Customs Found in Oda
Keywords:
ODA-CUSTOMS
Customs
The male ruling classes follow a strict code of behaviour.
A warrior must be unswervingly, utterly loyal to his master. This
loyalty passes with the rule of a clan or family, so normally to the
succeeding son, although in cases warriors prefer to follow their
master to death. Songs and tales of such events are commonplace,
maybe more so than the actual deed.
Only a warrior (including any noble, since they are all technically
of that rank) may use the long curved sword favoured by the Vapilas.
A katana is typically worn through a belt, but not sheathed since
that would dull the spirit of the blade. The part of the sword near
the hilt is blunt, partly for this reason, although the edge further
down is kept sharp enough to cut silk.
An elite guard is a warrior. He might be ordered to serve as an
ambassador, an administrator, a messenger or even a scribe. But he
must be ready to fight and to die without hesitation if his lord
commands or requires it.
A warrior should be patient and persistent. The most extreme example
of this is a tale told about Akoki Caligra. He once ordered a young
samarai, not yet blooded, to guard a bedchamber in one of his lesser
residences. The prince returned forty years later to find a gray-
haired vetran, wearing a spare uniform borrowed from the servants,
but standing on duty with his katana still sharp.
A warrior should be a protector to his lord's subjects. Peasants are
almost beneath notice, but their lives and service are owed to the
clan, to the empire. The villagers return this attitude with respect,
although rarely affection, for the warrior-castes.
Women can follow the code of a warrior, even use those weapons and
follow the same role, but only a rare few do so. Many more do follow
martial roles, but as mere guards without the benefit of rank.
There are other customs across Hikaru.
As a result of the Vapilas curse, matrimonial matters among the clan
are unorthodox by most standards. It is not unknown for arrangements
to be made between a pair of couples purely in the hope of yielding
offspring. Such matters, however, are rarely if ever divulged to
anyone of other descent.
Men and women of any rank, if their occupations and wealth allows,
wear silk robes called kimonos. These vary from plain examples, spun
from the coarser thread, to some which are truly works of art.
A silk cord or sash is worn along with the kimono, often carrying a
sword or purse. This is fastened tight by a carved clip, often in the
shape of an animal, legendary figure, or other decoration to suit the
wearer.
The agricultural cycle and seasons are key to the peasantry, who
celebrate each with planting-songs and other humble expressions of
thanks, times when the whole village turns out to work the fields or
perform other essential tasks.