Hirushi Shotugama

Hirushi Shotugama
Personal
Also known as	The Monk
Born	2981
Affiliation	Draconis Combine
Profile
Rank	Tai-shu
Title(s)	Warlord of Benjamin

Hirushi Shotugama was the Warlord of the Draconis Combine's Benjamin Military District during the second quarter of the thirty-first century.

History

Early Life and Career

The University of Proserpina

Hirushi Shotugama was born on Vanern in the Benjamin Military District in a Buddhist nunnery, the product of an out-of-wedlock match between a Kuritan noblewoman and a man beneath her station. His mother renounced all claim to him when she joined the order, and he was raised by the thirty nuns of the nunnery. Shotugama never learned which of the nuns was his mother. Showing an early interest and talent in strategy games such as go, the commander of the local garrison saw to it that he received a proper education. He would graduate with honors from the University of Proserpina and would then attend the Wisdom of the Dragon school on Kagoshima.

Originally assigned to units bordering the Periphery, Shotugama was soon transferred to the Benjamin Military District, where his ability rapidly became apparent. Quickly climbing through the ranks, by 3020 he was in command of the Ninth Benjamin Regulars and participated in the recapture of Cylene II.

9th Benjamin Regulars

His regiment participated in the successful conquest of the Federated Suns world of Cylene, after which he would be awarded the Bushido Blade by Coordinator Takashi Kurita for his success. Also during that operation, he developed a mutual dislike with Warlord Vasily Cherenkoff of the Dieron Military District. At some undetermined point in his career, he suffered a serious injury while ejecting from his BattleMech that left him with a scar along his left cheek and cost him his leg, forcing him to use a prosthetic.

Warlord

In the aftermath of the disastrous campaign for Galtor III in 3025, Warlord Syovo Yorioshi of the Benjamin Military District was forced to resign in disgrace. Coordinator Takashi Kurita required a replacement, and the highly capable Shotugama, whose own Ninth Benjamin Regulars were not involved in the operation, was the natural choice. Shotugama was one of the few commanders in the district left untainted by the debacle, but he faced a significant challenge in restoring morale to the Benjamin Regulars and other units based in the district. During the early years of his time as Warlord, he also served as commander of the Kajikazawa Prefecture, and was the commanding officer of the Seventeenth Benjamin Regulars on Benjamin.

In December 3025, Shotugama attended one the Coordinator's "Black Room" meetings of the high council. When he hesitated to report on the recovery efforts of his forces from the Galtor Campaign, he was goaded by his old rival, Warlord Cherenkoff, who referenced Shotugama's monastic upbringing. Shotugama's calm and measured response pleased the Coordinator, who maintained power by encouraging rivalry among his Warlords. Shotugama seemed to develop a solid rapport with fellow Warlord Kester Hsiun Chi, then of the Pesht Military District.

Fourth Succession War

Benjamin Regulars

When the Fourth Succession War broke out in 3028, Shotugama was fortunate that his District avoided most of the heavy fighting. While the Dieron and Rasalhague Military Districts both faced major invasions and the Galedon Military District suffered heavily from the Combine's feud with Wolf's Dragoons, Benjamin became a major staging ground for attacks into House Davion's Draconis March.

The First and Second Amphigean Light Assault Group regiments would conquer Galtor and Marduk successfully. When his troops took Galtor, Shotugama had succeeded where his predecessor had failed, and the conquest of Marduk won the Combine the use of Norse BattleMech Works, an important military industrial center which produced Griffin and Wolverine BattleMechs. On Deshler, the Third and Sixth Benjamin Regulars destroyed the First Chisholm's Raiders RCT.

Matters were less successful on Breed, where the Eleventh Benjamin Regulars squandered an opportunity to defeat the Second Robinson Rangers and were finally driven from the planet. On Klathandu IV, the Ninth Benjamin Regulars, Shotugama's former unit, was in the process of slowly crushing the planetary militia when the AFFS troops received reinforcements in the Raman DMM and the newly-formed First FedCom RCT. Though they failed to take the planet, the Ninth severely mauled all three opposing forces.

Coordinator Takashi, perhaps favoring Shorugama's successes, eventually moved his command center from Luthien to Irurzun in the Benjamin Military District. There he successfully coordinated the conquest of the remaining worlds of the former Galtor Thumb. Despite significant losses, Shotugama's District had fared far better than much of the rest of the Combine.

Later Career

In 3034, Shotugama was present at the high council meeting when Gunji-no-Kanrei and heir-designate Theodore Kurita announced the birth of the Free Rasalhague Republic, with the Combine supporting the release of most of the worlds of the Rasalhague Military District in a ComStar-brokered arrangement. This infuriated the Coordinator and led Warlords Cherenkoff and Marcus Kurita to openly revolt against the "official" Combine position, launching the so-called Ronin War. The younger Kurita also requested advice from Shotugama and Chi on the appointment of Warlord of the new Alshain Military District, made up of twenty former Rasalhague worlds. Despite these events, or perhaps because of them, Shotugama seemed to develop a solid working relationship with the Kuritan heir. By 3035, Theodore Kurita had located his permanent base on Benjamin.

Shotugama remained as Warlord when First Prince Hanse Davion finally launched the War of 3039. Despite an impressive push by Field Marshal James Sandoval into the Benjamin Military District, the Federated Suns was unprepared for Kanrei Kurita's Operation Orochi counterattack, and the AFFS was forced to abandon most of their gains. Shotugama apparently had no objection to Theodore Kurita's creation of the yakuza-backed Ghost Regiments, as the First and Second Ghost Regiments were rotated to the district capital at the conclusion of the fighting.

Death and Replacement

At some stage prior to 3050, the government of the Combine ruled that the Tatikaze, an organization Hirushi was a member of was to be disbanded and that he was instructed to commit seppuku by the Coordinator.

Boris Petroff succeeded Shotugama as Warlord of the Benjamin Military District.

Personality and Traits

Raised in the Buddhist tradition, Shotugama's silent demeanor and upbringing led some of his colleagues to dub him "the monk." He was a brilliant strategist, and was an excellent player of many strategic games, including go, shogi, chess, and Dragon Armies. He was an expert in using jitte knives and in the martial arts and on two separate occasions Shotugama captured an assassin's blades in the prongs of his jitte, breaking their blades with a quick twist of the wrist. He had a short, slim build and quiet manner that led many to underestimate him. Even as late as the War of '39, his confederate, Kester Hsiun Chi, would describe him as "monkish."

Notes

The Bushido Blade

• After the conquest of Cylene, he was awarded the Bushido Blade by Coordinator Takashi Kurita.
• Also at some point during his early career, he piloted a Panther BattleMech, at least up until its destruction in combat.
• The NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2 erroneously lists Shotugama as a Tai-sho.

Bibliography

• 20 Year Update
• Field Manual: Draconis Combine
• Heir to the Dragon (novel)
• Historical: War of 3039
• House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2
• Wolves on the Border (novel)