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woodblxssomcrowned · 23 days ago

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Do you have any more headcanons about the Senju?

Here is a loooooong post with assorted collection of Senju clan HCs for you! They main apply to the Warring States era and early Founders Era. Some of them are new, some I've picked up from some of my older posts.

Disclaimer: This is HC's of the general culture. People are people and won't act in perfect alignment with the norms or social etiquette that is encouraged, may interpret them differently or disagree with them entirely. Hashirama and Konoha also brought drastic change which ended or drastically changed some of these traditions and norms.

CW for a bunch of stuff including but not limited to war, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, sex, abuse, death and more. Reader discretion is advised.

As far as religion goes the Senju lean more into Shinbutsu-shūgō (Syncretism of Shintoism and Buddhism), but a number consider themselves to have little to no attachment to spirituality. Ancestor worship is the most commonly displayed spiritual practice among Senju.

Ashura fought and worked hard for his abilities and gained much from the support of others, and the Senju towards the end of the WS era have managed to breed certain beneficial traits into becoming extremely common within their clan. This includes possessing a genetic anomaly that gives 9/10 Senju a natural affinity for two of the five basic chakra natures, as opposed to just one which is the universal norm (with the exception of a handful of clans with rare kekkei genkai). Another incredibly common trait in Senju was in fact passed on from their ancestor Ashura, which is immense physical strength, stamina and energy (see more notes in next point). Their natural physical strength and muscle density is immense, allowing them to achieve feats that would otherwise be incredibly difficult or impossible to achieve without enhancing your ability with chakra and pushing the natural limits of your body. Stamina can be used to mold into chakra for performing ninjutsu techniques. Having lots of stamina allows them to perform many or stronger techniques while still having energy left to remain physically active. Their strong life-force, which they share with their relatives the Uzumaki, makes them hard to kill. They can be severely injured but still cling to life, even if they may not be able to keep fighting at the time. These traits have allowed them to keep up with the rival and otherwise unmatched Uchiha clan. Their average is what others would consider impressive.

Notes on Physical Energy - The Senju and the Uzumaki Life-force I interpret this as the strength of the bond between the body and the soul. Having strong life-force enables you to stay alive even when your body is put through trauma or illness that can be lethal. It doesn’t mean you are immortal or invulnerable, that you won’t feel the pain or other symtoms of the trauma, or not needing to recover, only that it won’t kill you as easily as it might another. It’s what maintains life within you. Associated with both the Senju and the Uzumaki, but the latter in particular Vitality I interpret this as the energy that drives you to do stuff, to be active. If life-force is the energy that maintains your fundamental state of being alive, vitality is the energy that drives you and makes you feel alive. It’s what allows you to feel healthy and capable and energetic. It’s the energy that gives you the strength and enthusiasm to do things. It is the drive to act, to grow and develop. You could describe a person with lots of vitality as someone who is spirited, passionate, as vigorous, as lively or energetic. The opposite of vitality could be lethargy, sloth or apathy. Associated with both the Senju and the Uzumaki Stamina I can keep doing X activity for Y amount of time at maximum and high intensity before I start to feel tired. It’s about maximizing the energy you put into an activity. Eg. How long can you keep running at the speed you started at before you begin to feel out of breath, your legs burning and feel the need to slow down or take a break? (Can also be applied to mental stamina, but the Yang energy, which is what Ashura’s descendants inherited, is specifically associated with the physical body) Associated with the Senju Resilience Is your physical ability to withstand or adapt and maintain function through changes in circumstances, adversity or difficulties such as illness, injury or other difficult physical demands, and then recover once it has passed. How quickly and effectively you will ‘bounce back’, such as recovering from an injury, or adjust and adapt to the altered circumstance, such as managing an acquired physical disability because of an injury. (Can also be applied to mental resilience, but the Yang energy, which is what Asura’s descendants inherited, is specifically associated with the physical body) Associated with the Uzumaki Physical strength What is sounds like; the force or resistance your muscles are able to exert on physical objects. How much can you lift? How hard can you punch or kick something? If you are being pushed how hard can you push back? This strength manifests in the density of their musculature, which is insane. Not only does their musculature allow them feats of physical strength and endurance, but it also makes their bodies sturdier to an extent; as it supports and protects the integrity and stability of joints and bones. (IRL Muscle density refers to the amount lean muscle tissue in comparison to the amount of fatty tissue in your body. Specifically the amount of fat between the fibres of muscle. Denser muscle with less fat between the fibers allows for increased strength as they can contract more efficiently and with more force. Does not translate to the size or mass of muscles however, or even how 'fit’ you may appear aesthetically. You can have visually large muscle mass but have low muscle density and vise versa.) Associated with the Senju.

