The Four Families
“Can you tell me more about the Tendous, Maedas, Shinoharas, and your own family? Have these families been in Yomiki Village for long?”
“Are you sure you want to hear the elder talk about this?” A note of warning has crept into Yukina’s voice. She seems hesitant about this topic.
Maeda glares at you and says, “I really don’t think-“
“I am glad you asked me that question, boy!” laughs Kimura suddenly, slapping his hand on the table. The clay tea cups shake and rattle.
“Gramps, maybe I should go and help the old lady…”
Maeda gets up to go, but the old man stops her with a sharp frown.
“Sit down!” he barks. “History is an important lesson that young ones often fail to appreciate! If we do not remember our past, how can we march forth into our future? The lack of respect for our traditions! Preposterous!”
“The history of blah blah blah blah blah, blah!” chatters Ei, her fingers opening and closing to mime Kimura’s flapping mouth.
You keep your face carefully impassive, staring blankly ahead.
Maeda laughs.
“What is so funny?” growls Kimura.
“No, nothing. I’m sorry.” She shakes her head and adopts a more proper posture, suitably chastened.
“Now,” Kimura sighs heavily, looking at each of you in turn, “If you have asked me about our history, you are obliged to listen. Backs straight! Eyes and ears on me! Now…” He launches into his story-telling mode, weaving a tale that begins at the end of the Warring States era which then winds backwards and forwards through time in an alarming way as the names Tendou, Maeda, Shinohara or Kimura do not appear at all. You can only hope that this ends with information that is actually useful to you…
***
“…and so my ancestor charged the oni bravely, sword in hand. He slashed and cut out the bearded demon’s eye, thus avenging the death of the scion of Fujiwara, and banished the oni back into the dark mountains from whence it came…”
By the end of it, the sun is beginning to set, Ei is rolling on the tatamis over and over in boredom, Yukina is nodding – whether she is nodding off, or nodding along to the old man’s story, you are uncertain – and Maeda is frozen in her sitting position, a polite smile carved on her unmoving face while her eyes tell you that no one is at home. You are probably the only one that paid some attention. It had been a long, meandering tale, making it hard for you to actually remember the relevant information sandwiched between long biographies of this illustrious ancestor or that, and whichever evil demon or foul spirit they slew.
Still, you had managed to compile a short history of the four families in your head. It seems that each of them performed a certain role in Yomiki, and had continued to do so for thousands of years...
First was the Tendou clan. They were the first settlers recorded in the area, possibly predating the formation of the Yamato kingdom. There were old myths that claimed that the Tendous had been here since the Jomon era, but Kimura claims those were but myths: for him, actual history began with the reign of Emperor Jimmu, and he would not hear of anything otherwise. Being the first people here, they naturally took up their roles as guardians of the land and protectors of its spirits. The Tendou clan bore a strong connection with the sacred tree; it was said to have been but a sapling in a bare field – the only green in an expanse of grey – when they arrived. They tended to it, cared for it, and it grew mighty and strong. The spirit of the tree became the gatekeeper to the underworld, and it was through the spirit’s blessing that the Tendou first made contact with the Maiden of the Dead.
Next came the Shinohara and the Maeda, branch families of the Tendou main line that split off about three hundred years after the Juunimon blossomed. The Shinohara were a clan of artisans. The Maiden of the Dead instructed them in the art of creating vessels of the gods: jinki, sacred tools used in the rituals of the underworld. The Maeda, on the other hand, were a clan of travelling diviners, who had their roots in Yomiki and their branches throughout the land. Though the Witch and the Maiden would usually descend into the vessels of the Tendou, there have been rare instances of their incarnation in vessels of the branch families, from time to time.
Together, the three families served as the pillars of the village: the Tendou were custodians of the all-important tree and the gatekeepers of the passage to the underworld, where the Maiden of the Dead resided. The Maeda would travel the land, spreading the prophetic word of the dead as passed on by the Tendou through the Ritual of Seeing, and through them more believers would come to the village in worship. The jinki created by the Shinohara were essential to both the Tendou and the Maeda in their duties, without which the rituals would be meaningless gestures.
