The Eight Colored Clans of Saiunkoku

The Eight Colored Clans of Saiunkoku are a fictional elite of noble families in the light novel, manga and anime series Saiunkoku Monogatari. They form the upper class and higher nobility of Saiunkoku. Most of the drama in the story involves interactions between the imperial clan (Shi) the more eminent clans (Ran and Hong), and one of the lowest clans (Sa), as well as the families as a whole with a mysterious acquaintance, the Hyo family.

Background
Many hundreds of years ago, Saiunkoku was a land infested with demons that drove it into turmoil. Finally, a young man named So Gen took action. Moved by his efforts, the Immortal Eight Colored Sages(who had been watching and waiting for someone to save Saiunkoku), joined forces with So and used their immortal powers to drive out the demons, forging out the Saiunkoku we know today. So Gen became the empire's first Emperor. The Eight Sages disappeared elsewhere, but it is still said that they live among the people. Two shrines, one in the capital, Kiyo, and one in the Imperial Palace, were built to honor them.

Since So Gen's reign, Saiunkoku has always been divided into eight provinces, each named after the color of one of the Sages. Six hundred years ago, the Emperor ordered the ruling clan in each province to change its surname to match that of its province. Commoners were forbidden from using the same surnames as the nobles.

Each province and ruling clan has a distinct feature.

The Shi clan
The Shi(Purple(紫)) clan is the imperial clan of Saiunkoku. Shi Province is said to be geographically in the center of Saiunkoku, and all the other provinces border it. No evidence contradicting this statement has been found in either the manga or the anime. Most of the story takes place in Shi Province.

The Shi clan's seal bears the purple iris, a symbol of trust given only to those trusted wholeheartedly by the Emperor. The current emperor, Shi Ryuki, is seen giving the purple iris in the story to Ran Shuei and Ri Koyu.


 * Shi Ryuki- the Emperor of Saiunkoku. Originally having no interest in either political power, responsibility, or love, and deemed a homosexual, his lazy attitude was beaten out of him and his hidden abilities revealed when Hong Shurei, the eldest daughter of the powerful Hong clan and his future love interest, enters his harem as a temporary consort.  An extremely capable and stable ruler, Ryuki's reign is seen as the Golden Age of Saiunkoku.  Ryuki bestows flower emblems as symbol of his trust: purple iris to Ran Shuei and Ri Koyu, flower bud to To Eigetsu and Hong Shurei.  For most of the story, Ryuki battles other men and court catastrophes to successfully court Shurei and make her his consort.


 * Shi Senka- Ryuki's father and the previous Emperor. Senka spent his entire life loving only one woman but ended up taking six other concubines for political reasons that forbade him from ever marrying his love.  Senka secretly used the Wolves of the Wind, a group of deadly assassins, to exterminate and ruin many lesser noble clans for corruption, but spared the Eight Colored Clans and the Hyo clan for much worse crimes.  Although he never cared about his wives, he was very protective of the sons they bore him, and asked his faithful archivist Hong Shoka to take care of his sons when he died, for he knew his life was short and would end before he was 45.  Although Ryuki was his youngest and least experienced son, it was Senka's last wish that Ryuki become his heir, and left the world with Ryuki at his deathbed.


 * The Four Shi Princes- the eldest, third, fourth, and fifth princes of Senka, each of a different mother. The four were almost inseparable as brothers but when it came to the imperial succession, could only agree to exile their second brother, Seien, the most intelligent and strongest of the brothers, and bully Ryuki, an unlikely candidate for the succession and their youngest and most vulnerable brother.  Ten years ago, after exiling Seien, the brothers fought each other for the throne, creating civil war across Saiunkoku, daily bloodshed in the palace, and economic depression in the capital, Kiyo.  In the end, all four princes and their mothers(if they had survived the fighting) were executed, and their followers exiled.  Ironically, it was their bullied younger brother, Ryuki, who became the Emperor.


