Kogane

The lively capital of Yushu. Located on the southeastern side of the island at the edge of the Mazu bay. The city has existed since the first Rokuganians settled on the island for its fertile soil. Seen as extremely defensive, with one mountain pass to the north, and the Mazu bay to the south, people naturally came and built the village up. It didn't take long before it was the largest city in Yushu, let alone one of the largest cities in all of Rokugan.  

Rise of the Sugikawa

When the Sugikawa clan rose to prominence in the last great Oni war, they were awarded reign over the island by the Tosakaga shogunate as well as the great four-story Tenshu castle built to oversee Kogane. From here the Sugikawa clan would develop the city further, installing much needed walls and beginning many public work projects. Many agree that the city has truly prospered from the rise of the Sugikawa clan, though the Sugikawans themselves were once farmers who tilled this very soil.   Because the city is run by the Sugikawa clan the laws and orders of the city are maintained by their elite Samurai. Rule under the Sugikawa is profitable and pleasant, attracting many peasant farmers to the city. Unlike many places in Rokugan, in Yushu farmers are not expected to give all the rice they grow as tribute to the Sugikawa clan for the right to work their lands. Instead they are only required to provide one Koku(200lbs of Rice) per year which leaves them with enough to not only feed themselves, but profit from the leftover.   Fishing has also become a profitable market in Kogane, but the laws and regulation on the fish themselves is strict. To ensure quality control, the Sugikawa clan only allow fishermen to sell higher quality fish in the Kogane markets. While this results in a small hassle and higher prices, it makes the fish much more nutritious and sought after. Thankfully with the living conditions the way they are, most townsfolk can afford the extra cost.   With most of the land being inhabited before the Sugikawa clan arrived, many houses and shacks are free from taxation, so as to not impose upon the inhabitants. If you work in the market district however, you are taxed for holding a stall. The taxes are 50% of your earnings that week, which is admittedly steep considering the Rokuun norm is 20%, but all the money goes into keeping the city clean and keeping clean water running throughout the city.  

Akuman Invasion

In the last months before the Calamities struck Asterra, a mysterious army of Samurai lead by a man calling himself Akuma invaded Yushu. Their army was large and struck all across the island at once, as if appearing from nowhere. A group that later became known as the Gold Lotus were sent to Western Yushu to investigate strange sightings of ships and movement along the coast. They arrived only to find a local village had been razed to the ground, chased off by a Samurai on horseback with whom they would slay. The strange man called Akuma introduced himself to the group, questioning their reluctance to take their trophy before telling them to run, for his next target was Kogane.   The pair rushed off from the village across Yushu until they reached Kogane, which was already under the last parts of a losing siege. The Akuman army had struck hard and fast. The group rendezvoused with a samurai retainer who let them into the Sugikawa castle's hidden path and fought their way through dozens of Akuman soldiers before reaching the top of the castle. There they learned that much of the Sugikawan family, along with their Samurai Retainers had been executed. The Daimyo, Yoshinaga, had only barely survived losing his arm in the process of the party providing a distraction for the people guarding him. Yoshinaga then gave the newly formed party of Ginko, Yuri, and Yi a new task; to find Yoshihiro, the son he'd just sent north to protect him from the Akuman threat. Just as the task was given to them, Akuma showed himself waking into the room and drawing his blade. Yoshinaga held his own blade out defending the party, forcing them to leave with his remaining family.   Many tales are still told of this event, how the Akuman army could have surrounded Yushu and conquered the entire island in the matter of weeks. Akuma himself seemed to be at every turn pulling the strings. The Party was chased across Yushu, beset several times by Akuman Samurai until they reached the bridge cities of Kabedomo and Kosadomo. The two cities were completely blockaded by the Akuman army, who had caught wind of the young Yoshihiro hiding out in the southern city. Akuma himself seemed to be leading the blockade in a great floating fortress of a ship on the water. The castle resting on the bridge that connected the two cities was under complete Akuman control along with the southern city, but this didn't stop the party from trying to find Yoshihiro.   In the matter of about a week of investigating, along with the help of the local populace who had remained loyal to the Sugikawa clan throughout the blockade, the Party did manage to rendezvous with Yoshihiro. Yoshihiro had managed to hide from Akuman sentries by masquerading around town dressed as a young woman. To the Party's surprise Yoshihiro had no intention of leaving the city under Akuman control. With the help of Sugikawan Ninja, the two parties started a joint operation to take out the leading vessel of the Akuman fleet while liberating the midcastle on the bridge, starting a revolt in the southern city.   The plan was a resounding success, as Yoshihiro with the help of his ninjas sabotaged several of the Akuman ships while the party, now calling themselves the Golden Lotus liberated he Midcastle and pressed onto the northern city where they regrouped with Yoshihiro. Yoshihiro awarded the party's valor with an estate of their own, the Kabedomo Castle. This was the first major loss for the Akuman invasion, and would effectively nuder their military campaign until they were finally pushed back out of Rokugan.   Yoshihiro had been traveling north to broken an alliance with an up and coming famous lord of the Kasai Clan, Nobunaga. Upon arriving, Yosihiro along with the Golden Lotus would complete their negotiations with the Kasai clan. The Golden Lotus would join the Kasai clan officially and help them with their war on the Kamigawa clan as the Kasai clan provided Yoshihiro with an army to retake Yushu with. Upon the agreement, Yoshihiro would retake all of Yushu. His men would speak of his unwavering devotion to retake the Island, as he would not personally stop to rest until Kogane itself was taken. And with that, Akuman control over Yushu was stamped out completely, and Yushu once again fell under Sugikawan control.  

