Faction overview: Higashi

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Administration and politics

Ritsusei system

In the past, Higashi has an Emperor titled the “Toukou” (東皇) whose claims their lineage being traced back to the goddess Asayo-Yoruakeru no Hime-no-Mikoto. Under the influence of Yanese legalism, Higashi adapted a system called the Ritsuseikoku system (律政国制) since the era of Emperor Sangaku by copying Yanese laws, creating a central government similar with the Yanese imperial court, and setting up a kuge class guided by the kugyō (公卿). Each land is distributed to a daimyo (大名) who is responsible for his own fiefdom.

However, the Ritsuseikoku system was built upon inequality in political power among the lords, resulting in tension between regional and central governments. Oftentimes, regional daimyos refused to obey the emperor by regarding their edicts as valueless. Financial mismanagement in the central government in eras of constant Catastrophes even forced the daimyos to forcefully annex farmland from the common folks, forcing them to become homeless who had to seek protection from the samurai. As a consequence, Higashi found it hard to replicate the cooperative spirit of the Yanese imperial court in times of disasters. The result was the collapse of the Ritsusei system that would be replaced by a more militant bakufu system that ousted the kugyō, which would in turn be the prologue of the civil war.

The Eight Families

Since the Kokusen-shouran, the Eight Families, the Hachi-Daikazoku (八大家族), rose from the collapsed bakufu regime of Shogun Shigekazu. The families follow the order of the Kougon and the Mitsumoto respectively. Since the truce signed in the year 801, the north-south regime was solidified, and both regimes evolved into different forms.

The Northern Court

The Northern Court (北朝) composed of samurai clans who inherit the charisma of Shogun Oniayame Shigekazu, the first shogun who set up their nominal emperor under the Kougon clan, formerly a close ally with the royals. The current Northern Court retains the old bakufu (幕府) where the shoguns are the de facto leader over the titular emperor.

• Kougon (光こう厳ごん)
• Kurogo (黒くろ衣ご)
• Hoashi (帆ほ足あし)
• Nishikori (錦にし織こり)

The Southern Court

The Southern Court (南朝) composed of the kugyō who possesses both the genuine emperor’s bloodline via the Mitsumoto clan and the samurai of the former Oniayame clan following their betrayal from the North. Since the year 1080, the South has adopted a modernized cabinet, or the kanchou (官庁), system which is similar to a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

• Mitsumoto (光みつ元もと)
• Kushimatsu (九く枝し松まつ)
• Kayou (叶かのう)
• Kaneshiro (金かね城しろ)

Demographics

Higashi is a nation of various races, but the predominant races are the Oni and Aegir races. Nevertheless, Higashinese tales narrate them as tribes hailing from outside of the Five Clans, and historically, they were called the “Jinki” (人鬼; lit. "humanoid ogre") and the “Koumin” (鮫民, lit. "shark people") respectively. Ancient Higashinese described the Koumin as “sailors of the sacred black-jade ship” whose envoys “spoke sweetly” but possessed “scales as hard as shields.” The Jinki were said to have preyed over the land of the far east since time immemorial while “waving their hundred banners like rivers,” but they feared the name of the goddess Asayo-Yoruakeru. Nevertheless, in the legend, Emperor Jingi finally subjugated these enemies after a decade of conquest but showed mercy to them by converting them as people of Ko-Ashihara. In present-day, the Aegir clans are the core of Higashi’s royal courts with some even becoming one of the Eight Families, whereas the Oni’s brass nature allows them to control much of Higashi’s military.

Culture

Warrior culture

Higashi is famous for its warrior culture influenced by samurai and ninja. The division could be further divided as to which faction of Higashi one belongs to. The North is said to have powerful swordsmanship while the South is known for the practice of ninjutsu. As a consequence, this results in stereotyping Higashinese armies in many films and comics.

Religion

The Higashinese folk religion is composed of the local Shinto faith and the teachings of the Oni monks in the classical era. The Higashinese royal court has been strongly promoting the Shinto faith into its politics since the enactment of “Magatsu Expulsion Edict” (『御平禍津守国令』), an order that is meant to further spread the knowledge of Catastrophes under officially recognized Messengers appointed by the shrine. The system, however, not only turned the Shinto faith into a state religion, but also, it worsened the balance between the royal court and the daimyos who were against the kannushi’s exploitation of the system.

The imbalance between Shinto shrines and monasteries led to religious tensions. One such occasion was the Sajikawa Incident (匙川の乱) when a kannushi allowed their Messengers to falsely report the predicted time of a Catastrophe as retaliation against a failed bet over a piece of land from the daimyos, resulting thousands of people becoming Infected. However, the wicked kannushiwas erroneously pardoned by the emperor. Monasteries recorded those wicked doings of the kannushi, but the kannushiwere bitter over their name being defiled by the monks.

Subcultures

In the modern era, pop culture, a phenomenon born from the prosperity of the Southern Court, has become prominent among Higashinese youth. Various video games, manga and anime enjoy widespread popularity across the country and elsewhere in Terra. Most of these are derived from Higashi's past from history, mythologies, to urban legends that many believe to be real.