Ashihara

Toyoashihara no Mizuho no Kuni (豐葦原の瑞穗の國, Lit. "Country of Lush Ears of Bountiful Reed Plains"), or colloquially just Ashihara, is a large island country exposed to intense weather, and harbours four major seasons, with a climate that ranges from subarctic in her northernmost regions and subtropical in her south.

Ashihara's government is a parliament in the making, and is currently seeing friction between new and old blood.

Etymology
The name Toyoashihara no Mizuho no Kuni is a learned name from the Earthen Kami, who bestowed this knowledge to early humans on the island.

Geography
Ashihara shores a rough, unrelenting sea. The land observes three moons and one sun, bringing about bright nights and unpredictable tides.

Climate
The north sports temperate summers and terribly cold winters with heavy snowfall, particularly amidst the mountains. [ DESCRIBE EAST] The west and southernmost areas of Ashihara record humid and hot summers and mild winters. The lowest recorded global temperature was - 35 C, and its highest was 40 C.

Government and Politics
Ashihara is headed by her Radiance the Emperor and the House of Representatives. The system of government is a parliament in the making.

Political verdicts are brought to the Nakatsukasasho, the Ministry of Central Affairs, which regulates the ministry of justice, education, civil security, and other relevant ministries pertaining to its citizen's needs. Though Nakatsukasasho includes the Ministry of Defense, which oversees the imperial army and navy, it has not seen relevant use outside of civil security and disaster aid since the warring states era. Critique of the obsolete Nakatsukasasho and peerage reform has been simmering within progressive circles since civil revolts began in 1882, starting with a grassroots revolt that formed in PREFECTURE 58, and progressive parties lobby for a fair government.

The Nakatsukasasho
The Nakatsukasasho consists of a left ministry that governs socio-cultural affairs and a right ministry that manages economic and juridical matters.

Highest Positions in the Nakatsukasasho
Though civilians are able to work their way up to a position in either ministry without their heritage branching from a notable root clan, they are unofficially restricted to posts within their prefecture.

Kazoku
A household’s social status in Ashihara is deeply steeped in the presence, or lack of, aristocratic ancestors. An ordinary citizen is often able to trace their “original” ancestor back to the status of village headman, samurai, warlord, feudal domain lord, court noble, royal prince, or emperor. Stories of subsequent family downfall (to explain their present commoner status) are heard more often than those of ascension from bottom to top.

The credence given to the Imperial line and the subsequent peerage finds its roots in these notions of ancestry. What determines a household’s current eschelon is defined primarily by the highest possible office held in the imperial court.

The positions available to someone of high status will depend on their placement in the Kazoku, as defined by the Kazoku-rei. The Kazoku-rei is a system which places houses of import into five distinct ranks:

Koshaku (公爵) This rank is composed of the clans closest to the Imperial family. This includes:
 * O-asatera-uji
 * Akeshina-no-miya
 * Minawata-ke
 * Ayanishi-ke
 * C Libs
 * D Traditionalists

Koshaku (侯爵) 2 electric boogaloo
 * Offshoots of the former Toyosaki Clan
 * O-meguyoku-uji
 * O-toyotobanashi-uji
 * O-sugisato-uji

Hakushaku (伯爵)
 * Jinke
 * The Nagikari, on technicality
 * Warrior Families allied with the Asatera Clan

Shishaku (子爵) Members of this rank are established families who contributed to the founding of Ashihara’s central government.
 * Branch families of allied warrior families
 * Other warrior families
 * Famous artisan families
 * Old blood politicians
 * Monetarists

Danshaku (男爵) Members of this rank are distinguished families who found their footing in Ashihara’s government following the industrial revolution. These families would include:
 * Non-imperial Shrines
 * New-age politicians
 * Lawyers
 * Doctors
 * Professors

Onmyoryo
The Bureau of Divination, colloquially known as the Onmyoryo, is a branch of the Nakatsukasasho responsible for the regulation of fortune-telling, spellcraft, astronomy, enforcement of religious laws, and approval of Shikigami for traditional use, otherwise called Onmyodo. The Onmyoryo receives its assignments from the Nakatsukasasho after a civil incident cannot be solved through civil means.

Jinke
Jinke, are the hereditary households in charge of the imperial and government-mandated shrines. Jinke typically enshrine past emperors or imperial family members and are considered a faction of the House of Representatives, in service of Her Radiance the Empress. The Jinke are not to be confused with Shikike, which are cadet branches of a clan in charge of performing ceremonial duties.

San-meike
The San-meike is the collective term for the three families that oversee the grand shrines of the Zōka sanshin. As overseers of destined events and due to their powerful disposition as root shrines, the San-meike have always been counted as meritorious retainers to the House of Representatives, thus they are counted as Jinke.

Economy
Before the introduction of standardised currency, grain was used as the main means of transaction. If it was not grain, dry goods such as textiles or pottery were used. Early Toyosakis considered manual labour to be the lowest form of payment for rendering goods or services. This was in stark contrast to the Shuzora, who considered farmers and other forms of manual labour the foundation of the Imperial House.

