Everybody Knows…
You are a member of the warrior class, but for various reasons you are dispossessed, with no land, title, or position. You occupy an uncomfortable position outside of society - not respectable like a samurai, but not a commoner either. You are mistrusted by most and feared by many, for you are seen as dangerous and unpredictable.
Travel is usually done on foot, along one of the “Five Roads”, or by coastal transport. Nobles ride in carts, and samurai lords ride horses. Virtually everyone else walks.
A simple meal costs about $3, a night in an inn costs $5-10, and everything else costs silver and gold. Wealth is measured in rice and land, while coins are just a way to move the wealth around.
You’ll have a Shinto wedding ceremony and a Buddhist funeral. For everything in between, “it depends”. There are a lot of Kami, and a lot of Buddhas, and they might be the same thing. But they are watching you.
The world is full of magic, and every mountain has its kami. Yokai haunt the night, ghosts haunt graveyards, and everyone knows someone who saw one once. Many people, usually city folk, say such things are stories to frighten children. But can you really be so sure?
Manners maketh the man. You can go armed with whatever you can get away with… commoners usually have nothing more than a wakizashi unless they are up to no good. As a samurai or ronin, you can carry what you like - more than swords makes people nervous. When you visit someone, put your sword in the rack by the entrance.
There are countless villages and lots of towns, and a handful of cities in each province. But there are only two cities that count on a national level… Kyoto in the west, and Edo in the east. Kyoto is the beating heart of Japan, the center of art, culture, religion, and power. Edo is a pale imitation of Kyoto.
Japan’s government is breaking down above the local level, and the regional lords aren’t taking orders from Kyoto very reliably anymore.
The Shogun in Kyoto (Ashikaga Yoshimasa) is an artistic and gentle soul, who doesn’t want the job. He created a crisis by naming first his brother and then his infant son as his heir for when he quits.
The real power in Kyoto is in the hands of the kingmakers; the Hosokawa, the Hatakeyama, the Shiba, and the Yamana. They pull the strings of both the Shogun and the Emperor. Three succession disputes in a row (Ashikaga, Hatakeyama, and Shiba) have the Hosokawa and the Yamana at one another’s throats. War could happen at any time.
Warriors make war and farmers make food, but the line between the two gets blurry sometimes. Farmers who make war and warriors who farm are called ashigaru, undisciplined light infantry.
The Mongols threaten southern Honshu and Shikoku from their bases on Kyushu, but they have been distracted by events in the distant west for decades. This won’t last forever, especially if the government collapses completely.
Travel is usually done on foot, along one of the “Five Roads”, or by coastal transport. Nobles ride in carts, and samurai lords ride horses. Virtually everyone else walks.
A simple meal costs about $3, a night in an inn costs $5-10, and everything else costs silver and gold. Wealth is measured in rice and land, while coins are just a way to move the wealth around.
You’ll have a Shinto wedding ceremony and a Buddhist funeral. For everything in between, “it depends”. There are a lot of Kami, and a lot of Buddhas, and they might be the same thing. But they are watching you.
The world is full of magic, and every mountain has its kami. Yokai haunt the night, ghosts haunt graveyards, and everyone knows someone who saw one once. Many people, usually city folk, say such things are stories to frighten children. But can you really be so sure?
Manners maketh the man. You can go armed with whatever you can get away with… commoners usually have nothing more than a wakizashi unless they are up to no good. As a samurai or ronin, you can carry what you like - more than swords makes people nervous. When you visit someone, put your sword in the rack by the entrance.
There are countless villages and lots of towns, and a handful of cities in each province. But there are only two cities that count on a national level… Kyoto in the west, and Edo in the east. Kyoto is the beating heart of Japan, the center of art, culture, religion, and power. Edo is a pale imitation of Kyoto.
Japan’s government is breaking down above the local level, and the regional lords aren’t taking orders from Kyoto very reliably anymore.
There are two Emperors - the legitimate one in Kyoto (Go-Kinyama) is an idiot, the pretender in Edo (Go-Shoko) is a schemer. Go-Kinyama is a puppet of the Shogun (sorta), and controls nothing at all. Go-Shoko has powerful allies and a strong administration, but he only rules the Kanto Plain around Edo.
The Shogun in Kyoto (Ashikaga Yoshimasa) is an artistic and gentle soul, who doesn’t want the job. He created a crisis by naming first his brother and then his infant son as his heir for when he quits.
The real power in Kyoto is in the hands of the kingmakers; the Hosokawa, the Hatakeyama, the Shiba, and the Yamana. They pull the strings of both the Shogun and the Emperor. Three succession disputes in a row (Ashikaga, Hatakeyama, and Shiba) have the Hosokawa and the Yamana at one another’s throats. War could happen at any time.
Warriors make war and farmers make food, but the line between the two gets blurry sometimes. Farmers who make war and warriors who farm are called ashigaru, undisciplined light infantry.
The Mongols threaten southern Honshu and Shikoku from their bases on Kyushu, but they have been distracted by events in the distant west for decades. This won’t last forever, especially if the government collapses completely.
Major Buddhist Sects in Japan - I'm not quizzing you on this stuff, but religion is always a plot element in my history and fantasy campaigns, so its worth being acquainted with this stuff. Also, your characters would likely be adherents of one of these, even if only by being born into it. These gross generalizations are what all of you would know.
- TENDAI - Based near Kyoto, follows a book called the "Lotus Sutra", has a very complex yet adaptable set of doctrines that adapt to fit many cultures. Tendai is a root of many other varieties. Politically and militarily powerful, the "establishment Buddhism".
- SHINGON - Very ritualistic form of Buddhism, lots of magical practices and secret ceremonies. Considered a bit old fashioned, often patronized by aristocrats and wizards alike. Related to tantric Buddhism. Source of Shugendo and the Yamabushi.
- PURE LAND - Very popular Buddhism for commoners. Many flavors, all of which believe in chanting for salvation ("nembutsu"). Many varieties that vary in conception of Heaven and what is chanted.
- NICHIREN - Offshoot of Tendai, founded by Nichiren. Militant, anti-Mongol, practice of chanting like Pure Land but focused on Lotus Sutra like Tendai. Popular among urban middle classes and merchants.
- ZEN - Based on meditation and contemplation of enigmas, popular among the warrior classes, artists, and those who trade with China. Introduced much of Chinese culture and arts to Japan. Each of these has several sub-varieties, and there are many other sects of Buddhism in Japan. Don't worry about them.
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