Shogunate

[Great Powers, Society, History]

Government: 

Absolute monarchy (Empire) where the Emperor Meiji controls all the production systems and military forces in the Shogunate.
Imperial flag of the Shogunate (By GJ)
Government Components
  • The Emperor (Shogun-Heika or Commander in Chief-Emperor).
  • The Shogunate Diet - advises the Emperor in the government tasks of the Shogunate and influences its fate. The Diet is composed of:
    • The Imperial Family
    • The Imperial Functionaries 
    • The Imperial Generals
    • The Alpha Corp Technocrats
Capital of the Shogunate

Shin Edo or Xanadu.

The original administrative metropolis of the Asian Alliance was formerly named Pnam-Tang, but the 28th Shogun Orazuge renamed it to match the nostalgic Bushido traditions that had the ancestral Japanese city of Edo as its cradle and origin of the warrior's code. The ancient city of Edo was also the center of power in medieval Japan, and residence of the original Shogunate in that ancient age on Old Terra.

While the Shogunate capital is officially called Shin Edo (New Tokyo), the inhabitants of the city call the metropolis Xanadu. This is due the most of the inhabitants being made up of mainly of the ethnic Chinese-Mongol group whose population out-number any other racial group in the city. The Chinese-Mongol's use the name Xanadu to honour their ancestors from Old Terra. Xanadu remains the most common name for the capital amongst the Shogunate's population.

 Xanadu was the great capital of the legendary Kublai Khan, who created one of the mightiest Ancient Eurasian Empires ever seen on Old Terra. The Great Kublai Khan was the grandchild of Genghis Khan, known to have provided his DNA samples (stolen by Droch'ah during his time-travels with the help of the Chroniode) to create the Genghis Khan's clone, who turned out to be one of the greatest Generals in Droch'ah's League of Ages.

 Official languages
  • Galactic Standard
  • Nihonyin
Nihonyin is a mix of Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages. These three main languages had a common lexical and phonetic origin from ancient times. Nihonyin also embodied the influence of many other languages that had also influenced the Asian dialects for over five centuries, such as Hindi and Tagalog.

The continual change and clashing of this sort of Babylonian language created several misunderstandings and administrative chaos in the past and a number of serious diplomatic incidents. however, the cultural pressures of the different nations in the Asian Alliance made almost impossible to create their common language without causing some disruption.

Two different Nihonyin versions exist: The more traditional version was created for High Administrative purposes and for the Elite, while the second version was more dynamic and was more often in use by the middle and lower classes of the Asian Alliance inhabitants. The second, more common version varied largely depending the sector of the Asian Alliance.

However, during the expansion of the mankind through the known Galaxy, by means of the gateways, trade and diplomatic relations assisted the development of a potent new language: the Galactic Standard. This galaxy wide language received great acceptance among the elites and the trading lobbies. Eventually, Galactic Standard replaced all other minority languages across the galaxy in regard to trade and diplomacy.

 While the two versions of Nihonyin continued to be used for localised communications, the Galactic Standard became the dominant language across all three of the Great Powers in the Outer Planets. While the two official languages of the Shogunate were taught side by side in schools, many proud tribes continued to teach their young specific dialects of their ancestral Asian origins.

 Forenames

The Upper social classes of the SHogunate frequently gave their children Japanese based names following a tradition begun by the 28th Shogun, Orazuge Shimato Shogun-Heika. Examples of this is seen in the names of many Elites of the Shogunate such as, Meiji Emperor, Prince Kiyomasa and General Fujiwara. However, the lower classes named their children based on their own ancestral origins, which some analysts believe is a source of the continued class structure of the Shogunate.

 Place Names

 While the Upper Classes continued the tradition to choose Japanese forenames, the naming of locations and minor cities was different. Ancestral Asian names from Old Terra were used to name locations, towns and minor cities and was due to a larger concentration of specific ethnic cultures of the colonists. Across the Shogunate, place names have origins from Japan, China, Korea, Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, to name a few.

 Organization and trade names

While the Asian languages continued to hold sway over the naming of children and place names in the Shogunate, Galactic Standard became more popular for organization names. This became standard practice in the Shogunate for practical reasons of trade and diplomacy. Using Galactic Standard in trade, especially for organisation names, indicated that the organisation was serious about long term success.


Shogunate History

 Origins (~2300 to 2500)

 The Shogunate is rooted in the ancient pan-Asian federation of eastern nations whose alliance began a rapid expansion after the discovery of the gateways of Dr. Falcon Lisi in the year 2287.

For three tumultuous centuries, a succession of unstable governments led the Asian Alliance in its expansion into the outer planetary region of terra-formed planets. 

 However, the numerous changes in government, political coups, in-fighting, and a general lack of common direction were factors that led to the intervention of the military. The Asian Alliance shifted from a political based regime to a military one. 

 Shogun (Circa 2600´s)

 As a result of the military coup, a military hierarchy was imposed on the Asian Alliance, conferring a period of stability that facilitated the emergence of the Alliance as an increasingly influential power. The Asian Alliance had begun its journey to become one of the three Great Powers in the Outer Planets, along with the Illyrian Hegemony and the Society of Cogwerk Planets.