 * Lady Suzuran- Senka's second concubine and Prince Seien's mother. She was a legendary beauty but had a fragile heart and body.  Suzuran was proud of her son's accomplishments but always lamented the fact that he was the second, not the eldest, prince.  When she was ill, Ryuki sent Suzuran a bunch of her favorite flowers and even paid her a visit to try to cheer her up.  After her father plotted to have Seien placed on the throne, she was arrested and exiled with Seien to the edges of Sa Province.  Before she left, though, Suzuran had one last conversation with Senka and asked him to pay more attention to Ryuki.  This was probably the most selfless thing she had ever done,  and it showed that Ryuki had won the motherly affection of Lady Suzuran, something he never got from his own mother.  Suzuran was killed by assassins on her way to Sa Province, survived by Seien; her clan was either executed for fled into hiding when her fathers crime was exposed.


 * Si Seiran- the second prince of Emperor Senka, although few people know this fact. Seiran is actually Prince Seien, son of Lady Suzuran, but was exiled when his mother's family plotted to have him placed on the throne.  He survived the assassins that came after them, and joined the Satsujinzoku(a gang in Sa Province).  Finally, he disbanded them and was taken in by Hong Shoka and his wife, Hyo Shokun.  Since then, he has remained the last retainer in Shoka's personal household, where he does repairs and works part-time to support the family.  Seiran reunites with Ryuki after Shurei enters the harem and rises to a high-level military post.  Seiran is an extrmely learned scholar and fighter.  He is very protective of Shurei.

The Ran clan
The Ran(Indigo, 藍) clan is the most powerful clan in Saiunkoku. Its clan seal bears twin dragons, a lotus flower and spring. The family's main manor is Kougaijyou (Lake Sea Castle), but its main headquarters are said to be in Nine Cove Valley, a beautiful place that resembles Jiuzhaigou Valley in China. The Ran's main clan of retainers are the Shiba, who are expert swordsmen. Ran Province is one of Saiunkoku's most stable provinces, and its primary industry is extracting salt from the province's marshes. The Ran's provincial capital is Gyokuryuu, a canal city that resembles Venice and is said to be more beautiful than the capital.


 * Ran Shuei- the fourth son of the Ran clan. He is the Shogun(General) of the Left Urigun Army, and has legendary fighting skills due to his training with the Shiba clan.  He recognizes Seiran as Prince Seien by his fighting techniques, and the two are considered the greatest military officials of Ryuki's reign.  Shuei is often seen accompanying Ryuki as one of his most trusted advisors, and holds one of Ryuki's purple irises.  Shuei is often very calm, but teases Koyu by saying that he is the latter's best friend, which Koyu claims he is not.  He is madly in love with Shusui, the head lady of the Imperial Harem.  However, she doesn't love him back, saying that he treats the harem like the Red Light District.  Later in the story, his loyalties are divided between the Emperor and the Ran clan, causing him to resign from the army and return to the Ran manor.  After being disowned by the Ran clan, he returns to Kiyo and is welcomed back into the palace by Ryuki.


 * Ran Ryuren-the fifth and youngest son of the Ran clan. He is well known for his eccentricity.  He prefers flashy clothing with vegetables as accessories, and enjoys wandering around and gambling.  Although he is skilled in many musical instruments, he has chosen the flute as his primary instrument, quite a surprise because his flute playing is known to drive people insane and make birds fall from the sky.  Ryuren is allowed to wander the country like this in exchange for promising to excel in the Civil Service Exams; in the end he earns second place in the exams and resumes his old lifestyle.  Ryuren is very close to Shurei(whom he dubs his "Soul Friend Number 1"), To Eigetsu(whom he dubs his "Soul Friend Number 2"), and Sa Kokujun.


 * Setsuna Ran- the three elder sons of the Ran clan, and they collectively lead the clan and bear the name "Setsuna". Episode 23 of the second season reveals that they are triplets, and their father and their tutor(Shoka) both raised them to be indistinguishable from one another.  The three brothers' personal names are Yuki(snow), Tsuki(moon), and Hana(flower), and only they themselves and Yuki's wife can tell the three apart(even the latter cannot tell the other two apart from each other).  After Shuei successfully tells the three apart, they banish him from the Ran manor.  The triplets almost never leave Ran Province.