The Kimura came later, shortly after the Genpei War sparked by the untimely death of Fujiwara no Michinaga’s grandson due to the machinations of a bloodthirsty demonic spirit. They acquitted themselves well by confronting and banishing the demon – or so Kimura claimed – and when the war ended, the scant survivors of the Hatakeyama clan, who had been all but annihilated bloodily by the demon’s parting curse in retaliation, found themselves a new home in Yomiki. There, they renamed themselves Kimura in honor of their adoptive village, and served as warrior guardians to the three founding families, protecting the priests in their shrine, the artisans in their workshop, and the blind diviners in their travels.
Through the execution of these duties, the village prospered. Time, however, changes all things. As time passed, the old traditions took on a new form, and so did the roles of the families begin to shift. The artisans began applying their skill to more mundane craft. The diviners, having established a network throughout the country, became the middle-man for Shinohara crafts and gradually turned into a family of merchants. The priests retreated around their tree, insistent on retaining their connection with the dead even if the diviners would abandon it. In their seclusion, the warriors became the new chiefs of the village, retiring their swords for the mantle of leadership.
***
Having finished his story, the old man gets up and yawns. He is clearly tired from all that talking, even though he might be loathe to admit it. "Well, that is about the gist of it. So, if you are done here... it is getting late. Go on, now." Grumpily and impatiently, he herds you and Yukina back to the front yard. Maeda walks with you, deep in thought. If the Maedas of her time are related to the Maedas of this village, then this could have been part of her family history that she never knew. Before sending you off, Kimura peers at you through wrinkled eyes and says, "Wait, are you going to be spending the night in Yukina-chan's house?"
You don't see anywhere else you can go, and nod.
A sly old grin flashes across Kimura's face briefly. Turning away, he begins muttering to himself, just loud enough for you to overhear. "Oh, I wish there would be new blood coming into our village. All of the young people are leaving for the city... Wouldn't it be nice? But this is just the ramblings of an old man." As he returns to his room, Maeda and Yukina both heave a sigh of relief at the same time.
"I thought that would never end!" exclaims Maeda in a hushed whisper. "I hope it was worth it, Shinoseki."
"I'm not sure yet," you admit. There are still things you need to think about.
Maeda pauses, looking closely at you. "You are Shinoseki... right? There's something a bit different about you."
You turn away, flushing in embarassment. "Actually, I have been wondering, Maeda-san... how did you get here?" you ask, changing the subject and broaching a new one.
Maeda throws a glance at Yukina, who is looking at the both of you with keen interest. "Not now," she says quietly. "Maybe when we get some time alone... and I don't mean it that way, stop that blushing right now!"
"His cheeks aren't the only thing getting filled with blood, I bet," giggles Ei naughtily.
"Shinoseki, just where did you pick up this strange girl?" asks Maeda exasperatedly. "Are you.... are you some sort of pedophile?"
"Oh, you can see me?" Ei smiles happily, and curtseys. "Nice to meet you, woman. I am Shinoseki's... yes, you could call me his guardian angel, and no one else here can see me, just so you know." Sure, tell her about it the first chance you get, you think with disgruntlement.
Maeda nods carefully, and turns back to you. Putting her hands on her hips, she talks to you in that familiar, commanding tone. "Anyway, since you are here, it's time to visit the Sakaguchi mansion. That house must have a lot more information pertinent to our current situation... let's not waste any more time in this backwater village, with its people that don't like talking until they do, and then it's a whole long lecture that barely has anything useful."
"Sorry to interrupt the both of you, Shinoseki-san and Nami-san," Yukina interjects politely, stepping in between you and Maeda. "The hour is getting rather late. Shinoseki-san, I believe... you promised to help me with something?"
***
A. The Sakaguchi mansion is more important. You accompany Maeda to the house to investigate the leads there.
B. You made a promise to Yukina and you should keep it. You accompany Yukina to carry her groceries.
C. You would rather continue investigating the village more even though the day is drawing to a close.
1. You approach the Tendou shrine.
2. You try to locate the Shinohara house.
3. You question random villagers in the streets.
I feel sorry for the poor girl who is friendzoned by Adachi and ignored by his pet perverted sidekick.
Also, if Ei was bored to hear the jii-san talk, shouldn't it have prompted her interest in more fun matters instead? Eh, they are both useless. 
