Author Topic: Civil Factbook of the Empire of Fusan  (Read 12603 times)

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Offline Daitō

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Re: Civil Factbook of the Empire of Daitō
« Reply #30 on: October 16, 2023, 06:57:46 AM »
Transportation of the Imperial Family and Prime Minister of Daito

   The Imperial Daitojin Government, by way of the Imperial Household Ministry and the Cabinet Office, has maintained a variety of vehicles for the Imperial Family and for the Prime Minister. Due to the Emperor's role as commander-in-chief, military transports are exclusively used for international travel; however, while a contingent of the Imperial Guard accompanies the Emperor during travel, the his motorcade is operated by the civilian National Police Agency's VIP Protection Division. Similar practices exist for other members of the Imperial Family and the Prime Minister, however, in the latter's case, the 301st Military Police Company takes the role of the Imperial Guard. Aircraft used by the Imperial Family and the Prime Minister are officially owned by the Imperial Daitōjin Air Force, whereas ships are possessed and operated by the Navy.
Suzaku One and Two — Aerial Transportation

SAM13000, one of two VL-30Bs used as Suzaku One (2012-Onwards)
   Suzaku One and Suzaku Two are the official air traffic control designated call signs for an Imperial Daitojin Air Force aircraft carrying the Emperor or Prime Minister of Daito. In common parlance, the terms are used to denote Air Force aircraft specially modified to transport the Emperor and Prime Minister and as a metonym for the primary Imperial aircraft, the VL-28C (a modified AS-500), although it can be used for any Air Force aircraft the Emperor or Prime Minister flies on. Although Emperors of Daito had flown prior to the war, it was only in 1956 that the first aircraft to be given the callsign "Suzaku One", a Zayasu Z150, entered service. The aircraft, which saw service from 1956 until the early 70s, only barely had the range to reach the western coast of Tsukishima from Shinkyo and was instead used primarily for state visits around East Ardia as well as trips around Daito itself. Its replacement, the first VL-28 to serve in the role, entered service in 1970, and was a modification of the Aizawa-Shinoda AS-500, itself a modification of the L-8 Dove strategic airlifter. Despite generally being used more often, it was, in the public conscious, heavily overshadowed as early as 1973, when the VL-25, a pair of supersonic aircraft, entered the fleet, facilitating rapid movement between countries on diplomatic missions. So important these aircraft were that, until their retirement in 2012, they were often used by both the Emperor and Prime Minister in their first visits to a country during their tenure. Of course, due to practicality and concerns over noise, these missions were nonetheless restricted. The VL-25 was retired in 1997, being replaced with the VL-30A that year before again being replaced with the VL-30B in 2012. Finally, starting in 2017, aa pair of VL-31s produced by Zayasu entered service, for use when larger aircraft such as the VL-28 and VL-30 were impractical. There also exist a number of specially modified AS-500s located across Daito which can serve as emergency airborne command posts if necessary.

   When travelling by helicopter, the vehicle carrying the Emperor is named "Kame One". While it is most often associated with a specially built VH-31, this callsign refers to any helicopter which happens to be carrying the Emperor. The same can be said for the Prime Minister, albeit said helicopter would be designated "Kame Two" instead. As a safety precaution, the aircraft almost always flies in a group of up to five identical helicopters, with said helicopters changing positions in the flight to obscure the exact location of the Emperor. As of 2023, there is currently a program underway to procure a new helicopter to fill this role.
Imperial Yachts

IFY Hikōkyōi
   In addition to aircraft, the Imperial Household Ministry maintains a pair of "yachts" for use by the Imperial Family. These are the IFY Hikōkyōi, which was converted from a frigate, and the IFY Ōyakuni, formerly an ocean liner which was occasionally chartered by members of the Imperial Family and which holds the distinction of being the only nuclear-powered yacht, as well as the largest in the world. While the former remains preferred, owing to the latter not being delivered yet, many have noted that Ōyakuni's acquisition is likely an effort on the part of the Imperial Family to ensure the ship's preservation, as due to a quirk in a number of laws surrounding Imperial Property, it would have to be preserved to the best of the government's ability. It is likely that Ōyakuni will serve the needs of the Imperial Family for the next twenty-five years, likely being retired in 2048 or 2049.
Ground Transport

The Isuzu Century Imperial, commonly used by the Imperial Family and the Daitojin Government
   Unlike air and sea transport, where the number of vehicles is contained to a small amount, the Imperial Family and the Daitojin government as a whole make use of a large number of automobiles, most often the Isuzu Century Imperial, for travel on the ground. These vehicles are generally unmodified in most cases, however, the cars used to transport the Emperor and Prime Minister are, often being referred to as Tanks, though obviously, that assertion is incorrect. Indeed, they can only be called Century Imperials in name, being built on an entirely new chassis featuring armor, bulletproof glass, night vision optics, onboard oxygen tanks, a tear gas cannon, and an armored fuel tank with foam to prevent explosions. Nonetheless, these vehicles, nicknamed "Imperial One" and "Imperial Two", are just a few examples in a fleet of vehicles of the type to be operated. While one does not exist at this time, proposals have been made for the Imperial Household Ministry to acquire a train for the Imperial Family, but it will likely wait until such a time as a maglev line is brought into service across Daito.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2024, 05:48:21 AM by Daitō »

