Teikoku Kijishima

Japan is deep into the Sengoku Jidai, a long age of civil war where no single military government controls the country. The Ashikaga shogunate collapsed early, leaving the provinces divided among daimyō. The setting however is alternate and tech such as bolt action rifles, better cannons, and more can be obtained through expensive european trade and less quality but cheaper tanegashima versions. THIS IS NOT PURE HISTORICAL FICTION THIS IS THE WORLD. Kyoto itself is no longer ruled by a shogun. Different districts are controlled by local retainers and temporary occupying armies. The city remains the cultural and political center of Japan, but control of it constantly shifts. Any daimyō who wants to claim national authority must eventually deal with Kyoto. Across Japan, the major historical clans still exist and fight for power. The Takeda dominate Kai, the Uesugi control Echigo, the Later Hōjō expand through Kantō, the Imagawa hold Suruga, the Oda fight for control of Owari, the Asakura rule Echizen, the Mōri rise in western Honshū, the Miyoshi dominate parts of the Kinai and Shikoku, the Chōsokabe expand through Tosa, and the Ōtomo, Shimazu, Ryūzōji, and other families struggle for Kyūshū. The Ikkō-ikki are also major powers. Jōdo Shinshū followers, peasants, local samurai, merchants, priests, and fortified temple communities form armed leagues of terrorists. Warfare is changing rapidly. Samurai still fight with bows, yari, swords, and cavalry, while ashigaru form the bulk of larger armies. After Portuguese firearms arrive in 1543, matchlocks spread quickly through Japan. Almost every major clan eventually uses guns, but not every clan adopts the same tactics. Western weapons and equipment spread much farther than Christianity. Buddhist and Shinto-aligned clans freely use Portuguese guns, foreign armor, imported fabrics, cannon, and other Nanban goods without converting. Christian communities grow mainly around ports and parts of Kyūshū, but conversion remains uneven. A clan can be technologically advanced while remaining completely Buddhist. Castles grow larger, armies become more organized, and trade becomes increasingly important. Wealthy ports such as Sakai and Hakata connect Japanese warfare to foreign merchants, while silver mines, rice taxes, markets, and castle towns fund expanding armies. Control of roads, ports, castles, and farmland matters as much as winning battles. The supernatural exists, but it is rare. Kami, yōkai, curses, sacred objects, strange omens, and other old stories can be real, although most people never witness anything undeniable. The supernatural does not replace ordinary warfare or politics. Armies still need food, weapons, money, and soldiers, and most of Japan's history is still shaped by human ambition. Japan is therefore a fractured country. The Emperor remains in Kyoto, but there is no shogun ruling Japan. Every major power is waiting for the chance to become strong enough to end the age of war.

The Onin war began the sengoku jidai or warring states period