Taira
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United Republic of Taira 平連合共和国 (Tairan) Capital: Seirun
Population: 28,200,000 Motto: 「信念は団結であり、団結は力であり、力は繁栄である」 "Belief is unity, unity is strength, strength is prosperity." |
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Taira, officially the United Republic of Taira (平連合共和国), is a country in the Rin'yo peninsula of Southeast Uletha. Consisting of a land mass of 65,372 km², Taira is split into two main regions of Seirun and Hanawabori, both previously warring kingdoms. Seirun is also the name of the capital, located in the Seirun Metro Area. Other major cities in Taira, by population, include Murotama, Nankobo, Houzen, and Nakamiga.
Seirun borders Republic of Hakkubon to the south, Republic of Ugawa to the east, UL30h and Yosen to the southwest, and UL30a to the northwest. North Taira is composed of flat, fertile land, while the centre and south is mainly wooded or mountainous. Taira is split into 16 prefectures, 12 of which are Seiruno and 4 of which are Hanawaborese. 5 main rivers are located throughout the country: the Akashionomoto, the Kosaka, the Sento, the Shobichi, and the Himeshi, which also runs into Hakkubon. The Great Tairan Mountain Range splits the country in two, with the tallest area in the country being located at the peak of the westernmost mountain, Ryuzojisan. Glacial melt from the mountain supplies the Houzen Lake, the largest lake in the country.
Seirun's 2 regions united in 1950 following the great war for economic prosperity. The country changed from a union into a republic following a 1956 referendum, and the country began having prime ministers 2 years later. Taira entered a trade shutdown between 1959 and 1968 and a coup began in 1970, but after that, the economy began to prosper and Taira now has one of the strongest economies in all of the Rin'yo peninsula.
Etymology
The Tairan characters for Taira is 平国. The name is derived from 平, meaning flat, and 国, meaning country. This name was adopted as the area north of the Seirun lake and west of the Kosaka river as this area was mainly flat or hilly. The other areas in North Taira were known by different names, mainly by the most populous city in the region. However when the country united, Taira became the name for the entire country, in spite of most of Hanawabori being mountainous.
History
 WIP, check in later. Thanks!
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Early Period
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| History of Taira | |
| Early Period 初期時代 | until year 1300 AD |
| Warring Kingdoms Period 戦国時代 | 1300 - 1850 |
| Modern Period 近代的時代 | 1850 - present |
Taira was settled some time between 40,000 BC to 30,000 BC, based on early rock paintings. These settlers were believed to have either come from sea via modern day Kojo, or from the west of the Rin'yo peninsula. They were characterised by semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer culture who were often seen to reside in pit houses. Clay pottery in modern day Murotama is some of the oldest preserved examples of artifacts in Taira. Later, people from the east arrived from Izaland through Ugawa and into Taira. They brought with them innovations in agriculture, pottery, and metallurgy.
The first official settlements in Taira were small permanent agricultural kingdoms in small towns. These towns developed into urban centres and were managed by families who owned land and food. These families eventually began cooperating with other nearby families, forming the first small agricultural kingdoms. These kingdoms mostly lived in peace and were harmonious with each other, as it was in their best interests to avoid conflict and to share resources, however there was a clear divide between the northern kingdoms and the southern kingdoms. This was believed to be mainly due to the Tairan Mountain Range that split the country in two. According to legend, the 1st large kingdom that emerged was in the modern city of Seirun, at the Kosaka river delta, when King Tsuneo Asano, descendent of war god Ikusagami, built the Tokumoto Royal Palace and began rule over the small Kingdom of Tokumoto to found a kingdom. Kingdoms began building roads between each other, forming the first forms of infrastructure in Taira. Wagons pulled by mainly oxen carried grains and other goods between kingdoms. Kingdoms started to use boats later in the tribal period, mainly to transport resources over a lake or down a river.
Taira was first recorded in written history in the Tairan Book of Tokumoto dated in 95 BC, recovered from the collapsed and rebuilt Tokumoto Royal Palace in Fort Tokumoto. It records Taira as being comprised of many small kingdoms, all of which lived in conflict however Tokumoto was the only who lived in harmony with its neighbours. Historians agree that the level of conflict in Taira is likely overexaggerated. In a later volume of the Book of Tokumoto, dated to 23 BC, Taira is recorded to have less kingdoms than it had 70 years ago. This was likely due to kingdoms warring and conquering each other. It was also written that Seirun had began to expand it's borders from the central area between the Seirun and Kosaka rivers to beyond the area. The book's information cuts off past 18 BC. This is believed to be as Seirun had conquered Tokumoto and had killed the writer of the book, who is still unknown.
Religion arrived in Taira from Izaland and Kojo. Before this many kingdoms followed their own religion or were irreligious, however the most prominent was Seiruno Shintoic which had began to expand past Seirun in around 200 BC. Izaland and Kojo brought Buddhism to Taira. Seirun rejected Buddhism due to the fact that Seiruno Shintoic was already a common religion, however Buddhism was widely accepted in South Taira, mainly by the kingdom of Hanawabori in Shingomata. Over time, a religion known as Ryuzoji Shintoic combined with Buddhism in Hanawabori to create the religion now known in Taira as Hanawabori Buddhism, which spread due to promotion by the ruling class of Hanawabori visiting other kingdoms.
