Kokichi

Face-up artist(s):

Raentheria

Date of acquisition:

October 21, 2019

Provenance:

Via a local go-between who specializes in Chinese BJD brands

Reason for choice:

His facial structure is perfect as a son for my two primary dolls

Best Points:

Great engineering and face sculpting

Worst Points:

The lanky body aesthetic took some getting used to, but that's more of a personal preference than an actual flaw. Also, newer LS male heads are quite giraffe-necked on their bodies.

Eyes:

Custom Star Garden eyes by Raentheria

Wig:

Hand-ventilated by yours truly

Favourite colours:

Yellows and earth tones, with touches of red and black

Fashion style(s):

East Asian traditional, the occasional modern casuals

Name story:

His personal name is written as 弘吉: "great", "luck". His mother chose that name because his status as a twin meant that he was viewed as a lucky, if unexpected, addition to a family that wanted multiple children. Never mind all the physical flaws that he came with.

(Strictly speaking, his name should be written as Kōkichi, but for simplicity reasons, I use the normal "o" when typing it out.)

Character age:

Early twenties

Character gender:

Male

Offsite roleplay:

This doll's character is not available for offsite roleplay.

EDO PERIOD TIMELINE
Relationship tree here.

The Takashima family's heir, Kokichi was the younger of a set of fraternal twins that Guórén (a high-ranking police lieutenant, also known as Takashima Jinsuke) sired with Adhara (the alias of Ozaki Kaguya, matriarch of a proto-yakuza syndicate). Legend has it that his mother's fiery spirit caressed his face in the womb, resulting in him being born with eye markings that eerily evoked Adhara's facepaint when in battle form. His fate was very different from his older sister Kokiden, for his parents managed to successfully hide the truth of his existence from his mother's dangerous enemies. Once things quieted down, his father officially acknowledged the boy as his son, allowing him the use of the Takashima name as a legitimate member of the family. Upon reaching his age of majority, he was formally known as Koremitsu (是充, "justice" "bring up").

Even though Kokichi never showed any hint of the shapeshifting powers that characterized his mother and his sister, Adhara's lineage gave him unnatural powers of persuasion. His sassy nature, inherited from his mother, often put him at odds with his strict father when he was young, but their relationship drastically improved once Kokichi outgrew his childish impulsiveness. Ultimately, despite appearing to be a manipulative brat in his childhood, Kokichi mellowed into a caring young man with a strong sense of social justice (having parents who never got to fully integrate into Japanese society). Nonetheless, he's still very much his father's son when it comes to relationships: extremely loyal, falling in love deeply and truly, and taking rejections hard. Kokichi's loyalty to Guórén was likewise absolute. He was known for being slow to anger, but one thing that was guaranteed to make him flare up and be confrontational was to hear his father being targeted by slurs making fun of his foreign appearance.

He was older brother to Aijiro, Airinko, and a foster sister closer to his age, Maiya. He was also the betrothed (eventual husband) of Yamaoka Suirei, a daughter of an up-and-coming local official who wanted to have a familial link with Adhara.

L5R RPG TIMELINE
Relationship tree here.

Shinkai Inspired by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr


Kokichi with Mosspoles by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr


Kokichi on the hamper by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr​