Akodo Okamoto

Starting his career as the worst duelist in Rokugan, Okamoto retired as the most feared general of his generation. He is a beat up old Lion missing an eye and unable to move without being in main, his only child a daughter Chiharu travels with him as his bodyguard from the many who seek revenge upon him.

"I once asked Akodo Okamoto about his reputation. I said, the Lion call you a hero, the Crane a villain, the Unicorn say you are mad, the Crab say you are blessed, The Scorpion call you a Fool, the Phoenix call you a defender. The Dragon say nothing, what among these things are you Okamoto-San? He said to me, My Lord I am all these things." -Akodo Katsumi


Worst Duelist

Being next to Crane Lands Okamoto's father insisted that he become a great duelist so that he could hold his own when challenged. Right after his Gempukku he embarked on a Musha Shugyo (a warrior pilgrimage) and went to duel anyone he would get into a duel with him.

He lost every duel he was in, in the first four months. gaining him the reputations as the worst duelist in Rokugan. It was so bad that those who learned his name would beg him not to duel them for his own sake.

One day he was invited to come to a court with a Clan Duelist who had defeated him. The Crane felt bad for the foolish Lion. At the court there were two Crab one of them had becomes enraged because his sister had been compared to an ox. She was in fact an ugly woman but Okamoto challenged the Crane who had insulted the woman to a duel.

The thing that shocked everyone was that Okamoto won. The Crane he faced had not really been trying but the Lion push over appeared legitimately skilled in court. Afterwards to test to see if it had been a flewk all of the court's duelists one by one challenged Okamoto and one by one he lost to them.

Okamoto joked that the Fortunes must find the Crab Woman quite lovely.

The Lion then traveled some more he seemed to be blessed when fighting for a cause, he offered his services to those who had no one to fight for them, and in the time he was traveling as a wondering duelist he lost only five of those duels.

His last most notable duel was against a Scorpion, Okamoto had been in the Court in Phoenix lands for some time, when a Scorpion who had been spurned by a Phoenix Lady tried to ruin her reputation, the Phoenix Lady's betrothed was going to face the Scorpion, however he was found to be ill the day of the duel.

No one in the court would dare champion the woman, except Okamoto. The Scorpion had watched Okamoto loose every duel he had been in since he had arrived and didn't even bother to threaten the man should he win. Okamoto suddenly showed such skill he cut off one of the Scorpion's ears with ease.

He was the hero of the Court until rumours began that he was a lover of the Phoenix woman who's honour he had saved. He left quietly soon after.

Returning Home

When Okamoto returned home his father was furious, rumours of his son's incompetent dueling had made it back to the older Lion, the Lion Lord threatened to make his son's lack of Clan status permanent. Okamoto asked his father that he be allowed to duel someone to earn his way back into his family.

Okamoto won his skill in a duel was unquestionable, though hardly a Master of the Kakita style or the Miramoto style, Okamoto was certainly a superior duelist.

The Lion had no just been loosing he had been watching, watching what the men facing him were doing while dueling. He of course did not learn any school techniques from this but he used a greater understanding of his opponent to hone his own technique which he then tested when he dueled for someone not himself.

Okamoto was welcomed by his father having succeeded at what his father sent him out to do.

War's First Strike

With Okamoto's terrible reputation as a duelist, and the Crane being perched precariously around Lion Lands the Crane decided to try and take Okamoto's lands. The theory was that Okamoto could be defeated easily in a duel and the war would be light and there would be few casualties.

The Crane Lord who wished to expand his land into Okamoto was renown for his beautiful daughter all but one had been married off in excellent marriages. The youngest was unwed and the Crane Lord's Favourite, he had sworn that she would never wed and when he had retired she would be sent to a monastery.

The Crane called in some favours from the Unicorn, the Unicorn and Lion animosity was very fresh and it allowed the Crane to bolster their army.

Marching their troops into Okamoto's lands the General and Land owner marched his men out to face the Crane. The Crane's best duelist stepped forward to face Okamoto, the Crane said if they won then Okamoto would have to surrender half his lands to the Crane. Okamoto agreed, if he won then this war would be fought with no more duels.

The Crane were a little nervous about this but Okamoto was renown for being and awful duelist. Him and the Crane took positions, and Okamoto's eye was sliced through almost immediately and the Crane though he would fall down. He did not.

Okamoto's next action was to cut the Crane down blood still running down his face he pointed his blood katana at the waiting Crane and told them to ready for war.

Killing Horses

Okamoto knew that in this type of war the Unicorn were the most dangerous part of his opponents. The thing that made the Unicorn so strong were their horses. Okamoto offered huge rewards for taking down Unicorn Horses.

His major feet against the Unicorn was when he diverted water from a river creating a waist deep swamp of mud on the battle field. He had his men work on it over night so that things would have settled by the time the Unicorn road at them.

The Horses became stuck and Okamoto ordered his men to pepper them with arrow. The Unicorn retreated, the Lion let the Crane have the march and sent out riders and archers to route the Unicorn coming along behind the Lion Army.1

Making the Crane Bleed

Okamoto's Campaign against the Crane was fierce and bloody pushing them back into their own lands, however Okamoto never took any of the Crane's actual lands from them. His goal was not to take land for himself but to make the Crane bleed for thinking they could strike at the Lion and then just go home.

At the climax of the War joint Unicorn and Crane forces Killed the men in the Unit that Okamoto was fighting in and after a bloody fight dragged Okamoto to the Crane Lord. Okamoto stated he was ready to negotiate.

Okamoto allowed himself to be patched up to the barest amount but refused to take a bath or change his clothes before the negotiations. Making him appear like a mad man. He carried himself with quiet dignity as he bled in front of the Crane Lord.

"If you do not settle with me my men have Orders to carve their way through Crane Lands until they hit Miya territory and then place the head of every Crane Man facing the Imperial Capital."

"And if I cut off your head?"

"I have told them to do double." Okamoto stated calmly.

Crane's Curse

Still wounded Okamoto road back to his lands on the Crane Lord's finest horse, he had sworn not to attack the Crane's lands and only to engage in warfare with the Crane or the Unicorn if Provoked. He also had with him the Crane Lord's most precious daughter.

The daughter had been a bit of spite, he wanted this to hurt the Crane and he felt this was a wound they would not soon forget. The Crane Lord called to Okamoto as he road away, "Akodo Okamoto-San, May your daughter be as precious to you as mine has been to me."

At the time Okamoto thought this was some form of bless or meant to make the Lion feel guilty. He later believe that the man had cursed him, not through black magic but a father's love.

After announcing to his men that the War was over Okamoto collapsed from his wounds.

Dying Four Days

Okamoto was taken back to his family home, his brother began to get nervous and his men thought he may have been poisoned by the Crane. In truth his wounds were bad, he likely had some form of infection. His new Bride cared for him staying at his side day by day growing fearful that the Lion may blame her.

In fact one of Okamoto's men started to come to her and threaten her, every day the threats became worse as to what he would do to her if his Lord died. Including sending her head back to her father in a box.

On the fourth day in the middle of his threats Okamoto rose from his bed and severed the man's head from his shoulders, and had his head put on a pike to show what happens to those who threaten the family of Akodo Okamoto.


Not long after Okamoto was married his wife gave birth to a little girl. She never got pregnant again his daughter was the only child he would ever have. She was graceful, charming and she filled Okamoto with joy and a crushing sorry all at once.

Okamoto had succumb to the Crane's Curse. He could never bring himself to arrange a marriage for her and adopted his nephew to become his heir when he gave up on his wife bearing him a son. The General never blamed his wife for her father's curse.2

During his time Okamoto had made many enemies and his daughter grew up with her father under constant threats of being attacked.

Okamoto's daughter had her mother's loveliness and her father's noble air, her father had hoped she would become a courtier, instead she begged her father to allow her to go to the Akodo bushi School so that she could become his body guard. He told her he would forbid it but then she begged and couldn't bear to say no.

His heart breaks every time she is in combat.


Retiring at the same time most Samurai do. 40, Okamoto looks like and old man far beyond that. He is missing an eye, his face have several scars peppering it. His once black hair has thick white and gray streaks. He is missing a tooth as well as several fingers.

Okamoto's body creaks when he moves, and he cannot walk without use of a cane. He has become an adviser to his nephew who is Lord of his lands, and on occasion is asked advice by the daymio. He and his wife are still married though they tend to follow their own hobbies.

His daughter is still his bodyguard and people are still trying to kill him. His lands have never been threatened by another army, even the Shimizu whom he shares a boarder with seem afraid to attack an army trained by the Great Akodo Okamoto.

Writings and Rumours

Before his retirement a novel was published about Okamoto's early days written by an Ikoma who had never met the man in his life. "No One's Champion" is a highly romanticized version of Okamoto's wonders as a terrible duelist.

It depicts Okamoto as a young man who's father has given him an impossible task and keeps on getting in duels despite being bad at them. The truth is completely lost as Okamoto is described as protecting the virtue of women without defenders then bedding them in huge romantic affairs to leave when things turn sour.

Okamoto wrote his own book which was a collection of quotes and tactics he found particularly useful from other Akodo Generals. It was more like a personal note book, however others he spoke to wished copies and he had them copied.

This collection was called "Advice from Akodo's Generals" and is not well known outside the Akodo.

Recently Okamoto has decided to write his memoirs, going to the Ikoma libraries to get Ikoma scribes to help him with the process, this is a more accurate story of his life though some things have been left out to save face.

He has titled this "General Akodo Okamoto's Memoirs" the Ikoma find him unimaginative.
