BIOGRAPHY The Great Statesman of Daitō, the forerunner of the DFD, the Chancellor of the Realm, Prince Toshikatsu Heishi was known by many names in life and in death. The man whose name sat just below the Emperor's on the 1895 Constitution, he saw many reforms within the Imperial Government, notably the partial doing-away with of the old system of nobility and lifting many of the Empire's citizens out of poverty, but this was only part of who he was.
Born in 1861 in Tenkyō, in the first year of the brief Go-Kaiyō era, Toshikatsu was the son of Toshishige Heishi, himself the son of the head of the clan. His firstborn, Toshikatsu was set to inherit great power, but whether he deserved it or not was something that was yet to be seen. At the age of eight years old, Toshikatsu bore witness to a great defeat for the Empire, when the Ardian Empire seized lands up to the Tedori River, within striking distance of the Imperial Capital. It was this occasion that led to his family being uprooted, forced to move northeast, to what is now Shinkyō but was then the trading city of Ashina.
His life marred by war from such an early age, Toshikatsu would find himself at the age of 20 joining the newly-reformed (within the last ten years) Imperial Daitōjin Army, where he would serve as an officer. He would take part in its earliest trials, from skirmishes with the Ardian Empire to wars on continents a world away, earning the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Golden Kite for his valor under fire. When he returned, he would be thrusted straight into a new world, the world of politics, and he had some plans of his own in that regard.
Now Daijō-daijin, Chancellor of the Realm, Toshikatsu would embark on a series of reforms that would not immediately benefit himself and his peers, but rather the common man. He helped establish local elections, giving voice to the people, though not for any altruistic belief in democracy. Rather, it was a pragmatic move, as it would take less work off of his subordinates, though it did mean that the people would have their means of ensuring their leadership would actually work in their interests rather than of the elite, at least in theory anyways.
The 1890s would see Toshikatsu begin to formulate his ideology, which, even in its earliest stages, promoted the ideas of Imperial Rule and Daitōjin nationalism, that is to say, that Daitō should establish itself as a proper nation-state; rather than an equal among the Onishi, it ought to restore itself as the first among them. He would publish his views in the first of many books, the Akitsu kuni no hitokoe, the "Voice of Akitsukuni". However, the greatest accomplishment of this decade for him was presiding over the drafting of the 1895 Constitution of the Empire of Daitō.
Going into the 1900s, Toshikatsu's ideology would shift somewhat away from purely Daitōjin nationalism, rather shifting towards pan-Onishism, though this would disappear from his writings by 1910 as the Great War loomed. He would also begin writing poetry, becoming renowned as a waka poet and later as a lyricist, notably writing the "Ode of the Kunan Restoration" in his later years and a poem associated with the symphony "Inno Keiyō" by Kosaku Yamada in 1921.
Following the war, Toshikatsu's popularity continued to rise, having the highest approval rating of any chancellor up to the modern day, though it would decline somewhat as Daitō grappled with a financial crisis in the late 20s. He come to the final form of his ideology, advocating for maintaining a pure Onishi culture, and a return to pre-occidentalized Daitō in which the state was to be purged of corrupt bureaucrats, opportunistic politicians, and the greedy heads of the zaibatsus, while he advocated now for a state run directly by the Emperor with the assistance of the military and those most qualified to lead.
Following the death of Emperor Keiyō in 1932, Toshikatsu became increasingly the target of various factions in the Imperial Daitōjin Army and Navy, first in an attempt to sideline him and later to kill him. While numerous attempts on his life would be made between 1932 and 1936, on the 24th of December, 1936, the Jōshō kyōi-ha succeeded in their years-long struggle, and before the day was out, Toshikatsu Heishi was dead. In the aftermath of his death, the Empire of Daitō would suffer a coup in 1937, placing the Daitō fukkatsu dōmei in power and turning himself into a sort of martyr. The DFD remains in power to this day.
FAMILY • Toshishige Heishi (Father, 1839 - 1914) • Princess Kurenai (Mother, 1839 - 1909) • Taeko Yamakawa (Wife, 1862 - 1946) • Masako Heishi (Daughter, 1889 - 2003) • Akimasa Kazahaya (Son-in-law, 1889 - 1981) • Koreyuki Kazahaya (Grandson, 1912 - 1998) • Akemi Kazahaya (Granddaughter, 1916 - 2005) • Katsuhiko Heishi (Son, 1892 - 1978) • Kaede Yamana (Daughter-in-law, 1895 - 1979) • Iehisa Heishi (Grandson, 1918 - 2017) • Fusako Heishi (Granddaughter, 1919 - 1997) • Iyo Heishi (Daughter, 1895 - 1984) • Daisaku Wakamatsu (Son-in-law, 1893 - 1975) • Masaharu Wakamatsu (Grandson, 1921 - 1989) • Norio Heishi (Brother, 1865 - 1916) • Ikuyo Saionji (Sister-in-law, 1865 - 1934) • Kazue Heishi (Niece, 1894 - 1986) • Princess Kaede (Aunt, 1818 - 1821) • Princess Etsuko (Aunt, 1820 - 1891) • Emperor Go-Kaiyō (Gorohachi, Uncle, 1827 - 1868) • Prince Iehiko (Uncle, 1829 - 1830) • Prince Akihiko (Uncle, 1838 - 1904) • Princess Mayako (Aunt, 1840 - 1846) • Princess Nagako (Aunt, 1842 - 1908) • Princess Ritsuko (Aunt, 1842 - 1916) • Toshinari Heishi (Uncle, 1843 - 1846) • Fumiko Heishi (Aunt, 1844 - 1911) • Toshiyori Heishi (Grandfather, 1802 - 1878) • Tamahime (Grandmother, 1819 - 1892) • Emperor Shoko (Nariakira, Grandfather, 1799 - 1861) • Kumiko (Grandmother, 1820 - 1871)
NOTES • Following his death, owing to his position as a national hero, numerous shrines named for him were set up across Daitō. Indeed, he was enshrined as "Kokusei no kami", effectively deifying him in the eyes of the Teido faith. • His life is celebrated on the 17th of December, his birthday, often involving parades held by local schools and the reading of his poetry.
HONOURS • — Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum • — Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun • — Order of the Sacred Treasures, Third Class • — Grand Cordon of the Order of the Golden Kite
NOTABLE EVENTS • Bore witness to the flight of the Imperial Court from Tenkyō to Shinkyō in 1868. • Served in the Imperial Daitōjin Army in the 1880s, during which time he earned the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Golden Kite for numerous instances of great valor under fire. • Became Chancellor of the Realm at the age of thirty-four. • Aided in drafting the 1895 Constitution of the Empire of Daitō. • Became a famous writer in Daitō over the course of his life. • Served as Chancellor of the Realm during the first half of the Great War and later the Miyako Islands conflict. • Was assassinated by the Jōshō kyōi-ha in 1936, turning him into a martyr for the DFD.
| Toshikatsu Heishi Title(s): His Highness, Prince Toshikatsu Heishi DOB: 17 December, 1861 DOD: 24 December, 1936 Age: 75
Positions Held: • Junior Second Rank (1861 - 1881) • Senior Second Rank (1881 - 1889) • Officer in the Imperial Daitōjin Army (1881 - 1895) • Junior First Rank (1889 - 1914) • Author (1892 - 1936) • Daijō-daijin (1895 - 1936) • Head of Clan Heishi (1914 - 1936)
Political Affiliation: None officially, unofficially aligned with the Kokumintō Education: Graduated from the Imperial Military Academy Later studied political science from the Shinkyō Imperial University
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