SHOUTOKU TAISHI
Servant: Saber
Gender: Either (See
Keywords section)
Shoutoku-male_shirugeru_5931a352f845635a87f3abe8f64c757e.jpgShoutoku-female_kabayaki-unagi_0da4fc3847dbc82d36dc663561645a92.jpg
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Strength C
Endurance B
Agility B
Magic C
Luck B
Noble Phantasm A++
Class Skills:
*
Magic Resistance: Grants protection against magical effects.
B – Cancels spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for him to be affected.
*
Riding: Expertise to ride animals and vehicles.
C – The basic skill granted by the Saber class. Allows for above-average handling of natural mounts and ordinary vehicles, but performance is merely average when dealing with complex modern military vessels.
Personal Skills:
*
Clairaudience: Superior auditory perception. Aids to detection and identification of individuals and increases hearing threshold and localization of sound sources. Furthermore, at high ranks higher forms of auditory perception are possible, such as detecting sounds produced much earlier in the past or hearing the sounds produced by spirits and other beings out of phase with the world.
B – Capable of keeping track of and clearly identify and understand up to ten different auditory sources at the same time.
* Discernment of the Poor: Insight to see through the opponent's character and attribute.
A – He will not be deceived by excuses or deceptions from words. It is the natural insight of Shoutoku that reveals the drives of people, born from natural talent and the examination of human behavior from a very young age. Then again, the name of the Skill does not really suit him…
* Syncretism: Knowledge of and ability to rely on multiple Thaumaturgical Systems.
A – Harmonization of Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto principles. However, Shoutoku’s knowledge is more relevant for divination and ritual spells rather than for battle magic.
Noble Phantasms:
*
Court-branding Sword of Twelve Ranks
へいししょうりんけん
(丙子椒林剣, Heishi Shourinken)
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: A++
Range: 1-25
Maximum number of targets: 12 people (11 + self)
Prince Shoutoku’s secondary sword. For whatever reason, he favored Shichiseiken in spite of
Heishi Shourinken’s clearly superior quality of craftsmanship. It might have something to do with its origin, being a gift of zealous Chinese dignitaries that never stopped looking down on the Land of the Rising Sun. The blade’s length is 65.1 centimeters, and the entire construction of the weapon is a masterpiece of East Asian art. In spite of their different origins, the characteristics of the blades suggest that
Shichiseiken and
Heishi Shourinken were forged with the same methods.
Shoutoku’s color system had twelve different levels; it just so happens that the Servant Parameter system has eleven quantitative ranks, from E to A++.
Heishi Shourinken is the blade that imposes its lord’s system upon the Heaven’s Feel. Shoutoku Taishi selects one Parameter other than Magic or Noble Phantasm. Naturally, according to his own status in the Twelve Colors system, he automatically receives the second highest rank (A+). All others targeted by the Noble Phantasm have their ranks adjusted symmetrically starting from the middle rank (C+) and moving outwards towards both edges of the rank spectrum. Thus, the first Servant besides Shoutoku would always get rank C+, the second would get either rank C or rank B, while the third would automatically get whatever value Shoutoku did not assign to the second Servant between C and B, and so on. Since the standard Heaven’s Feel would be limited to six other Servants besides Shoutoku, it means that unfortunately for him none of the Servants would end with dramatically low ranks, but at the same time it implies he would not be forced to give high ranks to some of his opponents. In the rare circumstance of there being eleven other Servants to target with the Sword of Twelve Ranks, the last one would get rank C+ as well.
The condition for the temporary modifiers (plus signs) is simply “one round per day”.
*
Spirit-Severing Sword of the Law
しちせいけん
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: A++
Range: 1-70
Maximum number of targets: 850 people
The legendary Seven Stars Sword of Eastern tradition; Shoutoku’s much loved blade can still be seen in his Shitennouji Temple in Osaka. A gift from Korean Taoists and an exorcism tool of the highest quality. The blade is exactly 62.1 centimeters long.
By itself, the blade carries a potent ‘Anti-Spirit’ attribute, which makes its blade highly dangerous even to entities such as Servants. It is one of few weapons that can harm Servants even when in their dematerialized spirit form. The blade does not grant Shoutoku the ability to perceive dematerialized spirits, though. However, the real merit of the Seven Star Sword is the unique skill that its rightful wielder can use with it. It could be said, even, that the real Noble Phantasm is the special attack,
Mandala of Seventeen Articles
ほくときんりんけん
, rather than the sword itself.
The attack itself is defined as “a calamity for the sake of averting calamities”. To destroy that which would unleash destruction if left to their own devices; it could be considered a “multi-target” variation of the
Sword of Promised Victory. It has become possible for Shoutoku to use this kind of attack because he has been deified by some as a manifestation of the Shaka Buddha, which is also depicted as the Shaka Kinrin which acts as the center of the Hokuto Mandala.
