The Gensokyo the Gods Loved - The Long Forgotten Oriental Domain

The Oriental Regional Government of Gensokyo

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National Summary

Gensokyo (幻想郷 gensoukyou, "Land of Illusions" or "Land of Fantasy") is a landlocked region within Japan. Its culture vaguely resembles that of feudal Japan, heavily embellished with folkloric elements.

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Etymology

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Gensokyo is the name used to refer to the landlocked region within the Yatsugatake Mountain range of Japan. It vaguely means "Land of Illusions" or "Land of Fantasy". In some records, this area is also referred to as "Eastern Country".

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History

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Gensokyo was originally a desolate, haunted region of Japan ages ago. The youkai that lived there began to terrorize the surrounding lands, and thus powerful, heroic humans were sent to exorcise and exterminate them. The off and on battle between humans and youkai continued on until 1885 A.D., when Gensokyo was sealed off from this increasingly scientific and skeptical world with the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier. There has been little contact between those societies ever since. Today, the only known gateway between Gensokyo and this world is the Hakurei Shrine, which stands in isolation along the border on distant mountains of the far east. It's known that the local language spoken in Gensokyo is modern Japanese.

Modern Times

Following the erection of the barriers in the late 1800s, the Outside World had quickly forgotten about Gensokyo.

The Hakurei Shrine, which exists on both sides of the border, is supposed to be the only gateway into Gensokyo. However, the phenomenon of "spiriting away" can also cause objects and even living beings to slip through the border at random, particularly if they have started to be forgotten by the outside world. For instance the crested ibis started to become more common in Gensokyo after the Japanese variety were recognised as extinct, and paper started showing up more frequently with the rise of digital storage. Outside humans are not protected by the Spell Card rules and thus can be freely preyed on by youkai, but they may choose to become citizens of the Human Village or request for the Hakurei shrine maiden to send them home.

Even in modern times, it is still possible for youkai, gods and even entire locations (such as the Ruined Western Mansion, Scarlet Devil Mansion and Moriya Shrine) to pass through the border and enter Gensokyo.

While some youkai have shown the ability to exit Gensokyo and travel to the outside world, it appears that this requires uncommon knowledge, abilities and/or conditions, as other characters seem to think of it as nigh-impossible. It is believed that youkai go on "hunting trips" through the border to gather humans from the outside world as food, disguising the kidnappings as stories of people running away from home, but it is unclear how and when these are performed.

Demographic

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Population

Gensokyo is populated mainly by youkai, but a decent human and rabbit population lives there as well. Some of its inhabitants went there to hide, to escape, to find shelter when no-one and nowhere else would accept them.

Religion

Buddhism (仏教, bukkyou) is a religion mainly practiced in East Asia; originating in India, it was introduced to Japan through trade with China. After being officially established in the Asuka period, Japanese Buddhist beliefs came to merge with native shamanism, until being formally split into Buddhism and Shinto in the 19th century. In modern Japan most Shintoists still use Buddhist funeral rites, and shrines to Shinto kami can be found inside Buddhist temples.

Shinto (神道, lit. "Way of the Gods"), also called the Anglicised Shintoism, is the native Japanese religion. While the name Shinto has only existed from around 500 BCE, the belief system has existed as a nameless ancient religion for thousands of years, passed down orally. Shinto is a polytheistic religion with an array of gods known as the Yaoyorozu no Kami, and like most other ancient religions, it lacks a founder. Shinto, along with Buddhism, are the two major religions of Japan. Shintoism has only made minor expansion outside Japan, likely because it is a nationalistic religion in its purest form.

Taoism (道教, doukyou, modernly Daoism) is a Chinese religion which, like Japanese Shinto, has its roots in native folklore. Like Buddhism it is an introspective, philosophical religion; its followers seek to live as one with the natural flow of the universe, known as the Tao ("the Way"). While Tao-related practices can be found in many aspects of Chinese and Japanese culture (such as Kōshin and Zen Buddhism), traditionally only dedicated priests and ascetics were identified as "Taoists".

Government

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For most of its time, Gensokyo lacked a functioning government. This was until certain efforts to reach a resolution between Youkai and the Humans to succeed, eventually establishing what became The Oriental Regional Government, seated on the top of the Youkai Mountain.

Although virtually all of Gensokyo pledges allegiance to the government, the authority of The Oriental Regional Government is only limited to the main regions of Gensokyo. Various regions (ex: The misty lake) supposedly under the jurisdiction of the Regional Government remain lawless, due to the lack of present government officials.

Other regions in Gensokyo that are not officially affiliated with the Regional Government have their own reasons to not join the state, varying from cultural complications or their ability to function by themselves.

Domestic Relations

The Regional Government keeps contact with its various administrative divisions via the Gensokyo Grassroots Federation, formerly known as the Grassroots Youkai Network.
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Economy

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The economy of Gensokyo is fairly primitive compared to modern states, consisting of mostly agriculture, textiles, and mining at the Youkai mountain. There is, however, the presence of Zaibatsus, which play a big role in the economy of Gensokyo.
These Zaibatsus include the Yatagarasu Electric Coorporation, the Youkai Skyline, and the Eientei Pharmaceutical Company. There is also a small manufacturing plant run by the Kappas in the Genbu Ravine, providing Gensokyo with some modern technology.

Military

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Gensokyo lacks a professional military, relying on various mercenaries and magicians to resolve any incident that may arise. There is, however, a voluntary army consisting of youkai and humans under the command of a certain powerful being. The equipment that the army uses is primarily manufactured in the Genbu Ravine. It is nearly a century behind that of modern countries, possibly due to the lack of foreign influence following the creation of the barriers in 1885.

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