 * Gyokuka- the wife of Yuki Ran. She is a beautiful, rational, and easy-going woman, and a great cook.  She fell in love with Yuki instead of Shuei despite Yuki's cold and cynical attitude.


 * Ran Jyusan-hime- the eldest surviving daughter of the Ran clan, and Setsuna Ran, Shuei, and Ryuren's half sister. She was raised by the Shiba clan, as both a princess and a fighter, and her name literally means" Thirteenth Princess", although she also has the childhood name "Hotaru"(firefly).  She was originally engaged to Shiba Jin, heir of the Shiba clan, but their romance ended when Shiba Jin committed patricide.  Jyusan-hime has similar physical traits to Shurei, and was sent to Kiyo as a prospective bride for either Ryuki or Seiran.  She succeeds Shusui's place as head lady of the Imperial Harem after she leaves, and is likely to become Ryuki's consort if Shurei rejects his proposal again, or if she is truly barren.

The Hong clan
The Hong(also Kou in Japanese) clan wields equal power to the Ran clan, and the two are collectively known as the "highest of nobility". "Hong(紅) translates as "crimson" or "red". The Hong's main clan of retainers are the Ki clan, a mysterious line of military strategists.  The Hong clan seal bears the Kirin, phoenix, and bamboo.

Hong Province's specialties are tangerines and the special "luminous seven-colored ink", a trademark product that originally could be produced only in Hong Province on the Hong manor or in designated factories owned by the Hong, but eventually the trademark was later shared by the clan with the National Merchant's Guild, so that they would protect Shurei when she traveled to Sa Province as its new co-governor.


 * Hong Shurei- the daughter of Hong Shoka. As the eldest daughter of the direct line, Shurei holds the title of hime, which means "princess" or "lady".  Despite the high social status of her clan, Shurei grew up in a separate household in impoverished circumstances, and works part time as an erhu player, temple teacher, and accountant at Kocho's brothel to make ends meet.  Extremely well educated, with a very refined upbringing, Shurei was a logical candidate to be Ryuki's temporary consort.  Shurei aims to become an official to change the lives of the people for the better, and most of the series is focused on her realizing, that dream.  Shurei has feelings for Ryuki, but it is not certain as to whether or not they are romantic.


 * Hong Shoka- the eldest son of the Hong clan direct line, and father of Shurei. Although technically the first in the line of succession for the position of Hong clan leader, Shoka's youngest brother convinced their father to pass him over, deeming that he was lacked the qualities of a leader.  Since then, Shoka was expelled from the main estates and traveled to Kiyo, where his brother Reishin helped him get a position as Head Librarian of the Imperial Archives, a very prestigious and powerful post that pays little.  Although a gentle and educated man who is hopeless with household affairs on the surface, Shoka is also the deadly assassin known as the Black Wolf, who was part of Advisor Sho's Wolves of the Wind that served the Emperor; this fact is only known by Advisor Sho, Reishin, and Shusui.


 * Hyo Shokun- the wife of Hong Shoka and mother of Shurei. She was originally from the Hyo clan and held the title Bara-hime, meaning "Rose Princess".  Shokun could cure any illness magically and attracted Hyo Rio, the clan leader of the Hyo family.  Upon marrying Shoka and leaving the Hyo clan, she lost that ability but retained the power of one wish at the cost of her life.  Shokun used this wish to make Shurei healthy after she had fallen fatally ill during a thunderstorm.  Shokun was known to be a legendary beauty that made the roses wilt in embarrassment with a kind heart to match.  She taught Shurei how to act like a lady, play the erhu, pick tangerines, and cook.


 * Hong Reishin- the current clan leader of Hong clan. He is the second son of the Hong clan main line, and thus Shoka's younger brother.  Although he took the title of clan leader away from Shoka, he still greatly respects his elder brother.  Reishin is very overprotective of Shurei, and is constantly spying on her behind her back, fearing that she will hate him for framing her father.  Reishin is a capable but arrogant man, and is the Minister of the Civil Affairs Department.  Reishin is very loyal to the Hong clan, and the most important person in his life is his adopted son Ri Koyu.


