Shrine of the Ki-Rin

The sacred and enigmatic Ki-Rin is known to appear occasionally to worthy mortals over the course of the Empire’s history. The Shrine was built in response to one such visitation. However, unlike most such occurrences, in this instance the person receiving the vision did not heed it; the shrine was built later, out of shame and penitence. The mountaintop site of the shrine’s construction was chosen because, according to legend, it was also the site of the Ki-Rin’s appearance in the dawn of the Empire, when the Ki-Rin Clan departed the Empire to follow Lady Shinjo.

The shrine is located high on a mountain, and reaching it requires ascending a long series of paths and stairs. Thus, only the most devoted religious pilgrims make it up to the shrine to offer their veneration. However, the shrine does get visitors once a year when it hosts a famous Phoenix shugenja tournament, the Festival of the White Orchid.

Construction
The shrine was built by Asako Matoya out of shame because she had ignored the vision of the Ki-Rin heralding the Return of the Unicorn. However, the family's resources were depleted in trying to build the shrine, and Matoya fell fatally ill before it was completed. A detachment of the Unicorn's Ide Emissaries arrived to complete the construction soon after. Ever since, the Asako family had been prosperous, and some attributed their family's success to Matoya's dedication to the kami.