Offline Daitō

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Re: Civil Factbook of the Empire of Daitō
« Reply #31 on: November 16, 2023, 03:45:14 AM »
Intelligence Community of the Empire of Daitō

   The Intelligence Community of the Empire of Daitō is a group of separate Imperial Daitōjin government agencies and subordinate organizations which work both separately and collectively to conduct intelligence activities which support the foreign policy and national security interests of the Empire of Daitō. Member organizations of the "IC" include intelligence agencies, military intelligence, and civilian intelligence and analysis offices within Imperial ministries. The Intelligence Community is formally overseen by the Office of the Minister of National Intelligence, or "OMNI", which is headed by the Minister of National Intelligence ("MNI"), who in turn reports directly to the Prime Minister of the Empire of Daitō. While there are numerous different agencies which fall under the Office's jurisdiction, in this post, only the three most prominent member-agencies will be discussed.
CIRA - The Central Intelligence Research Agency
Director: Ichirō Nakamura
Employees: 23,700 (estimate)

   Perhaps the most famous (or infamous, depending on ones' disposition) member of the Daitōjin Intelligence Community, the Central Intelligence Research Agency (CIRA), also known "the Company" in parlance, was established in 1947 following the Great War. Initially an outgrowth of the Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsuchō, or "Tokkō" as it is more frequently referred to, CIRA effectively took on said agency's mission with regards to foreign intelligence gathering, processing, and analysis. CIRA is an independent agency of the Imperial Daitōjin government, reporting directly to the Minister of National Intelligence, and it is tasked with providing intelligence for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Unlike the Tokkō, which is a domestic security service, CIRA has no law enforcement function and is mainly focused on overseas intelligence gathering, with only limited domestic intelligence collection. CIRA serves as the national manager for HUMINT (human intelligence), coordinating activities across the IC. It also carries out covert action at the behest of the Prime Minister. The agency also exerts foreign political influence through its paramilitary operations units, such as the Special Activities Group (SAG). It has also provided support to several foreign political groups and governments, including planning, coordinating, training in torture, and technical support. CIRA has, on numerous occasions, been alleged to have been involved in many regime changes and in carrying out both terrorist attacks and in assassinating—or planning to assassinate—world leaders. In recent years, the agency has come to be the subject of numerous controversies, ranging from human rights violations and digital wiretapping to spreading propaganda and allegedly becoming involved in drug trafficking. At the end of the day, however, none of these charges have been able to be definitively pinned on CIRA.
DTS - The Daihon'ei Tokumu Sōkan-bu
Director: LTG Heisuke Kirijo
Employees: 18,150 (estimate)

   The Daihon'ei Tokumu Sōkan-bu, or "General Intelligence Agency of the Imperial Military Headquarters", is an intelligence agency combat support agency of the Imperial Daitōjin Ministry of War which specializes in defense and military intelligence. As a component of the Ministry of War and the Intelligence Community, the DTS informs national civilian and defense policymakers about the military intentions and capabilities of foreign governments and non-state actors. It also provides intelligence assistance, integration and coordination across uniformed military service intelligence components, which remain structurally separate from the DTS. The agency's role encompasses the collection and analysis of military-related foreign political, economic, industrial, geographic, and medical and health intelligence. The DTS was formally established in 1958 and often works in partnership with CIRA in areas where their operations intersect.
TKK - The Special Higher Police Agency
Director: Jin Hiraishi
Employees: ~26,000 (estimate)

   The Special Higher Police Agency, or Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsuchō but more often known as the Tokkō, is the domestic intelligence and security service of the Empire of Daitō and is one of its principal national law enforcement agencies alongside the Kempeitai, the National Gendarmerie. Initially established within the Home Ministry for the purpose of carrying out high policing, domestic criminal investigations, and control of political groups and ideologies deemed to threaten the public order of the Empire of Daitō, from 1937 until the late '50s, the Tokkō came to be given the moniker of the "thought police", tasked with rooting out those ideologically opposed to the YFD and its political system. After the fall of the Yokusan system in the early 60s, however, the powers of the Special Higher Police were greatly pulled back, with its ideological controls entirely done away with the agency being retasked with counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigations.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2024, 05:49:32 AM by Daitō »

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Re: Civil Factbook of the Empire of Daitō
« Reply #32 on: January 05, 2024, 03:25:56 PM »
THE IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD AND THE IMPERIAL HOUSE LAW

