation for the actual wake that is the next step in the funeral rite.
This point in the rite has the mourners gather to offer condolences and offer gifts to the gods (i.e. the shrine) and, sometimes, to the family as well. All are garbed in ceremonial, black kimono. The priest offers prayers for the spirit and to comfort the bereaved. Once these prayers are done, the priest then ritually transfers the deceased's shen into a wooden tablet held over the body for this purpose. After this is done, refreshments are usually served. It is very important that this food be prepared off-site in order to avoid being contaminated with the energies of Yomi.
In the next step, the room where the funeral has taken place is purified and the priest offers eulogies to the dead; then the mourners are allowed to say their goodbyes. Each of the attendees lines up, single file, and walks past the body offering prayers and condolences to the family and the dead. Then the coffin is prepared to leave the home and carried to the site where it will be burned. This is done, again, either by the family themselves or the nokansha. For warriors or nobles, a sword is placed on the coffin with banners arranged around it so that the po and hun will know it is time to move on. If the soul was neither warrior nor noble, then just the banners suffice.
While the body is being moved, the home where the funeral was held, as a whole, is purified by priests and extended family to make it once more suitable for the living. Once the body is on-site for cremation, the family makes offerings to the deceased and places them in the coffin with the body. These are usually things that person enjoyed in life that are easily combustible. Prayers are led by the priest and the body is burned.
Once the fire has burned down and the ashes have cooled, the family then sifts through them to find any bones that weren't immolated and place them in the burial urn along with most of the ashes. This is done with long, metal chopsticks and is properly done starting at the feet and working up to the head. This way the deceased isn't upside down or all jumbled together in its final resting place. Some of these ashes are given to individual family members to be ensconced in clay, ancestral tablets to be placed in the family shrine.
After all of this is done, final prayers are uttered and thanks are given to those who attended the funeral and the urn is placed under the ancestral grave with any others that might be there.
In the distant past, before even the War of Tears, when many of the shouren, including the buffalo-folk, were more tribal, weddings were more about shows of physical strength and power. Males would often win their brides in bloody contests of dominance called the Xiong Xue. Some of these more primal traditions survive into the modern age in various forms like sumo. One, particular form of these ancient rites even takes place during the wedding ceremony. As well, due to their long relationship with the elves, some of their customs were retained when the suigyujin adopted the samurai traditions of the humans centuries later.
Both bride and groom still ritually bathe themselves to symbolically cleanse themselves of any negative energies from their pasts. The main difference between the buffalo-folk and the humans being that they bathe in physical Dragon Pools used expressly for the purpose of ritual bathing. The male and female dress in larger versions of the same clothing their human counterparts do. Buffalo-folk women, however, do not apply cosmetics to their faces. Nor do they don the tsunokakushi. They instead don what is called the tsunoboshi. This headdress is similar in form to the wataboshi worn by ancient samurai brides and upper class women of the modern age, but instead features a circular peak in the middle meant to symbolize the moon and sits between the female's horns.
Meanwhile, no attempt is made to cover or "hide" the female's very real, very physical horns. These are, instead emphasized by painting them in a bright vermillion lacquer. Which the buffalo-folks' wataboshi fits around.
The next step is another point where the buffalo-folks' wedding traditions veer from the humans' in that, once the sun has set it's not the bride who begins the march with her wedding party, it's the groom and his party. The groom leaves his home, along with his entourage who are carrying gifts for the bride's family wrapped in red cloth, and makes his way to his new bride's home. Once there, he is met by the bride's father and her male relatives standing before her gate with a thick rope circle before him. The rope circle is fully ten feet across and the groom comes to a stop outside it along with the males traveling with him stationing themselves around him.
What follows is a series of grunted challenges and replies from the groom and the bride's father. Once the challenges have concluded, the groom and his party will begin a traditional dance and a chanted song which involves a lot of stamping, rhythmic slapping of the body, and roared responses to bits of the chant in order to intimidate the bride's father's party and psych themselves up for the next part. After the groom is done, the father's party responds in kind, then both the groom and the father step inside the rope circle.
What follows is a mostly ritual battle where the goal is for the groom to showcase his own strength and ability to protect his bride by overpowering her father. In the distant past, this would have been a real battle between the prospective groom and anyone willing to challenge him for the right to take the female as his bride. These usually ended in the deaths of one or more buffalo-folk. In the modern day, these battles are ritualistic and the male is simply meant to get the bride's father to accept the new son-in-law by submitting. There is a lot of grunting, growling and bashing of skulls, but the father almost always willingly submits.
