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Children of the Sun — A History of the Empire of Daitō

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Daitō:
Index
Chapters
   ‣ Chapter I - Pre-Ōnishi Daitō (Pre-1000 BCE)
   ‣ Chapter II - The Choshi Period (1000 - 600 BCE)
   ‣ Chapter III - The Kofun and Aramashi periods (600 - 74 BCE)
   ‣ Chapter IV - The Asago, Kōka, and Otawara Periods (74 BCE - 710 CE)
   ‣ Chapter V - The Saijo Period (710 - 793 CE)
   ‣ Chapter VI - The Heijō Period (793 - 1185 CE)
   ‣ Chapter VII - The Otsu Period, the Ardian Wars, and the Kanpō Restoration (1185 - 1358 CE)
   ‣ Chapter VIII - The Horikawa Period (1358 - 1475 CE)
   ‣ Chapter IX - The Sengoku Jidai (1475 - 1609 CE)
   ‣ Chapter X - The Hagi Period (1609 - 1853 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XI - The Bakumatsu Era and the Boshin War (1853-1871 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XII - The Keiō Era to the Ardian Continental War (1871 - 1914)
   ‣ Chapter XIII - The Ardian Continental War and the Late Keiō Era (1914 - 1932)
   ‣ Chapter XIV - The Early Kunan Era (1932 - 1939 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XV - The Greater East Ardia War, Part One: The War Abroad (1939 - 1945 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XVI - The Greater East Ardia War, Part Two: The War At Home (1939 - 1945 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XVII - The Greater East Ardia War, Part Three: Final Days of the War (1939 - 1945 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XVIII - The Late Kunan Era, Part One: Reconstruction and Economic Growth (1945 - 1982 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XIX - The Late Kunan Era, Part Two: Politics and Society in the Kunan Era (1945 - 1982 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XX - The Late Kunan Era, Part Three: The Kalasinese War (1967 - 1977 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XXI - The Eikō Era (1982 - 2001 CE)
   ‣ Chapter XXII - The Antei Era (2001 - 2020 CE)
Appendices
   ‣ Appendix I - Note: Where contradictions between the appendices and the primary chapters exist, unless otherwise stated in writing, the former shall be deemed as canon.

Daitō:
Chapter One — Pre-Ōnishi Fusan
I. — Paleolithic Fusan

Clockwise: Aoya Cave inscription (c.15kya), "Mammoth Hunt" display, Shinkyo Museum of History, Paleolithic stone axe-heads, Handprint paintings in the Shoba caves, c.45kya)   The lands that make up the modern Empire of Fusan, as well as surrounding regions within East Ardia, have, as archaeological evidence suggests, been inhabited by early hominids by around 2.25 million years ago. However, the earliest evidence of modern humans—that is to say, Homo Sapiens—dates back to between 110,000 and 80,000 years ago, with said evidence coming in the form of fossilized teeth which were discovered in the Shiromizu cave near Yusuhara in Otobe Prefecture. Some of our earliest information about these pre-Ōnishi and even pre-Yezo peoples can be found in such caves, most notably coming in the form of their artwork and their tools, although fossilized remains are also occasionally found.

   Perhaps the most notable of these sites is the Shoba cave system, which has been inhabited on and off since around 50,000 years ago This site includes numerous cave paintings, including what archaeologists believe to be one of the earliest forms of figurative art, that being representations of several animals as well as mixed human-animal beings drawn with dark-red pigments. Another scene shows several humanoid figures attached by either ropes or spears to a large water buffalo. These paintings were examined via uranium series analysis and found to be around 43,000 years old.  Most notably however, not only for its historical significance, but also its significance on a more personal, human level, is another piece of art. On a wall deep within the Shoba cave system’s Makido cave, one can find numerous paintings of handprints. Dated to around 45,000 years ago, they represent likely some of the oldest known cave paintings on the planet, a seminal moment captured forever in time.

