Ishiwa "Ginryu" Yujiro

Reito no Kanazuchi
Reiryu-do no Godan
Go Kamisori Gama no Sekkuku
Agent of the Court of Shooting Stars

Description


~Ginryu's fists stand out the most. Each knuckle is heavily calloused, turning his hands into overlarge, meaty appendages. His trade isn't hard to guess by sight of those fists. The Japanese pugilist appears to be in his waning 20s; he has the vigor of youth but the calm and attentive mien of a maturing man. Ginryu sweeps one of those ugly hands through his short-trimmed, unstyled black hair. A faint if cocky smirk curls up his thin lips and creases the slightly weather-worn skin of his face. The arrogant attitude seems to extend to cool brown eyes. Often the liquid depths of his gaze is hidden by a pair of circular sunglasses perched on the end of his nose. Ginryu strides with the confidence borne of many victories in life. It's probable that those victories are martial because while he's of average height for an Asian, he's quite well-muscled. Ginryu doesn't pack bulging muscles, but he's as lean as a snake. And clearly his pride lies with his body not his sense of fashion, for he has none really. He wears simple monochromatic attire, often black or white or a combination thereof. The garments consist of plain slacks, street shoes, and a t-shirt or dress shirt. Often, a long leather duster will be draped over his shoulders, the material shimmering just a touch. The way he moves, the words he chooses to utter, and the firecracker sparkle in his eyes illustrates an impulsive but adaptive life. Ginryu appears to be as hard as a mountain but as fluid as the sea. He comes across as kinetic as a thunderbolt yet fleet as any shadow.~

OOC: Appearance 2; Arcane 2

"Regenerate this."

History


Open Hand

Coupling between the families within Clan Reiryu was not only common, it was encouraged. Hinodi Ran, a lowly and unAwakened servant, married Ishiwa "Zeikin" Hachiro, an Awakened defender of Reiryu lands. Together they produced two sons, Taro and Yujiro. Both inherited their father's talent for pugilism, but only one of them would Awaken like his father.

From the day Yujiro was born in 1967, he was immersed in the shadowy and secretive life of the ninja. Cached away in the heart of Hokkaido, the clan estate and its satellite villages all maintained an isolated and unknown distance from the government of Japan. Seers of the clan foretold Yujiro's Awakening. It was eagerly anticipated and both his parents made sure he understood the realities of the Hidden World even before he Awakened. Both brothers were trained and educated like all ninja of Clan Reiryu. Yujiro especially demonstrated a natural predilection for taijitsu -- the weaponless forms of combat used in ninjitsu.

Reverence for the kami, respect of one's elders, and loyalty to the clan were all virtues nailed home in Yujiro. Neither brother were expected to step out of line with any of the clan's adult members, Awakened or not. Yujiro respected that boundary, but became a consummate bully of his young peers. The behavior was never discouraged either. Strength was valued among ninja. The youth's fiery behavior reflected in his dreams. A mystery conflagration dominated his rest. They were dancing flames that drew him closer as if hypnotized, when the heat of the fire should have driven him away. Yujiro suspected the nature of these dreams had much to do with his future.

And Yujiro always knew what he wanted to be, what he was destined to be. It instilled in his heart a sense of profound self-confidence. Overconfidence never took root in a young Yujiro, in part because his father had no compunction about knocking the boy on his ass if he ever got lippy. Besides, Yujiro wasn't bullying his peers to make himself feel bigger and better. He bullied others when they appeared weak. He understood the importance of being strong and sought to purge that weakness in his comrades before it got them hurt…and by extension, him hurt, too. These were his future teammates, after all!

Into the Fire

The inevitable Awakening finally occurred in 1979. The youths of the clan were gathered around a campfire and listened to an elder tell stories of the greatest heroes and warriors among the Go Kamisori Gama clans. At the height of one tale, Yujiro brashly interrupted. He boasted that he could do the same as the demon-conquering "fists" hero. The irritated storyteller dared Yujiro to prove that claim. So he did, attacking the campfire with a frenzy of punches and kicks. Naturally, he caught on fire and was badly burnt before he could be extinguished and sent to the infirmary.

While lying there and healing, peers paid him a visit, only to call him a stupid fool. He slipped into a restless sleep. Once more he envisioned that conflagration, but now it seemed like it was daring him, too. His own tamashii seemed to be taunting and urging the boy. In his dreams, Yujiro attacked over and over! Every time he thrust his arm or leg into the fire, he was burnt again. But his shrieks of pain became screams of defiance. The fire of his dreams was broiling him Awake. And Awaken he did, sitting up the next morning fully restored of his own accord.