They are typically run by primogeniture, where the oldest child, regardless of gender, of the current clan head will by default be raised to become the heir. However, if the current or future clan head displays physical or mental weakness, inability to lead or doesn’t seem to put the best interest of the clan’s current and future welfare and survival before their personal ones, then they can be deposed and replaced by someone the clan deems more fit for the role. So the Senju has no ‘main branch’, although in some cases the line of succession within a specific family has remained unbroken for several generations. As is the case with Hashirama's family.

The Senju is a clan large enough that nobody knows everybody, but small enough that everyone can recognise anyone, and new faces do stick out.

One is typically most familiar with those who are of their generation and age group, as they would have all been trained together from a young age.

The Senju have a tradition of gifting girls and women jade bracelets. A girl will receive her first bracelet by her father when she's young, and might be larger so that she can grow into it, one from both her parents when she comes of age at sixteen, one from her mother the day she gets married, and one from her lover before she marries as a symbol of enduring love, loyalty, and willingness to care for and protect the recipient. The jade bracelet gifted from her lover is the only piece of adornment that tells the world a Senju woman is in a committed relationship. She may also be gifted one by her new father-and mother-in-law when she marries, and another by her husband when she has given birth to a child. Some Senju women only possess one bracelet, while others have many. It is no requirement to always wear them, and some are maybe unable to wear the ones they received as children. Most also remove them for training, assignments or activities where it may be damaged. Others choose to always wear them and rarely, if ever, remove them, and some would have to break it order to get it off. But not wearing it at all regularly was seen as bad luck as the stone was seen as living and needed to be cared for and connected with to obtain the benefits.

It is typical to wear these jade bracelets on ones non-dominant hand, and can be in the form of solid bangles, hinged bangles or beads on a string and tied onto the wrist.

Jade was seen as a symbol of prosperity, success, good fortune and longevity, as well as love, beauty, sincerity, physical strength and health, clarity of mind and purity of spirit. All aspects and traits one would want to attract for the wearer throughout her life. Jade was also heavily associated with the earth, its color and connecting the Senju to their forest.

Jade is also valuable overall so they are precious gifts that can be sold if the woman and her family runs into financial difficulties.

The Senju does allow non-Senju to marry into the clan, but not often and not casually. Still about 20% of all Senju are actually outsiders who were adopted into the clan when they were very young. Adoption is the far more common way for an outsider to be accepted into the Senju. Many of them were not raised to become shinobi the same as any child born a Senju was, though some were, it would depend on the child in question. This has on occasion given the Senju a reputation as child stealing, although these children have usually been orphaned and displaced by the war. Not to say it has never happened that a child was taken in against the wishes of their parents, or snatched from another shinobi clan.

Whenever a non-Senju marries into the clan they are almost always a civilian with no shinobi background.

If you as a Senju did wish to marry within the clan, as a rule choosing anybody that is closer to you than at least five generations removed (i.e. your closest shared ancestor is your great- great- grandparents) will be considered unsuitable and is discouraged, if not straight-up forbidden.

Having shinobi from other shinobi clans marry into theirs is very rare because of the risks it can entail to bring shinobi into the heart of their home. Clans were far too often pitted against each other by employers regardless of any alliances they may have, so it was risky to bring in new members who's loyalty could easily be swayed by sentimental feelings and loyalty for their original clan. Mito was allowed to marry into the clan because the Senju and Uzumaki have historical ties and an overall good to neutral relationship, and because she was the one Hashirama chose so an exception was made.

