Jiro Bukisaka's page

Jiro is a tall and lean man. Standing just over 6 foot and weighing 170 lbs, his body has been strengthened and hardened by his daily exercise and religious observances. He usually dresses in loose fitting pants and billowy tunic, both in a sky blue colour. His dark hair is kept short, but is usually in disarray and he keeps himself clean shaven. He carries his equipment in a shoulder bag slung over his right side, and a beautifully made wood and leather quiver holding 2 dozen arrows adorns his left side. Hanging off his silk corded rope belt is a hand ax of masterful quality, and in his hands is a monster of a Daikyu made of wood, sinew and bone.

Born in a small mining town on the isolated Ikkaku Peninsula, Jiro was the 2nd born son of a local mine foreman. His mother was the second wife of his father; his first having died in child birth. His brother was 13 when Jiro was born, and already helping his father in the mines. It is not surprising, then, when a collapse in one of the mine too both his father and brother’s life. His mother, a beautiful, but greedy woman, decided to take Jiro’s inheritance and run off with another man, leaving the 5 year old boy all alone. The townsfolk, not knowing what to do with the boy, and some saying he was cursed by a kami of ill-fortune, turned him over to the local monastery of Irori. The monks gladly took the boy in and over the next 15 years taught him the ways of the Enlightened One. He was taught the history of the land and the tenets of Irori, as well as the training of his body. He took to archery with a particular gusto, soon becoming the best archer at the monastery. After 15 years of training and silent contemplation, the Grandmaster called Jiro into the temple and asked the boy what he wanted to do in this life. Jiro answered quickly; he wanted to see the wider lands of Minkai, and all of Tian Xia. And so he was released from the monastery and into the wider world.
He travelled over the Kamifushi Mountains where he fell afoul of a small tribe of Yeti. Using his superior archery skills he was able to strike at the creatures from a distance, keeping them from closing with him. He finally escaped the creatures when he reached the lower foothills. From here he travelled across the Osogen Grasslands, meeting a clan of Yumogu barbarians. He impressed the local chief with his story of battling the Yeti and his proficiency with the Daikyu. He stayed most of the summer with the tribe, herding sheep and goats and learning their ways. As the summer faded into autumn, Jiro said good-bye to his new friends and headed south to the port city of Sakakabe.
The city was an environment that Jiro was not ready for. The tiered city contained more people than he had ever believed lived in the whole of the country. It was not long, with his country ways and naive attitudes, that he ran afoul with the local yakuza. He was robbed and stripped of his few positions and left on the docks badly beaten. In the early morning gloom the local fishermen found the boy and took him into their homes. It took weeks for Jiro to heal, and all the time he secretly let his anger for the thugs who beat him grow. The local leader of the fisher folk could see this anger growing in the boy and attempted to distract him with hard work on and off the docks, but it was no good. Once he was better, Jiro set off into the city to find and punish the people who attacked him. He almost walked right into an ambush, for the yakuza had been keeping tabs on the young monk. It was only the intervention of a Tengu swordsman that kept him from another beating. The birdman, also a friend of the fishing folk, had been warned about the headstrong monk and cut him off before disaster could strike again. He pointed out the ambush and together they sprung the trap and thrashed the thugs. With the might of the yakuza now moving against them, Jiro and Bitaan, the Tengu swordsman, fled the city and made for Enganoka.
Over the next few years, Jiro worked against the Yakuza whenever he could. He attempted to help any who were subjugated by these thugs. Many common people contacted him for help and protection, and when he could he would give his assistance. He fought against a ring of slavers attempting to sell the poor and displaced to some creature from Xidao. He also went up against an evil sect of monks known as the black brotherhood who were trying to destabilize the relationship between the kami Seseragi Forest and the people of the Higashita Coast. It was during this battle that he received the magic bow Jinsoku hikō (Swift Flight)from the kami of the forest. But soon people began to try and use him for their own gain. After a particularly bad adventure when he discovered the ‘bandits’ he was sent to kill were nothing more than starving farmers trying to keep some food for their families, Jiro quit the outside world and spent several years back in a monastery trying to cleanse the taint upon his spirit.
Recently he has been growing restless and a feeling of impending doom has settled upon him. He has decided to take up his bow and quiver and journey out into the lands once again. His love for the people of Minkai is very strong, and he still feels a certain obligation to protecting them against foes beyond their means to defeat alone.