The Isawa family rules the Phoenix Clan from Kyūden Isawa, their seat of power. [1]
Founded by Isawa of the Tribe of Isawa before the imperial calendar and eventually absorbed by the Phoenix Clan.
The family Mon is a symbolic representation of the Five Rings.
They are the foremost of Rokugan's scholars and shugenja. Many of the Empire's shugenja traditions originate with the Isawa family, and more children of the Isawa were born with the ability to hear the kami than any other family in the Empire. Serving these priests are the Shiba family, who have sworn to protect the clan's shugenja since their founder, Shiba, knelt to Isawa. [2]
Beyond their affinity for shugendō, the Isawa were generally scholarly, with a great curiosity about lore of all types. Many were also reclusive, spending much of their life engaged in mystical research and meditation. They had no martial tradition, and they rarely engaged in politics. Those Isawa who were born without a facility for shugendō typically pursued lives as priests, scholars, or monks. [3] The Isawa did not carry weapons and fought only as a last resort. [4]
The provinces of the Isawa were difficult to access, isolated by mountains and forests. The seacoast was rocky, barren, and lashed by unpredictable weather and frequent storms. Inland, the Isawa lands had a large proportion of wilderness, such as the Isawa Mori, with only a few roads traversing it. Swamp and marsh bordered the forest on both its eastern and western sides, while farther west, the ground rose into the barren, rugged mountains that boundary the eastern side of the Dragon Heart Plains. The Isawa were reliant on seasonal fishing, and on imported food. Their limited access and forbidding nature meaned that these lands were quite safe and secure. [5]
The following are the most prominent Isawa schools:
The Elemental Masters who sit on the Council of Five were the true rulers of the Phoenix. They are almost always drawn from the Isawa. [6]
Also known as jizamurai, vassals are smaller families that pledge loyalty to one of the greater clan families. They are often formed as a reward for great service. Known vassal families are listed below.