--- Quote ---   Many theories abound as to what these handprints are meant to represent, whether they are a part of some ancient religious belief, an attempt to ward off evil spirits. What is clear, however, is that this represents an attempt by our ancestors to reach out beyond their own lifetimes, to say that they existed. I would argue that this alone is significant, and I suppose that in a way, they succeeded in being remembered by future generations, although their names are, of course, lost to time.”
   — Dr. Naoko Shibusawa, Keiō University
--- End quote ---

   Finally, at Aoya Cave within this complex is a striking bit of painting, that being a set of geometric patterns roughly in line with one another. Dubbed the “Aoya Cave Inscription”, it has been dubbed by some as a form of proto-writing, although this is admittedly questionable owing to it being the only of such inscriptions to have been found. Rather, it may be more apt to consider it an early experiment with writing, its meaning, if it ever had any, lost to the sands of time. Indeed, rather than being an example of proto-writing, it could instead show a sort of transitional period between these cave paintings and proto-writing, although that too is uncertain. What is certain is that the Shoba caves remain one of the most significant prehistoric sites on Mundus.
II. The Dogū Period (16,000 - 1000 BCE)

Eponymous "Dogū", for which the period is named   The Dogū period (土偶時代, Dogū jidai) is the time between 15,000 and 1000 BCE during which Fusan, as well as large parts of the northern coast of the Rokkenjiman Sea, was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism and cultural complexity. The name "earthenware figure" was applied to the culture in reference to their peculiar statues, translated into Ōnishi as Dogū. Another characteristic of Dogū culture was their style of pottery, at least in early phases, which was decorated by impressing cords into the surface of wet clay and is generally accepted to be among the oldest in the world. The Dogū period was rich in tools and jewelry made of bone, stone, shell and antler; pottery and vessels; and lacquerware.
IIa. Chronology
   The approximately 15,000 year Dogū period is conventionally divided into the several phases: Incipient (15,000 - 10,500 BCE), Initial (10,500 - 7,000 BCE), Early (7,000 - 5,250 BCE), Middle (5,250 - 3,470 BCE), Late (3,470 - 1,750 BCE), and Final (1,750 - 1,000 BCE). The fact that this entire period is given the same name by archaeologists should not be taken to mean that there was not considerable regional and temporal diversity; the time between the earliest Dogū pottery and that of the more well-known Middle Dogū is roughly twice as long as the span separating the building of the Great Pyramids from the modern day. Dating of Dogū  sub-phases is generally based primarily on ceramic typology, and to a lesser extent, radiocarbon dating.
IIb. The Dogū people

Comparison of Dogū (left) and Choshi (right) faces based on skull fragments   The relationship between the Dogū people and modern Ōnishi, Satsunese, and Yezo is not well clarified. Morphological studies of dental variation and genetic studies suggest that the Dogū people were rather diverse, while other studies of autosomes and imunoglobin alleles suggest that the Dogū people were of predominantly northeast and central Ardian origin. The contemporary Ōnishi descended from a mixture of the various ancient hunter-gatherer tribes of the Dogū period and the Choshi rice-agriculturalists, and these two major ancestral groups came to East Ardia over different routes at different times. The Dogū people were not one homogenous ethnic group. It is generally believed that the Dogū people are an admixture of several Paleolithic populations, with it being suggested that Y-chromosome haplogroups C1a1 and D-M55 are two of the Dogū lineages.

   A study conducted by researchers at Tottori University found specific gene alleles, related to facial structure and features among some Yezo individuals, which largely descended from local Hokuriku Dogū groups. These alleles are typically associated with Western Ardians, but are absent from most other East Ardians including the Ōnishi, which suggests geneflow from a currently unknown source population into the Dogū period population of Hokuriku. Although these specific alleles can explain the unusual physical appearance of certain Yezo individuals as compared to other Northeast Ardians, the exact origin of these alleles remains unknown. Recent Y-chromosome haplotype testing indicates that male haplogroups D-M55 (~30%) and C1a1 (5.4%) may reflect paternal Dogū contribution to Northeast Ardia. Analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of Dogū skeletons indicates that haplogroups N9b, D4h2, G1b and M7a may reflect maternal Dogū contribution to the Ōnishi gene pool.
IIc. Lifestyle
   Despite their origins as nomadic hunter-gatherers, the Dogū people had begun settling in large, complex villages and building crudely-roofed houses, known as "Tateana jūkyo" (pit dwellings) by the sixth millennium BCE. Their settlements were particularly numerous along the sheltered bays of the Rokkenjiman Sea, although they have been found further inland, often times along the shores of the region's many rivers and lakes. Throughout the Dogū period, settlements were often laid out with dwellings in a circular or horseshoe-like shape, with a central plaza or square in the middle. While normally, these settlements did not have more than 5-10 homes, there have occasionally been some discovered which reached as high as 100 or more, in effect appearing to be a sort of proto-city. Nonetheless, these should not be seen as indicative of the standard Dogū settlement, rather being relative outliers within the archaeological record.

