Daisen

Daisen Prefecture

Daisen Prefecture

Open plains reach from the eastern Uchijiro gulf shores all the way to the Raiden Yama which bottlenecks the plains before the border city of Hyūga. The plains are heavily farmed on both sides of Raiden Yama and the soil around Hyūga is fertile on both sides of the Shokotsu River and many villages reside in that area. Hyūga is a castle city which has grown from a mere border watch village into a lively city and it is located in the far eastern Tentaika. The city has grown somewhat isolated from rest of the country.

City of Daisen is rich and large city which thrives as a major trade hub for the western Tentaikan merchants. Daisen is built on eroded cluster of cliffs by the coast. This natural defense has somewhat reduced the growth of the city which has expanded on other cliffs near its original location. This has given Daisen a unique form which no other city in Tentaika has.

Okano Clan

Virtues of bushido guide the hands of Okano clan and none of the other warrior clans dedicate their life to bushido as Okano does. The clan is also the closest supporter of current ruling Shogun clan. Samurai of Okano are very proud of their old traditions and they often despise samurai from other clans as they are more slack and forgiving when it comes to seven dogmas of bushido.

Whereas other warrior clans are giving up the idea of cavalry and heavy ō-yoroi wearing samurai, the Okano clan has kept up the tradition. The large open fields of Daisen prefecture are the main reason for use of cavalry and the fact that almost all of Daisen prefecture’s samurai use full ō-yoroi is due to the Okano clan’s habit of always being ready for open war.

Okano’s neighbor clans are Kawachi and Kido. Okano has sworn rivalry against Kawachi, which they believe to have gained too much responsibility and power from the Shogun. Samurai of Okano remind Kawachi clan about this with constant duel requests and sometimes the clans have small scale conflicts on their border regions. Okano’s southern neighbor Kido clan is a mundane clan in eyes of regular samurai, but feared in the eyes of Okano clan’s leaders.

 

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Koshi

Koshi Prefecture

Koshi Prefecture

City of Koshi rises in the tip of the Uchijiro gulf. The city was built before the war of Daisen Teikei roughly thousand years ago. Koshi was originally built as a castle to protect the western Tentaika against attacks from the east. The strategic location of Koshi has always made it a centerpiece of wars in Tentaika. Koshi is also the largest trade hub between eastern and western Tentaika as well as with neighbor state Aleria. Trade alone makes Koshi a thriving city which competes with Rozushito in wealth and size. Koshi is also known for its many gardens. In fact, Koshi is also called the “City of Cherry Blossoms”.

Small border castle of Hokuto was built next to Shirokami mountain range after the first war between Aleria and Tentaika. Hokuto protects a river which runs through Shirokami Mountains. This river has later become an active trade route between Tentaika and Aleria. City of Nemuro stands on Shokotsu River bank which marks the eastern border of Koshi prefecture. During winter Koshi prefecture is covered in snow. Usually snowfall starts during late winter and lasts until early spring. Winter is by no means as stark as in northern Aleria. Only Hokuto area suffers from dense snow and weather under minus twenty Celsius.

Kawachi Clan

Kawachi Clan is well known for its Kōken’nin-Tai organization. Kōken’nin-Tai is a special police organization which deals with assassination attempts, specializes to counter-espionage and hunts outlaws who are beyond ability of a standard samurai force. Kōken’nin-Tai training is harsh, and only a handful of samurai are chosen to serve in Kōken’nin-Tai each year. Kōken’nin-Tai has authorization from the Shogun to operate in other prefectures and they have authority over standard samurai caste. Kawachi Clan also accepts candidates to Kōken’nin-Tai from other clans.

Kawachi Clan is pretty tolerant about bushido and the clan does not force the virtues down their samurai’s throats. However clan values loyalty and self-improvement. Kawachi Clan has long history of conflicts with Okano Clan. Each year, few small skirmishes occur with Okano clan near Nemuro and Shokotsu River area.

Samurai of Kawachi clan rarely rely in horseback fighting or archery and most of their samurai prefer swords over staff weapons. Number of ritualists and channeling capable samurai in Kawachi clan is among highest of warrior clans.

 

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Hohiro

Hohiro Prefecture

Hohiro Prefecture

Flat light broadleaf forests and small lakes span across Hohiro prefecture. Farming, hunting and fishing around large Saiko Lake produces enough food to be exported to trade. Hohiro prefecture also produces the bulk of cotton and wheat in Tentaika. City of Hohiro is built on river mouth on Saiko Lake’s south shore. City’s spacious grid plan expands on both riverbanks. Each house has plenty of room for a small garden and a backyard. Hohiro is almost as large as the entire capital city of Rozushito, but its total population is far from the largest cities in Tentaika.

Hohiro prefecture is well known for its dark and mystic forest which expands on prefectures northern border. Kuro no Mori has been throughout ages the origin of horror stories and scapegoat for blights in northern Tentaika. Kuro no Mori is an ancient forest which grows large and thick compared to any other forest in the known world. Its trees are massive and they create labyrinthine canopy which blocks daylight almost completely. Thick underbrush and clusters of rocky cliffs makes traveling dangerous and slow. The forest is an asylum for demons which rage across the northern borders of Tentaika.

Shinrinki Clan

Hohiro prefecture has long and harsh history, as relatively small prefecture ruled by Shinrinki Clan. Shinrinki Clan gained its status as a warrior clan and the ruler of Hohiro prefecture for their prowess in war against demon hordes over thousand years ago. Shinrinki Clan actively patrols the Kuro no Mori border in order to keep demon incursions to minimum in northern Tentaika. Shinrinki the suffers highest death rate for samurai from all seven warrior clans. This has led the clan to accept more recruits from lower castes to take on the life of a samurai in their border ranger units.

Many clans despise the fact that a common peasant is able to enlist in Shinrinki’s ranger corps. Virtues of bushido indeed weight little in the ranger corps were each mission into Kuro no Mori or even standard border watch duty might prove fatal. Ranger corps still maintains strict discipline during its initial training which is known to be harsh. Shinrinki Clan also employs large number of ronin as demon hunters which fill the ever thin ranks of ranger corps.

Like all warrior clans, Shinrinki has number of vassal samurai clans under them. Castle Fujô and Uguisu are homes of two of the most influential samurai clans in Hohiro prefecture. Fujô castle is located on western tip of Saiko Lake, Fujô is home of Kamata Clan. Uguisu castle is located in north from Hohiro and it is the home of Akamiya Clan. Most important samurai positions in Shinrinki clan are usually filled from “true” samurai as other clans like to call their own. While Shinrinki clan respects their ranger corps, their influential samurai who are responsible for political decision making are mostly from respected samurai families or clans.

See you next Sunday!