After raising the sword horizontally above his head, a Hokuto Mandala is traced with glowing prana behind Shoutoku’s form. The inner circle of stars and planets collects the light of the stars above, intensifies it and collimates it within the framework of prana provided by the mandala. The result of unleashing the attack by slashing the air in front of him with the sword is a barrage of seventeen mowing waves of light that destroy everything in their path. Shoutoku can choose the direction of each beam, but naturally they move in a straight line when unleashed. Furthermore, in addition of the natural ‘Anti-Spirit’ attribute of the Shichiseiken, the waves of seventeen articles also carry an ‘Anti-Chaos’ property. Of course, the burst radius of each beam is considerably smaller than Excalibur’s, but Shoutoku makes up for this with the versatility of multiple firing directions and the capability to combine multiple beams if necessary.
Furthermore, after unleashing
Hokuto Kinrinken, Shoutoku receives the gift of the “Heavenly Eyes” of Myouken, Monarch of the Big Dipper. Until the next sunrise, Shoutoku receives the equivalent benefit of Clairvoyance Rank C.
*
Magnificence of Guze Kannon
いかるがでらのずめどのかんのん
(斑鳩寺の夢殿観音, Ikaruga-dera no Yumedono Kannon)
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: A+
Range: --
Maximum number of targets: 1 person
Shoutoku-Guze_pkk_484724b1aeccf679910732de316f555b.jpg
The blessings of the Four Heavenly Kings have become part of Toyotomimi’s innate power due to his heroic exaltation and the reverence of the Shoutoku legend, named after the divine effigy of Shoutoku Taishi in Ikaruga-dera. Because a swift and overwhelming victory is also a form of compassion, Shoutoku’s passive Noble Phantasm imbues him with the supreme combat skills of a war god. However, this Noble Phantasm can only be used by a summoned Shoutoku whose full potential has been unlocked. At the very least, he must have been summoned in the vicinity of his center of government or his home town (Nara). As a passive ability, it incurs a constant expenditure of prana as long as it is active, which can make things difficult to all but the most capable of Masters.
Shoutoku’s visual and auditory perception expands to surreal levels. His awareness of the desires filling people’s hearts is no longer a product of examination but an automatic and utterly supernatural divination of the roots of their souls. He will not fail to realize the identity of anyone he sees or hears, for their very foundation is exposed to his divine perception. His preternatural awareness and understanding of living existence grants him the equivalent of Instinct Rank A. Possessing perfect awareness of the nature, presence and intentions of others, Shoutoku becomes completely immune to mental interference, supernatural illusions and effects that hide the true form of others.
However, the same gentle eyes that carry so many blessings can become the fierce gaze of the invincible war god. The gift of Bishamonten is the temporary transmutation of Shoutoku’s eyes into magical organs—
Mystic Eyes of Intensification, labeled as
Amber according to the Noble Colors system. Its effect is simply the supernatural investiture of kinetic energy to air particles and their subsequent collimation and redirection into a two-dimensional stream sharp as the finest blade. Its appearance as a “beam” is merely the reflection of light on the accelerated particles. While the eye-beam inflicts physical, cutting damage, it is treated as the equivalent of a B-rank spell, with an increased chance of inflicting critical damage.
Background
Kamitsumiya no Umayado no Toyosatomimi no Mikoto (上宮之厩戸豊聡耳命, 574-622). The greatest figure of the Asuka period, said to have initiated the Golden Age of Japan and perhaps the most outstanding character in the history of early Japan. His life and regency marked a turning-point in the cultural and political development of Yamato. Acknowledged as a saint and revered as a kami, the Shoutoku legend lives strongly in the hearts of the Japanese people. “Shoutoku” is in fact a posthumous title, appearing first in the
Kaifuusou, a collection of Chinese poetry written by Japanese poets in the year 751.
The number of legends associated with Shoutoku is astoundingly large. It is said that he was born brilliant, capable of speaking mere hours after birth and of reading and writing before he was three years old. He was supposedly called
Umayado (“Prince of the Stable Door”) due to having being born outside a stable. This plus the tale that claims a divine figure appeared before his mother to announce the upcoming birth of Umayado reminds many of the similar depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ. Another legend claims that his mother, Empress Hashihito no Himemiko, bore him unexpectedly and with no labor pains while conducting a routine inspection of the imperial stable.
Regardless of the circumstances of his birth, he was gifted with many talents and possessed the determination and ambition to work hard and put those many talents to use. Furthermore, he was astute enough to keep the full extent of his capabilities mostly to himself. In this way, he was able to listen into many conversations, as the people involved failed to realize the small child at their feet could in fact understand them. From their manner of speech, expressions, gestures and so on, the young prince learned to understand the emotions and desires of people. Although, it is likely that he was simply born with superior insight.
When Shotoku was only thirteen years old his uncle, Emperor Bidatsu died, provoking a bloody struggle for royal succession between the heads of the Soga clan, who favored Oeno Oji, Umayado’s father, and the Mononobe clan who supported Anahobe no Miko as the new sovereign. Finally Prince Oe was victorious, and ascended the throne in September of 585 as Emperor Yōmei, the thirty-first emperor of Japan. Tradition holds that Emperor Yōmei once experienced a serious illness, but the young Shoutoku, impressed by the new Buddhist faith, prayed day and night by his father's side. Emperor Yōmei recovered and converted to Buddhism. This was the trigger of Mononobe no Moriya’s violent rebellion.