   The Dogū were originally dismissed as being technologically primitive hunter-gatherers. While yes, they made pottery, they did so without a potters wheel; they had no agriculture, domesticated animals or metal-working, technologies which, by the end of the period, had existed in other regions for nearly two-thousand years. However, recent findings have cast doubt on such notions of their supposed primitivity, at least as compared to the region around them. Certainly, they never managed to coalesce into a unified state like the later Ōnishi, however, the discovery of six large holes with the remains of one-meter-thick wooden pillars in a Dogū site indicates that they did, at the very least, have the ability to construct large, sophisticated structures. Possessing the technology and the social organization to move and raise large pillars has traditionally been regarded as beyond the means of hunter-gatherer societies.

   Perhaps more notable, however, are recent findings of copper and even bronze artifacts within later Dogū settlements. Said artifacts, which include tools and jewelry, do not line up with the styles used by the early Ōnishi, instead pointing to the Dogū, by the late third millennium, beginning to experiment with metallurgy. Of course, these tools were rudimentary and scarcely used as weapons, standing in contrast to the Choshi, who were, in many ways, masters of metalworking. While more research is necessary, this suggests that the view of the Dogū as a primitive people is, in large part, incorrect and must be reconsidered.
IId. End of the Dogū Period
   Eventually, as is the way of the world, the Dogū period came to an end with the arrival of the Choshi—ancestors of the modern Ōnishi—from lands far to the west. It is generally believed that these Choshi shared a common ancestry with the modern-day Lijiangian and Juhin people, however, there is still some academic debate as to whether they were a single group or rather a mix of settlers from the west and natives from Azukishima and the Ardian Peninsula. What can be said, however, is that they soon overtook the Dogū, who had already begun dying out, and became the dominant people on the northern coast of the Rokkenjiman Sea by the 7th century BCE.

Daitō:
Chapter Two — The Choshi period (1000 - 600 BCE)
I. — Overview of the Choshi period

Clockwise: A king typical of the early Choshi period, Bronze Mirror (c.731 BCE), a typical early Choshi period village, Dōtaku bell (c. 693 BCE)   The Choshi period is often seen as the final era of pre-history in Fusan or the beginning of written history in the country, marking a transitional period between the Dogū and Kofun periods. Despite it beginning in 1000 BCE, it should be noted that the Choshi—that is, the early Ōnishi—first began to arrive in East Ardia a little over a century prior, during a time of significant upheaval across the continent. The period, which lasted approximately 400 years, is named for the Choshi neighborhood of Shinkyō, where archaeologists first discovered artifacts and features of that era in the late-19th century. Distinguishing features of the period include new Choshi pottery styles, improved carpentry and architecture, and the start of an intensive rice agriculture in paddy fields. It also saw the widespread adoption of ironworking by the 800s, with bronze and copper being relegated to ceremonial objects such as mirrors and bells. The Choshi period also saw the early development of a writing system, however, as records prior to 600 BCE are limited, the period is still deemed by some to be pre-historic, though attitudes have changed in recent times.

   During the Choshi period, the Ōnishi of Fusan were divided into numerous different statelets, with allegiances being based on the concept of the "Uji", or "Clan". Such clans frequently rose and fell from power over the centuries, slowly consolidating into rival powerbases. Some of the most notable of these polities were Chikushi, Ito, Matsuro, Tsumako, Kokushi, and Yamatai, the last of which would, in the subsequent Kofun period, unify the Ōnishi of Fusan and form what would become the Empire of Yamato, later known as Fusan and eventually, Fusan.
II. — The Choshi people

Artist's conception of a Choshi-era religious practice   The Choshi were certainly a distinct people from the Dogū whose lands they came to inhabit, however, their exact origins are somewhat uncertain. While evidence suggests a link to the Lijiangians and the Feng, skeletal remains from Azukishima in Rokkenjima dating to around the start of the period also line up with these proto-Ōnishic peoples in East Ardia. This could mean that either the Choshi were entirely a migratory people from central Ardia or that they were, in effect, a number of peoples who, over centuries of living among one another, slowly became virtually indistinguishable. For our purposes, however, this distinction is largely irrelevant. Culturally, the Choshi bore many similar traits, such as their pottery, which, while artistically less advanced than the Dogū, was technically superior to it. Clothing of this period was simple, certainly in comparison to even a few hundred years down the line and certainly compared to the Heijō period and beyond.