A.—THE IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD
   The Imperial Throne of Fusan, enjoying the grace of Heaven, and everlasting from ages eternal in an unbroken line of succession, has been transmitted to Us through successive reigns. The fundamental rules of Our family were established once for all at the time that Our ancestors laid the foundations of the empire, and are even to this day as bright as the celestial luminaries. We now desire to make the instructions of Our ancestors more exact and express, and to establish for Our posterity a House Law, by which Our House shall be founded in everlasting strength, and its dignity be forever maintained. We hereby, by the advice of Our Privy Council, give Our sanction to the present Imperial House Law, to serve as a standard by which Our descendants shall be guided.
   The 11th day of the 2nd month of the 22nd Year of Keio, Amended the 11th day of the 2nd month of the 31st year of Kunan.
THE IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD LAW
Chapter I. Succession to the Imperial Throne.
   Article I.— The Imperial Throne of Fusan shall be succeeded to by descendants in the male line of Imperial Ancestors.
   Article II.— The Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by the Imperial eldest son.
   Article III.— When there is no Imperial eldest son, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by the Imperial eldest grandson. When there is neither Imperial eldest son nor any male descendent of his, it shall be succeeded to by the Imperial son next in age, and so on in every successive case.
   Article IV.— When there is no male Imperial descendant, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by an Imperial daughter and by her descendants.
   Article V.— For succession to the Imperial Throne by an Imperial descendant, the one of full blood shall have precedence over descendants of half blood. The succession to the Imperial Throne by the latter shall be limited to those cases only in which there is no Imperial descendant of full blood.
   Article VI.— When there is no Imperial descendant, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by an Imperial brother or sister and by his or her descendants.
   Article VII.— When there is no such Imperial brother or sister nor descendants of his or hers; the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by an Imperial uncle or aunt and by his or her descendants.
   Article VIII.— When there is no such Imperial uncle or aunt, nor descendants of his or hers, the Imperial Throne shall be succeeded to by the next nearest member among the rest of the Imperial Family.
   Article IX.— Among the Imperial brothers and sisters, and the remote Imperial relations, precedence shall be given in the same degree to the descendants of full blood over those of half blood, and to the elder over the younger.
   Article X.— When the Imperial heir is suffering from an incurable disease of mind or body, or when any other weighty cause exists, the order of succession may be changed in accordance with the foregoing provisions, with the advice of the Imperial Family Council and with that of the Privy Council.

Chapter II. Accession and Enthronement.
   Article XI.— Upon the demise of the Emperor, the Imperial heir shall ascend the Throne, and shall acquire the divine treasures of the Imperial ancestors.
   Article XII.— The ceremonies of Coronation shall be performed, and a grand Coronation banquet (Daijosai) shall be held at Tenkyo.
   Article XIII.— Upon an accession to the Throne a new era shall be inaugurated, and the name of it shall, unless with the consent of the Privy Council, remain unchanged during the whole reign, in agreement with the established rule of the 1st year of Keio.

Chapter III. Majority, Institution of Empress and of Heir-Apparent.
   Article XIV.— The Emperor, the Kotaishi, and the Kotaison, shall attain their majority at the age of eighteen full years.
   Article XV.— Members of the Imperial Family other than those mentioned in the preceding article shall attain their majority at eighteen full years of age.
   Article XVI.— The child of the Emperor who is Heir-apparent shall be called ‘Kotaishi’. In case there is no Kotaishi, the Imperial grandchild who is Heir-apparent shall be called ‘Kotaison’.
   Article XVII.— The Institution of Empress and that of Kotaison shall be proclaimed by Imperial rescript.

Chapter IV. Styles of Address.
   Article XVIII.— The style of address for the Emperor, the Grand Empress-Dowager, the Empress-Dowager, and of the Empress, shall be His, Her, or Your Imperial Majesty.
   Article XIX.— The Kotaison and his consort, the Imperial Princes and their consorts, the Imperial Princesses, the Princes and their consorts, and the Princesses, shall be styled His, Her, Their, or Your Highness, or Highnesses.

Chapter V. Regency.
   Article XX.— When the Emperor is a minor, a Regency shall be instituted. When he is prevented by some permanent cause from personally governing, a Regency shall be instituted, with the advice of the Imperial Family Council and with that of the Privy Council.
   Article XXI.— The Regency shall be assumed by the Kotaishi or the Kotaison, they being of age.
   Article XXII.— When there is neither Kotaishi or Kotaison, or when the Kotaishi or Kotaison has not arrived at his majority, the Regency shall be assumed in the following order:
      1.)   An Imperial Prince or a Prince.
      2.)   The Empress.
      3.)   An Imperial Princess or a Princess.
      4.)   The Empress-Dowager.
      5.)   The Grand Empress-Dowager.
   Article XXIII.— In case the Regency is to be be assumed from among the male members of the Imperial Family, it shall be done in agreement with the order of succession to the Imperial Throne. The same shall apply to the case of female members of the Imperial Family.
   Article XXIV.— A female member of the Imperial Family whom is not a direct descendant of the reigning Emperor or the previous Emperor shall only assume the Regency provided they have no consort.
   Article XXV.— When, on account of the minority of the nearest related member of the Imperial Family, or for some other cause, another member has to assume the Regency, the latter shall not, upon the arrival at majority of the above-mentioned nearest related member, or upon the disappearance of the aforesaid cause, resign his or her post in favour of any person other than of the Kotaishi or Kotaison.
   Article XXVI.— When a Regent, or one who should become such, is suffering from an incurable disease of mind or body, or when any other weighty cause exists therefore, the order of the Regency may be changed, with the advice of the Imperial Family Council and that of the Privy Council.

