Primer: Former Noble Houses

Isseki Clan

Family Head: Isseki Gendo Takadai

Clan Structure: Due to the shamed lineage of the Isseki bloodline, there are very few 'pure' descendants left. Most individuals choose not to have children due to the shame of the family name. Takadai leads the clan because of his line of ancestry and his place as the Lieutenant of the 2nd Division.

Specialty: The Isseki were once the creators and overseers of the Onmitsukidō, with familial right to all stations within it. Due to the Isseki Rebellion, this right has long been null. All members of the Isseki bloodline must now work as executioners for the Gotei 13. 

History/Details: The Isseki Clan can trace its roots to the beginning of Soul Society, which means that they were one of the six noble families that have existed since the dawn of time. Although rumors of their origins have been heavily suppressed due to their shamed state, there still exist stories that tell of their god-given right to be the sworn protectors of the Gotei 13. They created the Onmitsukidō, which has watched over Soul Society ever since, even though they no longer have any valid familial ties to the organization.

Because of their place as the controllers of the Onmitsukidō, the Isseki family had long been privy to secret information and the personal dealings of the other noble families. After thousands of years, however, this duty bred a fierce familial paranoia that rendered the entire clan incapable of making rational decisions. They began to believe that the other five Noble Houses were plotting to take over Soul Society. In a rash decision, the leaders of the family enacted an edict that called for the elimination of each and every individual of the other noble houses. The Isseki Rebellion had begun.

Once the rebellion had been put down by the Gotei 13, the family balanced on the edge of extinction. Most people called for the deaths of those still living as penance for the crimes that had been committed, whether or not they had any direct involvement with the war. The leaders of the surviving houses chose to let the Isseki family live on in shame. However, their connection to their noble rights was severed, and they were forever bound to be the executioners for the Gotei 13. Their first victims were the captured leaders of their own family, whom they had no choice but to execute—a final insult that was meant to show the utter defeat of the Isseki Clan.

Since then, the members of this shamed family have done their duty. Where paranoia and suspicion were once traits bred into them over the centuries, they have long-since been replaced by subservience and self-loathing. There is no member of the executioner-class that does not regret being born into such a hated family, and they are forced to wear hoods to show that they are Isseki. While some have recently opposed this, saying that the practice is archaic and that these are not the same people, Central 46 is still ruled by noble families who have not forgotten what had happened, and the resentment is still alive and well.

Washii Clan

Family Head: None. There are no surviving members.

Clan Structure:  None.

Specialty: Once head of the Seireitei hospitals and clinics, they had a familial right to the 4th Division. They were also the keepers of the Mizu no Itonami (Water of Life), which was destroyed in the Isseki Rebellion.

History/Details: The Washii Clan, like the other five Noble Houses, had existed since the dawn of Soul Society. The gods gave them the ability to heal others, and their family line held some of the strongest healing-type Zanpakutō in history, a loss that severely hurt the capacity of the 4th Division for centuries after their family line ended. They were also gifted with the Mizu no Itonami, an artifact that produced almost limitless amounts of water for those truly thirsty. Its destruction is quoted as the cause for the poverty in much of Rukongai and the environmental issues in the World of the Living.

For the early periods of their history, the Washii family spent most of their time and energy on erecting a system of hospitals around Soul Society. They took care of the sick, injured, and poor using whatever resources that they could, and it allowed them to remain incredibly well-liked. Unfortunately, they were ill-prepared for the Isseki Rebellion. Their strongest fighters were few and far between, having been so heavily focused on the arts of healing.

When the Isseki family attacked the familial home of the Washii Clan, it was a massacre. All but a handful of its descendants were killed on the spot, and those who were out in Rukongai or in the human world were hunted down and killed in the most organized assault that Soul Society had ever witnessed. Only three members managed to live long enough to see the rebellion put down, and one of them passed away soon after. There was no feasible way for the family to continue. With the Mizu no Itonami destroyed, the surviving pair, a husband and wife, spent the rest of their lives in mourning.