   As writing was non-existent early on and then limited during this period, much about the Choshi is still unknown, with what we know of their rituals and way of life coming from artifacts. It is certain that they valued metalworking, as the many bronze Dōtaku ceremonial bells and mirrors, as well as iron weapons and tools, attest. It is quite possible that they viewed bronze as being valuable as a means of displaying ones wealth and status, as well as perhaps applying some form of ritualistic value to it, while Iron was more frequently used in day-to-day life. Throughout the Choshi period, society became more stratified and complex, and the population grew greatly, reaching nearly 2.4 million by the beginning of the Kofun period. The Choshi accumulated wealth through land ownership and the storage of grain, with such factors promoting the development of distinct social classes. It has been suggested, based on what limited sources from the period exist—almost entirely from within the last century of the period—that the people had tattoos and other bodily markings which indicated differences in social status.
III. End of the Choshi period
   Unlike the Dogū period, which was marked by the gradual replacement of the Dogū by the Choshi, the Choshi period came to an end in 600 BCE with the construction of the first Kofun-style tombs and the advent of written records. A notable "event" of the final century of the period was the legendary founding of the Empire of Fusan by the mythical Emperor Shin'ō. While it has been suggested that there may have been some historical basis for this individual, perhaps some ancient lord of the Yamatai polity, most historians do believe him to have never existed, instead noting Emperor Tengyō as the first Emperor of Fusan, although such a title would not exist until centuries after his death.

Daitō:
Chapter Three — The Kofun and Aramashi periods
I. — The Kofun Period (600 - 188 BCE)

Clockwise: A Kofun-style Tomb in Jōshū Prefecture (c.400 BCE), Haniwa Horse Statue, A Foot-soldier wearing Tankō-style armor (c.256 BCE), Emperor Tengyō   The Kofun period (古墳時代, Kofun jidai) refers to two separate periods, depending on ones field of study. On one hand, it refers to the period when large, megalithic tombs known as kofun were built, that time period spanning from the dawn of the 6th century to the Taika Reforms of 647 CE. In a political and cultural sense, however, the period is much narrower, spanning only from the 6th century until 188 BCE, when historical records note the existence of the state of Yamato, which arose from the earlier Yamatai polity. The Kofun period, while noted as a period of turmoil among the Ōnishi, also marks the earliest political centralization in Fusan, when the Yamato clan—ancestors of the modern Imperial Family—rose to power in the Mutsu Inland Sea and southern Fusan as a whole, established the Imperial House, and helped to control trade routes in the region.

   This was a period of cultural import for the Ōnishi, being a time in which many important texts—aided by the introduction of a new writing system from abroad—were written, including Ono no Nagahisa's Military Method (軍事方法, Gunji hōhō) and early versions of the Kojiki and Fusō Shoki, which would in time come to lay out much of what is considered "Orthodox Teidō." It was a period in which much foreign influence, spread along overland trade routes to Lijiang, arrived in the polities of modern-day Fusan. However, trade was still intermittent in those days, owing in no small part to the frequent warfare among the various states, polities, and principalities of East Ardia. Such influences would only increase during the reign of Wakatarashihiko of Yamatai, later known as Emperor Tengyō, whose reign, which lasted from 231 to 188 BCE, would come to be known as the Tōitsu Jidai, or the "Unification period".
Ia. Kofun

