Benjiro came from the humblest of beginnings. Raised on an isolated farmstead, he lived his early life cloistered from the horrors of war, until it finally engulfed his world. A travelling army, retreating from a recent defeat, burned Benjiro’s homestead to the ground and murdered his family. The young boy vowed to avenge them and set about learning swordcraft from the greatest samurai in Ikaiguchi.
He traveled the length and breadth of the land, seeking out legendary sword masters until he had learned all he could about the way of the Samurai. He was forged by a singular purpose – to destroy the clans of the five daimyo once and for all. It took decades for him to enact his plan, but he never forgot his modest roots, and would carry on that humility into his reign as Ikaiguchi’s first emperor, a position he grudgingly accepted in 212 T-K.
Benjiro ruled all Ikaiguchi for 25 years. During that time, he was gifted with nine children, and had them educated in philosophy, economics, theology, as well as warcraft, so that they might carry on his legacy of bringing peace to the island. They did so, and Benjiro’s heirs brought about a relative period of peace for the next hundred years.