Held in the village of Tsuma, the Topaz Championship is the most prestigous coming-of-age ceremony, or gempuku, in all of Rokugan. Hosted by the Kakita Family, it provides a chance for each clan to test their best and brightest against one another. Though all contestants can pass the tests and become samurai, the winner claims glory for themselves and their clan becoming the Topaz Champion, or potentially even an Emerald Magistrate for the Empire. [1]
A coming-of-age ritual ceremony, common in the Emerald Empire, consisting of a series of contests concerning athletic skills, martial prowess, and knowledge of Rokugan’s history and culture. Every clan holds gempuku for their young adult samurai where upon completion they receive their, daishō, adult name, and often gifts from their families. The Topaz Championship is an exclusive gempuku hosted by the Crane clan for the best and brightest across Rokugan. [2]
The competition spans three days, during which the contestants will be judged by members of the Great Clans in several categories of skill, knowledge, and culture.
During the first day, contestants compete in sumai, heraldry, an athletics foot race, and horseback riding. The day ends with a contest of conduct. [3]
During the second day, the contestants demonstrate their proficiency with weaponry (selecting a wooden weapon and spar to first palpable hit), poetry, law, Go, archery, and hunting (shugenja and monks are invited to return with valuable or rare medicinal herbs). [4]
The competitors advance to the third day, where they participate in a single-elimination dueling contest, known as iaijutsu, to determine the actual winner of that year's Topaz Championship. Shugenja performed a parallel magic-oriented contest known as taryū-jiai, and if the winner amasses more total points than the winner of the iaijutsu, then the shugenja will be named the Topaz Champion. [5]
The contestant that scores the highest becomes the Topaz Champion of the Empire, tasked with living as an example of all that a samurai can be. They are granted the ceremonial armor of the Topaz Champion, and a splendid katana forged by Kakita Artisans. [6]