Bushido

Customs

Caste System

A Caste Society The New Empire operates as a benevolent military dictatorship similar to the ways of old feudal Japan. It is a pyramid

power structure with the we'althy and educated landowners and military at the top and the average citizen at the bottom.

Society in the New Empire is structured around the tenants of the feudal system. This dictates the rights of individuals

and their status through the institution of several social classes. Equality between the classes does not exist, but the

members of all groups have accepted their roles in the firmly entrenched socioeconomic system. Duty and responsibility is

the cement which binds the classes together. Individuals are less self-serving and more community oriented, accepting their

role and fulfilling it to the best of their ability. Revolution is virtually unheard of in the New Empire due to this

highly developed sense of duty.

The Emperor is the religious and political leader of the Empire. This is no figurehead. The royal family from which the

Emperor (usually male, but can be female) is born is said to have been selected by the sun godess and possesses some aspect

of true divinity. Indeed, the line of Emperors that have thus far arisen have been wise, merciful and strong leaders. They

are fervent Shinto followers and ardent anti-technologists — raised and taught by the greatest Shinto priests in the land. According to legend, the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, appeared to the humans at Kyoto after a victorious fight against oni

hordes. Clinging to her gown was an eight year old boy. The child, Toyo Tennu, an indirect descendant of the Imperial line,

was named Emperor by the goddess. She charged those present to protect the boy and to "forge a New Empire" from the ashes

of the old. It was on that day that the dream of a "New Empire" was born.

The Imperial Court & Royal Family have the ear of the Emperor, but are mainly positions of prestige with no or little

actual power. This group includes family members and counselors such as respected priests, monks, aging samurai warriors,

powerful landowners, philosophers, doctors, and other people of experience, learning and wisdom.

The Shogun is the Minister of War and the primary military power of the New Empire. In the past, the shogun was the real

power in Japan, but in the Empire, he accepts the Emperor as his master and is satisfied with his position as Second in

Command. It is the Shogun who coordinates the nation's defenses and directs any offensives with the national army into The

Zone. Military expeditions into The Zone (and the Freelands) usually have to do with border skirmishes, reclaiming

territory seized by the oni, or the rescue of captives taken by the demons.

The Daimyo (pronounced dime-yo) are the lords or governors of the Province. The New Empire is divided into eight provinces,

each with a capital city and an army of samurai loyal to the daimyo and the Emperor. The daimyo are also wealthy, samurai

land barons who serve as military generals. They accept the Emperor as the heart and soul of Japan and defer to his wishes,

which are usually fair and rarely interfere with their local policies and conduct. The daimyo and the shogun are second in

power only to the Emperor.

The samurai are elite warriors, landowners and administrators, loyal to a specific daimyo master and province, and the New

Empire in general. Most are noble, honorable, and heroic knights of the realm dedicated to keeping the New Empire safe.

Each samurai is granted a portion of farmland and indentured peasants by his daimyo, in order to support himself. These

holdings are fixed by family lines, such that a samurai's children inherits the noble class, land and obligation to the daimyo. The daimyo has complete control over his vassals, so much that if a samurai should fail in his duties, even once,

he must make restitution or his daimyo has the right to demand "honor be met," meaning the samurai is obligated to commit

ritual suicide. Loyalty and obedience to one's lord is extremely important in this military society.

At the base of this pyramid structured caste system are the multitude of peasants (uneducated laborers and farmers) and the

lowly eta. It is interesting to note that in the structure of the New Empire, there is nothing dishonorable about being a

peasant and indeed, the peasant farmers, workers and craftsmen represent the life's blood of the kingdom. They work the

land, farm, harvest and process crops, raise animals, weave and fashion clothing, and serve as carpenters, builders, kabuki

entertainers, and craftsmen of all kind. They work the lands owned by the samurai and their daimyo, and live in homes owned

by their landlords. They cannot own their own land, cannot bear arms (other than farm tools and staves), and are

uneducated; they may have certain trade skills, but no formal education. It is the members of the samurai family clans who