Proud of their Awakened son, Yujiro's parents bestowed the ginyari (a spear crafted of silver) upon him, symbolizing his first step into manhood. Then his real training began. Typical ninjitsu methods were upgraded to include mystickal tutelage, handled mainly by Master Hinodi Daiki. And as proud of his family honor as Yujiro was, he never left the ginyari alone. Indeed, it became part of his kage-waza (shadow techniques, or spells). Due to his attitude, Yujiro's masters were tougher on him than others, as they hoped to temper the boy's confidence to prevent arrogance.

By the age of sixteen, Yujiro had trained as a ninja for nearly fifteen years, and almost five years of that included Awakened and mystickal instruction. He was ready to undertake his final test to achieve shodan -- the first degree of black belt. He tested alongside several others of the same age in a course artificially crafted by the masters. In one of the satellite villages, the young ninja were to fight and defeat "ghost devil" constructs that were attacking the village and endangering its people as well as the clan's security. The "ghost devils" were nothing more than potent illusions. All the same, wounds were suffered, and none more than on Yujiro. Yujiro insisted on fighting his enemies with his bare hands; whereas others could barely fell the "ghost devils" with weapons, Yujiro battered the illusions into oblivion. He fared well enough to pass the test. In honor of the spear and family, Yujiro accepted the codename of Ginryu thereafter.

Ginryu vs. the Tenryu

Immediately starting after his test, Ginryu was assigned to one of several teams of ninja (mostly Ishiwa) that patrolled the satellite villages and outlands of the Reiryu Clan estate. Early in his career, he saw little danger. Occasionally, some ruffian acted up in one of the villages, and Ginryu was often the one to pummel the punk back into shape. A climatic incident dealing with such ruffians occurred in 1985. A village girl, Nobura Riko, was being harassed by a whole group of ruffians. Her fate was clear had Ginryu not interceded. He saved the girl, thrashing the punks senseless. In that moment, satori burnt within: Ginryu recognized that his role would be akin to that of a mythical hero, bold and fearless. He became enamored with Riko thereafter and the two dated steadily.

Before Ginryu could really enjoy his newfound love life, a renewed rivalry dawned for the Reiryu Clan. The Tenryu Clan began to sneak sappers into the satellite villages, burning two of them to the ground in 1988. Poor Riko was in one of those villages and perished. Ginryu was infuriated and hungered for revenge. Master Hinodi Daiki promised revenge would be given; Ginryu wasn't the only one who lost friends or relatives. But Hinodi-sensei schooled Ginryu to remain calm and cool. He would not be left out of vengeance.

The Reiryu sought to bait the Tenryu into more attacks on helpless villages. They seeded every village with their own ninja disguised as the agricultural peasants. But the Tenryu anticipated this trick. Instead of sending in a few precise sappers, the Tenryu reverted to its older, more spectacular methods of attacks. Summoning the power of the elements, the villages were assaulted by tornadoes that spun down from the heavens and waterspouts that tore across inundated rice paddies. The Reiryu resistance was decimated swiftly; Ginryu saw his own brother, Taro, be tossed aside and his body broken like a ragdoll. But throughout the villages, one or two defenders became heroes. In the village to which Ginryu was assigned, he was that hero. Instead of fleeing the cyclones, Ginryu charged, vengeance on his mind. His fists blazed with holy fire: the winds were burnt away with each strike that threatened to tear his body asunder. But he prevailed. The tides turned against the Tenryu in that village and others, and the rivalry was halted with another proof of Reiryu strength.

Ginryu vs. the Zaibatsu

After the Tenryu rivalry simmered down, Ginryu saw a few years of relative peace and quiet. Other conflicts faced the Reiryu -- the clan was always fighting to expand its influence or defend its interests. But those conflicts were for other heroes to shine. Ginryu's next chance to fight a good fight arrived in 1993. The Japanese government introduced plans to build dams on several rivers in Hokkaido that were being called the "New Ezo Plans". Most of the rivers served as the natural routes for dragon lines, which in turn fed the powerful Dragon Nest upon which the Reiryu Clan sat. The clan tried political avenues of recourse first, availing its influence upon provincial officials. That failed so miserably that the Reiryu suspected the machinations of the Zaibatsu -- the Technocracy -- behind the dam plans. Clearly, the Zaibatsu suspected the presence of a Node and wanted it for themselves.

