Tsutsu Culture

 

When Emperor Jungu I first set out on his journey, he was already the ruler of a small Rice Kingdom known as the Suehisa Kingdom. The Suehisa kingdom controlled a town called Xumay, located in the north east of the island, a moderately wealthy town possessing the Suehisa clan and their most loyal retainer, the Tokiyori family.

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The Suehisa Clan was known to have fairly adequate sword skills, and at least a passable understanding of economy. They ruled not with overwhelming skill, but rather with an overwhelming kindness, treating each and every one of their citizens and subjects with equal amounts of care and concern. There was rarely a funeral that a member of the Suehisa Clan didn’t attend, and often the patriarch of the family, now the Emperor though at the time going by a different name, attended many public events to show how much he cared for his people.

Alone, the Suehisa Clan would probably never have imagined setting out on a quest of unifying the Northern states, but luckily for history, they were not alone. Their retainers, the Tokiyori family, were remarkably strong experts of the blade. Having dedicated their lives to the kind Suehisa family, who took them in years prior when the Tokiyori’s own kingdom had fallen, the Tokiyori sought to become the cold sword of the Suehisa family, and were often met with a mix of respect and fear by the population, though of course their respect far outweighed their fear.

 

With the Tokiyori family supporting them so heavily, the Suehisa Kingdom began to gain some attention. Old allies of the Tokiyori family, the Harumoto Kingdom, now regarded as the richest Kingdom in the Empire, was a small, humble village named Tanju, that sat close to the Suehisa Kingdom. The Harumoto Clan, famed even then for their tendency to take risks, proposed an alliance with the Suehisa Clan, and announced their desire to attack the Rice Kingdom that sat between the two states, a small place named the Morosuke Kingdom. Emperor Jungu I agreed, his family already having a strong rivalry with the Morosuke Clan, who ruled with an iron fist. It was on this day that the Emperor started his path to creating the Empire, and the Suehisa Kingdom proved its military strength. The siege on the Morosuke castle, Jenan Castle, lasted a mere week, the united power of the Suehisa and Harumoto Kingdoms bringing down the walls of the fortress, with the Tokiyori family charging as the vanguard, and quickly forcing the castle to surrender. The Suehisa Clan was given the land, with a trade agreement that favoured the Harumoto Clan being established.

 

The Emperor had proven his strength, and, pressured by the Harumoto Clan, who noticed the Mel’Cara threat to their economy, and the Tokiyori family, who wished to see their lord stand at the top, the Suehisa Kingdom began to conquer state after state, forcing fallen clans to swear loyalty or be replaced. It was during this time that people began to see the grace of the current Emperor, his kindness reserved not only for his own people at home, but for all of his new subjects, as he strived to make the lives of his citizens better. Where a normal man might have fallen from overwork or exhaustion, the Emperor would never. Countless hours he spent for the people, rewarded with the citizen’s deserved love and praise.

 

When the Suehisa Clan owned a third of the current Northern Imperial State, the Emperor encountered the religious capital of Kaecho, home of the wisest of Monks and religiously devoted warriors. Many believed the Emperor would treat it as any other town, for rarely had the people seen the Emperor’s piety. The Emperor’s army arrived outside the town, a small yet elite force of Samurai having been assembled from the devout followers of Kaecho, who now stood outside of their city, ready for combat.

 

But it was not combat that the benevolent Emperor wished for. Instead, he dismounted his horse, and walked the distance across the would-be battlefield, until he stood before the religious warriors. The Emperor then sat down, and began to meditate. Little is known of what transpired next, but many from the Emperor’s army claim that their lord, Jungu I, debated and meditated with those mighty, elite samurai for two weeks, displaying a piety and wisdom that even the most revered of monks were not known for. Regardless of what actually happened, after two weeks the Emperor returned to his army, the warriors of Kaecho behind him and the city under his Imperial control.

 

Many times the Emperor had no need for conquest, instead earning pledges of loyalty from independent states simply because of his public appearance. His desire to please his people was well known, and for the most part well respected, and many now knew the tales of his success. What drew those small Rice Kingdoms to him though, was how much he rewarded his loyal subjects.

 

The Tokiyori family, having proven their loyalty time and time again, were once more established as a Clan, and given their old Kingdom back, with some additional land from disbanded Kingdoms.

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The Southern Principality first began in the small Rice Kingdom of the Sadaie Kingdom. The King of the state had been murdered in a border conflict with another Kingdom, a common occurance on the Tsutsu southern island, and so, the young prince Matsuda Sadaie, was set to ascend the throne. What happened next, however, is what gave the Principality their name. Matsuda was extremely loyal and loved his father dearly, and in an act of familial love and respect, he announced to his people that he would not ascend the throne. No more would the Sadaie Kingdom have a king, but rather they would eternally have Princes, ensuring that Matsuda’s father forever remained the last true king of Sadaie.

 

Matsude Sadaie was known to be an extremely intelligent, cold, ruthless man. He ruled with his Military might rather than any love for his subjects, but that’s not to say he was cruel to them. Years after his father’s death, Matsude found weakness in his neighbouring Kingdoms. He watched as they struggled against the economic domination that Mel’Cara goods were starting to initiate, and launched a sneak attack on two states at the same time. He easily crushed them, and in a historic moment, wiped out the Samurai Clans who had ruled before. It was the first time in Tsutsu history that two Samurai Clans had been mercilessly wiped out to the last. Before any could react, however, Matsude had already marched his army out to take down another two states. The Samurai Clans were torn on what to do. On one hand, they could band together in an effort to fight off the rising power of the Sadaie Princedom, on the other hand, Mel’Cara goods were still dominating the trade, and all agreed that a strong, central power was needed to defeat it and regain their economic independence.

 

The Sadaie Princedom spent a while reorganising and building up their military again, as the Samurai Clans debated for a long time with each other on what to do, being unused to such large scale cooperation. Eventually, it was Matsude who made the first move. He had spent his time building up, and watching the Clans, identifying who were becoming the main voice of the Samurai. When he attacked, he destroyed those central Clans, wiping them out completely in a savage attack. Many of the other clans, now fearing for their own lives, submitted to the Sadaie Princedom. Their clans were stripped of titles, and Matsude forced them into his army, sending them against the very states they had once thought to ally with.

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Soon after, the Sadaie Princedom owned the entire southern island, and they were named the Southern Principality.