become the doctors, scientists, scholars, architects, engineers, artists, owners of business, and politicians of the realm. The only way for a peasant to get a better education and pursue a different type of work is to become a monk, priest, or

kabuki entertainer; or to leave the New Empire to become a mercenary or adventurer. Most peasants are happy and treated

reasonably well, although their living conditions, welfare and the respect they receive is largely dependent upon the

landowner(s) they serve. Some daimyo and samurai landowners work the people like animals, with little rewards for their labor or loyalty. Others treat them with great kindness and generosity. Fortunately for the peasant population, most daimyo

and samurai take their cue for behavior from the Emperor, nobility and priests at Kyoto, who show respect, honor and mercy

to even the lowliest peasant. Currently throughout the New Empire, most administrators and lords treat their people well,

and the samurai truly fight to keep them safe and free from inhuman tyranny. This is due, in part, to the strong leadership

of the Emperor and the genuine presence of the gods, spirits and the Tree of Life.

The eta are a different story. They are the lowest of the low and fall below peasant or even the detestable ronin. They are

people who do labor that even the peasants find disgusting or beneath them. All the distasteful tasks in the New Empire are

left to eta. These include the handling of the dead, digging graves, waste disposal, butchering and preparing animal meat

as food, tanning, leather-working and making clothing out of animal skins, and similar.

Most "eta" of the New Empire are D-bees (65%) or foreigners (20%), however some (15%) are humans of Japanese descent — but

all are considered to be less than human. They are treated badly/rudely, forced to live in run-down slums, and subjected to

physical and mental abuse at the hands of samurai and peasant alike. For example, a samurai can seize an eta's property,

ransack their home, use torture for interrogation, rape their women, beat and even kill eta without evidence of wrongdoing

and without fear of legal or social repercussions — of course the eta may extract their own revenge by stealing from their cruel masters, vandalizing property, cooperating with enemies and even engage in murder. It is among the eta that one is

most likely to find thieves, bandits, assassins, ninja, witches, evil sorcerers, and other criminals. Sadly, many people

point to this foul behavior as evidence of the eta's sub-human and vile nature, without realizing that it is the

coldhearted abuses and degradation delivered from their hands to the eta that fill them with hate and vile, and make them

desperate misanthropes.

Merchants are part of the peasant class, as the act of making and selling goods and handling money is not considered a

noble pursuit worthy of a warrior. However, a samurai may own a business, he's just not active in it. Subordinate to the

samurai, these merchants still have a fair degree of unofficial freedom and privilege. Merchants can, within the framework

of the law, own property (but not land), travel freely throughout the Empire and engage in enterprises and the pursuit of trade and profit. Additionally, the merchant is able to deal with members of the samurai class on a fairly equal level. Politeness and respect are obvious requirements, but the merchant has the right to bargain and safeguard their own best

interests. 65% of all merchants operate a business owned by a samurai family clan, but a full 35% are privately owned

companies.

Ninja are peasant elite mercenaries who operate from secret family clans. Masters of disguise, they sometimes pretend to be

monks, priests, and samurai.

Doctors are one of the few groups outside the caste system. Although the majority (60%) are of noble lineage, many are from

peasant stock. However, healers are both respected and appreciated, and free to walk among eta and samurai without regard

to class or character.

Monks and priests enjoy a similar status, although they are generally considered to be of peasant stock and only a notch

above them. Despite this, priests and monks are often counsels to royal families, daimyo, and samurai, as well as warriors

of renown. There is no class requirement for becoming a monk and anyone from the lowly eta to the powerful samurai can join

the monastic orders. Serving as the spiritual caretakers of the people, the monks tend to the many shrines and temples in

the Empire. Others wander the countryside teaching and lending a helping hand. Monks are held in the highest regard and are

protected by the samurai. These individuals are subject to the same punishments for criminal activity, though all but the

most severe crimes are usually ignored. Should a monk ever be attacked or harmed, retribution will be both swift and

severe.