After the Calamities

  As the Jade Dragon rose on the horizon threatening to sink all of Rokugan beneath the sea, the first wave of demons rose came out of their hiding all across Rokugan. One of the first people to respond was Yoshihiro Sugikawa, who stood atop Kogane's walls sniping the hoards that came to threaten his city from every angle. Many legends are passed around to this day that speak of the young daimyo's courage and ferocity in protecting his people from the demons. How he sped from wall to wall shooting every monstrosity he could with the aid of his already weakened army in a brave last stand to defend the city.   Many tell of the brave archer who was imbued with the power of great kami to unleash hundred-fold arrows from his quiver to halt the demon advances. In the end, the fighting would prove futile. When Yoshihiro defeated the demonic army and the first sun rose on the day after the Calamity he was met with a demonic man who eclipsed him in fighting prowess. The strange ashen skinned devil challenged Yoshihiro to a duel, no matter what if he accepted the duel the man would spare his city and his sisters. If he refused, the man would destroy everything Yoshihiro held dear.   Seeing no reason to refuse, Yoshihiro accepted the duel. The moment he accepted the duel he was beset upon by the man who was like a walking cataclysm. Yoshihiro stood no chance against the barbarian who beat him again and again, from sunrise to sunset, always ensuring to heal the man back up to full strength as he continued beating the man down. Yoshihiro's spirit took long to crack, but by the sunset the aggressor leaned in and whispered to Yoshihiro. Many speculate on what was spoken to Yoshihiro that would have made the man, so full of spirit, crumble in seconds. Yoshihiro was healed one last time, but instead of fighting back anymore, he simply laid there accepting his fate. The fiendish man did not kill Yoshihiro there however, instead he turned Yoshihiro to stone, telling Yoshihiro he could watch over his city eternally until Rokugan's inevitable demise.    The Sisters of Yoshihiro went on to lead the city in the rebuilding of their island, looking for ways to cure their brother's condition well into their lives. The Sugikawa clan, save for Yoshihiro himself, inevitably annexed itself into the newer more prosperous Samurai clans and it's name went on in legend. Yoshihiro himself became something of a Kami to his people, worshiped as the protector of Yushu who would reawaken in their greatest time of need. Kogane itself still stands to this day, due in no small part to the man who protected it in its greatest time of need.   While many other sieges from demonic entities have appeared since the first, none of them were ever as severe. As a whole, ever since Yi the Protector sacrificed himself to save all of Rokugan from the Jade Dragon there has been little fear of demons in the entirety of Rokugan. Some like to believe that the statue of Yoshihiro strikes fear into the demons hearts, where others believe another outside source may be protecting them from the influence of the demons that have taken over much of Asterra.