Chapter VI. The Imperial Governor.
   Article XXVII.— When the Emperor is a minor, an Imperial Governor shall be appointed to take charge of his bringing-up and of his education.
   Article XXVIII.— In case no Imperial Governor has been nominated in the will of the preceding Emperor, the Regent shall appoint one, with the advice of the Imperial Family Council and with that of the Privy Council.
   Article XXIX.— Neither the Regent nor any of his descendants can be appointed Imperial Governor.
   Article XXX.— The Imperial Governor cannot be removed from his post by the Regent, unless upon the advice of the Imperial Family Council and upon that of the Privy Council.

Chapter VII. The Imperial Family.
   Article XXXI.— The term ‘Imperial Family’ shall include the Grand Empress-Dowager, the Empress-Dowager, the Empress, the Kotaishi and his consort, the Kotaison and his consort, the Imperial Princes and their consorts, the Imperial Princesses and their consorts, the Princes and their consorts, and the Princesses and their consorts.
   Article XXXII.— From Imperial sons to Imperial great-great-grandsons Imperial male descendants shall be called Imperial Princes, and from Imperial daughters to Imperial great-great-granddaughters Imperial female descendants shall be called Imperial Princesses. From the fifth generation downward the male descendants shall be called Princes, the female ones Princesses.
   Article XXXIII.— When the Imperial Throne is succeeded to by a member of a branch line, the title of Imperial Prince or Imperial Princess shall be specially granted to the Imperial brothers and sisters, they being already Princes and Princesses.
   Article XXXIV.— The births, namings, marriages, and deaths in the Imperial Family shall be announced by the Minister of the Imperial Household.
   Article XXXV.— Genealogical and other records relating to the matter mentioned in the preceding article shall be kept in the Imperial Archives.
   Article XXXVI.— The members of the Imperial Family shall be under the control of the Emperor.
   Article XXXVII.— When a Regency is instituted, the Regent shall exercise the power of control referred to in the preceding article.
   Article XXXVIII.— When a member, male or female, of the Imperial Family is a minor, and has been bereft of his or her father, the officials of the Imperial Court shall be ordered to take charge of his or her education. Under certain circumstances the Emperor may either approve the guardian chosen by his or her parent or may nominate one.
   Article XXXIX.— The guardian of a member of the Imperial Family must be himself a member thereof and of age.
   Article XL.— Marriages of members of the Imperial Family shall be regulated by the Emperor at the advisement of the Imperial Household Ministry.
   Article XLI.— Marriages of the members of the Imperial Family shall be subject to the sanction of the Emperor.
   Article XLII.— The Imperial writs sanctioning the marriages of members of the Imperial Family shall bear the counter-signature of the Minister of the Imperial Household.
   Article XLIII.— No member of the Imperial Family can adopt anyone as his son.
   Article XLIV.— When a member of the Imperial Family wishes to travel beyond the boundaries of the country, he must first obtain the sanction of the Emperor.
   Article XLV.— A female member of the Imperial Family who has married a subject shall be excluded from membership in the Imperial Family. However, she may be allowed, by special grace of the Emperor, to retain her title of Imperial Princess or Princess, as the case may be.

Chapter VIII. Imperial Hereditary Estates.
   Article XLVI.— No landed or other property than has been fixed as the hereditary estate shall be divided up or alienated.
   Article XLVII.— The landed or other property to be included in the Imperial hereditary estates shall be settled by Imperial writ, with the advice of the Privy Council, and shall be announced by the Minister of the Imperial Household.

Chapter IX. Expenditures of the Imperial House.
   Article XLVIII.— The expenditures of the imperial House of all kinds shall be defrayed out of the National Treasury, at a certain fixed amount.
   Article XLIX.— The estimates and audits of accounts of the expenditure of the Imperial House, and all other rules of the kind, shall be regulated by the Finance Regulations of the Imperial House.