 * Ri Koyu- Hong Reishin's adopted son. He has a rough start in life, but Reishin had sympathy for him and took him in, since then, he has grown to love Koyu as his own child, despite not giving him the Hong clan family name.  The reason he does this is because the plum blossom, that blew free in the wind, was Reishin's favorite flower.  Reishin wanted Koyu to be free to make his own decisions, thus gave him a different surname so that he wouldn't have to become the next clan leader and lose his freedom of choice.  Koyu is a child prodigy, having passed the civil service exam with the top rank at age 16, and he is the Vice-Minister of the Civil Affairs Department.  Koyu is extremely intelligent but refined.  He also has practically no sense of direction and gets lost very easily because of his adopted mother,Yuri-hime.


 * Shi Yuri-hime- Hong Reishin's wife. Unknown to most, she is actually the daughter of Shi Senka's father by a concubine; thus she is Ryuki's aunt and holds the title of hime(princess of the direct line).  Her mother fled with her to Hong Province to escape having her daughter be sent to the Hyo family(the traditional fate of Shi clan princesses).  Yuri loves Reishin with  all her heart and he returns her feelings indirectly.  While Reishin performs his official duties in Kiyo, Yuri often travels back and forth between Kiyo and Hong Province to perform Reishin's duties as Hong clan leader.  When the Hong clan is later investigated and stripped of all official posts, Yuri reveals her and Reishin's identity to Shurei while visiting her husband and son in the capital.


 * Hong Kuro- Shoka and Reishin's youngest brother and the Hong clan proxy-clan leader. A man of traditions and family loyalty, he convinced his father to give the clan leadership to Reishin instead of Shoka, and also was the one who kicked him out of the Hong clan manor.  Like Reishin, he greatly respects Shoka, and when Shoka's servants stole all his valuables during Shokun's funeral, Kuro saw that they were punished to the tortures of Hell, and the people who warned against disrespecting a member of the Hong clan, especially by stealing the valuables of the eldest son of the main line during his wife's funeral.  Although not the real clan leader, most of the clan leader duties are performed by either Kuro himself or by Reishin's wife, Yuri.  Kuro loves Shurei and comes to Kiyo from Hong Province to congratulate her when she becomes an official and ensures that she reaches Koren safely.  Kuro intends to have Koyu and Shurei marry to continue on the clan's bloodline.

The Heki, Koku, and Haku clans
Little information about the Heki(Jade Green, 碧), Koku(Black, 黒), and Haku(White, 白) clans can be found in either the manga or the anime. In fact, the clans themselves don't even appear in the story except during the New Year's Celebration, when the clan leaders of each of the Eight Colored Clans pays a visit to the Emperor. Even then, they are not introduced. However, we do know that the Heki clan is a great patron of the arts, education, and literature, and its most famous member is the famous but mysterious artist Heki Yukoku.

The Ko clan
The Ko (Yellow, 黄) clan is vaguely portrayed in the story. It is not to be confused with the Hong clan, whose Japanese name, Kou, sounds exactly the same in Japanese but has a different kanji.


 * Ko Kijin- the minister of the Department of Treasury and Taxation. His real name is Houju, although very few people know this. Kijin literally means "weirdo".  He is friends with Hong Reishin and Tei Yuushun.  Kijin wears a mask that usually covers his face not because it is hideous, but because it is so beautiful it drives other people insane.  He is known to be a hardworking, strict official, but is kind to Shurei when she works temporarily in the Department of Treasury and Finance disguised as a boy, even though he knows that she's Reishin's niece.  Kijin fell in love with Yuri-hime, but was sent a rejection note that said her name but was actually from Reishin.  Kijin has a caring heart and brings flowers to Shurei when she falls ill, but often pisses Reishin off when he catches him spying on Shurei in secret.

The Sa clan
The Sa(Brown, 茶) clan is the least distinguished of the Eight Colored Clans. The Sa clan has a long reputation of corruption, blackmail, and criminal offenses. The only reason that the Sa clan remained unpunished until close to the middle of the story was because it was one of the Eight Colored Clans, and any chaos within the Sa clan would result in Sa Province falling apart.

