Oni Ronin and our second trip to Japan
Oni Ronin is a new kind of PFP NFT. Yes there are thousands of procedurally generated images like you’ve seen before, and yes there’s a vibrant community of collectors on Discord, but there’s also so much more.
Quoting from our last blog post, Oni Ronin stand out because of the art, the tech, and the roadmap.
The best art, both visual and audible, in a PFP project seen this year.
- Of course, this is subjective, and if you want to fight on Twitter about it that’s up to you — but unless you’re bringing a Galaxy Egg to the fight, this isn’t a very interesting conversation.
- There are 20 real haiku, written by real Samurai as their death Haiku. This is an ancient tradition practiced by a class of people obsessed with living and dying well. These haikus are a cornerstone of that. The metadata title for each Haiku attribute is the real name of the author. Each is a springboard into its own pool of real history. Bonus fun fact: the calligraphy of each poem was written in old style Japanese by Lil’ ハンズ’s mother.
- Breathtaking audio of the haiku — if you’re willing to test your Ronin in the Trial of Ascension.
- As collectors feel the call of Ascension, the number of Fallen Ronin increases and the number of Oni Ronin decreases. It’s a deflationary NFT, maybe not the first of its kind but definitely a model we’ll see many projects replicate in the future.
- Every Ronin, whether Oni, Fallen, or Golden, will be able to claim a 100% unique companion: a Kitsune fox spirit, famous in Japanese folklore.
Rock-solid tech.
- Our gas mitigation strategies stopped gas wars and whale splash from wreaking havoc on our community.
An incredible education-driven roadmap.
- Dr. Bender is our first history professor, and very likely not our last. We have STRONG conviction that we can put together the best curriculum on Samurai history in the English language, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
- On top of history lessons, we’ve partnered with haiku experts, calligraphy teachers, and a group based in Japan to lead all sorts of experiential perks for token holders, from meditation sessions and lessons in flower arranging to guided tea ceremonies and more. This kind of elite education has never before been seen in NFTs.
On top of all that, we held a contest for owners and people willing to risk their Ronin in the Trial of Ascension. The winner was selected and contacted and we’re waiting to hear back from them and confirm everything is above board before announcing their name to the world.
In the meantime, we’ve started our next contest. We were hoping to have a shorter duration for the contest but gas fees are insane at this point. It feels exclusionary to create contests that are so short only people with hundreds of dollars to lose on astronomical gas fees can afford to participate. Big Head Club is supposed to be many things, but definitely not just a playground for the idly rich. Therefore with this new contest, the prize is the same but the criteria to enter is different, specifically, we’ve extended the duration to hopefully capture some ebbs and flows in gas prices. Any Ronin minted between numbers 4028 and 4888 will be entered in the draw.
And in case you missed it in the last post, that prize is:
- A trip for two, from anywhere in the world to Kyoto Japan.
- A stay at the Four Seasons Kyoto.
- Local experiences include a real Japanese sword-slashing experience.
- Samurai armour fitting.
- An authentic Japanese dinner hosted by a local guide raised in Kyoto and an Oni Ronin producer.
- Historical temple and shrine tour including Kiyomizu, Kinkaku, and Fushimi Inari.
- Kyoto National Museum tour
- Cruise at Lake Biwa.
Of course, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, so the trip shouldn’t happen right now. The prize will be eligible to be claimed for up to one year, and if the winner decides not to go within that time frame, they can take an equivalent prize value in eth, which is 3Eth.
(Image courtesy of Dreiimos)