Chapter X. Litigation; Disciplinary Rules for the Members of the Imperial Family.
   Article L.— Litigation between the members of the Imperial Family shall be decided by judicial functionaries specially designated by the Emperor, in the Department of the Imperial Household, and execution issued after the Imperial sanction has been obtained thereto.
   Article LI.— Civil actions brought by private individuals against members of the Imperial Family shall be decided in the Court of Appeal in Shinkyo. Members of the Imperial Family shall, however, be represented by lawyers, and no personal attendance in the court shall be required of them.
   Article LII.— No member of the Imperial Family can be arrested or summoned before a court of law unless the sanction of the Emperor has first been obtained thereto.
   Article LIII.— When a member of the Imperial Family has committed an act derogatory to his or her dignity, or when he has exhibited disloyalty to the Imperial House, he shall, by way of disciplinary punishment, and by order of the Emperor, be deprived of the whole or part of the privileges belonging to him as member of the Imperial Family, or shall be suspended therefrom.
   Article LIV.— When a member of the Imperial Family acts in a way tending to the squandering of his or her property, he shall be declared incapable by the Emperor, prohibited from administering his property, and a manager shall be appointed therefor.
   Article LV.— The two foregoing articles shall be sanctioned upon the advice of the Imperial Family Council.

Chapter XI. The Imperial Family Council.
   Article LVI.— The Imperial Family Council shall be composed of the members of the Imperial Family who have reached the age of majority. The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, the President of the Privy Council, the Minister of the Imperial Household, the Minister of State for Justice, and the President of the Court of Cassation, shall be ordered to take part in the deliberations of the Council.
   Article LVII.— The Emperor personally presides over the meeting of the Imperial Family Council, or directs one of the Imperial Family to do so.

Chapter XII. Supplementary Rules.
   Article LVIII.— Those of the present members of the Imperial Family of the fifth generation and downwards, who have already been invested with the title of Imperial Prince, shall retain the same as heretofore.
   Article LIX.— The order of succession to the Imperial Throne shall in every case relate to the descendants of the absolute lineage. There shall be no admission to this line of succession to anyone, as a consequence of his now being an adopted Imperial son, Koyushi, or heir to princely house.
   Article LX.— The grades of rank among the Imperial Princes, Imperial Princesses, and Princes and Princesses, shall be abolished. The family rank of Imperial Princes and all usages conflicting with the present law shall be abolished.
   Article LXI.— The property, annual expenses, and all other rules concerning members of the Imperial Family shall be specially determined.
   Article LXII.— When in the future it shall become necessary either to amend or make additions to the present law, the matter shall be decided by the Emperor, with the advice of the Imperial Family Council and with that of the Privy Council.

Amendment I. Abdication.
   Article I.— The Emperor shall, with the assent of the Imperial Family Council and the Privy Council, be permitted to abdicate from the throne within three years of stating his intention to abdicate.
   Article II.— Procedures regarding the accession to the throne of the Heir Apparent shall remain the same as following the demise of the Emperor.

Offline Daitō

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Re: Civil Factbook of the Empire of Daitō
« Reply #33 on: January 06, 2024, 04:19:27 AM »
On Teido, Part One: Overview and Priesthood


A Torii gate

   Teido (帝道, Teidō, "the Imperial Way") is a religion originating from Daitō. Classified as an East Ardian religion by scholars, its practitioners often regard it as Daitō's indigenous religion and a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Teidoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. Until the 1870s, there was no central authority in control of Teido, with much diversity still existing among its many practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Teido revolves around supernatural entities called the kami (神). The kami are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. They are worshipped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as kannushi, who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and kami and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the kagura dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents. Teido places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship. Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami. The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms.

Priesthood
   While historically, up until the 1870s, the Teidō faith was heavily decentralized, with each shrine being largely separate from others short of the deity being venerated, this was changed following the Keiō Restoration. At first transformed into an almost ideological practice, or "State Teidō", the priesthood, too, was reformed. In the place of independent shrines and Kannushi, the shrines became regulated first under the "Department of Divinities" (later made a cabinet-level Ministry) before being merged into the Ministry of Religion in 1872. This Ministry lasted until 1877, when it was demoted to the Bureau of Shrines and Temples, which remained in place until 1905, when it was renamed the Bureau of Shrines. This Bureau managed the state-enforced form of Teidō, while the Bureau of Religions managed non-endorsed branches of the faith, as well as all other religions in the Empire, until 1946 when it was abolished, with its structures being merged with the other Teidō sects to form the modern hierarchy of the Teidō faith.

   As of the present day, the Teidō Priesthood comprises five ranks, four of which can be attained by any member of the priesthood:
   1.) The Emperor (天皇, Tennō) - Nominal head of the Teidō faith, but whose role is limited to performing key rituals throughout the year.
   2.) High Priest (大祭司, Dai-Saishi) - Elected Chief of Divinities for the Teidō faith, the position is held for life. It can be compared with the position of a Pope or the Grand Maester of the Rosari faith.
   3.) Grand Priest (大神主, Ōkannushi) - Appointed by the Dai-Saishi, these priests govern districts within the faith and have the right to elect the next Dai-Saishi. Grand Priests are appointed to Grand Shrines across the country.
   4.) Head Priest (宮司, Gūji) - Gūji are the head priests of a given Teidō shrine, administering their "territory", so to speak, and leading the majority of religious ceremonies.
   5.) Priest (神主, Kannushi) - Kannushi, or Priests, are the lowest rung in the hierarchy of the Teidō faith. As with the other ranks within the Priesthood, only men can hold this position, while women are allowed to join as Miko. In the grand scheme of things, such requirements have only been around for a short period, with female priests being pushed out of their office in 1868 following the restoration.