Keyhole-shaped Kofun drawn in 3DCG   Kofun, or "ancient tomb" in most mainland Ōnishic languages, are typically megalithic tombs or tumuli found in Northeast Ardia. Kofun were mainly constructed in what is now modern-day Fusan, replacing in large part the communal graves seen during the Choshi period, and were used to inter a single high-status person. They were constructed from the 6th century BCE until the mid-7th century CE, however, they saw their height of construction between roughly 540 and 107 BCE. These Kofun were typically shaped like a keyhole, however, there were exceptions. For example, the Tomb of Emperor Tengyō, the Kamiishizumisanzai Tomb near Mt. Haku in Kawachi prefecture, not far from his capital in Aramashi, was modeled on the city and included lifelike Haniwa figurines which differed from the traditional style seen in centuries prior. Said tomb perhaps differs from other Kofun so much that it should not be considered one, but rather, a style unto its own which has not been used elsewhere in Fusan. The use of Kofun largely disappeared with the arrival of Buddhism within the Empire in the 7th century CE.
Ib. Society in the Kofun era
   The Gōzoku—powerful non-royal rulers—of the Kofun period lived in sprawling yashiki residences encompassing multiple compounds and surrounded by moats, however, the common laborers continued to live much as they had in the previous Choshi period. One advancement in living conditions, however, was the introduction of the kamado stove. This stove was built into the walls of late Kofun-period homes and replaced the firepit of earlier eras, making cooking somewhat more convenient. One of the most important developments, although its use had been seen to a degree during the Choshi period, was the continued proliferation of iron tools, especially for farming implements such as hoes, spades, and sickles for harvesting rice.

   The religious devotion to nature from previous eras continued during the Kofun period as well, and religious events such as the kinensai, a spring festival praying for a bountiful harvest, and the niinamesai, a fall festival thanking the gods for said harvest, became cultural fixtures. Superstition-based events and rituals such as exorcisms, purifications, and divination rituals were also taken quite seriously during this era. Some of these divination rituals included burning the bones of deer and interpreting their ashes, the use of a rapan or "geomantic compass" for the purpose of fortune-telling, and an extreme practice known as kukatachi, which involved dunking one's hand in boiling water and interpreting the scarring. Shrines to the gods of nature as well as to the family guardian gods of the various clans began to be built all across Fusan, especially among the burgeoning state of Yamatai, and the various regional gods Fusan were slowly incorporated into that state's royal family's personal mythology to create a standardized narrative.
Ic. Rise of the Yamato

Yamatai polity, c. 350 BCE   Among the myriad of states that resided among the many mountains, river-valleys, coasts, and plains of Fusan, none are more important in the grand scheme of the nation's history than that of Yamatai. Known among the Lijiangians, as "Wa" (倭, "Diminutive"), by the start of the Kofun period, it had grown to control the majority of the Mutsu, dominating it by the end of the 5th century. Rivalled by Matsuro to the southwest and Chikushi to the northeast, it would go on to be the predecessor to the modern Imperial state. But that was still centuries away, for in 600 BCE, it was but one state of many, and its future was still uncertain. At the start of the era, clans fought one another for power, often forming and dissolving alliances with one another as quickly as the changing of the seasons. Each of these aristocratic clans was ruled by a patriarch, the title often-times being passed from father to son, who would perform rituals to appease the clan's Kami, ensure the well-being of the clan, and lead it on military campaigns. By the Kofun period, these clans had evolved into states of their own, waging cruel war upon one another.

Emperor Tengyō overpowers a large, wild boar   The Yamatai—henceforth referred to as Yamato—were no different. Hailing from the southeastern coast of the Mutsu and the Hōyo Channel, it was through their ability to form alliances with other clans and states, their use of steel, and their capability to marshal their people effectively that, by the time the future Emperor Tengyō came to power, Dai Wa, now written as 大和 ("Harmony") and known to history as Yamato, had come to dominate much of its region. However, Wakatarashihiko had ambitions far greater than merely dominating the Ōnishi of Fusan, instead wishing to forge under his rule a state on par with or even exceeding the strength of Lijiang and Phuebra. Thus, in 231 BCE, he declared himself not merely Yamato no kimi—Lord of Yamato—but Yamato Ōkimi (大和大王, Grand King of Yamato) and Ame-no-shita shiroshimesu ōkimi (治天下大王, "Grand King who rules all under heaven"), in effect, although the modern title would not come to exist until much later, declaring himself Emperor and invoking a divine right to rule.

   In the coming years, the new "emperor" began to consolidate his position in Fusan, pushing north along the Tataragi river to Lake Saiko, east along the coast of the Rokkenjiman Sea and across the Bekira river into modern-day Rokkenjima, and east into modern Ogata prefecture. His reign would see the settlement of the Satsunan Islands, whose descendants would go on to become the modern Satsunanese, alternatively known as the Amami or the Lewchewan. However, these conquests occurred early in his reign, which was noted more for the peace and prosperity which it brought to the people than it was for conflict; after all, many of the territories claimed during his reign were acquired not by war, but through deft diplomacy on the part of the Yamato. This is well known to historians as records indicate a sharp uptick in the number of births during the period according censuses, perhaps in some way a sort of prototypical "baby boom" akin to what was seen after the Great War.

