The PC's have accepted the task of traveling to Iyo Province on Shikoku to secure Prince Akihiro's claims to a dozen different estates that are faltering in their rent, taxes, or tribute payment in the last year. This would typically be the job of the local authorities, but they seem preoccupied with other matters of more significant concern to them. Brother Hofuku, the appointed clerical accountant, has copies of the deeds and agreements to the various mansions, so the PC's can prove their legitimacy.
As a first stop, the PC's went to the capital, Matsuyama, and traveled to a small village on the Haishi River to see why there had been no payment for months. There are less than forty families listed in Brother Hofuku's records, growing the usual sorts of mundane crops - rice, millet, straw, that sort of thing. The steward/headman role for the estate belongs to a samurai family named "Murakami," which has held the position for generations - just a smallholding independent samurai family of no reputation.
The Dogo Plain is a valley of about 65 sq. miles, roughly 8x12mi. Most of the towns, including the port town of Mitsuhama, and the castle town of Matsuyama (centered on Yuzuki Castle and the famous Dogo Onsen), are all along the road along the valley's north side. Both towns are garrisoned and fortified, as they are near Kyushu and stuck between the Yamana (on Honshu) and Hosokawa (on Shikoku). The offshore waters are filled with fishing boats and cargo ships, while the town has been fortified with earthen ramparts and wooden fortifications currently under construction. The port itself is smaller than Sakai but still bustling.
The Kono clan leader, Kono Norimichi is the shugo-daimyo of Iyo Province, ostensibly responsible for enforcing contractual obligations. The biggest rumor about the immediate area is that disastrous flooding last fall led to peasant unrest regarding taxes, so things are a bit tense. On the other hand, Lord Kono’s favorite just had a son; there is another potential heir, so things are looking up for the clan.
All but one of Prince Akihiro's estates are on southern tributaries of the Shigenobu River, back in the mountains. The last one is to the north of the valley. Unfortunately, due to the security demands on their resources (fortification building, arming troops, building ships), they have not been enforcing annual taxes from estates not their own. When a shoen estate fails to produce taxes, they cannot be bothered with following through with any great focus.
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