Yakumo

The Yakumo Empire is the name given for the combination of the three internal governments of Yakumo Archapelago: The Yamato Parliament, The Odagawa Shogunate and The Imperial House of Seimei. Despite its geographical size its large population and tenacious people have made it one of the most powerful nations on Monde, and possibly the greatest political power in the Astral Realm.

Known History
Historically isolated, the Yakumo have existed for centuries on their lush island and have developed numerous martial and aesthetic arts which the culture values immensely. Though the history of the Yakumo is somewhat secret, several basic histories on the topic have been published. What is known is that the Yakumo people are a hybrid of the now excessively rare Taiyoujin, an Astrally giften people of such rarity that there are less then 100 in the tangible world. Much of Han culture has been adopted into Yakumo culture, however, Yakumo philosophy has led to a very different culture. Warriors and Artists were valued excessively in the past and the Shogunate is the section of government still ruled by the military sect. It is known that they have been in Maritime wars with Umnalia and Anglia in recent history as well as their Astral support of the now Lost Continent. In recent years artificial human beings (Shikigami) have helped further Yakumo means as well as their incredibly powerful underground organization of peacekeepers known as the Architects.

Yakumo Culture
The Yakumo are ardent believers in their cultural deities and have a strong faith in the Bodhim religion as well. Yakumo cuisine is heavilly centered on rice and Han noodles such as Ramen and Udon, as well as Astral and Terrestrial Liquors like Sake, Ume, Shochu, Taikon and the famously incredible Tamashi-Seiki. There are strong cultural emphases on silence, sadness, glory, honour, and dignity. Collectively minded, the Yakumo tend to bump heads with the free spirited Umnali and individualistic Anglians.

Yakumo Military
The 3 different branches of government each manage a different part of the Yakumo military. The Shogunate commands the Shinsengumi (elite corps) while the House of Seimei directly commands the Imperial Armed Forces, and the Yamato Parliament commands the famed Architects. All three sections of government put an emphasis on newly developed weapons focused around reliability and size. The Shinsengumi makes most of the nation's firearms through its Engineering Corps.

The Government
As mentioned above, there are 3 branches to the Yakumo government.

The Yamato Parliament
The Parliament is a group of elected officials each of which is nominated for exceptional ability. They make almost all of the nation's important decisions and represent most of the nation's executive decisions. Their command over the Architects gives them the majority of the nation's access to the outside world. The Parliament is also almost exclusively responsible for the governance of the Yakumo settlements in the Astral, most importantly InterCity. The current Prime Minister is Kazuhira Hokushin no Kuge.

The Odagawa Shogunate
The main military power in the country's internal. The Odagawa Shogunate is a Samurai run organization which is tasked with protecting Yakumo culture at home and abroad. Their hand is the Shinsengumi, an elite team which utilizes incredible melee skill paired with impressive firearm and engineering strength. They develop weapons and vehicles for the war abroad while simultaneously producing art and infastructure at home. They often refer to the nation as the Shogunate of Yakumo Peoples, a title which draws controversy. The current Shogun is Nobutada Hidemitsu no Odagawa.

The Imperial House of Seimei
The Imperials have always taken a highly ceremonial role in the Yakumo empire until recently when they seized much of the political power. The House of Seimei is responsible for maintaining the nation itself in any aspect not covered by the Shogunate or Parliament including Police, Education, Healthcare and Industry. They hold their power coyly from behind the scenes and tend to manipulate the other 2 branches when needed. They are ardent followers of the Kusa-Bokujin school of philosophy. Their present leader is Emperor Junboku Daitanfuteki no Seimei.

InterCity
Part of the reason behind Yakumo dominance politically in the Astral Plane is the presence of the only Astral Metropolis: InterCity. InterCity is covered in depth in this full article. (See Full Article...)