During this time, some generals of the military hierarchy were strongly influenced by the Bushido (Japanese warrior code and tradition), and they increasingly referred to their leader as "Shogun" (former Japanese title similar to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces), resulting in the Alliance becoming known as the Shogunate.

 Over time, the Shogun gained absolute power by strengthening his authority in the military hierarchy, and by taking direct control of Alpha Corp, a leading manufacturing company. With the emergence of Mech technology, Alpha Corp became the only producer of this new technology in the Shogunate.

 Emperor (Circa 2770)

 To further consolidate his dynastic power, the 28th Shogun proclaimed himself as Emperor, claiming a direct line of descent with many of the legendary lineages of ancient Japan, China and Korea, which were some of the main countries that the Asian Alliance was originally made from on Old Terra. Despite the absurdity and the implausibility of the claim, discontents and protests were quickly and effectively suppressed, leaving no one to object within the domains of the Shogunate.

 The Shogunate-Hegemony Wars (~ 3000 to 3190)

 During the first millennium of expansion, the Shogunate collided twice with the Illyrian Hegemony, sparking two great wars. The first war occurred when the borders of both Great Powers came in contact during their progressive expansion during the 31th century, while the second occurred during the 32th Century. These conflicts were long and exhausting for both Great Powers and after their completion, neither had benefited greatly from them. A tense peace was then agreed to. However, both of the Great Powers occasionally came into conflict in smaller border skirmishes and small localised wars.

 The existence of the Society of Cogwerk Planets (SoCP) frequently suppressed the excesses of war between the Shogunate and the Hegemony, since neither of the two Great Powers wished to be weakened in a drawn-out war that would leave them at the mercy of the SoCP.

 The Shogunate Decadence (~3260 - 3307)

 While the Illiryan Hegemony and the Society of Cogwerk Planets experienced considerable growth in the technological field, the Shogunate began to experience stagnation. This lack of technological edge and an ageing Emperor fcreated an air of defeatism and discontent among the elite of the Shogunate.

In 3287, during this period of instability, the Shogunate was forced to ally with the Society of Cogwerk Planets to fight the madman known as Evil Santa, showing further signs of weakness.

 Battle of the Bunraku Marionettes (3297)

 During this period of weakness, the Shogunate got a severe test with the engagement of Toshiko, a deadly renegade Mech-pilot and master programmer who had improved an invasive AI by which she created an army of hacked and remotely controlled Mechs. She attempted to conquer the Shogunate to become Empress and from there, to extend her Empire in a colosal wave of vengeful wrath and destruction.
With the support of the Mercenary Clans, Toshiko was terminated, although that supposed the awakening of a new threat, born of her master AI, that didn't got destroyed with her.

 Civil War (3307)

 In 3307, the fearsome arch villain Gorax (or Gorak) developed a plague that was transmitted through masses of infected bioptics that he managed to distribute throughout the Shogunate. The plague affected members of the military hierarchy and the Imperial Family, inducing a mood of rage that, coupled with the air of discontent in the Shogunate led to a civil war. General Fujiwara led a rebellion against the Shogun-Emperor and his sons, the Iron and Flower Princes, who in turn sought to create their own state in Sengakuji.

 With the support of the mercenary clans, the civil war ended with the defeat of the rebel General Fujiwara and the Iron Prince. However, the Prince of Flowers managed to gain control of the area known as Sengakuji Reaches and the Cherry Blossom Mechworks, a smaller Mech manufacturer, making them an independent Mid Power in the Galaxy. Gorax was defeated the following year, when the villain launched a second pestilence after the distraction caused by the civil war.

Xmas Days (3318)

Evil Santa attacked again on Xmas eve 3318, focussing on an area in dispute between the Hegemony and the Shogunate, which led to a resurgence of the hostilities between the two Great Powers. Evil Santa wanted control of the area to search for a Chroniode supposedly buried there in a mineral deposit. However, it all ended for Evil Santa and his Elves as soon as the combined armies of the two Great Powers and the Mercenary Clans put the few Evil Santa's Mechs that were not destroyed to flight. 

 Shogunate Renewal (3320)

 The civil war made it clear to the Shogunate that they were stagnating technologically and militarily. Realising they were beginning to depend too much on the military power of the Mercenary Clans, the Emperor pardoned his son, the Prince of Iron, and promoted a series of measures to revive pride in the Shogunate.

 Technologically, Alpha Corp completed the design and production of a new BFM, the Pike, which would constitute the pinnacle of Mech engineering at that time and clearly demonstrated the Shogunate's resilience and its return as a pointing force among the Great Powers.

 AlphaCorp

 Alpha Corp (Alpha Corporation or AlCorp) is the only manufacturer in the Shogunate and is under the direct control of the Emperor. The fate of this great manufacturer and that of the Shogunate are inseparably linked, where the status of Alpha Corp is an excellent reflection of the status of the Shogunate.
References:


(By GJ - 658605 & RS - 899155)