So the Ishiwa were dispatched to harass and sabotage the builders of the dams. For a year, death threats and other methods of coercion were issued upon the workers and professionals. The threats were largely ignored and dismissed as "crazy environmentalists", or even blamed on Ainu residents of Hokkaido. Regardless, security was boosted. The time came to act on some of those threats. Ginryu was given a target of assassination. He had to plow through two bodyguards that confirmed the clan's suspicions. The guards' cybernetic enhancements could not withstand Ginryu's punishment. He stole into the house of one of the key dam engineers and strangled the unfortunate man to death with his bare hands.

The media blamed the string of murders now on "extremists". Work slowed to a crawl for a year as fear overcame many of those involved. In 1997, however, the Zaibatsu pushed once more and received government clearance to finish building the dams. The Reiryu reacted immediately. Some teams were sent to demolish the dams-in-progress while others were sent to handle personnel. Ginryu joined one of the latter teams. Once more, he distinguished himself with his brazen and deadly flurry of weaponless attacks. He took on Technocratic soldiers and even the dreaded Terminator-ish HIT Marks face to face.

The threat was thus expunged. The New Ezo Plans were abandoned and the government vowed to "hunt down the extremists" responsible for the sabotage and murders. At the same time, Reiryu operatives insured the government would not be pawned against them in the same way again. Blackmail and extortion kept officials in line thereafter. Ginryu recognized once more that his contributions were great, but without his clanmates his efforts meant nothing. Together, they were unconquerable.

Ginryu vs. the Hengeyokai

For the following year, Ginryu received some more "time off". Sure, he was constantly patrolling and training. It was just that nothing happened on his watch. There were conflicts nonetheless. Yanlinjinshen werewolves of Ainu descent began to trespass in Reiryu woodlands. They didn't penetrate too deeply, but they wouldn't frighten off either. When the Yanlinjinshen encountered hazards, they withdrew and instead sent in spirits to spy and scout for them.

In 1999, while other Reiryu dealt with these lesser kami that did the werewolves' bidding, Ginryu was one of the ninja sent to deal with the Yanlinjinshen themselves. Other Reiryu fought the werewolves wisely, attacking the vicious beasts from a distance. Not Ginryu! The pugilist waded right into battle, fighting toe-to-toe with the Crinos forms of the werewolves. And he was kicking their asses! The Yanlinjinshen demonstrated great pluck and the skirmishes between werewolf and ninja continued over the year. Deaths piled up on both sides of the conflict.

And Ginryu was only emboldened when he not only survived brawling with werewolves, but he defeated some and so far lost to none. His fearless pride had a cost though. His inner progress slowed. In his dreams, the fire of his tamashii grew too high and too hot for him to survive. Ginryu realized he was fanning his own flames, thereby blocking his own temperament and possible perfection.

Blood for Blood

While Ginryu considered his own recklessness, the Yanlinjinshen decided to strike the Reiryu hard. The werewolves declared that the ninja were Yomi-tainted -- demonic -- to justify their attack. They mounted a full-out assault, with complete war packs and spirit allies. Tengu wereravens served as the werewolves' eyes in the sky. In a conventional battle against similar enemies, the show of force might have been a truly impressive thing.

But the Reiryu's ancient skills and defenses shut the foolish hengeyokai's attacks down. They sealed the Wall, separating the Yanlinjinshen's spirit allies from the earth. Tengu were shot down and the ranks of Yanlinjinshen were decimated with silver weapons. Ginryu was on the front lines of that battle, plowing his way through werewolves with silver cesti ("brass knuckles").

The Reiryu were never the sort to leave attacks unanswered unless the enemy was thoroughly whipped. The hengeyokai still lusted for battle. In a strategic move designed to infuriate the hengeyokai beyond common sense, the Reiryu dispatched some of its members, Ginryu included, to an Ainu village up north. Many of these Ainu were Kin to the Yanlinjinshen; the entire village was massacred: man, woman, and child. All was quiet for a few months after that calculated atrocity. The Yanlinjinshen did not react with the ferocity the Reiryu expected.

Shadow War

Instead, in 2001 the werewolves initiated what they called Low War, or Shadow War -- the use of more nefarious tactics. Of course, that was what Ginryu and his ilk always employed, because that was what won battles! The werewolves hired Nezumi (wererats) assassins. The Nezumi swept into Reiryu territory, some burrowing underground while others flew overhead on mystical shadow-kites. Despite this stealth, many of them were spotted and Reiryu defenders reacted. Ginryu was among the front line counter-attackers. And here the Ishiwa received his first true defeat. The wererats were far too fast for him to match. He was bowled right over.

Luckily, he avoided a coup de grace, since the Nezumi were in far too much of a rush to penetrate the heart of the territory and assassinate the clan elders. And more than a dozen Nezumi did pass the front line defense...only to be slaughtered at the hands of ancient Awakened ninja masters who could hold their own against demon lords, nevermind piddly wererats. The wererats' trespass aggravated even the old masters, who saw to it that the spirits of those Nezumi were annihilated by ungodly spirit-magicks instead of being allowed to reincarnate.

The viciousness of the Reiryu's defense astounded even the Yanlinjinshen. Though Ginryu felt humbled by his personal defeat, he was more than eager to join in the Reiryu's counter-offensive against the Yanlinjinshen. That winter, the Reiryu waited until a fierce blizzard swept across Hokkaido. On a tip from a Tengu "informant" (who were notorious big-mouths), the Reiryu learned that the Yanlinjinshen were in the midst of a tribal ceremony in their Dragon Nest, honoring the power of the blizzard. But the werewolves were horrified when the spirits did not answer their obeisances. The spirits couldn't: the Reiryu sealed the Wall again as they launched a deadly surprise attack. Ginryu eagerly crushed werewolf and Kinfolk defenders alike.

When the dust settled after the brief battle, the surviving Yanlinjinshen were warned to never make war with the Reiryu again. The Reiryu left the Dragon Nest alone but confiscated almost all of the Yanlinjinshen's fetishes. They left only a court heirloom, since the item embodied the honor and heart of the tribe and would have been a death blow. This offered "olive branch" did not go unnoticed and the Yanlinjinshen swore to their Reiryu conquerors to never attack them again. Ginryu observed but was no diplomat; the blood dripping from his knuckles was his statement to the enemy.

New Challenges

Beginning in 2002, Ginryu decided he was veteran enough to demand almost any role in the clan that he desired. He first requested time to focus on himself more. He decided to become the best of the best when it came to fisticuffs. He trained hard in taijitsu and developed greater physical prowess even as he neared his middle age. Ginryu meditated diligently on the flames of his passion, pondering what he really wanted out of life. He came to compare himself to a sword being forged: he had to be tempered over and over. He would never be finished, never perfect.

Ginryu's satori also illuminated the fact that he immersed himself in the brutal lifestyle of the ninja more and more as time went on. And the reasons were simple: he wanted to avoid facing the painful emotional realities of his girlfriend and brother's deaths. Ginryu continued to participate in patrols as a devoted son of the Ishiwa family. Now though it was less out of a competitive lust and more out of his sense of giri (duty). More frequently, he was teaching the next generation of Ishiwa defenders, giving them "on the job" training.

But that didn't feel fulfilling anymore than patrolling did. Ginryu craved more. He hungered for new opportunities and new challenges. Finally, his old sensei, Hinodi Daiki, suggested that Ginryu move overseas and join the Reito Cabal that Master Hinodi "Nekoko" Kimi established. Having heard of fierce enemies in America and the West in general, Ginryu decided this was where his Path next led. He would test his "fists" on the swagger of Kin-jin and Sunset People until the whole world recognized and feared the strength of Ginryu and the Reiryu Clan.

Significant Other


Ginryu encountered Ryusugi "Kobushi" Sanjo Miya back at the Reiryu Estate in early 2006, before either of them transferred to Nekoko's Reito brigade. The two were barely acquainted due to different families and very different duties. Once they began to train together, it became clear to them both that their specific fighting styles were very similar. But far more fascinating was their mutual predilection for brawling, for pummeling foes as opposed to merely cutting throats or poisoning drinks. A grappling game became wild-cat pillowing, and the two decided to keep each other as lovers until someone better came along. That doesn't seem likely, considering how much alike these two are!


Kobushi

Weakness
"On the Wall"


Ginryu is quite willing to fight and defend his family and clan from their enemies. In fact, he's too eager to leap right into the fray. Whether it's to prove to his clanmates or to himself that he's the best of the best, he's the first fighter on the front lines. This makes him the most vulnerable and the most likely to suffer or die first.

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Ginryu possesses a strong tamashii, not easily thwarted. He fights with all his heart. Unfortunately, his magical defenses of the soul are low. He must rely on his cabalmates to protect him from direct efforts of corrupting demons.

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