Heki Karin

Heki Karin (碧 歌梨 Heki Karin) is the current Head of the Heki Clan, the elder sister of Heki Hakumei, the wife of Ouyou Jun and the mother of Heki Banri.

Plot
As the most talented artist of the Heki clan, the clan is determined to protect Karin because she will likely become their next clan leader. However, because female artists are often looked down upon, the clan has forced Karin to adopt the masculine alias, Heki Yuukoku (碧 幽谷 Heki Yuukoku) to conceal her identity. She possesses a keen eye for details and is an expert on artwork.

In the latter novels of the series, she agrees to remake the broken mirror of Hyou Clan's temple, despite legends that any person who finishes making the mirror dies. However, the legend proves to be false when Karin survives and completes the mirror; it is revealed that the legend emerged when previous Heki artisans committed suicide after finishing their mirrors, believing that they could not surpass themselves once they had completed their mirrors.

In the epilogue of the novels, Karin became highly acclaimed as an artist and Shi Ryuuki's reign became known for the accomplishments of women.

Etymology

 * Heki means "green, blue" (碧).
 * Karin means "song, poetry" (歌) (ka) and "pear" (梨) (rin).
 * Yuukoku means "deep ravine, glen" (幽谷).