Once the battle is over, the female members of the bride's family comes out to meet the groom's party. They retire into the house where the gifts are given to the bride's family and the groom serves tea to them as a way to respect them and thank them for giving him their daughter. The mother then leads the bride out and, together, her and the groom kneel before her ancestral shrine to thank them as well. After which the bride's father leads her to her palanquin and the waiting trousseau where the entirety of both parties makes their way back to the groom's home for the rest of the wedding ceremony.
The rest of the ceremony is much the same as the human ceremony. Sake is exchanged before an altar to the gods. Benedictions are given by a priest and a miko. Parents are thanked, and food is served. The only difference here is that, after the sake is exchanged, the groom ties a hanging, red tassel to each of his new wife's horns to symbolize their union and to show that she's a married woman. Pregnancy is generally looked on as a time of joy and celebration in the empire, regardless of race, ethnicity, or location. While many, if not all, women will go to a shrine dedicated to children and childbirth upon learning they're pregnant, a uniquely Daiinjin ritual is that of the obi iwai. In the fifth month of pregnancy, on the first day of the Kirin, itself a benevolent spirit of Balance and Protection, the pregnant woman goes to the shrine as normal. However, while she is there she may obtain a special obi, blessed by the priestesses of the shrine to ensure the health and protection of the growing child. The obi, typically the yellow color of the Kirin, is worn under the clothes and against the abdomen and will keep the belly warm for the fetus and also help support its weight as it grows. As well, it is supposed to ensure a safe and painless delivery.
Another custom celebrated throughout the empire is the Naming Day. This is typically done on the seventh day after the child is born when the parent that isn't still in pain writes the child's name on a special fuda in calligraphic script and places it inside the family's shrine where it will remain until they come of age. This officially announces the child's name to the family and the ancestors.
Once the child is a month old it is dressed in formal attire and brought to the local shrine to be introduced to the gods and to the community as a whole. This latter is especially true in smaller villages. A small blessing is bestowed by the kamunushi for the child's health and general well-being, after which a small feast is prepared to celebrate by either the family or village.
At age three, the toddler is taken to the shrine once again, this time before the head miko. There, the miko will commune with her god and determine the child's most probable life path. This path is not set in stone as the future is murky even to the gods. However, in most cases, it can be eerily, or even completely, accurate. The child of farmers is most likely to be a farmer, after all. Until they reach their age of majority at the age of sixteen, buffalo-folk children are trained in the warriors' ways. Upon being determined ready to enter adulthood, the children are taken, once more, before the local shrine by their parents and what is called a "capping parent." This is usually an elder that will train a child in their desired field of work; usually a tutor, patron, a higher-ranked noble or master of their craft. This person is there to usher in the child to adult status and help them don the ceremonial, adult clothing and, most importantly, the headgear appropriate to their chosen profession.
The ceremonial headgear is placed upon their heads. The headgear varies with the profession, whether that be the traditional hat of a priest or bureaucrat or the large helmet of a samurai is up to the individual child, at least in theory. To state that the parents have no say in their children's choices would be a fallacy. Once this is done, the child-no-more goes to a private area to don their first adult clothing. They return to the shrine to be blessed by the priest and have their new, adult name recorded by both the priest and magistrate, and they are then welcomed into the community as contributing, fully-fledged men or women. With all the privileges and responsibilities contained therein. When a person dies in the empire, the small doors to the family shrine are closed and sealed with white paper to keep the impure dead out and a small table with incense, flowers, and a candle are placed by the deceased, then the eldest, living child begins the funeral preparations. The first thing that must be done, as close to the actual time of death as possible, is the anointing of the deceased's lips with water to symbolize the person's last drink. After this, the body is ritually washed clean, dressed in a white kimono and placed with the head facing north. This is normally done by the family, or, in wealthier families, professionals called nokansha, are hired from among the burakumin to perform these unclean tasks.
Either just before the moving of the body, or during if nokansha are being used, the family announces the death to the spirit world through prayer and memorialization at the family shrine. After the body is placed and a ceremonial knife laid at its side, food offerings are made to the gods. Afterwards, the body is placed in a coffin, again either by the family or nokansha, and daily food offerings begin to be made to the deceased twice a day until the body is laid to rest. Traditionally, these offerings are to be the deceased's favorite foods.