   But like all men, Emperor Tengyō was a mere mortal, and he knew that fact well. Though he sought desperately a means of prolonging his life, inevitably dying in his pursuit of what is believed to have been mercury poisoning, he nonetheless ordered in 198 the construction of a grand mausoleum, a Kofun unlike any other, wherein, in the event of his death, he would be interred to rest forever more. Emperor Tengyō died in 188 BCE. His remains, as well as numerous artifacts from the period, are believed to be interred in the Kamiishizumisanzai tomb in Kawachi prefecture.

--- Quote from: The Emperor of Fusan: A Historical Study in Religious symbolism - Journal of Religious Studies, Keiō Univesity ---   Despite her pure white robe of mulberry fiber, the warm evening, and the flaming torches, a shiver of pure ice rent the girl’s heart as she saw the mound which would be her resting place. But she steeled herself, the magatama charms which adorned her body rattling while she danced towards her destiny as a lady-in-waiting to her deceased master, ruler of Yamatai, King of Wa, Friend of Lijiang: Wakatarashihiko. Despite her fear and misgivings, the young girl’s heart brimmed with pride to fulfill this duty. There would never be another such as her dead King. Wakatarashihiko had woven a spell over Yamatai with kido magic. The sorcery had wrought peace where once there had been war, prosperity where once there had been suffering. The people loved him, yet none in a decade could set their eyes upon him, even the 1,000 men and women who served him were ignorant of his face. The King would admit only one person to his presence, his son. This man served him food and wine, and communicated laws and judgements to his flock.

   Wakatarashihiko’s greatest achievement, save only for the unification of the realm, had been sending diplomatic missions to far-off Lijiang and Phuebra and beyond with gifts of slaves, and the highly prized, strong cloth for which the King’s land was justly famous. In return, treasures, the likes of which had scarcely been seen before. Beads, silk, bronze mirrors, and most prized of all, swords, military banners, and an official seal pronouncing him “Friend and Ally of Lijiang”. Wakatarashihiko and his chief envoys were symbolically appointed to the highest ranks in the militaries of these far-off lands. His magic had extended across the seas and mountains and bewitched these foreign rulers into giving him their greatest honors.  With this recognition, all bowed before him, and Yamatai came to dominate the northern coast of the Great Sea. But as is the way of things, the Great King, now known as Emperor Tengyō, breathed his last, and the people of Yamatai raised a great mound, a tomb like no other, over his final resting place. 100 youths, maidens, and servants were selected to serve him until the end of time, and the young girl, shivering in the summer evening heat, was one. She danced on, past the crackling flames, into the great kofun mound, and on to the eternal afterlife.
--- End quote ---
II. — The Aramashi Period (188 - 74 BCE)

Empire of Yamato, c. 188 BCE   The Aramashi Period (188 - 74 BCE) is a transitional period between the Kofun and Asago periods, during which the heirs of Emperor Tengyō further consolidated their rule over the northern coast of the Rokkenjiman Sea. It was a time of wealth and prosperity, during which time the Yamato kings, from their seat of power in Aramashi-kyō, ruled uncontested among the Ōnishi. However, not all would remain well in the Yamato court, as in the early 1st century BCE, a great plague ravaged the Empire, which prompted the court, believing Aramashi to be haunted by the restless spirit of Emperor Mimaki, to move to a new city: Asago. This process would take many years, starting in 91 and ending in 74 BCE owing to the need to build the new capital, as well as resistance from some within the court, a pattern which would be repeated multiple times in the first millennium. Eventually though, the move would be successful, thus beginning the Asago period.

Daitō:
Chapter Four — The Asago, Kōka, and Otawara Periods
I. — The Asago Period (74 BCE - 290 CE)

