Long ago in Japan, the farmers and animals had an agreement that only excess produce could be taken from the hard-working animals until one day when this treaty was broken by the farmhands who felt they could take more than they truly needed. This greed outraged the animals, but specifically the Kohitsuji who were the little lambs. They had their wool coats stolen from them consistently even during the coldest of winter months. For years the animals had all of their produce stolen from them, and each time the greed set in further and further by the farmers, taking more and more. When the animals tried to stop the humans, they were greeted by pitchforks which ultimately stopped any attempt at re-gaining their rights.
The Kohitsuji may not have been the biggest or most powerful animals on the farm, in fact, they were probably one of the smallest... but this didn't stop them from plotting their escape from captivity. You see, the Kohitsuji were extremely intellectual animals, and when they had set their mind on something, they sought after what they wanted until it was theirs. Together, they did some plotting and developed an escape plan. One night they took advantage of their cuteness which was mistaken as innocence and hid in plain site as the farmer did their evening feeding. The Kohitsuji saved their food from the farmer for their trip instead of eating it and as soon as it got dark took this opportunity to blend into the darkness to leave the farm. All of the farm animals were sad to see them go but the Kohitsuji promised to return as soon as possible to free them all from the unjustness. All of them escaping at the same time would never have worked, some animals were too old, too slow, or didn't want to leave because the unknown scared them.
It took days of traveling before the Kohitsuji found a refuge location up high in the Japanese mountains. They built their own space and took this time to develop their own martial art to one day be able to free their friends still at the farm. Being up in the mountains may have protected the Kohitsuji from the farmers but it did not protect them from other threats, which became test dummies for their martial art form. It took years before they thought their skills were enough to save their friends. When the Kohitsuji finally returned to free their friends only the farm's guard dog was left. The dog recognized them and pleasantly greeted them with open arms; she explained the others were no longer there and it was too late. From that day on, the Kohitsuji swore to protect other farm animals from evil.
Today, it's estimated that the very few Kohitsuji were able to repopulate to a few thousand members but no one is truly sure of how many there are as they keep to themselves and spend most of their time training. Every once and a while there are stories of the Kohitsuji protecting animals from the various forms of evil and predators. One legend stated a couple of them have even been able to mutate into a more powerful creature with unheard-of abilities, presumably from deep meditation and long dedication to their developed art form. It's said that one day the Kohitsuji will return in great numbers to protect every farm animal!