At this point, the local shrine is contacted and informed of the spirit's "return to the shrine," and the priests begin ritually purifying the ground in which the departed will be buried with water and prayer. After this is done the priest will then purify him- or herself in preparation for the actual wake that is the next step in the funeral rite.
This point in the rite has the mourners gather to offer condolences and offer gifts to the gods (i.e. the shrine) and, sometimes, to the family as well. All are garbed in ceremonial, black kimono. The priest offers prayers for the spirit and to comfort the bereaved. Once these prayers are done, the priest then ritually transfers the deceased's shen into a wooden tablet held over the body for this purpose. After this is done, refreshments are usually served. It is very important that this food be prepared off-site in order to avoid being contaminated with the energies of Yomi.
In the next step, the room where the funeral has taken place is purified and the priest offers eulogies to the dead; then the mourners are allowed to say their goodbyes. Each of the attendees lines up, single file, and walks past the body offering prayers and condolences to the family and the dead. Then the coffin is prepared to leave the home and carried to the site where it will be burned. This is done, again, either by the family themselves or the nokansha. For warriors or nobles, a sword is placed on the coffin with banners arranged around it so that the po and hun will know it is time to move on. If the soul was neither warrior nor noble, then just the banners suffice.
While the body is being moved, the home where the funeral was held, as a whole, is purified by priests and extended family to make it once more suitable for the living. Once the body is on-site for cremation, the family makes offerings to the deceased and places them in the coffin with the body. These are usually things that person enjoyed in life that are easily combustible. Prayers are led by the priest and the body is burned.
Once the fire has burned down and the ashes have cooled, the family then sifts through them to find any bones that weren't immolated and place them in the burial urn along with most of the ashes. This is done with long, metal chopsticks and is properly done starting at the feet and working up to the head. This way the deceased isn't upside down or all jumbled together in its final resting place. Some of these ashes are given to individual family members to be ensconced in clay, ancestral tablets to be placed in the family shrine.
After all of this is done, final prayers are uttered and thanks are given to those who attended the funeral and the urn is placed under the ancestral grave with any others that might be there.
Common Taboos
Loss of self-control in public. Losing control of oneself, whether that be control of an emotion such as anger or control of a bodily function, is considered to be a deeply humiliating experience to the Daiinjin. Losing control of the self in a public setting, however, is not just shameful to the one who's lost it, but to the people witnessing the act as well. Therefore certain actions such as breaking wind, belching, or being inebriated in a public setting like a city street are all taboo.
Grabbing another suigyujin by the horns is considered to be one of the grossest insults. It is considered to be especially insulting to grab a female in such a way. Both acts have the connotations of being put under the yoke or being treated as less than a person, a beast. Any such insult will often be met by the suigyujin's sword.
In this same vein, a buffalo-folk putting a ring through their nose as the same connotations and an individual doing such will be looked down upon by the rest of the community as debasing themselves.
History
The suigyujin were one of the races created after the genesis of the elves during the Age of Breath, or the First Ten Thousand Years of Peace by the humans' reckoning. As many non-human historians know, that age was anything but peaceful. True accounts of the Age of Breath can be found among ancient ruins of ravaged cities, logged on the oracle bones of long-dead races and overgrown villages, within the moldering contents of crumbling bamboo scrolls locked away in hidden libraries and forgotten mountain keeps, or even within the storage sheds of some backwater farming villages.
Before what came to be called alternatively either the War of Tears or the War of Nine Tidings, the buffalo-folk lived simply and went about their divinely appointed task of protecting the sacred places from those who would wish to harm them or take advantage of the power they offered. Even in these early days of life the effects of the split between Izanagi and izanami was being felt, and the severing of the Principle Balance in the corruption of many spirits and now-mortals throughout the Shinkai and the physical world. During this time the suigyujin developed close ties to the communities of yosei (elves) who were their neighbors and partners in the task of keeping these spaces unspoiled. Both the kawa yosei and the zhu xiao, a now-extinct branch of the wood elves, used their natural abilities to cleanse the sacred spaces of the rivers and wetlands and keep them flowing and healthy, while the suigyujin used brute force and bull-like strength to protect them.
