SHIGEKO'S DOSSIER: Shosuro Gobei was the brother of Hyobu's (P1) husband - uncle to Jocho (P2) and Kimi (P3). He is the patron of several large and profitable sake works in the city, and his beverages are exported through Rokugan as far as the Phoenix lands.
He is a wealthy man but not, I think, a greedy one. He is not showy with his wealth, but neither is he stingy. He spends most of his time and attention on his mercantile endeavors. He makes a great deal of money, but does not seem to have money as his goal. He is almost like those swordsmen who practice, not to win battles, but in order to perfect their strikes and themselves. Yet I cannot see how such a thing can be done through buying and selling.
Like Kimi, he seems to have no concealed interests, which may mean his interests are the most deeply concealed.
There are persistent rumors that he is Hyobu's lover. I cannot say one way or the other; certainly he is her friend, and as such is no one to trouble lightly.