The Twelve Kingdoms Forum

Does anyone know why Sairin is always shown holding a tree branch? My understanding is she has already been through three rulers, but is only a few years older than Keiki, having chosen her first ruler when she was 8.

Huh? I thought she was the same as Keiki, serving under her second ruler.

isn't it more than two rulers? like 4 i think i read somewhere.

Nope just 2. The current Sairin is serving her 2nd master. Her first master abdicate the throne thus saving her life, like Keiki.

The tree branch is a Sai's treasure. When you sleep with it you will dream of you 'own ideal'* kingdom. It was supposed to be used as a benchmark for rulers to stay focus on what type of kingdom they want to creat.

* If everyone holds the branch and sleep, each will have a different dream of ideal kingdoms. Thus it only helps you to imagine your own ideal kingdom clearer.

Sairin holds it dearly because her first master promised her an ideal kingdom which never materialise (both have different ideas for ideal kingdom). She still hopes that her ideal kingdom will still be attainable.

the previous sai-o "lost his way" due to the branch . he doesn't comprehen the meaning of the vision that the branch gives him and hence he didn't repent/correct his wrongs....
really sad story abt a bunch of idealistic/hardworking ppl [king and his officals are like 20-30+ yrs old when they come into power] but incompetance/ignorance who brings down a kingdom
in the end he self corrected by suicide [cos he can't stand what he had done] , saving sai-rin.

edit to add : the real branch is destroyed [previous sai-o use it to kill his father and brother] in the anime , u see sai-rin's branch is broken off a tree. she's jus holding it cos it reminds her of the "dream" that her previous master promised her but never materialised.