Respect for your parents and elders is an integral part of social etiquette. Seniority can trump rank. A younger member with a high rank is still expected to respect and take into account an older member's input and experience. The parents of a child are responsible for teaching their children about this etiquette, as a child being disrespectful towards an elder, be they a sibling, parent, distant relative or otherwise, will shine a bad light on their family. Hashirama’s public and loud display of anger towards Butsuma during Kawarama’s funeral broke both the etiquette of respecting your elders and parents, and respecting the dead.

Teamwork and comradery is highly encouraged and the Senju are known for their efficiency when working in squads of five to ten individuals. Their tactics and ability to quickly regroup and adapt to a situation as a unit is drilled into them from a young age. Some of these tactics have been specifically formed to deal with Uchiha who have the sharingan, exploiting the weaknesses of the dojutsu such as blind spots and any disproportion between the sharingan taking in information and the body being able to act upon it. Though some find them predictable because of this, it's nonetheless acknowledged that they are highly efficient and dangerous when they are working together, which is why opponents may attempt to divide the group. (Also one of the reasons why I believe the Senju died out. They had thrived on their methods during the WS era but were uprooted by the new mixed team system and became weaker for it, dying more frequently in combat.)

As the Senju put a lot of emphasis on camaraderie, they promote relationships of trust and devotion between peers over strictly familial or filial ones. Treat and love all your peers as your brothers and sisters. Get along, be respectful of each other, and stay close. Love and support each other for life.

You are considered an adult by the age of 16, at which point you can attend clan meetings get a say in how the clan is being run. At this time making it to 16 boosted your chances of living to 40 to about 80%. (Before the years of the plague around 790CE, about 200 years before Hashirama, which resulted in what was necessity and desperation turned into a tradition of deploying children as young as 6 and 7 into war, those under 13 would rarely be given missions, much less be a part of open combat. If they were brought into the field, their involvement in actual combat was minimal at most, and instead served to help out at the campsites, help care for wounded and such things.They were still trained hard from early childhood, and were expected to be fit for combat by fifteen at the latest, but by then most would have been able to form enough strength and ability to actually keep up reasonably well with the adults. But once Hashirama became clan head he pushed for strictly refusing anyone under 15 to be given missions, and nobody under 16 was to be made to participate in war campaigns and had to go through an evaluation of their skills before being allowed to do so.)

You are considered eligible for marriage by 18 for boys, and 20 for girls.

Having children before that point is absolutely not encouraged. The desire was for one's body to be fully developed, strong and healthy before you decide to have a child, regardless if you are the one who will be pregnant or the one who impregnates. The average age for having your first child was somewhere between 20 and 25 for women.

Menstruation and contraceptives HC

The Senju does not practice polygamy or concubinage, and having children outside of marriage is discouraged as it makes keeping track of who is related to who far more difficult.

A woman could have children without being married or even have the father involved in her life at all, and it wasn't considered bad as much as impractical, but it would be expected of her to still know who the father was so that the child's lineage could be accurately recorded for future reference. In these cases the children would be recorded as members of the bloodline she was born into, but still with a note of their paternal ancestry.

Contraceptives and abortifacients were considered incredibly common medicines and widely used by the Senju so unexpected or unwanted pregnancies carried to term were rare. Procreation however is your duty to the clan, and there is a general expectation and pressure that all members should sire and raise at least one child in their life, and becoming a parent would boost one's social standing within the clan a bit.

It was considered more acceptable for a woman to have several children by different fathers, than it was for a man to have several children by different mothers. Again it comes back to maintaining the bloodlines. Just one man somehow persuading multiple women even in a short amount of time to have his children could spell a great deal of trouble down the line, if there were too many half-siblings catching an interest for each other. A Senju displaying behavior like this and carelessly undermining the lasting well being of the entire clan for his own gratification could end up being severely reprimanded, as in have his ability to ever have any more children removed. Permanently.