Sa Province is the poorest and most unstable of the Saiunkoku's eight provinces, having no industry or even a legitimate governor. The Sa provincial capital is Koren, but its commercial center(the least active in Saiunkoku) is Kinka.

The Hyo clan
Although not one of the fabled Eight Colored Clans, the Hyo clan holds an important position and has a wide sphere of influence; thus it is often included in the list of noble clans. The Hyo are Saiunkoku's most mysterious and shadow-like lineage. The clan was founded by the First Emperor's sister, Sou Youki, and most of the Shi clan's princesses are still sent there to be educated or married. For the most part, members of the Hyo clan never marry people outside their clan; there are exceptions to this, however, such as Hyo Eiki, who married Sa Enjun, and Bara-hime Hyo Shokun, who married Hong Shoka. The Hyo clan seal bears eight petals, eacha different color, and a full moon.

The Hyo clan abandoned the political stage over 80 years ago, and has kept silent ever since. The location of their main estate is unknown, although it is likely that they live in Kyuusaikou Valley near Ran Province. The Hyo clan does not make its first actual appearance until season 2, episode 4 of the anime(somewhere in the tenth volume of the manga), when their clan leader makes a sudden appearance to Shurei in the palace.

The Hyo clan's main trait is the hereditary transmission of supernatural powers from generation to generation. Many of its members, especially the women, have some supernatural trait. For example, Hyo Eiki could see into the future; Sa Shunki, Eiki's granddaughter, could hypnotize people and make them zombies; Shokun could cure any illness with her magic. In addition to this, the Hyo clan's specialties are brainwashing and assassination.


 * Hyo Rio- the head of the Hyo clan. Although he is around 80 years old, he still looks like he is in his youth.


 * Rio- Hyo Rio's son; has the exact same name as his fsther, with the same kanji. First seen during the plague in Sa province, he follows his father's orders and goes on missions for him. Ryuki often confides his feelings for Shurei to him. Riō currently works in Kiyō as the Head of Sentoshō (Department of the Cave of Immortals).


 * Hyo Ruka- the elder sister of Hyo Rio(senior), about 85 years old. She is just as obsessed with him as he is with Bara-hime; because of Shurei's resemblance and kinship to Shokun, Ruka wants to take over the girl's body so her brother will finally look at her in the same way. Unlike her brother, her physical appearance reflects her true age, although in the anime she projects the apparition of a younger woman when speaking to others. Her son Ren is the real mastermind of Jyasenkyō, which started the problems in Sa province during Shurei and Eigetsu's time as governor.


 * Hyo Ren- the son of Hyo Ruka. He fell into disfavor with his mother at an early age and sought to redeem himself by capturing Shurei, his mother's greatest desire.  In the end, he was caught and died in disgrace right after.  He was very close to Hyo Rio(junior) at a young age.


 * Shusui- Shurei's main lady-in-waiting and a well-known beauty of the Imperial Harem. Her beauty is said by Ryuki to be comparable only to Kocho, the famous courtesan in the Red Light District. She is deeply attached to Shoka, although he doesn't return her feelings, and is the only person who says that his tea is delicious. She is terribly bad at embroidery (which Ryuki likes to tease her about); when she attempts to make a sunflower-like floral pattern, Shoka mistakes it for a lion. Shusui appears kind and caring to Shurei and Ryuki, although Ryuren is suspicious of her swift agility in dealing with Korin's clumsiness. In the second season of the anime, Shusui starts to hear sounds in her head; fearing to fall back into the control of the Hyo clan, she attempts suicide. When she passes out in Shuei's arms, she breaks his heart by calling out Shoka's name instead. He later uses Shoka's name to snap her out of a hypnotic trance. Afterward, she insists on remaining in Ran province to face the Hyo clan, leaving her position as head lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Harem. She is deemed officially missing (though the Emperor knows where she is) and her position has been filled by Jyuusan-hime of the Ran clan.