   Miko (巫女), also known in English as Shrine Maidens (though the former is far more common), are the female counterparts of the Kannushi, often being perceived in foreign circles as subservient to them. In truth, however, under the Teidō faith, the only thing which puts a Miko under a Kannushi is their rank, with there being three of such ranks in the Teidō faith. These are as follows:
   1.) Saiō (斎王) - Equivalent in rank to the High Priest of the Teidō faith, the Saiō is an unmarried female member of the Imperial Family who is appointed upon the accession of a new Emperor. Always serving at the Meiwa Grand Shrine, their role, in comparison to the more publicized one of the High Priest, is a deeply spiritual one, conducting festivals and rituals throughout the year, as well as performing charity work throughout Daito.
   2.) Daisai-ō (大斎王) - The Daisai-ō is the head of a shrine's Miko, largely acting in a supervisory role. This position is held by the longest-serving Miko at a shrine and is seen as equal in rank to the Head Priest.
   3.) Miko (巫女) - Miko are young "priestesses" who work at Teidō shrines. Once seen as shamans, they are understood in Fusanese culture to perform an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perform tasks ranging from sacred cleansing to performing the Kagura dance. In the modern day, Miko are most often university students who sign on with a shrine part-time in order to earn money, however, some do stay on after their education if they feel called to do so.

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Re: Civil Factbook of the Empire of Daitō
« Reply #34 on: January 07, 2024, 04:02:00 AM »
On Teido, Part Two: Beliefs and Practices


A 3,000 year old sacred tree (shintai) in Odoshi Shrine, Fukusaki
Beliefs
Kami
   Teido is a polytheistic religion, involving the veneration of many deities known as kami, or sometimes as jingi. In Fusanese, no distinction is made here between singular and plural, and hence the term kami refers both to individual kami and the collective group of kami. Although lacking a direct English translation, the term has sometimes been rendered as "god" or "spirit". The historian of religion Sadazane Kadokawa deemed these English translations "quite unsatisfactory and misleading", and various scholars urge against translating kami into English. In Fusanese, it is often said that there are eight million kami, a term which connotes an infinite number, and Teido practitioners generally believe that they are present everywhere. They are not considered omnipresent nor omnipotent, nor are they, beyond a few notable cases, considered necessarily immortal.

   The term kami is one that is "conceptually fluid", being "vague and imprecise". In Fusanese, it is often applied to the power of phenomena that inspire a sense of wonder and awe in the beholder. Kadokawa referred to this as "the kami nature", stating that he thought it "somewhat analogous" to the Occidental ideas of the numinous and the sacred. Kami are seen to inhabit both the living and the dead, organic and inorganic matter, and natural disasters like earthquakes, droughts, and plagues; their presence is seen in natural forces such as the wind, rain, fire, and sunlight. Accordingly, many researchers have commented over the years that Teido regards the actual phenomena of the world as being divine. This perspective has thus been characterized as being animistic.

   In Fusan, kami have been venerated since prehistory. During the Choshi period, they were likely regarded as formless and invisible, only later coming to be depicted anthropomorphically under Buddhist influence. Now, statues of the kami are known as shinzo. Kami are typically associated with a specific place, often a prominent landscape feature such as a waterfall, mountain, large rock, or distinctive tree. Physical objects or places in which the kami are believed to have a presence are termed shintai; objects inhabited by the kami that are placed in the shrine are known as go-shintai. Objects commonly chosen for this purpose include mirrors, swords, stones, beads, and inscribed tablets. These go-shintai are concealed from the view of visitors, and may be hidden inside boxes so that even the priests do not know what they look like.

   While one may be quick to assume that the kami are, by their very nature, good, they are deemed within Fusan as being capable of both benevolent and destructive deeds; if warnings about good conduct are ignored, the kami can mete out punishment, often illness or sudden death, called shinbatsu. Some kami, referred to as the magatsuhi-no-kami or araburu kami, are regarded as malevolent and destructive. Offerings and prayers are given to the kami to gain their blessings and to dissuade them from destructive actions. Teido seeks to cultivate and ensure a harmonious relationship between humans and the kami and thus with the natural world. More localized kami may be subject to feelings of intimacy and familiarity from members of the local community that are not directed towards more widespread kami like Amaterasu. The kami of a particular community is referred to it as their ujigami, while that of a particular house is the yashikigami.