In the years between 21 BC and 4 BC, the Kingdom of Seirun under the leadership of King Rokuro Tsunoda began a great conquest across all of Taira in order to unify the country. It was said that Tsunoda was a descendant of the legendary king Tsuneo Asano and thus a descendent of war god Ikusagami. However, they were barred from entering the southern half of Taira due to the Tairan mountain range. However, by this time, they had successfully unified all of Northern Taira, with exception to the Torozuka peninsula, thus beginning the Tsunoda dynasty in taira. This lasted for only 4 years until the Kyouwan unification.
Union with Kyouwa
Approximately in the year 0 AD, Taira united with the other countries in the Rin'yo peninsula to form the Kyouwan Kingdom. It is apparent Taira never intended to be a part of the greater Kyouwan kingdom however the kings of Taira were either economically or politically encouraged to do so. They maintained semi-autonomous rule with the emperor of the Tsunoda dynasty still being able to make decisions for the Tairan people, albeit with overarching rule by the Kyowan emperor. Despite their unification with Kyouwa, South and North Taira still remained uncooperative.
In the year 468, the Tsunoda dynasty had become increasingly self centred and irresponsible with national funds. In response the public gathered in the Tokumoto village square outside Fort Tokumoto and began to riot. The Tsunoda dynasty home guard was sent to quell the riot. On May 17th, 39 people were killed and a further 45 were injured. This had become a scandal across not only Taira but Kyouwa too. After the construction of a monument in Tokumoto Square in honour of the 39 people killed, alongside continued campaigning by the Tairan public, Kyouwa sent soldiers and military general/prince Takehiko Fujimoto to overthrow the Tsunoda lineage and to reform the country in a way that aligned with the visions of central Kyouwa. However, the king of the Seirun Kingdom, An Tsunoda, refused. He assembled a small private militia to guard Fort Tokumoto from Fujimoto and his soldiers. In a battle where 13 soldiers died, all Seiruno, Takehiko Fujimoto entered Tokumoto and ordered for a new one to be built in order to distance the new Fujimoto lineage from the Tsunoda lineage. This began the Fujimoto dynasty and the Ato period (with Ato meaning after, as the Fujimoto dynasty was the 1st one after the Tsunoda dynasty)
The new Fujimoto palace was finished in the year 503. Unfortunately Takehiko Fujimoto died before it's completion. His son and heir, Keiko Fujimoto, was the first person in the Fujimoto dynasty of the Tairan colony in Kyouwa. Keiko Fujimoto and aristocrat/writer Kasahara no Shouhei implemented the Fujimoto reforms in the year 522, beginning the Fujimoto period. This came following the Fujimoto emperor and Kyouwan military's defeat of the rebellious Mikado clan. The announcement of the reforms also came at the same public gathering as king of Mikado clan Mikado no Miyuki's execution. These reforms unified Taira into 1 cohesive state under Fujimoto and Kyouwan rule, with land being all owned by the Fujimoto emperor and peasants being required to fill censuses pay taxes to the emperor instead of the local clan leaders. It also divided Taira into prefectures, which are still used today.
After a dispute in Tairan parliament in the Fujimoto Palace Courthouse in 603, the emperor's sister and Royal Prosecutor Princess Mari Fujimoto, alongside 4 other members of the Royal Jury, was assassinated by the King's Executioner Fumihito Yamaguchi in a symbol of rebellion after he was told to kill his son. This began an uprising by the Yamaguchi clan against the Fujimoto dynasty, one that was quickly crushed in under 2 years. This prompted then emperor Daisuke Fujimoto to team with the new Royal Prosecutor, his brother Prince Kenji Fujimoto, to write a new set of reforms called the Shiho reforms (Shiho meaning judiciary). This gave the emperor the right to give anyone in the royal family a role of authority, where previously it was settled by a panel of jurors. This became incredibly unpopular with the public as they felt they had lost all representation in the country. Kyouwa remained supporting the decision of the Fujimoto dynasty.
The new Shiho reforms prompted the Shiho period beginning in 608 which was marked by increased longevity of the dynasty at the cost of public morale and support. Due to this many turned to religion, with many beginning to write poems and epic stories. After a brief epidemic of smallpox in 693, Buddhism and Buddhist architecture rose as people began to accept religions from other parts of the world. The Shiho period lasted for the rest of the time Taira was under Kyouwan rule. During this period a very indigenous culture in Taira arose, distinct from Kyouwan culture. Due to this distinction and a distaste for the Kyouwan controlled ruling class, Taira began developing a general dislike towards Kyouwa, which would affect its future as an independent nation.
Independence from Kyouwa
In the decade of 1290, Kyouwa collapsed. The previous Fujimoto dynasty, without support from the Kyouwan regime, quickly was overrun by the public in what was known as the 1290 Revolution. After losing it's influence on Taira, the Fujimoto rulers were forced to give up claims on the country and run into hiding. It is unknown where they went following the abdication of the final emperor, Ryuu Fujimoto. Since there was no legitimate recipient of the next heavenly mandate from Ikusagami, this effectively reverted the state of Taira into the pre-Kyouwan period, with clans independently controlling plots of land. The most influential clan was the Seiruno clan, who took power over the military of the previous Fujimoto dynasty. Due to the fact that they controlled the Fujimoto palace, they believed this gave them Ikusagami's heavenly mandate over all of Taira.
The Seiruno Kingdom began with the Inada dynasty after the defeat of the enemy Shione clan, with Shota Inada being crowned as emperor of the Inada clan in Seirun.