Currency was introduced to Ashihara in the 6th century when gold was discovered by the Toyosaki. Gold coins, named Gankin, were primarily used by the Toyosaki in transactions throughout the 6th century, it wouldn’t be until the 7th century that currency would start seeing use in the western part of Ashihara when NAME HERE, a priest scholar who visited the Toyosaki brought back the idea of using gold coins for barter. It was also around this time, in the year 700, that common trade routes started to emerge.

Around the year 925, a civil war broke out which divided Ashihara largely into two. Most wars of the period were short and localised, although they occurred throughout Ashihara. By 931 the entire country was engulfed in civil wars. Rather than disrupting the local economies, however, the frequent movement of armies stimulated additional revenues from customs and tolls. Due to many factors, such as avoiding the front lines and avoiding fees, polite society shifted to the southern region, which no daimyō had been able to control, and towards Ashihara’s southern shores. Economic developments and the desire to protect trade achievements brought about the establishment of merchant and artisan guilds.

Paper money began to see use throughout this feudal period in the form of feudal notes, promissory slips of paper which indicated some amount of gold. Symbols of regional monarchs were often stamped on these feudal notes, indicating their place of origin and to whom one should expect gold from. These notes were only usable within the domain which it was issued, and it wouldn’t be until the Asatera’s government reforms where these bills would then be replaced with centralised currency.

After the Shuzora family was overthrown and the war came to an end in the middle of the 15th century, the Asatera began an era of cultural reform. This saw the rise of new industries, in every sector across the board, most notably agriculture, textile and mining.

New industries brought labour rights into question, and strikes and riots which clamoured for workers’ rights started to become more commonplace. Currently, Ashihara is seeing the beginnings of a capitalist society.

Members of the Isshin Renritsu Kubun are religiously exempt from having to pay for anything. In light of this, the Isshin Renritsu Kubun provides its members with all of their daily necessities. A humble lifestyle is compulsory, and indulgences would be from big-hearted charity. However, members may choose to trade holy items for another holy item with the Onmyoryo’s affiliates, such as collegiate shrines should they need it.

Cultural Milieu
By nature of Ashihara’s world, outside influences generally do not exist. Because of this, cultural “influences” will largely come from archaeological discoveries, if they aren’t the natural progression of culture which comes from the formation of human civilizations.

Aesthetics
Principles behind design and architecture throughout Ashihara always place an emphasis on giving Kami respect and making use of natural materials. Simplicity is a cornerstone concept behind the aesthetics in Ashihara’s culture. Spaces are large and flexible; rooms and public spaces are not typically given a single function. Fabrics were painstakingly made by hand and were meant to last generations.

However, these principles behind the aesthetics of Ashihara’s culture would start to see change during the onset of the industrial revolution.

The Arts
Common cultural arts include tea ceremonies, poetry, painting, calligraphy, ikebana, rakugo, noh theatre, kagura, bunraku, kabuki, and gagaku. While many of these artistic forms in real life have gender-informed subtypes (such as kabuki’s onnagata), these do not exist within the world of Ashihara. People of all genders partake in the arts.

Common themes among public perception are centred around family, bonds and the relationship between people as individuals or as a society. Dramas are a staple.

Folk music is very common, as both a means of oral history and praising the Kami. As of the 1650’s, many of Ashihara’s common folk became college-educated and publishing saw a surge in popularity. Land-owning clans were reporting an increase in civil disobedience and satirical criticism using literature, arts and theatre coming from ordinary people.

As of the current day, art in Ashihara is strongly influenced by consumerism and advertising by industries.

Cuisine
Rice is a staple, but carbs also come in the form of bread or noodles. Fish is the most common protein, however other types of meat are also consumed. Tsukemono, pickled vegetables, are also a common side dish. Soybeans are commonly used in a myriad of foods or sauces (soy sauce, tofu, mirin, and natto). Tea is a common beverage that is drunk both casually and in important ceremonies.

Prior to the 300 year war, dietary restrictions were much more strict. The consumption of meat other than fish was considered to be unclean. This mindset would change as a food shortage arose during the war, which also saw the invention of bread and bamboo rice due to their convenience for the war effort.

Months

 * Risshun (Beginning of Spring)
 * Shunbun (Spring Equinox)
 * Kokuu (Grain Rains)
 * Rikka (Beginning of Summer)
 * Geshi (Summer Soltice)
 * Shousho (Lesser Heat)
 * Risshu (Beginning of Autumn)
 * Shuubun (Autumn Equinox)
 * Kanro (Cold Dew)
 * Ritto (Beginning of Winter)
 * Touji (Winter Solstice)
 * Daikan (Greater Cold)

Days of the week

 * Ichiyoubi
 * Niiyoubi
 * Sanyoubi
 * Yotsuyoubi
 * Goyoubi
 * Rokuyoubi
 * Shichiyoubi
 * Hachiyoubi
 * Kuyoubi
 * Jyuuyoubi
 * Yasuyoubi
 * Sameyoubi

Holidays
Solstices, new year, planetary alignments, basically all the onmyoji decide this shit.

Peace declarations, harvest festivals, inaugurations, the current monarch’s birthday, and unification of Ashihara.

Social hierarchy
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