Kanzan Mitsurugi

During the Age of Blood, Hingashi was deeply engulfed in wars of succession following the empowerment of the clans that once served the eastern and western lords. The wars raged for over six hundred years, and impacted the land so drastically that new ways of life sprang up, allowing one to rise above their station in ways that previously did not exist, such as farmers becoming lauded generals, or those who were born to poverty finding affluence through strength of arms. There were also those who used deception and trickery to make ends meet, stabbing those who hired them in the back to survive. And so it was that Hingashi was awash with blood. It was all the more surprising then, when the leader of the Mitsurugi Clan, Kenzan came along and changed the tides of war.

Kenzan was in no way gifted in the arts of war, but was peerless as a politician. Where others would employ violence to achieve their goals, Kenzan instead built bridges through cooperation and marriage. He employed the use of of Ninjas to gather vital information on the other clans. Due to these bonds he built, his clan was safe from attacks by outsiders, not only outmaneuvering them politically, but also having the support of other clans. And when the climax of the war came, Kenzan stood above all others.

Demonstrating yet more foresight, he reinstated the imperial household to power, and declared the mandate that he must rule came from the Emperor himself. In doing this, he showed great reverence for the "old ways", and assuaged those who wished to return to that bygone time. With this, the Mitsurugi Clan became the true ruling power, working from behind the Emperor.