Kōkyo, Imperial District, Planet New Tokyo, House Kusari, 836 A.S
Imperial Prime Minister - Sanae Miyasu
Members of the Katsuherabo Clan, members of the Kazu family,
Darkness has fallen upon your family and everyone struck by the inhumane attack yesterday. I wish to extend my condolences, however I do not see it as sufficient to only extend a superfluous gesture as this.
I do not wish to disturb your right to grief, nor do I wish to force myself into the Katsuherabo Clan's internal affairs but I would kindly request the location of young Katsuherabo Shinobu and the permission to visit her in this time of need. After such a visit took place, I believe there are matters of grave importance to discuss. The recent spike in terrorist activity throughout Kusari might be tied to an underlying, external factor, I am afraid. I wish to consult with you about this in private fashion before carrying my concerns to the parliament and consequently the KOI.
Kagura, Financial District, Planet New Tokyo, House Kusari, 836 A.S
Minister of Culture and Tourism - Kazu Hoang
Prime Minister Sanae Miyasu-dono,
Your presence and support during this time are both welcome and appreciated. In all honesty, my wife would likely not approve of extensive visitation, however, I am of the opinion that a grief carried by many hands is a lighter grief than a grief carried by one. My wife is currently with young Shinobu-chan in the intensive care wing of Fuyoii Island Hospital, as Shinobu-chan was one of her favorite nieces. Her very name represents an attempt at undoing past sins and generational curses, something near and dear to my wife's heart. However, today would be an insensitive day to tell our Tale of Five Foxes.
I am currently in the Kagura Financial District on New Tokyo, as the Owari family has demanded the lifting of the Seal of Blades and the return of the Exorcism Corps, and we have neither reason nor leverage to deny them. I likely will not be able to leave for a week at least, as the structure of the Owari and Katsuherabo families commands shifts. If you intend to visit, I will inform my wife of your expected arrival. I am aware that she already has tentative results of the Owari family's investigation.
Kōkyo, Imperial District, Planet New Tokyo, House Kusari, 836 A.S
Imperial Prime Minister - Sanae Miyasu
Minister Hoang Kazu-san.
I am grateful for this opportunity and will depart at once. This utterly horrible attack is causing more than just your family and adjacent factions to move. Separated, the clans, families, Naval divisions, KOI detachments and so on of Kusari are vulnerable. In times like these, unity is key. First and foremost, I want to aid young Shinobu-san but then we will have to move on towards coordination and unity in our actions.
I suppose your wife will be capable of briefing me about the implications of this Seal of the Blades and the Exorcism Corps? I would prefer if nobody rushed to actions on their own, at least not without sharing their intentions first.
Kagura, Financial District, Planet New Tokyo, House Kusari, 836 A.S
Minister of Culture and Tourism - Kazu Hoang
Prime Minister Sanae Miyasu-dono,
My wife is informed and is expecting your arrival.
As for the Seal of Swords and the Exorcism Corps, I can explain that with some depth, though the greater connotations and intricacies of the Seal are more fully understood by my wife. The Seal of Swords was a punishment imposed by the Seventh Patriarch of Kazu, Kazu Kirito, on the Owari family after the Zenitsu Butchering, during the end of the turbulent split of Neo-Shinto from Buddhist values.
During the splitting, the Zenitsu clan and the Owari family had an intense falling out over the rescinding of two marriages between the families. What started as insults and pettiness escalated to threats, a final and lethal mistake. The Owari family has held a generational and hereditary love for martial and military prowess, staking leadership of their family and personal honor in those extreme fighting skills. They are some of the most formidable footsoldiers in existence, and when the Zenitsu clan made the mistake of insulting their skill and threatening them in return, the Owari family was quick to respond.
The records of the incident go on to describe that thirty one soldiers from the Owari family set out towards the Zenitsu clan's annual summit, leaving behind a note reading "May they reincarnate". Reincarnation and the cycle of rebirth was one of the main topics that led to the split of Buddhists and the Neo-Shinto. The record states that the Owari family soldiers ignored the commands of both Owari Hatake, the head of the family, and Kazu Kirito, Patriarch of Kazu, to turn back and stand down. They proceeded to enter the estate of Zenitsu and slaughtered each of the four hundred twenty seven Zenitsu clan attendees of the summit, ending the Zenitsu clan without a single wound on an Owari soldier.