Marriage traditions are overall practical and uncomplicated. Very rarely a grand affair and was typically small and intimate. At it's most basic the couple more or less just has to state they take each other to be their respective partner in marriage, in front of a witness, and it's considered legitimate once the couple has been noted in what can be described as a family registry. Having a small celebration with close friends and immediate family is not unusual though.

There is a lingering tradition of asking for the father's permission to marry a daughter, but more often than not the prospective couple have already entertained a relationship for a while, and frankly asking for permission is just a curtesy and display of respect. If the family dissaproves then elopements are common. And the clan overall usually don't care much for such drama, unless one of the pair is a non-Senju or is a Senju but turns out to be too closely related to the other. If it's the latter case, then the pair's marriage will be considered void and they will not be allowed to live together, and that however can create some significant drama.

While procreation is is very much promoted as a duty and necessity for the clan's future, sex is also seen by the Senju as entertainment and socialization, and something to be enjoyed between equals, regardless if it's between casual lovers seeking a moment of escapism during a campaign, or a married couple in their shared home. Known for their open hearted and casual view on the topic which some find uninhibited and offensive. Although no self-respecting Senju would be caught dead in a brothel or ever dream of paying somebody for sex, they are often known to be unabashed flirts, both towards other Senju and outsiders, and to outsiders they would seem to not strictly limit themselves to their marital partner, and premarital, relational, recreational and casual sex is normal. Some non-Senju find this alluring and enticing, others are appalled and see this behavior as licentious and inappropriate.

The Senju however often also think other clans are too stiff and restricted in the way they are allowed physical expressions of love, sexual fulfillment and even just platonic affection. Life is way too short for that.

While polygamy was not accepted within the Senju, polyamory was generally fine, and both men and women could have consensual extramarital relationships and lovers and most would look the other way. As long as it was done discreetly and with one's marital partner's consent to such an arrangement, without humiliating them by publicly favoring their lover, and you still respected, honored and performed your role as a husband/wife or father/mother. Having at least one child with one's spouse was also generally a requirement for others to be accepting of a couple seeking any emotional or physical fulfillment or other connection that could not be found within their marriage. And again. Having children outside of one's marriage was strongly discouraged for bloodline and record reasons.

While polyamory, sexual and romantic relationships outside of marriage weren't necessarily frowned upon, and one was overall expected to be discreet, attempting to actively hide and deny the existence of these relationships very much was. It signaled shame for what they were doing and likely was doing something that was not a part of the agreement between them and their partner, and was seen as manipulating and betraying the mutual trust and respect between a married couple.

Divorce was a possibility, but rare. If one partner started favoring their extramarital lovers and relationships over their marital and familial ones, or mistreated their family, then the other partner or even their relatives could bring up the issue and demand a separation. Although during the era of warring states, a marriage usually didn't last long enough for a divorce to come up as a necessity, as one or both of the pair were likely to die in the line of duty fairly young. When that happened, it was not at all uncommon, encouraged in fact, for the surviving partner to remarry if they so wished.

The “Will of Fire” before Hashirama came along was a philosophy of the Senju, but it was different. It centered the current and future prosperity of the clan and the bonds you had with others within it and it alone, for your family and friends, not a village. A Senju during the WS era and early founders era would speak of the Will of Fire and in doing such mean something song these lines: “Fight for each day, never relent but if you believe you are going to die ensure you don’t go down without a fight.” “I will stay alive for the prosperity of my clan, I will fight to let all those I love thrive for one more day, but if I have to die in the process of securing their future I will take my enemies down with me.” “Fight to stay alive for the future of your clan, let that drive burn within you…but if you see the end ahead of you, make sure you let your enemies burn down with you.”

Speaking ill of or disrespecting the memory, resting-place or places for memorial of the dead is deeply frowned upon

Disciplinary action can be physical and very unpleasant depending on the offence.

'Tough Love' is the dominating norm, and coddling children too much is considered deeply detrimental to their future.

