Editing Lion Clan (section)

===Bushido & Religion===
If the Lion Clan has any form of religious fervor, it's for Bushido and ancestor worship. They may not seem pious when compared against the mainstream religions of Fortune worship and the Tao of Shinsei, but Lions have a devotion to Bushido, the ancestors, and honor which can rival that of any holy man from the Dragon or Phoenix Clans. Funnily enough, Bushido wasn't even meant for day-to-day samurai and was more a code for warriors initially; it just really, really caught on as Rokugan's social values.

As stern warrior traditionalists who practically wrote the actual book on war and Bushido (Akodo's ''Leadership'' and its various editions), its tenets and honor matter a great deal to the Lions. But where the average samurai from another Clan deals with the usual tension between their public mask and inner self, following some tenets while paying lip service to the others, the Lion Clan seek to make sure there is no difference, in essence shaping themselves to fit Bushido rather than the other way around.

There are many ways this can play out, but it all boils down to the ideals of living honorably, serving loyally, and being firmly for the Emperor and the Clan. That doesn't mean they don't have exceptions to this attitude, though. While your average Lion tends to buy their own hype, Akodo himself infamously wrote "On the battlefield, all actions are honorable." Seriously, his initial draft was so pragmatic in how to provoke enemies and exploit weaknesses that Hantei VII declared the work dishonorable. Ikoma scholars have edited subsequent editions to be more PG-13 for everyone, and only they and the Lion Champion actually know the original contents ([[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|while giving all later versions a 5-out-of-10 "It was OK" review]]).

Lions also revere their ancestors, using their honored, glorious dead as examples to live up to. Given their actual tangible connection to the spirits of the dead which the Kitsu can give voice to, it's understandable; when your descendants can call you up to ask questions, it gives you an incentive to live on the straight and narrow. All Lions know their ancestors are very actively watching their every move, and long to be worthy additions of that honored assembly when their time has come.

But while the Lions are devoted to Bushido and their ancestors, they are notably hostile to the Tao of Shinsei. Its emphasis on contemplation and seeking enlightenment from worldly matters is seen as the antithesis of how the Lions prioritize taking action within the world as soldiers, a difference of opinion which stems from Akodo's scorn for Shinsei. He refused to let the Tao be preached or followed among his followers until Hantei commanded him otherwise.

As a result, every Lion dojo holds a copy of the Tao in an honored spot. Honored, and unopened, a perfect reflection of the Lions' attitude to Shinseism. Something to pay lip service to because they have to, and ignore otherwise. And for the most part, that's as far as their dislike goes, because the Lions would never be so dishonorable as to actively attack or persecute honored monks...but they have been known to make convenient excuses that let them basically leave endangered monasteries to die. Ironically, using equivocation which is right out of the Doji playbook they so despise. That being said, if a Lion samurai approaches retirement age (assuming they actually let themselves retire), it's rare but not unheard of for them to join a monastery and spend their life in introspection after a lifetime of handling outward affairs.