   Kami are not deemed metaphysically different from humanity, with it being possible for humans to become kami. Dead humans are sometimes venerated as kami, being regarded as protector or ancestral figures, most often in the cases of yashikigami. One of the most prominent examples is that of the Emperor Ōjin, who on his death was enshrined as the kami Hachiman, believed to be a protector of Fusan and a kami of war. In Fusanese culture, ancestors can be viewed as a form of kami. In southern Fusan, the term jigami is used to describe the enshrined kami of a village founder. In some cases, living human beings were also viewed as kami; these were called akitsumi kami or arahito-gami. Notable cases of this includes the Emperor of Fusan during the Keiō era and the early Kunan era, as well as the leaders of some smaller sects of the faith. Although some kami are venerated only in a single location, others have shrines across many areas. Hachiman, for instance, is estimated to have around 28,000 shrines dedicated to him, while Inari has 56,000. The act of establishing a new shrine to a kami who already has one is called bunrei ("dividing the spirit"). As part of this, the kami is invited to enter a new place, with the instalment ceremony known as a kanjo. The new, subsidiary shrine is known as a bunsha. Individual kami are not believed to have their power diminished by their residence in multiple locations, and there is no limit on the number of places a kami can be enshrined.

   While the term kami cannot be accurately translated into English, there is a certain form of kami which can more accurately be described as gods in the Occidental sense of the term. These are the Ōgami (lit. "Great Kami"), whose worship is practiced across the nation and whom form the core beliefs of the faith. These ōgami, numbering nineteen in total, are generally said to hold significant sway over the universe as a whole or aspects of mankind, such as the sun and moon in the former case and warfare and intellect in the later. They are joined by the five Kotoamatsukami, the progenitor gods who came into existence at the dawn of time and whom created—or were created in, in older versions of the story—Takamagahara, the Plane of High Heaven, and the kamiyo-nanayo, the "Seven Generations of the Age of Gods", whom emerged after the formation of heaven and earth.
Cosmogony
   Although the narratives differ in detail, the origin of the kami and of Fusan itself are recounted in two Kofun period texts, the Kojiki and Fusō Shoki. Drawing heavily on foreign influences, these texts were likely commissioned by ruling elites to legitimize and consolidate their rule. Although never of great importance to Fusanese religious life, up until the early 20th century and during the Yokusan period, the government deemed these texts factual. The Kojiki recounts that the universe started with ame-tsuchi, the separation of light and pure elements (ame, "heaven") from heavy elements (tsuchi, "earth"). Three kami then appeared: Amenominakanushi, Takamimusuhi no Mikoto, and Kamimusuhi no Mikoto. Other kami then followed, including a brother and sister, Izanagi and Izanami. The kami instructed Izanagi and Izanami to create land on earth. To this end, the siblings stirred the briny sea with a jeweled spear, from which Onogoro Island was formed. Izanagi and Izanami then descended into the world, where the latter gave birth to further kami. One of these was a fire kami, whose birth killed Izanami. Izanagi thus descended into yomi to retrieve his sister, but there he saw her body putrefying. Embarrassed to be seen in this state, she chased him out of yomi, and he closed its entrance with a boulder.

