A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 7 August 2008
Here is the situation:
I control no personalities and have a shugenja in one of my provinces who is aligned to my clan, but I do not meet his honor requirement. My opponent destroys one of my provinces during battle resolution. I cast Imbue Chi with said Shugenja, which of the following happens.
a) The Shugenja cannot enter play because I do not meet its honor requirement
b) I need to pay 2 gold in order to ignore the Shugenja's honor requirement and bring him into play
c) The Shugenja enters play at no cost
How would this situation play out if the Shugenja were not aligned to my clan?
Imbue Chi
Kiho Reaction: Before battle resolution destroys one of your provinces, if you control no Personalities, target a face-up Shugenja in any of your provinces: Turn all cards in your provinces face-up. Bring into play any number of face-up Personalities in your provinces waiving costs. Kiho Limited: Bow one of your target Shugenja: Draw an additional card during your next End Phase.
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 7 August 2008
Here is the situation:
I control no personalities and have a shugenja in one of my provinces who is aligned to my clan, but I do not meet his honor requirement. My opponent destroys one of my provinces during battle resolution. I cast Imbue Chi with said Shugenja, which of the following happens.
a) The Shugenja cannot enter play because I do not meet its honor requirement
b) I need to pay 2 gold in order to ignore the Shugenja's honor requirement and bring him into play
c) The Shugenja enters play at no cost
How would this situation play out if the Shugenja were not aligned to my clan?
Imbue Chi
Kiho Reaction: Before battle resolution destroys one of your provinces, if you control no Personalities, target a face-up Shugenja in any of your provinces: Turn all cards in your provinces face-up. Bring into play any number of face-up Personalities in your provinces waiving costs. Kiho Limited: Bow one of your target Shugenja: Draw an additional card during your next End Phase.
The question rephrased: Do honor requirements apply at all time?
http://rules.l5r.com/Card_types#Using_Personalities: "When bringing a Personality into play, a player follows this sequence:
"A. The personality enters a specially created entering-play area.
"B. The personality’s Honor Requirement and other restrictions on its entering play are checked." [In other words, at all times - ZF] "At this point, if the Personality is aligned to the player's clan and it is the player's Dynasty Phase, the player may waive the Personality's Honor Requirement and increase his Gold cost to enter play by 2. If these conditions are not met, the Personality card returns to where it came from and it does not enter play." (Emphasis added).