Travelling Court by Season

Winter Quarters: Ancestral Castle of Shinjo Shoji is located between U4 (Red Horse Stables) and U7 (Shiro no Shinjo) on the shores of Dragon Lake (I). It has a view of immense statue of Guardian of Water on southern side.

Spring/Fall Routes: The court caravan leaves Winter Quarters and travels over a bridge near Shiro no Shinjo, around road to western shore of White Sands lake to the following places:

1) Torii of Moto Kazuiki, between U13 ( White Shore village) and U17 (Laketown). This area is nearly deserted, but Shoji owns the pastures around the giant wooden Torii arch of "No Fear" built by Kazuiki. The Court camps in tents here and spends time hunting or fishing, gathering food, enjoying rustic pleasures. In Moto lands. It then moves downstream across country towards City of Rich Frog.

2) Torii of Iuchi Chojuro, "No Regret" near City of the Rich Frog (U19), on western shore of the river. Spot chosen to allow for trading and commerce in the city, which has access to many Rokugani goods because of fine location. In Iuchi lands, Shoji usually rents space in the Inn in the nearby village of Mimura , or camps outside it. The famous Naadam Tournament held here each year, near City of the Rich Frog. The route then swings down the road and then goes south, to edge of mountains.

3) Torii of Iuchi (really Horiochi) Utaemon, near Hisatu Kero (U22) to the southeast around U28 (the village of orphaned children). Utaemon grew up here and was adopted by Kazuiki. His Torii of "No Desire." Adjacent to Horiochi lands. The route then doubles back around the mountains and crosses through a pass using imperial road, then turning south and east to the lake.

Summer: The Summer Palace, given as a dowry to Kishi by her rich Ide father, is a traditional deluxe home, built of exquisite wood on the edge of Chysanthemum Petal Lake (BB), amid groves of the trees. The horses and some guards tend to stay some distance awa, in the pastures of low foothills. Only the courtliest of the court can live in and around this palace. This is Kishi;s ancestral Ide lands, and many games and pleasures are available, for a price. This is an elaborate palace composed entirely of wood and paper. No metal is used in its construction, and no metal is allowed within its walls. The paper walls of the palace were painted by the famous artisan Kakita Aki-hime, and they change colors in different lights, around dawn, midday , and dusk, and some flouresce at night. It depicts a wooded garden, with many birds (the most brilliantly painted), including both Rokugani and non-Rokugani or mythical birds encountered in the Burning Sands (the library here has old tomes on them). The palace is exquisite and access to it fiercely guarded. It stills at top a hill, with unobscured sight lines, but the base of the hill has a wall around it to keep out the unwanted.

During summer the Ide Horseman Challenge occurs near here. Sponsored by the Ide Daimyo, these games feature contests of horsemanship, horsearchery, travel poetry, heraldry (Ide) and other typically Unicorn games. It commemorates surviving the journeys in the Burning Sands and what was learned in their travels.