OYASHIMA: IHON 異本

[Islamadon 4568]

IHON 異本

 

 

Ihon, a land of trial and death, is the Island located closest to the Lu Zhou peninsula of Cathant. For centuries, this Isle of the Eight has served as the setting of countless battles, and is now home to the remains of unmourned thousands. At one time, the Ihon Province was the fiercest rival to Yamatai due to the ambitions of the dominant Sato Clan. However, upon the resolution of the Kawato War and the rise of the Ishikawa Bakufu, the influence of Ihon has shrunk tremendously. In the years following, Ihon served as the primary theater of war between Ishikawa Kais and the Li Dynasty. It is also ground zero for the flood of otherworldly yokai.

 

Geographically, Ihon is temperate and well forested with trees possessing twisting trunks and bizarre shapes. These odd forms have given legend that the trees themselves host the spirits of those who had suffered an untimely demise. Due to the constant wars and the salting of local paddies, much of Ihon’s farmland has been ruined beyond use. The population has thus taken towards fishing and trade as their primary means of sustenance. As of current, the Yamamoto War’s constant incursions into the Lu Zhou peninsula has resulted in well stocked and well populated port cities.

 

One cannot speak of Ihon without delving into its war-torn origins. In the age of the Golden Empire, Ihon served as the stepping stone for the invading Cathantese to reach the other isles of the Oyashiman Archipelago. Much like its neighbors, a Bushi culture flourished and gave way to the rise of the Samurai. By the end of the Occupation and the restoration of the Imperial Clan, much blood had been spilt across the isle by both Hou-Zi and Oyashi alike. In the following Heisei era, the Samurai Clan of Sato gained great prominence through their martial skill and diplomatic cunning. In due time Sato became one of the Four Great Clans, who were practically immune from the scrutiny of the Imperial Court. 

 

 

In the following Tenbatsu Period, Sato grew ambitious. Envious of the positioning of Ishikawa and their influence within the Imperial Court, Sato sought to capitalize on their newfound power and stretch their Clan’s territory beyond the Ihon Strait. In response to ambitious maneuvers, Ishikawa had engaged in a diplomatic mission with Sato when the negotiations turned sour. As the host of Ishikawa Clan began their return trip to Yamatai, Sato and its retainers launched an ill-prepared strike against their rivals in hopes of cutting off their head. The two hosts met at the Arihawa bridge and the battle ended indecisively. Both Sato and Ishikawa had lost men, but neither were able to deliver a killing blow. What is known, however, is that the key figures of Ishikawa managed to return to Yamatai and prepare for the conflict to come. Thus began the Kawato War.

 

The conflict lasted into the Tengōi Period, with both Ishikawa and Sato repeatedly trading defeat with one another. However, rumor came through to Daimyō Sato Kagetoki that the Inoue clan of Hoke-ida was on the verge of raising a host of their own to capitalize upon the war as a third party. Sato  Clan engaged in a preemptive campaign upon the Inoue isle in hopes of dismantling their ability to wage war. Much like Arihawa Bridge, the Sato Clan had underestimated their unblooded neighbors. The Inoue clan fought fiercely and managed to repel the incursion; in a self fulfilling prophecy, the Sato attack had caused the Inoue to enter the war on Ishikawa’s side. Now attacked from two fronts by sea, the Sato Daimyō perished in the decisive Naval Battle of the Ihon Strait. A crushing defeat for Sato, it is said that the bodies of the dead washed for days onto the western shores of Ihon, their souls not finding rest in the depths.

 

 

The Kawato War met its conclusion following the seizure of Sato Castle and the rise of the Bakufu under the now unrivaled Shōgun Ishikawa Nobumune. In the following decades of the Zantei Period, the holdings upon Ihon were redistributed to Shugo who were loyal to the Bakufu. And though the years were peaceful, such was not meant to last for those of Ihon.

 

Following the abrupt death of the Shōgun Fujinami, the Li Dynasty of Cathant sought to reclaim the lands they had lost decades prior. A naval invasion was mounted and the woods of Kamaichi served as the landing point for the Cathantese. Sato Hitoshi’s host was the first and only line of defense; unfortunately, as fate would have it, the Sato Clan had been made too weak from the reprisals of Ishikawa. Sato experienced no less than total carnage as they were crushed and slaughtered. Ihon was painted red with blood. 

 

The Li Dynasty was tyrannical, and Ihon continued to suffer at the hands of their occupiers. The Samurai of the isle found only suffering in their resistance. In response to the defiance of the Samurai, the Li Dynasty proceeded to round up the very villagers that the warrior class had sworn to protect - executing them. The Li Dynasty, in these purgings, had committed such atrocities that reality itself was thrown into chaos. The northern woods of Yamamoto, a site of massacre, became the birthplace of many a wretched Yokai. The lurking maw of vengeance had, at last, manifested in the form of evil and vengeful spirits. They made no distinction between Li Ren or Oyashi - they merely hungered, and sought to perpetuate their undeath.

 

 

In a twist, Ishikawa Kais managed to outmaneuver the host of Li Zhao and use these malevolent creatures to his advantage at the Battle of the Yamamoto Woods. Though Oyashima had been freed, Ihon remained plagued by these Yokai for decades to come. Oyashi of all classes, Samurai included, began to disappear. Ihon became associated as a cursed land. It was only through the aid of “Tsuru no Gakkō 鶴の学校”, or the School of the Crane, that the demonic Yokai began to become contained. These Yokai Hunters would find great prominence about Ihon, being hired by Daimyō and villagers alike to engage in pest control. To these noble warriors, Yokai are the enemy of mankind and must be eradicated.

 

Ihon’s strategic placement can not be understated, for it remains as the primary stepping stone between greater Oyashima and Cathant. For the first time in Oyashima’s history, Shōgun Ishikawa Genjiro used Ihon as a staging ground for a counter attack into the weakened Lu Zhou peninsula. Malicious omens once again filled the air, and the Yokai were emboldened. It is said that there was an Eclipse which cast Oyashima in shadow during the time when the Inferi ravaged Arcas. Spilling out from the Yamamoto Woods, hordes of Shinigami and Yokai managed to engulf all of  Ihon and, ultimately, reach the other isles of Oyashima. Rumors persist that it was the doing of Shōgun Ishikawa Yorinobu.

 

 

In the modern day, a culture of death has swept across the Isle of Ihon. Mass graves litter the Island from the countless wars and massacres, and a very real fear of evil spirits has seized its population. Superstitious and ready for death, a majority of the locals have turned to Aritsuki, the Kami of Darkness, Souls and Death for guidance. Civilians who engage in potential taboos are reprimanded harshly, for it is feared that such could attract the ire of a Yokai. In order to safeguard their villages, the population has turned to maintenance of the many graves, tombs and subsequent shrines to appease the lingering spirits of the dead. 

 

Though Clan Sato remains the de jure masters of Ihon, the years of devastation and the instillment of Bakufu aligned Shogu have left their political situation wanting. Further, the average Samurai of the Island have lost the imagination of the people, for they specialize in the slaying of men rather than beasts. Instead, Yokai Hunters such as those within Tsuru no Gakkō are hailed as heroes. It is not uncommon for these local-born Yokai Hunters to be elevated to the status of Samurai within Ihon, nor is it uncommon for Yokai Hunters to find an excess of employment opportunities throughout Oyashima.

 

[Jihnyny 2594]

I LOVE IHON!!!!