The death of Emperor Yomei in 587 sparked another struggle between the Sogas and the Mononobes, ending in the killings of Prince Anahobe and Mononobe no Moriya at the hands of the Soga troops. Shotoku was involved in this campaign and prayed to the Shitennou (Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism) for victory. Legend states that Shoutoku then received the martial might of Bishamonten, and that it was he who dealt the final blow on Moriya by means of a deathly beam shot from one of his eyes.
Prince Hasebe, a son of one of Soga no Umako's younger sisters, ascended the throne as Emperor Sushun. Soon a strong animosity developed between the Emperor and his over-bearing uncle, Umako, and after reigning for only four years, Emperor Sushun was assassinated by one of Umako's retainers. Following the traditional order of succession, Princess Sukiya-hime ascended the throne as Empress Suiko, the first well-verified woman to hold this position. Soga no Umako nominated, as heir apparent and regent, not one of the Empress’ sons, but Prince Shoutoku. After all, Umako and Shoutoku had been allies since the prince’s early childhood. Umako recognized Shoutoku's leadership qualities and thought it prudent to keep him on the Soga side. Prince Shoutoku married Princess Udodonokaidako, daughter of Empress Suiko, and from then until his death, Shoutoku acted as the factual ruler of Japan.
The political achievements of Shoutoku Taishi are well documented and can be found in any encyclopedia. He is remembered as the first and foremost supporter of Buddhism in Japan, in a manner comparable to what Ashoka the Great did in India. He fostered its acceptance as both a superior religious philosophy and a powerful political tool for creating strong centralized governance under the emperor's guidance. He is credited with numerous temples, centralizing state administration, importing Chinese bureaucracy, standardizing the ranks of the court using a color code (the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System), and enacting one of the earliest moral dictatorial documents in history: the Seventeen-article constitution. Of more interest to understanding Heroic Spirit Shoutoku are the works of his that never met the light of day.
Regent Shoutoku did not want to die. While a devout Buddhist, he refused to accept the impermanence of all living things. As expected of a man so talented, he was profoundly ambitious, and wished to hold the reins of Japan forever, believing himself the only one capable of leading the budding nation. A stalwart Buddhist before his family and subjects, Shoutoku secretly submerged himself in the esoteric teachings long before they became known to the rest of Japan, even long before he became regent. He also read between the lines of Confucian and Taoist manuals, invited all sorts of mystics to his residence to be trained, and eventually developed a complex syncretic branch of ritual Thaumaturgy.
It is well known that there are all sorts of odd details regarding the handling of Shoutoku’s funeral. Even the fact that he died the very next day after his wife passed away already strikes as suspicious. The normal practice for handling the death of a member of the royal family was to lay the body in a temporary shelter for a rather lengthy period during which a series of ceremonies were performed to placate and console the spirit of the deceased. However, when it came to Prince Shotoku, the
Nihon Shoki says that this period was bypassed. Apparently he was buried within a very short time of his death. His death is recorded to have been on February 5, and the
Nihon Shoki uses the phrase "within that month" to describe how quickly he was buried. It doesn't record how many days he lay in state, but one would have expected that for such a great man who had contributed so much to his country, a particularly long period of mourning would have been called for. That, however, was not the case. This has lead to many theories of foul play involving his death, further emboldened by the fate of his son, who was forced by the treasonous and greedy Soga clan to commit suicide together with his whole family, thus ending Shoutoku’s line.
The truth is, Shoutoku never really “died”. What he achieved cannot be truly called “reincarnation”. The self-sustaining ritual he performed allows for automatic reincarnation upon death. However, every time he dies he needs to transmute and warp his soul just enough to “fool” Akasha into “believing” the soul is not Shoutoku’s, while the soul itself needs to maintain awareness of its identity. After well over twenty such reincarnations, what remains can only barely be called “Shoutoku”. Personality, goals, knowledge and magical ability—all these things have been warped beyond repair. Only the core self-awareness—“I am Shoutoku”—and his immense natural talents remain unchanged with each rebirth, for they are bound to the very core of his distorted soul. So, while the Heroic Spirit residing in the Throne of Heroes is the original Toyosatomimi no Mikoto who “passed away” on the year 622, there is still a Shoutoku still out there, acting on whatever whim currently drives his magnificently talented mind. Naturally, Heroic Spirit Shoutoku would know his true self is probably out there in some other form, and would likely be curious to see his fate in the present time. To see the kind of aimless, vague existence he has become would probably turn to be quite the shock.
Keyword
Ambiguous Gender – While Shoutoku is well known to have been originally a man, as a Heroic Spirit he can be summoned as a member of either gender. The female appearance of Shoutoku is most likely inspired the tale of the monk Shinran, to whom supposedly Shoutoku appeared in his dreams as a manifestation of Guse Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. According to the legend, Shinran’s wife was in fact the incarnation of Shoutoku and, by proxy, of Kannon itself.
Originally Posted by G-Man
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