The War of Nine Tidings began as one of the seemingly endless, internecine clan wars of the mu xiao. Over time, the war grew beyond the initial clans involved, bringing in other clans, and slowly growing until nearly every elven race, and even many of their shouren counterparts, was involved in what became known as the War of Tears. Even in those early days of the world, the buffalo-folk's sense of compassion and righteousness was peerless, and they immediately leapt into the fray to defend the friends and neighbors they'd so closely worked beside for centuries. Though they also fielded warriors to aid their allies, the oldest and largest clan, Bao duk Sanh, also counciled caution and the need to show compassion to their nominal enemies, as well. For, though they might appear on the battlefield as enemies, the elven clans were still the stewards of the natural world and allies under their Heavenly Mandate.
Of course, the clan's words were taken to heart and the loss of life was greatly reduced on the suigyujin front of the war. These actions resulted in the buffalo-folk largely escaping the wrath of the hostile elven forces and the porgroms that many of the other ferocious people faced near the end of the war. Evens so, many of the villages on the edges of the suigyujin territories, and the small families and clans which occupied them, were lost as a result. Along with any Pools they may have been protecting. By the end of the war, many of the world's smaller dragon pools were devastated and even the larger ones were left tainted, and an entire bloodline of wood elves was wiped from the face of the earth.
While many other had suffered terrible losses during the war and had learned painful lessons as a result, the buffalo-folk only learned that their way was the correct way. Rather than acting with vengeance in their hearts, the temperate buffalo-folk had acted only in defense of themselves and their friends and neighbors. They had kept the casualties to a minimum and had spared the lives of their erstwhile enemies any time the chance was offered. As a result they had suffered far less than many of the others involved in the wars.
The suigyujin mostly kept to themselves in the intervening years between the War of Tears and the Kami Daisenso while the other races were rebuilding themselves and their homes and changing in interesting ways. The buffalo-folk simply kept to their Mandate and lived their lives. Although change came to their lives, as well, when the humans began settling on the floodplains and began domesticating and cultivating the wet rice which grew in profusion in the wetlands. The humans brought with them not just new agricultural methods, but new ideas, new social constructs, and new ways of making war.
The suigyujin were endlessly fascinated by the bushi culture of the humans at the time, and found that both the social structure was easily adapted to their own way of life and society. Indeed, they were greatly impressed especially by the code of conduct these warriors lived by, called Bushido, and began living by its tenets, as well. Naturally, it was the concept of Jin, or Compassion, which enamored the largely benign suigyujin the most. When war again broke out, this time between the fundamental principles of the universe, the buffalo-folk's lives were once again upended.
In this war, however, the suigyujin did not allow themselves to hold back. This time their enemy was not a nominal ally in the eyes of Heaven. This time the enemies were minions of Chaos and the Void and sought only to bring death and destruction to the world. Many of the humans who lived alongside the suigyujin were simple farmers with little to no ability to defend themselves or make war upon the minions of the Storm God. The buffalo-folk's compassion and desire to protect their neighbors brought out the latent ferocity of the buffalo-folk which met the armies of the Lord of Storms with the fury of Heaven. Over the course of the Kami War, the suigyujin became the backbone of the defense of the southern lands. Protecting a vital food suppply from the depradations of the chaos races.
Over the centuries since the end of the Kami Daisenso the buffalo-folk's position within the Endless Fields of Reeds has only solidified. Especially as the status and powerbase of House Midorinoike and the other nobles have been eroded and replaced by the centralized power of the Imperial Bureaucracy. While their oaths to the noble families were largely unaffected, the great clans of the suigyujin were obligated to swear fealty to the emperor and empress as well as their vassals within each state.
Before what came to be called alternatively either the War of Tears or the War of Nine Tidings, the buffalo-folk lived simply and went about their divinely appointed task of protecting the sacred places from those who would wish to harm them or take advantage of the power they offered. Even in these early days of life the effects of the split between Izanagi and izanami was being felt, and the severing of the Principle Balance in the corruption of many spirits and now-mortals throughout the Shinkai and the physical world. During this time the suigyujin developed close ties to the communities of yosei (elves) who were their neighbors and partners in the task of keeping these spaces unspoiled. Both the kawa yosei and the zhu xiao, a now-extinct branch of the wood elves, used their natural abilities to cleanse the sacred spaces of the rivers and wetlands and keep them flowing and healthy, while the suigyujin used brute force and bull-like strength to protect them.