Honor your clan. Wear your crest with pride and dignity. When you wear your clan's crest, you represent it, so never act in a way that will bring shame upon it and all others who wear it, have worn it and will wear it in the future.

Life is fleeting and impermanent, and death is an inevitable part of life. Everything ends one way or another. Accept this irrefutable truth. Train hard, and fight with discipline and vigor and with the anticipation of death, and seize and enjoy the time between. Celebrate the things you fight for, love deeply, and find pleasure in the simple things when you can.

Don't speak without thinking, and speak only when you have something worth saying. Senju can be considered blunt, but overall sincere.

Do not waste food or drink. If you really do not wish to eat or drink what you are offered for some reason, accept it politely but leave it without eating or drinking it. Food was frequently scarce during the WS era, so refusing food was not only impolite but also just plain wasteful.

Maintain good hygiene. When in the field, take all opportunities that are offered to wash up. Keep your clothing and equipment clean, neat and maintained as well. Treat your belongings well, or they might fail you when you need them, and they may not be easy to replace. Treating your belongings poorly or having a dishevelled appearance can not only be cause of disapproving looks, but even disciplinary action. You represent the Senju and a higher class of professional soldiers, you should look and act the part.

Variations of games such as capture the flag, dodgeball, episkyros and tag are a common part of training in order to promote dexterity, teamwork, strategic thinking, perception and taking swift decisive action based on the circumstances.

Some acts of disobedience are more acceptable than others, and it is usually rather a matter of if you get caught doing it. For example, if you get caught sneaking out of the house at night you'll get scolded or disciplined for being caught, rather than the act of trying to sneak out itself.

Shinobi children often had many siblings, and parents that could be away from the home for extended periods of time or die suddenly, so being able to help care for their family by performing domestic and household tasks and being self-sufficient was important regardless of gender. This responsibility particularly falls onto the oldest child, but everyone is expected to pull their weight when needed and however they are able. The parents or closest living adult relative are the ones expected to make sure their children gain these skills.

A shinobi will have to do and endure terrible things, you are expected to be relentless, cold, and uncompromising in battle, but you should always separate who you must be on the battlefield from from the one you are at home. You have to learn this. If you get consumed by anger or pain or grief and can't function off the battlefield, or start engaging in antisocial behaviour and needless cruelty towards fellow Senju, civilians or even enemies in some cases, you are a burden to the rest of the clan.

It is alright to grieve, but you should not let it, or any other emotion for that matter, consume you. That makes you a problem. Don't be a problem.

Treat guests with respect and hospitality. Although the Senju rarely bring outsiders into their settlement, they are excellent hosts when they do. And once the village was founded and you visited a Senju household, you would always be offered to at least sit down and have some tea before you left.

If possible the Senju prefer to bury their dead respectfully in coffins, but are also frequently known to also burn them if they can't bring the remains with them to be buried. In those cases a portion of the ashes are typically retrieved to be buried or spread elsewhere. Worst case the remains will be left where they have fallen if circumstances makes them unrecoverable. Sadly that is an all too common reality. Regardless of how or if they were given a proper burial or sendoff, the dead are primarily honored at household shrines and in memory groves.

There are a two memory groves in the Senju's forest, several centuries old but the clan does its best to maintain them, because they are very important to them. They are essentially parts of the forest that has become places for honoring and remembering the dead. After the remains of fallen members of the clan who couldn't be retrieved and buried properly are burned, a portion of the ashes will be gathered and brought back home then buried or spread in these groves. But those who's remains couldn't be found or retrieved, buried or burned at all are also given space for remembrance. There are no headstones or markers, but like the rest of the forest there are statues of Jizo and the Buddha, as well as shrine-like formations set up where lanterns can be lit, incense, offerings, and such can be placed. The Senju visits these mossy groves to remember and honor their fallen friends, family and ancestors, named and unnamed, to pray and to meditate in the quiet and peaceful setting.

