Hakari is the Bishamon ancestor of Tokyo.
Biography[]
Hakari, the current Bishamon ancestor, has been influential in the uji since the Tokugawa shogunate. In this century, he has observed the transformation of Japan from a defeated and physically obliterated nation to a world superpower at the millennium's close. He has seen everything from earthquakes to war to whirlwind technological change during the span of his unlife, and he agrees with very little of it. Hakari is from the old guard of Kuei-jin, those factions that pride themselves on their fealty to the ancient Dharmas and that lament the Westernization which has gripped a significant percentage of young Kuei-jin ever since the surrender in 1945.
In his mortal life, Hakari was a samurai who distinguished himself during the Battle of Sekigahara through his masterful leadership as a lieutenant alongside the great Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Ieyasu acceded to the shogunate, he personally chose Hakari to be one of his close advisors, given the samurai's natural affinity for strategy and his ironclad loyalty in the service of his feudal lord. Hakari soon became one of Ieyasu's most cherished ministers, and many times was the only person with whom Ieyasu communicated on important matters.
Hakari committed seppuku upon the death of Ieyasu, according to the custom of the time. He spent his kôa in a close communion with other shen and supernatural forces of the island as he learned the intricacies of the several spirit realms. During this self-imposed asceticism, Hakari dedicated his second existence to the perpetual service of the shogunate. He returned to Edo during the reign of Tsunayoshi, the "dog shogun," and insinuated himself back into the leader's household under the guise of a gardener for the shogun's vast estates.
Fearful of drawing attention to himself, Hakari kept to the shadows and botanical houses during the daylight hours, when he would provide a sympathetic ear to the shogun. At night, he visited Tsunayoshi in the shogun's quarters for a private audience. It was not long before Hakari attracted the attention of other Kuei-jin, who were affronted at such a comparative upstart having access to the shogun, battle hero or not. One night, a small group of vampires decided to teach Hakari a lesson and set upon him as he made his way to an audience with Tsunayoshi. They sorely underestimated the old samurai and were never heard from again. Word soon spread throughout Edo's Kuei-jin community that the newcomer had made clear exactly who had the shogun's attention.
Hakari continued to play the role of eminence gris in Edo Castle throughout the reign of Tsunayoshi and his descendants. When the shogunate fell in 1868, and Japan was officially opened to foreigners, Hakari's once-resented role within the Imperial Palace came to be seen as vital in determining the country's new direction with regard to the outside world. The course of the next few decades induced a steadily mounting panic among many Kuei-jin wu in the nation's new capital, as the city shifted further out of native Japanese control (and Kuei-jin influence).
Throughout all of this confusion, Hakari bided his time. He took care not to anger any of the Kuei-jin factions fighting over the island's Chi deposits and spiritually pure sites. The horrors of the war, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the devastation of the capital proved to many that the presiding ancestor no longer possessed the Mandate of Hell required to govern the rubbled metropolis. The time had come to choose a successor who would save the city.
Several factions emerged from the smoke and ashes of the surrender, and each put up candidates who were then deemed unacceptable by the others. It was the moment Hakari had been waiting for. He stepped forward and offered to take the position of ancestor for as long as was necessary to restore the city to its former glory and health. After careful deliberation among their respective bodies, Hakari was chosen as ancestor of Tokyo.
Hakari had held this position for the last 50 years. He enjoys the unparalleled distinction of being the one candidate that each of the major faction tolerates. The Old Imperials, longing for the "good old days" of the shogun, see Hakari's connection to the Tokugawa clan as evidence of his holding the Mandate of Hell. The Haniwa regard Hakari as an able protector of the capital's secrets and relics, whereas the New Imperials believe that Hakari's longevity acts as a line between Earth and Heaven (just as they regard Emperor Akihito as a suitable stopgap while a true son of Japan is being located).
Hakari is content to let those groups debate among themselves. His sole concern is in facing the Sixth Age. Tokyo's ancestor maintains his court within the seclusion of the Imperial Palace. He prefers to let his right-hand man, Yoshida Ozaki, take care of affairs at street level. And Ozaki does so with unnerving efficiency. The present state of Western vampires within the capital has never sat well with Hakari, but the seduction of young Genji to corrupt Occidental ways especially infuriates him. Hakari blames such young Turks for the decay that beckons the Sixth Age. Rumors of a quick, Ozaki-led purge have arisen, but such tales have circulated for years. However, the fact that these stories are little more than rumor does not preclude the possibility of them coming true someday.
Image[]
Hakari is short and compact, about five-nine, with long straight gray hair and a thin, drooping mustache. In his guise as a gardener, Hakari dresses in drab work-clothes, which he dons while working in the grottos and other sun-shielded portions of the palace gardens. For his appearances as ancestor, however, Hakari is always decked out in his ceremonial warrior's garb, which evokes potent images of the fire that still curses through his being.
Haven[]
The Imperial Palace's private quarters, unseen by mortals for all but two days of the year, are Hakari's dwelling place.
Secrets[]
As ancestor, Hakari is in close contact with his coevals around the island, and he remains the guiding force behind any island-wide policies regarding the mixing of Kuei-jin and Kin-jin.
Influence[]
Hakari enjoys considerable influence and de facto control over those Kuei-jin who acknowledge his authority as ancestor. In addition, through his right-hand man, Yosdida Ozaki, Hakari also has pull with the mortal population.
Stats[]
Nature: Traditionalist
P'o Nature: The Barbarian
Demeanor: Director
Chi Balance: Yin
Direction: North
Dharma: Path of a Thousand Whispers 7
Physical: Strength 5, Dexterity 6, Stamina 5
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3
Mental: Perception 6, Intelligence 5, Wits 5
Talents: Alertness 4, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Expression 4, Intimidation 3, Leadership 4, Subterfuge 3
Skills: Animal Ken 3, Crafts 3, Etiquette 5, Martial Arts 6, Meditation 4, Melee 4
Knowledges: Bureaucracy 4, Linguistics 3, Occult 4, Politics 4, Rituals 5
Disciplines: Cultivation 4, Equilibrium 5, Internalize 4, Tapestry 4, Yang Prana 1, Yin Prana 3
Backgrounds: Allies 5, Herd 2, Horoscope 2, Rites 3
Chi Virtues: Yin 5, Yang 3
Soul Virtues: Hun 4, P'o 2
Willpower: 8
References[]
- WOD: A World of Darkness Second Edition, p. 144
- WOD: World of Darkness: Tokyo, p. 53-54