   It is thus said that Izanagi bathed himself in the sea so as to rid himself from the pollution brought about by witnessing Izanami's putrefaction. Through this act, further kami emerged from his body: Amaterasu, the sun goddess, was born from his left eye, Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon, from his right eye, and Susanoo, the storm god, from his nose. Susanoo behaved in a destructive manner, and so, in order to escape him Amaterasu hid herself within a cave, plunging the earth into darkness. The other kami eventually succeeded in coaxing her out. For his actions, Susanoo was then banished to Mundus, where he married and had children. According to the Kojiki, Amaterasu then sent her grandson, Ninigi, to rule Fusan, giving him curved beads, a mirror, and a sword: the symbols of Fusanese Imperial authority. To this day, Amaterasu remains Fusan's most venerated deity, with the primary sect, to which the Imperial House belongs, primarily worshipping her while acknowledging the existence of and permitting the veneration of the other ōgami, leading to its being deemed as henotheistic.
Cosmology and the Afterlife
   In Teido, the creative principle permeating all life is known as musubi, and is associated with its own kami. Within traditional Fusanese thought, there is no concept of an overarching duality between good and evil. The concept of aki encompasses misfortune, unhappiness, and disaster, although it does not correspond precisely with the Occidental concept of evil. There is generally no eschatology—that is, no end of the world—within the faith. Texts such as the Kojiki and the Fusō Shoki portray multiple realms in Teido cosmology. These present a universe divided into three parts: the Plane of High Heaven (Takama-no-hara), where the kami—including humans venerated as such—live; the Phenomenal or Manifested World (Utsushi-yo), where humans dwell; the Nether World (Yomi), where the souls of those not venerated as Kami dwell.
Takamagahara — The Plane of High Heaven
   Takamagahara, or the "Plane of High Heaven" as it is directly translated in English, is the abode of the amatsukami and is, per an account in the Kojiki, the birthplace of the gods. While there are numerous theories as to its location owing to certain pieces of evidence, the orthodox position within the Teido faith maintains that the "Celestial Theory", whereby the gods must be in the heavens or the universe above the heavens since high heavens are the dwelling place of the gods, is the correct interpretation of the numerous sacred texts of the religion. This plane is said to be connected to the world by way of the Ame-no-ukihashi (Floating Bridge of Heaven). Under mainstream Teido, Takamagahara is seen as a paradise for those who follow the faith, while Yomi, the land of the dead, is where those who do not practice it shall dwell in a similar fashion as they did in life.
Ashihara no Nakatsukuni — The Land of the Living
   Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, or the "Middle Country of Reed Beds", is, in Teido, the world between Takamagahara and Yomi. While it can be used to refer to Fusan specifically, most modern interpretations of the term use it to refer to the mortal plane, with the name coming from Fusan's land being damp and covered with reeds in ancient times, while the word "middle" comes from the understanding of the Onishi that the lands they resided within were at the center of the world. Today, it instead refers to the Mortal plane's metaphorical position between the lands of the dead and of the kami.
Yomi — The Land of the Dead
   Located "beneath" the other two planes, Yomi, or Yomi-no-Kuni, is the land of the dead in the Teido faith. While returning from it has been claimed possible by some scholars, allowing for a limited form of reincarnation, the general understanding is that once one has eaten at the hearth of Yomi, it is impossible to return to the land of the living. A notable story relating to the realm comes from the faith's early days, when Izanagi, the creator god, followed his wife, Izanami, to the realm following her death, subsequently returning and creating Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi as he cleansed himself of its impurity. Yet while Yomi as a whole cannot be described as a paradise, it likewise cannot in its entirety be defined as a world of punishment. Rather, the dead who come to dwell in Yomi—those whom are not venerated as kami (something which isn't rare due to the practice of ancestor worship across the faith)—carry on a gloomy and shadowy existence in perpetuity, regardless of their behavior in life. There are some acts in life, however, that if not purified of prior to death, will result in the suffering of the deceased, though what form this takes is not described.
Purity, Morality, and Ethics
Purity and Impurity

A Teido practitioner participates in a purification ritual under a waterfall
   A key theme of Teido  is the avoidance of kegare ("pollution" or "impurity"), while ensuring harae ("purity"). In Fusanese thought, humans are seen as fundamentally pure. Kegare is therefore seen as being a temporary condition that can be corrected through achieving harae. Rites of purification are conducted so as to restore an individual to "spiritual" health and render them useful to society. This notion of purity is present in many facets of Fusanese culture, such as the focus it places on bathing. Purification is, for instance, regarded as important in preparation for the planting season, while performers of noh theatre undergo a purification rite before they carry out their performances. Among the things regarded as particular pollutants in Teido are death, disease, witchcraft, the flaying alive of an animal, incest, and bestiality, among others. To avoid kegare, priests  and other practitioners often partake in abstinence and avoid various activities prior to a festival or ritual. Various words, termed imi-kotoba, are also regarded as taboo, and people avoid speaking them when at a shrine; these include shi (death), byō (illness), and shishi (meat).

   A purification ceremony known as misogi involves the use of fresh water, salt water, or salt to remove kegare. Full immersion in the sea is often regarded as the most ancient and efficacious form of purification. This act links with the mythological tale in which Izanagi immersed himself in the sea to purify himself after discovering his deceased wife; it was from this act that other kami sprang from his body. An alternative is immersion beneath a waterfall, while salt is often regarded as a purifying substance, as is fire.
Kannagara, morality, and ethics
   While Teido lacks a codified ethical doctrine, an ethical system has nevertheless arisen from its practice. This system of ethics places emphasis on sincerity (makoto), honesty (tadashii), hard work (tsui-shin), and thanksgiving (kansha) directed towards the kami. Shojiki is regarded as a virtue, encompassing honesty, uprightness, veracity, and frankness. Teido sometimes includes reference to four virtues known as the akaki kiyoki kokoro or sei-mei-shin, meaning "purity and cheerfulness of heart", which are linked to the state of harae. Attitudes to sex and fertility tend to be forthright in Teido. Teido's flexibility regarding morality and ethics has been a source of frequent criticism, especially from those arguing that the religion can readily become a pawn for those wishing to use it to legitimise their authority and power. In Teido, kannagara ("way of the kami") is the law of the natural order, with wa ("benign harmony") being inherent in all things. Disrupting wa is deemed bad, contributing to it is thought good; and as a result, subordination of the individual to the larger social unit has long been a characteristic of the religion. Throughout Fusanese history, the notion of saisei-itchi, or the union of religious authority and political authority, has long been prominent. In the modern world, Teido has tended toward conservatism and nationalism, certainly not helped by its politicization under the Yokusankai from 1939 until the 1960s. However, since the 1980s, there has been an undercurrent within the faith which seeks to counteract these more conservative elements within the faith.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2024, 10:30:56 PM by Daitō »