Roughly, "The White Path." Shidou is a martial art passed down from generation to generation in a small Heruban family. The current practitioners are Shokujiki Kyoko and Shokujiki Kouji.
History[]
Shidou was originally developed by Shokujiki Tanaka, the son of a White Culturalist. Tanaka was born with many of the abilities that the White Culturalists gain during their long study with the Heruban Lung. His existence, according to Heruban society, was taboo, but in an unusual, unprecendented, and unrepeated incident, the culturalist's offspring was allowed to live, provided he disassociate himself from the Culturalists and any aspect of the nobility of Heruba. To this end he adopted the name Shokujiki Tanaka (his pseudonym is a traditional embarassment among his descendents) and went into hiding.
However, Shokujiki Tanaka could not abandon all aspects of his former life. Though he tried, he could not hide his natural abilities that marked him as a sin against Heruban culture, and his vanity prevented him from fading into obscurity. Along with his son, Shokujiki Tanaka developed a martial art based on the techniques of a White Culturalist. It used his own natural abilities along with the latent and diminishing abilities present in his progency. This art was handed down to his descendents, allowing only a small handful of people not blood reltives to learn the art as well. Despite it spreading to newer students, the master of the art has always been a blood descendant of Shokujiki Tanaka.
Technique[]
Shidou has been described as a martial art that uses the least moment possible to achieve a result. Like White Culturalists, the martial art acts as an extension for the user's natural sense of the flow of energy. Non-blood relateves can use the style to an extent, but in theory only those of the Shokujiki family can take full advantage of the art.
The specifics of exactly how the art works is a well-kept secret. The apprentices to the art are taken on only once in a generation, and they are never volunteers- they are chosen by the master of the art him or herself. Stories tell that, because of its origins, Shidou is the only weapon capable of matching up to a White Culturalist's abilities. However, because of the secretive nature of its teachings, any information collected on Shidou is either heresay or rumors.
Conflict with the Shouxian[]
In recent years it has come to light that the Shouxian are seeking the masters of Shidou, perhaps to further their own military power. According to legend, the Shouxian are the people first chosen by the Lung for their cultural connection before their bond was revoked. Out of any Heruban, the Shouxian are most likely to have the capability to use Shidou to its full extent.