Common Rokugani Etiquette

 Common forms of address 

Last name (family name) before Surname, your family name is used almost universally as a term of neutrality and respect. Recognizing your clan, then your family, then you personally, followed by an honoriffic that denoted the seperation in status.

So The most -bland- or unfamiliar greeting would be "Ohiyo Crane-san." "Konbonwa, Mantis-san"

The more familiar form, when someone has introduced themselves, would be by their family name. "Ohiyo Bayushi-san, How was the tournement?"

The 'intimate' form of address is by their first name "Ohiyo Ichigo-san" (If you have not been invited to call them by their first name, or they aren't family... this is extremely rude. Or presumes a familiarity which could cause great embaressment.)

The most intimate form of address would be by another word all together, "Ohiyo Aijin." (Morning Lover.)

 Honorifics 

-san is neutral in both gender and respect -chan is for young girls and -kun for young boys -dono is for a superior, -senpai for a teacher or mentor -kohai for a student or lowerclassmen -sama is higher respect than -san the next step up -bo is childish, almost offensive, even moreso than -chan or -kun -shiryo is used exclusively to show respect to the souls of the dead

 Bowing 

Bowing generally has two stances, sitting and standing. Every bow has three key points – the person’s back should be kept straight and not curved, the person’s legs and hips should remain in the same position when standing, and when bowing one should inhale when bowing and exhale when straightening back up. While the essence of a bow generally stays the same, there are all kinds of different kinds of bows - let’s take a look at them.

 Eshaku  - The most casual bow, used among friends or relative, is simply done by by nodding your head slightly. A more formal bow also called the “greeting bow,” the eshaku is used between people of equal status, like coworkers or friends of friends. It is usually paired with a greeting like "good morning" (ohayo gozaimasu) or after work (otsukaresama desu). This bow is done at an angle of 15 degrees.

 Senrei  - The “polite bow” called senrei is done while sitting and requires a 30 degree bow. It is used in formal and semi-formal occasions. The entire bow should last between two and three seconds, so do not get up again right away.

Keirei - Keirei is the most common type of proper bowing, it is done at a 30 degree angle while standing up. Usually used to thank or greet people, such as customers, it is also used when meeting people for the first time.

 Saikeirei  - This is a more rare type of bow, reserved for special people like superiors, in-laws, or important visitors. A bow at a 45 degree angle, it is used to display profound respect or sincere apologies, held for around 3 seconds.

 Shazai  - In this bow, the person bowing bends forward 70 degrees and holds this position for 4 seconds. This bow is usually only seen when Samurai have to publicly apologize for their errors after having caused trouble to their subordinates and others.

 Dogeza  - Finally, the highest and rarest form of bowing, The "Begging for your life" bow. Someone who is getting yelled at for doing something really disgraceful might do this, pressing their face into the ground out of shame or fear, but I hope you never find yourself in that position, as it is, essentially, groveling.

 Sitting 

Several different types of sitting are common in Rokugan, due primarily to the fact that most homes and formal rooms do not have carpet or tile floors and instead use a soft weave of bamboo called tatami that prevents chairs from being used on them. Thus the Rokugani have developed several different styles of relaxing upon the soft, comfortable bamboo mats.

Seiza - To sit seiza-style, one must first be kneeling on the floor, folding one's legs underneath one's thighs, while resting the buttocks on the heels. The ankles are turned outward as the tops of the feet are lowered so that, in a slight "V" shape, the tops of the feet are flat on the floor and big toes overlapped, the right always on top of the left, and the buttocks are finally lowered all the way down. Depending on the circumstances, the hands are folded modestly in the lap, or are placed palm down on the upper thighs with the fingers close together, or are placed on the floor next to the hips, with the knuckles rounded and touching the floor. The back is kept straight, though not unnaturally stiff.

Traditionally, women sit with the knees together while men separate them slightly. Some martial arts, notably kendō, aikidō, and iaidō, may prescribe up to two fist widths of distance between the knees for men.

Stepping into and out of seiza is mindfully performed. There are codified traditional methods of entering and exiting the sitting position depending on occasion and type of clothing worn.

Shikko - Walking on the feet and knees while in the seiza posture, known as shikkō (膝行, knee-movement), is considered more polite than standing up and walking regularly. Shikkō is found in some traditional formal restaurants and ryokan, and is practiced in the martial art of aikido, where practitioners learn to defend themselves while moving in shikkō. To perform this knee-walking movement correctly the heels must be kept close together, and the body must move as a whole unit. It is because movement in shikkō forces one to engage the hips in a way that it is considered valuable for aikido training.

Agura - Sitting cross-legged, agura, is considered informal: it is appropriate for certain situations but not others. It is common in informal situations, such as eating at a low table in a casual restaurant, and allowed in formal situations especially for those for whom seiza is difficult, such as elderly or non-Rokugani people.

Yokozuwari - Sitting cross-legged is generally considered uncouth for women, and female informal sitting has both legs off to one side, with one side of the hips on the floor, termed yokozuwari (横座り, literally "sideways sitting")

Wariza - Another informal sitting posture for women is called wariza (割座, literally "separate or split sitting") which resembles seiza, but the lower legs are bent off to their respective sides.