When you visits it is customary to treat the grove with care and respect, to keep the space cleared of branches that may have fallen from the trees, perhaps take the time to clean the statues and shrine, remove wilted flowers, burned out incense and offerings worn out by the elements. Children are frequently brought to the groves and allowed to help keep them maintained and to gain an appreciation for the significance of the sacred space. Food offerings are not left in these groves as it attracts wildlife, so such offerings are typically left at a household shrine.

During Obon these groves gets extra attention and visitation.

Because of their habit of adopting outsiders into the clan, the physical appearance of the Senju can vary greatly and the clan has seen everything from very dark skin to very fair, from black hair to white, and everything in between such as hues of red, brown and golden blonde, including rarities such as light blue, purple and green. Though brown hair and dark eyes are the dominating features.

The birth of a child is a momentous occasion that will be celebrated more than most others. It is one of the occasions where the father of the unborn child (assuming he's alive and that the mother wants him there) is expected to drop everything and be present for the birth and any siblings will be called home. The father of an expectant mother in the late stages of pregnancy will usually not be given assignments that he can't easily return home from, and if he still knowingly accepts such an assignment it may make him look bad. The father will be present during the birth to support the mother and will be expected to help if he's needed, but a midwife or an experienced mother or other trusted female relative or friend will be the primary attendants of the birth.

After the birth, the placenta will be wrapped in cloth and buried, returned to nature, by the father and any siblings of the newborn.

It is typical that the child's name won't be shared until it is a week old, at which point available friends and family will celebrate the strength, efforts and continued health of the mother and the new addition to the family and the clan with gifts, talismans and blessings. But from the moment the baby draws breath, it should not be touched by anyone other than the mother, father, it's siblings and the midwife who delivered it for a month, as to make sure it is strong enough to not catch any illnesses.

While giving new clothes to a couple for their wedding day is considered optional, and is usually skipped in favor or simply thoroughly washing and mending their best garments to wear, it was definitely encouraged and seen as auspicious to gift new blankets, swaddles, bedding, and clothing to a newborn.

Although life expectancy was short and that it was rarely easy or kind to shinobi, it did not stop people from celebrating and hoping for the child to live a long, happy and prosperous life.

During that first week the family would be given time of solitude and bonding, and the mother should be allowed to rest. She may walk around if she's feeling ready for it, but she should refrain from doing much else than caring for herself, her needs and those of her new baby.

While the mother recovers from the birth and tends to the infant, the father will get all the responsibility to look after her and the rest of their family by doing household chores, making sure the mother is fed hearty and nutritious food so that she may regain her strength, that she gets opportunities to bathe, he'll look after their other children, and so on. While others are meant to offer space and quiet to the family, close relatives like the parents of the mother and father or their siblings may visit to offer support and help with these tasks, or be there in the place of the father if he's for some reason not in the picture, but if he is he's the one expected to be there for the mother and their family at this important time. Shrinking away from this very important responsibility paints him in a bad light which can be cause for separation and affect his social standing within the clan. The long, laborious and dangerous but invaluable undertaking of carrying and birthing a child into world, to the clan, should be treated with nothing less than respect, support and celebration.

Unless circumstances demand otherwise, the mother will remain at home with the infant for at least two months before she's expected to return to her duties as shinobi. She's typically not expected to take on assignments that takes her away from the infant for extended periods before the child is at least 18 months or so old. The time between a mother's later stages of pregnancy, the first few months and two or so years of the new child's life would likely be the longest mostly uninterrupted time she would get to spend at her home with her children, before missions and campaigns would keep her away from them for sporadic and often extended periods. The case was worse for fathers. Sadly this could create distance and tension between the children and the parents if efforts weren't made to stay in touch and really treasure the time they did have with them. Which usually wasn't easy.

As the child grows older and less dependent on the mother, other family-members such a grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, older siblings, neighbours and family friends and so on will help in looking after each other when the parents were not around. As mentioned previously, if none of the parents were around and no other senior family members were present, then the oldest sibling held responsibility for the younger ones.

If the child was a girl, she will typically receive her first jade bracelet between the age of 3-7

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