Upon their return, the thirty one soldiers were apprehended by Igarashi enforcers, and were put to internal trial. Each of the soldiers were beheaded, and the seven Divine Generals of Owari and the Head of Owari were allowed to either be beheaded, or commit seppuku, with all eight choosing seppuku. Finally, Kazu Kirito enacted the Seal of Swords, limiting the armaments the Owari family soldiers were allowed to have, and limiting the actions they were allowed to take. Violation of the Seal of Swords is among the highest offense an Owari can commit against the greater Kazu family, and carries punishments ranging from disownment to execution, depending on the nature of the violation.
The Exorcism Corps, likewise removed by the Seal of Swords, were a policing and mercenary force of the Owari and Katsuherabo families, made available to the open public by way of a strict barter, accepting neither monetary nor commodity for value, but instead trading their services for trophies of sentimental value. They commonly made themselves hirable by the urban poor and rural, though scribes note that their attitude towards it was more of a sport than a charity. Spiritual cleansings were often handled by Katsuherabo priests, however, "demon hunting" was the specialty of the Owari family soldiers, ranging from petty criminals to civil offenders to certain infamous serial killers.
My wife and I intend to impose strict restrictions on the Exorcism Corps, should they chose to come back together with the lifting of the Seal of Swords, and servants from the Igarashi family will be spread among the Owari and Katsuherabo families to ensure an incident like the Zenitsu Butchering does not happen again. Nonetheless, the cry for response, for safety by any means necessary, is a loud cry indeed.
First, I wish to extend my gratitude for your wife's hospitality. Shinobu-chan seemingly hasn't lost her energetic side due to this attack, which I am glad about. Casting a smile on that poor girl's face was worth the trip alone.
I managed to find sufficient time to go through any archives related to the Owari Family and the Zenitsu Clan I could find following your message. I cannot permit a repetition of history to occur under any circumstances and I will not stand for armed zealots roaming the streets and acting according to their own directive or that of the Kazu family. Vigilantes seeking revenge in blood will only endanger more of our citizens, embolden the terrorists and encourage them to leash out against anyone anywhere . Combating a bloodbath with another is not addressing the underlying issue.
We know where this attack came from. We know how to prevent further strikes from being successful, and I do not see a reason to deny the Owari Family from possessing more leeway when it comes to strictly location security. Everything else remains in the hands of the State Police and the KOI. They will not take kindly to any attempts to "deliver justice" without their oversight either, believe me.
Find a way to appease to their desire for more autonomy without endangering our citizens. I will do the same by conversing with his Lord Commander Tazuka about the incident directly. Steering his attention to prevention measures, passive and active ones, should be more than sufficient to appease even the loudest voices, don't you agree?
Kagura, Financial District, Planet New Tokyo, House Kusari, 836 A.S
Minister of Culture and Tourism - Kazu Hoang
Prime Minister Sanae Miyasu-dono,
The restrictions I have imposed are thus:
The Exorcism Corps are restricted to never act without prior command, and will only consist of the twenty-one currently-allotted Onigoro, eleven from Katsuherabo and ten from Owari.
Tamashī no torihiki, the tradition of trading their services for objects of sentimental and emotional value remains outlawed.
The Kami no Hitomi must remain sealed.
Tsujigiri remains outlawed.
The trade of Owari armaments to outsiders of any kind remains outlawed.
The penalty of violation is death.
They are not, and will not be a policing force, nor the wayward mercenaries they were three hundred years ago. The lifting of the Seal of Swords is a proactive step so as not to commit the sin of forcing a family with the pride and honor of the Owari family to fail a command where they could have succeeded when unrestricted, as was the loudest complaint of those in command of the guards of cousin Junpei. There was no proof against the claim that the presence of a single Onigoro could have prevented both the death of cousin Junpei and the hospitalization of young Shinobu-chan. There was no rebuttal to be found against the claim that the fear of a younger and more foolish time was shackling the ability of an older and wiser family.
Passion is a river that flows swiftly into the Lake of Error. I believe these concessions and their attached limitations will allow them to wade in the waters to cool themselves, but keep them away from the current. Posturing, strengthening, ensuring that their concerns about being chained to inaction are addressed will be more than enough to calm them. If you ever have reason to suspect that the Exorcism Corps have overstepped their bounds, however, I simply ask that you bring such concerns before the Kazu family. I may not be known for my own strictness, but the children still call dearest Kumano "the Demon Queen", so I am certain no complaint will fall on deaf ears, and no action will escape the strict oversight of law and order.
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