Kiza - To sit in seiza requires coming to a kneeling position momentarily, with the heels propped up; if one remains seated on the heels with the balls of the feet touching the floor and toes flexed forward, it is called kiza (跪座 / 跪坐). If one then lowers the tops of the feet to the floor, one then will be in the seiza position. In some schools of iaido, practitioners stand up to draw the sword and cut after momentarily assuming kiza, so as not to sprain the instep jumping up directly from seiza.

Taboo Subjects

(These are usually not talked about in polite conversations at all, or at least not without extraordinary reasoning.)

Oni - Oni are the demonic monstrosities that made up the most powerful forces of the Shadowlands. Oni only gained a physical presence in the realm of mortals if spawned by an Oni Lord or by being summoned from Jigoku by someone willing to share their name in exchange for power.

A single Oni was strong enough to wipe out entire squadrons of hardened Crab Samurai. Making anyone who survived an Oni attack someone to be respected. That being said, no one in the greater Empire wishes to discuss such a dark and potentially taint ridden topic. For the naturally superstitious Rokugani, even uttering their name was said to draw their attentions, bringing visits in their dreams and opening those of weaker will up to possession or worse... inviting them to name an Oni and grant it a physical form.

This illustrates the common problem of the Crab and the reason why they have such little regard for etiquette along the wall. A samurai might slay an only and go to boast about his victory, only to find him shunned and shamed for discussing such horribly taboo things in public.

The Shadowlands – The darkness beyond the grand Carpenter wall was where the ninth Kami, Fu-Leng fell to Nigen-do (The realm of mortals, Rokugan) and tore open a hole all the way to Jigoku (Hell.) All sorts of monstrosities poured out infesting the land and corrupting everything for miles around. As the Taint is insidious and subversive, it is a taboo topic for casual conversation.

Talk of the Shadowlands and the Taint ends up leading to darker topics and perverts the mind of the average Rokugani. It is one of the reasons the Kuni are so respected, due to their iron will vows helps inure them to the taint, thus their duty and their obligation is to deal with it. It is believed that those who aren't prepared to hear such harsh topics could become tainted by the truth.

Maho – The pervasive dark magic of Jigoku, Maho-bujin come from all walks of life. Anyone at all can entreat the dark Kami (known as Kansen) that grant the horrific and bloody power of Maho. Knowledge of Maho is forbidden by the Empress except in extraordinary circumstances. The vast majority of Rokugani simply have no knowledge of Maho other than as a nightmare cautionary tale.

Distasteful Subjects

(These are usually only talked about behind closed doors and -usually- aren't criminal, just impolite.)

Money – Money is seen as 'dirty' in the eyes of Rokugan, but the fact that it is so widespread among the lower classes and a necessary fact of life prevents them from from abolishing it. A Samurai is expected to receive all they need from their liege lord, thus a Samurai being concerned with money is seen as indicating their Daimyo couldn't provide for them. This is not only hugely insulting, but can cause major political issues among the courtiers who like to talk. Samurai who do deal with money or merchants usually have a subordinate who handles such things for them, only meeting behind closed doors.

Gaijin – Foreigners are whispered about behind closed doors and given careful glances when they arrive. Rokugan has historically been a xenophobic Empire and considering the Hantei dynasties ruling on foreign contact, it is plain to see why. Unfamiliar with the complex social structures of Rokugan and intolerant of their spiritual beliefs, most Gaijin are seen as boorish, rude and downright dishonorable. The Kami, who play a very real part in the daily lives of most Rokugani, are rarely seen by the Gaijin, and even more rarely respected by them. Thus any Gaijin's presence could herald widespread disaster without Shugenja properly appeasing the Kami in their wake. Possession of some Gaijin gear (Such as the famous "Gaijin Pepper") is also strictly forbidden with a penalty of death in the Empire.

Some clans, such as the Unicorn, Scorpion and Mantis, see Gaijin as a possible resource to exploit or alliance to make, but only the most pragmatic members of those clans see them as anything more than a distant acquaintance. Even the Unicorn, the most experienced in Gaijin ways, are looked at askance constantly for their indulgence of the strange people from far away lands. It is rare indeed that a Gaijin retains any sort of respect among the Emerald Empire and even in Ryoko Owari where the House of Foreign Stories is located, a Samurai rarely attends without concealing their identity for fear of dishonor or worse, criminality leveled against them for 'walking on the wild side.'

Affairs/Love – Rokugani have a great many words for Love. Spoken about in poems, entire sagas could be written on the subject of love, both forbidden and otherwise. Love in Rokugan is a tricky subject. Though one usually expressed through poetry or the infamous Game of Letters. Yet the one thing that is common among all Rokugani is that Love, and personal contact is discrete. Samurai are permitted many things in their duties, however love is not one of them. Thus they are expected to marry for alliance, resources and security. It is almost expected that a Samurai will have another, sometimes many, lovers on the side, however their indiscretions must maintain propriety.

As such it is incredibly rude to display your affections openly in public and one could be expected to be shamed for such actions even having their lord censure them, as proclaiming one's heart for another can make a samurai a poor resource for a marriage of alliance.

Surprisingly, homosexuality and same sex relationships do not suffer the same stigma and in fact in Rokugan a Woman is seen as just as capable as a man. While linage is important, it isn't rare to see Samurai-ko married to one another if the marriage is fruitful. Or to see Men running a household together. It is all a matter of preference as long as propriety is maintained.