Alt-Onin War - The Imperial Courts in Detail

Japan in Onin 1 is a divided place on nearly every level. At the very top are the two rival Imperial courts in Kyoto and Edo. Understanding these courts and their dispute is important to the complexity of the setting. 

Historical Background:  In 1333, Emperor Go-Daigo's rebellion (the so-called "Kemmu Restoration") against the Kamakura Shogunate led to the establishment of the Ashikaga Shogunate, in a series of events mostly similar to the historical 1300's. This dispute lasted for quite a while until a peace agreement was brokered in the 1380's. The arrangement to share the courts was disrupted by the Third Mongol Invasion of 1388. The Ashikaga and their puppet emperor in Kyoto sought to negotiate peace with the Mongols, while Emperor Go-Kameyama of the Southern Court in Yoshino rejected this notion, and sought support among the Otomo and Shimazu clans of Kyushu. The Ashikaga attacked Yoshino in 1393, but Go-Kameyama fled west to the coast to rally with supporters.

The battle-hardened and desperate survivors of the Otomo and Shimazu clans met the fleeing Go-Kameyama in Wakayama and transported him and his court north to Edo, a small town under the control of the Oda Clan. With the support of the Oda, Shimazu, and Otomo he established the Eastern Court in 1394. These three families form the core of support for Edo, and their leaders have been elevated to Kuge status in exchange for their loyalty. Over the last seven decades, the major samurai clans have switched sides back and forth countless times, supporting whichever court best suits their strategic goals of the day. Go Kameyama claimed to possess the true "Sacred Regalia" and thus proper legitimacy. The Western Court is thus the “pretender” to the throne, but it is located in Kyoto and supported by the Ashikaga Shogunate. 

The Western Court (Kyoto)

The current Western Emperor is Go-Shoko, an ineffectual puppet, used to symbolically maintain the unstable peace with the Mongol Empire. This provides him with considerable legitimacy among many clans, while others consider him a traitor to Japan. Because Kyoto is both the Western Imperial and the Shogunal court, it remains the center of Japanese political life. Go-Shoko is primarily trotted out for religious and cultural ceremonies and has little actual power or influence. He is manipulated by the Yamana, the Hosokawa, and the Ashikaga. Nevertheless, the Western Court is considered the center of Japanese cultural life, and most of the famous artists and playwrights of the age spend at least part of their lives in Kyoto. Kyoto is also the site of the extraterritorially governed "Mongol Legation", as well as a large number of foreigners who traveled with the Mongols - Koreans, Chinese, Turks, and even Europeans.

The Eastern Court (Edo)

The current Eastern Emperor is Go-Kinyama, the great-grandson of Go-Kameyama. He spends his days scheming against the Ashikaga, the Mongols, and the Western Court. As with all of Go-Daigo’s successors, he reigns from the palace in Edo, Musashi Province. Go-Kinyama has the support of the Otomo and Shimazu clans, both forced out of their lands in Kyushu by the Mongols. He serves as a rallying point for those who oppose the Mongols and the Ashikaga, but his actual power is limited by the various samurai clan who theoretically support his cause. This keeps Edo safe from overt military attack, but there is a constant undercurrent of intrigue, subterfuge, and assassinations in the Eastern Court. Edo itself is not nearly as international a city as Kyoto but has nevertheless become an important center of Japanese political power, as well as a refuge for people escaping the Mongol yoke in the south.