Part of Asago-Okadera Palace, c. 100 CE   The Asago Period is the second of the four main eras of early Imperial history, marking the time between the reign of Emperor Ōjin (r.115-74 BCE) and the moving of the capital from Asago-kyō to Kōka-kyō in 290 CE. At the start of the period, during the reign of Emperor Kōbun, the Empire had begun to recover from the "Great Blight", believed now to have possibly been an outbreak of smallpox, which was recorded at the time as "having slain many scores of people." Nonetheless, the Empire quickly rebounded from this outbreak, beginning a new period of expansion throughout East Ardia. Emperor Kōbun was noted as a masterful tactician, a student of the classics, and a man with peerless ambition in his day, pushing the Empire beyond the Tanzawa mountains and into the Yamanori valley. However, as a mere mortal, he would die in 61 BCE, being succeeded by his grandson, Emperor Tenmu. Tenmu took after his grandfather in many ways, being a noted conqueror in his own right, however, his lasting legacy lay not in the battles he waged, but in the many investments into infrastructure and the arts that he made. Using silver mined in the Tanzawa and Ryōhaku mountains, he ordered the construction of a great many roads, as well as the first part a grand canal which would, in time, connect what is now Shinkyō to the Mutsu Inland Sea by way of the Watari river in Hatsukaichi. The Asago period would last until 290 CE, when the capital was moved once more to Kōka-kyō.
II. — The Kōka Period (290 - 592 CE)

Model of the Kōka Imperial Palace, c.310 CE   The Kōka period, which spanned from 290 to 592 CE, is the third of four main periods in early Imperial history, marking the time when the Imperial Court resided in the city of Kōka-kyō (modern Koge). In some regards a transitional era between the Asago and deeply important Otawara periods, it saw the continued expansion of the Yamato state through East Ardia. This expansion included, by 408 CE, the establishment of settlements in what would in time become the modern Yoshimo Shogunate of Toshikawa, as well as continued expansion towards the Peninsula. Throughout the period, as would become commonplace, a great many people would serve as Emperor—fifteen in total—owing to the burgeoning practice whereby a ruler would not serve until his death, instead retiring from the affairs of state as a reign of ten or more years was seen to be more than enough, owing to the vast number of rituals performed. On average, an Emperor in this period ruled for fifteen years.

   Despite the continued expansion of the state, this was a period in which, by comparison to the earlier Asago and later Otawara periods, the average person was poorer owing to financial woes which plagued the state—debased coinage and an outbreak of smallpox being notable reasons—and reduced trade due to the policies of some Emperors during the period.
III. — The Otawara Period (592 - 710 CE)
IIIa. Overview of the Otawara Period

Clockwise: Pagoda of Hōki-ji Temple, Shitennoji Temple, Kurobe Shrine, Daibutsu of Otawara-dera Temple   The Otawara Period (592 - 710 CE) was the final period of what is considered early Imperial history, marking the time when Buddhism was adopted by the Imperial court alongside the more traditional Teidō religion. The period was one of great cultural, social, and political transformation, a buildup to the Saijo and Heijō periods that would follow it. It was also a period of increased maritime trade and travel, both within the Empire and beyond, with Yamato mariners supposedly reaching as far as the Matilda channels and even, as some sources suggest, Lijiang, although the overland route remained more commonplace during this period. The period is not, as was the case for the previous periods, named for a city; instead, the name "Otawara" was originally used among scholars of the fine arts, and the capital during this period remained in Kōka until 618 before being moved to Sojo-kyō, now known as Taishi.
IIIb. Prince Kamitsumiya, the Ki clan, and the Adoption of Buddhism

Prince Umayado   In 574, a child was born to Emperor Shunkan and Ki no Ohoyake, a Prince who, though he would never inherit the throne himself, would have a profound impact upon the Empire up into the modern era. Named Umayado-no-ōjî (厩戸皇子), he would, under the name Kamitsumiya Taishi (上宮太子), go on to serve as the regent for Empress Jinki, during which time he would exert significant influence over the court. A relative of the Ki clan, a branch of the Kazuraki clan, as well as an Imperial Prince, he was already afforded influence within the court and, by nature of his ancestry, often stood in opposition to the Imube clan which rivaled the Ki. The Ki clan was an old clan, with its roots tracing back to Emperor Mizunō (r.164 - 198 CE) by way of the far older Kazuraki clan and had, in the years prior to the birth of Prince Umayado, become a strong proponent for the adoption of Buddhism by the Imperial Court. This was naturally opposed by the Imube, who had been responsible for the Teidō rituals performed by the court, but also by others such as the Hashiji clan, which aimed to keep what influence it had within the court.

