Hidari District

The district referred to by the Sentaku as “the Emperor’s Road” is a region of prosperity and elegance, a display of beauty for the Imperial family to review. From the Imperial Palace, an arriving or departing Emperor walks upon the Road of the Most High, a massive wooden roadway designed specifically for the Son of Heaven Emperor to travel through his domain. The Road of the Most High cuts through the Ekohikei, but when it reaches the Outer City, it is here, in this district alone, that the Emperor rests his gaze. This district follows along the Road of the Most high on both sides all the way to the southern gate, and presents the Imperial Presence with the best of everything the city has to offer. Nothing which might offend the eyes of Heaven may remain within sight of the Road of the Most High. The Emperor’s Road District changes hands perhaps more than any other district in the city, precisely because of the high profile of its Governor. If his job is done well, the Emperor’s blessing may fall upon him, followed by glory and higher rank. However, the opposite is true as well – failure leads to removal from office (and the certainty of never again holding high rank). Unsurprisingly, leadership of the district rarely allows unsightly structures to remain in place; any building with structural damage or even simply a poor reputation is razed to the ground rather than risk Imperial ire. From the huge jade torii arches which stand above the gate of the Ekohikei to the simpler but larger gate which exits the Toshisoto, the Emperor’s Road District is filled with some of the most famous shops, inns, tea houses, and other aestheticly pleasing holdings in the city. Kakita and Kaiu smiths often live here, crafting the vaunted sacred weapons and armor of their namesakes. The Crane have a disproportionate number of holdings within the Emperor’s Road District; one street corner might boast an origami shop which uses tiny paper animals and people in complex parodies of famous Rokugani plays, while a few blocks away a Crane-run geisha house called Doji’s Children draws in members of the kuge. Each of the fine arts boasts at least one holding near the Road of the Most High at any given time, though of course as fashion and the whims of the Emperor change, so too do the buildings themselves. A few of the famed holdings in the Emperor’s Road district have arisen from more unusual circumstances. The Emerald Coin is a long-standing business thrust into fame because a passing Emperor favored a simple statue outside its structure. The Light from Above is a dining house with a central room open to the sky; this allows patrons a perfect view of the starry night as they partake of dinner. The Inn of the Last Rite, not far down the street, is so named because its patrons drink late into the night and are led into private rooms so as not to disgrace themselves. (Of course, many do not realize that the back rooms also lead to illicit gambling and opium dens in the basement.) Finally, Soshiuchi, the House of Loss, is a huge mansion which stands just within sight of the Road of the Most High. Long ago a proud Crane lord hired dozens of craftsmen to build a home for his bride, promising he would return to her after a coming battle. Inevitably, he perished in the conflict, leaving her to wander the house in sorrow never to leave again. To this day the house is reputed to be haunted by the regretful spirits of husband and wife, standing as testament to a different sort of beauty.