The War of Nine Tidings began as one of the seemingly endless, internecine clan wars of the mu xiao. Over time, the war grew beyond the initial clans involved, bringing in other clans, and slowly growing until nearly every elven race, and even many of their shouren counterparts, was involved in what became known as the War of Tears. Even in those early days of the world, the buffalo-folk's sense of compassion and righteousness was peerless, and they immediately leapt into the fray to defend the friends and neighbors they'd so closely worked beside for centuries. Though they also fielded warriors to aid their allies, the oldest and largest clan, Bao duk Sanh, also counciled caution and the need to show compassion to their nominal enemies, as well. For, though they might appear on the battlefield as enemies, the elven clans were still the stewards of the natural world and allies under their Heavenly Mandate.
Of course, the clan's words were taken to heart and the loss of life was greatly reduced on the suigyujin front of the war. These actions resulted in the buffalo-folk largely escaping the wrath of the hostile elven forces and the porgroms that many of the other ferocious people faced near the end of the war. Evens so, many of the villages on the edges of the suigyujin territories, and the small families and clans which occupied them, were lost as a result. Along with any Pools they may have been protecting. By the end of the war, many of the world's smaller dragon pools were devastated and even the larger ones were left tainted, and an entire bloodline of wood elves was wiped from the face of the earth.
While many other had suffered terrible losses during the war and had learned painful lessons as a result, the buffalo-folk only learned that their way was the correct way. Rather than acting with vengeance in their hearts, the temperate buffalo-folk had acted only in defense of themselves and their friends and neighbors. They had kept the casualties to a minimum and had spared the lives of their erstwhile enemies any time the chance was offered. As a result they had suffered far less than many of the others involved in the wars.
The suigyujin mostly kept to themselves in the intervening years between the War of Tears and the Kami Daisenso while the other races were rebuilding themselves and their homes and changing in interesting ways. The buffalo-folk simply kept to their Mandate and lived their lives. Although change came to their lives, as well, when the humans began settling on the floodplains and began domesticating and cultivating the wet rice which grew in profusion in the wetlands. The humans brought with them not just new agricultural methods, but new ideas, new social constructs, and new ways of making war.
The suigyujin were endlessly fascinated by the bushi culture of the humans at the time, and found that both the social structure was easily adapted to their own way of life and society. Indeed, they were greatly impressed especially by the code of conduct these warriors lived by, called Bushido, and began living by its tenets, as well. Naturally, it was the concept of Jin, or Compassion, which enamored the largely benign suigyujin the most. When war again broke out, this time between the fundamental principles of the universe, the buffalo-folk's lives were once again upended.
In this war, however, the suigyujin did not allow themselves to hold back. This time their enemy was not a nominal ally in the eyes of Heaven. This time the enemies were minions of Chaos and the Void and sought only to bring death and destruction to the world. Many of the humans who lived alongside the suigyujin were simple farmers with little to no ability to defend themselves or make war upon the minions of the Storm God. The buffalo-folk's compassion and desire to protect their neighbors brought out the latent ferocity of the buffalo-folk which met the armies of the Lord of Storms with the fury of Heaven. Over the course of the Kami War, the suigyujin became the backbone of the defense of the southern lands. Protecting a vital food suppply from the depradations of the chaos races.
Over the centuries since the end of the Kami Daisenso the buffalo-folk's position within the Endless Fields of Reeds has only solidified. Especially as the status and powerbase of House Midorinoike and the other nobles have been eroded and replaced by the centralized power of the Imperial Bureaucracy. While their oaths to the noble families were largely unaffected, the great clans of the suigyujin were obligated to swear fealty to the emperor and empress as well as their vassals within each state.
Origin/Ancestry
Water buffalo, Asia
Lifespan
80+ years
Average Height
6.0 - 8.0 ft
Average Weight
350 - 600 lbs
Average Physique
Suigyujin tend to be larger than humans and much more massively built. Perhaps, due in large part, to their bovine nature. They are much more heavily muscled and their skeletal structure is more dense. They are covered in a slate grey to black fur of varying degrees of thickness and fineness. They have a rather short tail with a tuft of brush-like fur at the end. Their legs are digitigrade with cloven hooves.
Geographic Distribution
Suigyujin Traits
Starting Attributes - +2 Power, +2 Vigor, +1 Diligence.
Alignment - Suigyujin are of Yin alignment.
Great Servants - Suigyujin have +1 in Combat Art - Short Weapons with Adept - Daisho.
Forceful Presence - +1 to Coerce.
Starting Face: +3
Starting Qi: +1
Alignment - Suigyujin are of Yin alignment.
Great Servants - Suigyujin have +1 in Combat Art - Short Weapons with Adept - Daisho.
Forceful Presence - +1 to Coerce.
Starting Face: +3
Starting Qi: +1
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