So, i have a question regarding the Togashi School Ability Blood of The Kami.

Now, the way i see this ability, it allows you to take more advantage of the kihos that use explosive successes on the burst effect.

Now, two of the best kihos in this regard are Way of the Earthquake and Death Touch.

However, they are both listed in the school curriculum.

So the question is: if i get those kihos linked to tattoos with my school ability, do i lose the chance to have the XP spent on them to my rank progression? Do they even count for the 50%?

Do what you want is probably the answer. That's how you play L5R.

If you get them for free, you do not get to spend the xp for your school advancement... but I would argue that's not a big deal; it's just 3xp you can spend on another technique 😛

Also, the school ability says that you can pick a Kiho you already possess (you only get it for free if you don't already have it). So if you do buy that Kiho with xp, you can still enhance it with a tattoo when you gain a rank.

In my view, it's more beneficial to get the technique for free, though.

It's literally free stuff. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that. Especially for Way of the Earthquake at first rank - there's going to be plenty of other advancements you're going to want to take to fill up that rank anyway (like Fire, to get some use out of those Fire Kiho you have in your curriculum at that point). Two techs, a couple of skill ranks and a single Ring advance and you're probably at 20 XP already. I really don't think you're going to miss spending 3 XP on WotE.