   The Ki clan's own influence had grown significantly in the years prior to Prince Umayado's birth, with his grandfather, Ki no Hioki marrying two of his daughters, Ki no Ohoyake and Ki no Iratsume, to Emperor Shunkan. With this influence, he would pressure the Emperor to abdicate, replacing him with his nephew, an older brother of Prince Umayado, on the throne before having him assassinated in 593, replacing him with Empress Jinki, the first Empress-regnant in Fusan's history. Prince Umayado, having changed his name to Prince Kamitsumiya, was appointed as her regent, being a close ally of the Ki clan who some speculate may have played a role in his brother's murder. During the reign of Empress Jinki, Prince-turned-Regent Kamitsumiya would hold considerable sway over the court, though it should be noted that, although he was regent, Empress Jinki did hold power in her own right as well, making her in effect a willing collaborator for the Ki.

   Prince Kamitsumiya was noted as a great scholar during the period of great reform in which he lived, having been well-versed in classical literature from Lijiang, Yamato, and Phuebra, as well as being a devout Buddhist. He was influenced by Confucian principles, and during his time as regent, the court adopted its models of rank and etiquette while a seventeen-point "constitution", though it should not be confused with the modern idea of a constitution, was adopted in order to provide a guide for the virtues and morals of government officials and prescribed ways to bring harmony to a chaotic society. In addition, under Kamitsumiya's guidance, the court adopted a variation of the Lijiangian calendar, while he ordered the construction of numerous Buddhist temples, developed trade routes, had court chronicles compiled, sent students abroad to study Buddhism, and sent emissaries to the periphery of the known world. Of course, he also used his position to promote Buddhism among the court. One of the most notable developments, however, was the adoption of the title "Tenshi", or "Son of Heaven", by the rulers of the Empire in place of previous titles; this title would eventually become "Tennō", or "Heavenly Sovereign", which is the title used by the Emperor of Fusan to this day.

   In the years following the death of Prince Kamitsumiya, the Ki clan would lose power, with the scion of the clan being accused of treason in 642 as part of the Shinchū incident and his father driven to suicide, a successful coup d'état in the Imperial Court which placed Prince Kara on the throne as Emperor Tenji.
IIIc. The Taika Reforms and the Ritsuryō system

Emperor Tenji   In the first year of the Taika Era, Emperor Tenji promulgated a series of reforms which were intended to restore power to the Imperial family in place of the Ki and other clans, in doing so announcing the "Taika Era", or in English, "Great Reform". Envoys and students were sent abroad to study literature, religion, architecture, and even dietary habits of the time. Even to this day, impact of the reforms can still be seen in contemporary Fusanese and Toshikawan cultural life. The reforms started with land reform, based on Confucian ideas and philosophies, but the true aim of the reforms was to bring about greater centralization and to enhance the power of the imperial court. What were once known as "private lands and private people" became known as "public lands and public people", in effect making the people direct citizens and subjects of the Emperor, rather than the landholding elites. Land itself was no longer hereditary but reverted to state control after the death of the owner.

   Under the Taika Reforms, taxes were levied on harvests and on silk, cotton, cloth, thread, and other products, while a corvée tax was established for military conscription and the construction of public works. The hereditary titles of clan chieftains were abolished, and three ministers were established to advise the throne as part of the Daijō-kan (Great Council of State), those being the Daijō-daijin (Chancellor), the Sadaijin (Minister of the Left), and the Udaijin (Minister of the Right). The country was divided into provinces headed by governors appointed by the court, and the provinces were further divided into districts and villages. The reforms also established a state-wide postal service, allowing for messengers to travel roughly 300km a day, although in practice, this service only extended throughout the Imperial Heartland and the modern Allied States of Ardia.

   Following Emperor Tenji's death in 654 and a brief civil war, the reforms that began were continued, culminating in the establishment of the Taihō-Ritsuryō code of 703, which further reorganized the country and placed power firmly in the hands of the Emperor. It reestablished hereditary titles and class status, as had been the tradition of the Ōnishi rather than basing them on merit, and it rejected notions that the Emperor's right to rule came from a supposed Mandate from Heaven, instead asserting that the Emperor's power comes from his imperial descent, not from his righteousness or fairness as a ruler. It formalized two branches of the government, those being the Daijō-kan, which handled all secular duties of the state, and the Jingi-kan, or Department of Divinities, which handled all spiritual, religious, and ritualistic matters. The 700s saw the end of the Otawara period in 710 CE, when the Imperial capital was moved from Sojo-kyō to Saijo-kyō during the reign of Emperor Eiman.

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