Name:
Sato Clan
Crest :
None
Location
Roaming the Land of Lightning.
Village
No village, the Sato are nomads.
Traits
- Tanned:
Because of their life outside.
- Good horse-riders:
It is said they practice before they can properly walk.
- Resilient:
They don't get sick often and can withstand harsh weather pretty well.
History
Since the beginning were there clans that roamed through the Land of Lightning, but where as most of them settled down in villages when they spawned there were several that kept the practice of traveling and living off their trade going. Two of these were the Sato and the Ariyama clan. Both clans were small with a limited amount of member. Both were herding sheep and shipped the wool, milk, cheese and meat to make a living. During that time the land was rather peaceful and the clans trived. The two clans didn't have much contact with each other except during the clanmeetings that were held every couple year. The Sato clan travelled every two weeks in search of grass for their sheep.
Nothing of extreme note happened in that time. The Sato travelled, the sheep ate. There was hardly any dispute in the clan and no real problems that couldn't be mended. Yet they were small and soon the realisation came that if they stayed as small as they were they would die out.
458 was the year that the Ariyama clan, a clan that had mostly been traversing the southern part of the Land of Lightning whereas the Sato spend their time in the north, approached the Sato with a cry of need. Due to a skrimish at the border with the Land of Fire the Ariyama had suffered great losses in cattle. Because the two clans were on good terms and had met several times before an agreement was made. Shunso Sato, the youngest son of the, at that time, current chief Takayuki Sato, was to marry Chie Ariyama, the daughter of one of higher ranked members of the Ariyama clan. Their marriage would seal the intergration of the Ariyama clan into the Sato clan, bringing profit for both and making the clan trive.
By the time that their first daughter was happily placing its first steps the peaceful nomad life was disrupted by the First Shinobi War. Even though the nomads were not shinobi and didn't partake in the fights they were, of course, affected by this full scale world war. The avoid the conflict the, now larger, Sato clan travelled north to avoid the coming storm. The pressure of war brought the need for self-defense and children and adults were thought basic taijutsu in case of emergencies. The Sato hid in the mountains only occasionally sending out people down south to gather news and resources they couldn't get themselves. And so they passed the war rather well.
Takayuki Sato passed away in 463, giving the leadership to his eldest son Masanori Sato. During his reign the war ended and the Sato could return to their normal travelling patern that now included spending more time in the south of the country.
A severe illness caught Chie Ariyama at the end of 471 and she and Shunso left the clan with their daughter to live in Kumogakure so that they could find a cure for her. In 472 Shunso returns to his clan without Chie and his daughter, whom he left behind in the city unable to sustain the closed space.
The Sato clan had a time of prosperity and relative normality. The Shojo oppression didn't affect them much since they weren't a shinobi clan and weren't involved in fighting with them. They politely retreated from the conflict not picking a side.
475 was the year that Shunso's daughter returned temporarily to the clan along with Shunso's illegitimate daughter Kiyomi Hon, who would start calling herself Kiyomi Sato-Hon after their encounter. Due to the fact that, unbeknowst by Shunso himself, the Sato clan now was the source for two Jinchuuriki the Fifth Raikage has taken a great interest in the clan's comings and goings.
Members
Masanori Sato (Chief NPC)
Shunso Sato (Chief's brother NPC)
Chie Sato-Ariyama (NPC)
Midori Sato (Fieryfly)
Kiyomi Sato-Hon (Alice)
Techniques
None. The Sato are not shinobi.
Traditions
- Remembrance Day (12 March):
On the 16th of March the Sato pay respect to their ancestors and recently departed. Because they are a nomad clan they don't have proper burial grounds to bury their dead. To keep them in their memory and to keep paying respect to them they have one day a year on which they send their blessings to the world of the dead. One spends this day with the family and send little strips of paper up into the air so that the words might reach the departed wherever they are.
- Summer solstice (July):
The Summer solstice marks the day that the sun lights the world the longest. This day is customary celebrated with large bonfires, good food and drinks. The kids like it because they are allowed to stay up until the sun completely sets which is far into the late hours. If they are up north during that time it might happen that they only have a couple of dark hours.
- Nomad Clan Meeting (Every 2 years - Third Week of August):
Every two years the nomad clans meet on the fields in the south where there is a bit more space then in the mountainous area. This is a meeting to exchange goods, to meet people, gossip and mix cattle. It is also a time where the leaders talk about new happenings in the past years. The event takes about a week because the clans never arrive at the same time.
- Winter solstice (December):
The Winter solstice marks the day that the world is the darkest. The Sato huddle around the fire and eat the traditional lamb stew made by their best cooks. During this day the tales and legends that surround the Sato clan and the Land of Lightning are told.
Relations with other clans/organizations
Other nomad clans in the Land of Lightning:
Good relations.