One of the many sayings attributed to Shinsei is that laws are only required when people lack the appropriate compassion to act properly. Monks teach that if everyone could reach enlightenment, laws and the legal system would become completely unnecessary due to all actions being proper and intrinsically correct.
Most people in Rokugan are still pretty far from enlightenment, though.
Local law is judged by Clan and Family magistrates – in Doji lands, local Doji samurai and peasants are judged by Doji lords. There are “courts” which can hear matters and tricky problems can be presented to higher and higher persons until the Champion of the Clan becomes involved. Great and Minor clans are expected to manage the lands over which they have dominion. But what happens when Clans come into conflict, or one Clan accuses another of violating Imperial law?
The office in charge of maintaining Imperial Law is the Emerald Champion and his Emerald Magistrates. The post of Emerald Champion was first recognized during the Second Century of the Empire. While other famous samurai had the authority of the office, the name of the office was officially recognized when Doji Hatsuo was appointed to the office after winning a Tournament to prove he had the greatest skills and abilities. Since that time, a Tournament has always been used to determine who fills the vacant position when the current Champion dies or retires.
The Emerald Champion and his samurai, the Emerald Magistrates, are drawn from many clans. Historically, the Champion’s post has been filled mostly with Lion and Crane samurai, but all clans have samurai who have served as Magistrates. The idea of a cross-Clan force is to allow the application of Imperial Law without the appearance of favoritism or bias – but that has not always been the case.
Emerald Magistrates are empowered to enforce Imperial Law, acting as an extension of the Emperor’s will. They have a form of diplomatic immunity, allowing them to travel throughout the Empire. While Clans can refuse passage, to do so is seen as an admission of guilt if the Magistrates are investigating a possible breach of Imperial Law. This power of enforcement makes even an average Magistrate a force to be reckoned with. They are often the target of manipulation, bribery and coercion and are expected to be men and women of the highest honor to resist such temptations.
The current Emerald Champion is Doji Imotsuri, who has held the post for less than a year. He was appointed by the current Emperor, Hantei Jian-mei, after he won the Tournament of the Emerald Champion by besting Bayushi Kaneka, roundly considered to be one of the best swordsmen in the Empire. Imotsuri was able to anticipate and counter the “Bayushi Feint”, one of the most powerful hidden techniques taught by that ryu-ha.
Doji Imotsuri is a member of a vassal family of the Doji – his actual family name is Idega, though is permitted to use the Doji surname as a matter of honor. He is from Ryuku and his place of birth has made him very unpopular. While no one can dispute his victory in the Tournament, several believe that the post should be filled by a proper samurai with proper ancestry. Behind his back, he is known as “Pechin”, the term for samurai in the Ryukan language. It is not spoken as a term of endearment.
Imotsuri does not cut the dashing, remarkable figure usually associated with a samurai in such a position, either. He is smaller than the average Rokugani and squat, slightly bowlegged. He is older and weathered – to many, he looks like a fisherman, a peasant. His hair is white and mostly missing and he wears a short goatee. No one is sure if he dies his hair or if the color is a product of age.
