Miyadaka

The Constitutional Monarchy of Miyadaka, also commonly called Miyadaka, (Miyadakan Traditional: 宮高の立憲帝国; Miyadakan Standard: Miyakō no rikken teikoku), is an island nation in eastern Asania, with a constitutional monarchy in place. As an island nation, it is completely surrounded by water on all sides, but is close to the nation of Xinhao to the west, Xei Sea to the east, Gyoko Sea to the north, and the Astorian Ocean to the south. Miyadaka covers LAND AREA square kilometers and has an estimated population of 137,763,847 people. Miyadaka comprises of 70 prefectures and 6 island territories. The capital of Miyadaka is the city of Otsu, though other major cities include Yakasuki, Shimamoto, Kumarori, and Honsato.

Humans first arrived in Miyadaka in the 21,000s BCE according to archeological evidence. Most of these humans resided in the valleys of the island chain, eating nuts and berries for sustenance until the 4000s BCE, when the first rice farming began on the island, and thousands of "rice kingdoms" spread throughout the archipelago. A new upper class known as the Deyūku began to emerge.

Miyadaka is a constitutional monarchy with the world's third largest economy, with strong civil liberties, and high levels of political freedom and engagement. Described by the Union of Nations as a free democracy, the nation is a strong ally of the central world, though it remains an independent Great Power in its own right. Though their land forces are weaker, their navy and air force are considered either the best in the world, or tied with Gelenia and Caliane - and allows the nation to exercise power projection across the globe, although Miyadaka's foreign policy has been focused on Asania and Astoria in recent years. Alongside Xinhao, Miyadaka remains one of two great powers on the Asanian continent, and Otsu is often called the "World's Eastern Meeting Place" considering how most summits on Asanian affairs often take place in the city. With a strong manufacturing sector and high levels of university education, Miyadaka is also considered one of the most desirable places to live on Alcris.

Etymology
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People from Miyadaka are called Miyadakans.

Prehistory
The Miyadakan peninsula was once a land bridge connected to the Asanian mainland beginning with the decline in sea level elevations following the last ice age. During this period, many of the species of fauna and animals that would call Miyadaka home managed to make their way onto, what was at the time, a rocky peninsula. As temperatures began to drop, further migrations of animals made their way into the region - these included the first human settlers beginning in 21'000 BCE.

It was in this period that the ice age came to an end, and the land which had once been a peninsula sank beneath the waves, turning the Miyadakan region into an archipelago, cutting off the many peoples living there from mainland Asania. According to archeological evidence, the people living on the peninsula established small villages in the valleys of the island chain, living off nuts and berries growing on the trees of the island, while also coming under a series of feudalistic clan kingdoms, stretching across the southern most islands. It is believed that rice farming spread across the islands beginning in the 4000s BCE, which led to a population boom as the crop provided bountiful supplies, allowing for the construction of larger settlements, and eventually cities. The lords who owned the rice farms, called Deyūku (デューク), formed a new upper class of individuals which had not existed on such a scale before, beginning the foundations of the future aristocratic class. By 2300 BCE rice farms had reached all the way to the northern island of the archipelago, though the southern regions remained more prosperous. By this point, two separate, yet similar, languages came into existence: the Miyo and Yadaku languages: with the Miyo language predominantly located in the northern regions, while the Yadaku language was largely spoken in the southern regions. These Yadaku speaking regions soon experienced massive population growth, and as they did the Deyūku began to wage wars for expansion of their territories.

This led to numerous wars between 1900 BCE - 100 CE, as the smallest Deyūku were absorbed into larger clans and territories were established. By and large, these were called the Miyadakan Rice Wars, as often the Deyūku would fight over plots of land for agricultural and taxation purposes. These wars would come to an end as one clan - in particular the Aso clan - managed to unite the other southern Deyūku under their leadership in 511 CE.

The Aso Period
The Aso Period began with the ascension of Aso Ujinao to the throne in 514 CE in the city of Kumarori, and as such sometimes this is called the Kumarori Era. During this period, the culture surrounding imperial tradition and court came into being - such as the divine blessing of the emperor from the heavens, as well as the Emperor's position as the final authority in law. The nation was largely isolated from the rest of Asania, though beginning in the 800s CE, Haoist missionaries from the continent, mainly coming from Xinhao, preaching the Haoist tradition. Hirotane III, who took the imperial throne in 919 CE, fully embraced the teachings of the Haoist faith, and implemented its religious code on the country known as the Hirotane Code. These rules implemented strict punishments for greed, theft, and other heinous crimes, a criminal code which would drastically cut down on crime in the country, but would install fear of the authorities in many places.

These laws brought more and more of the Miyadakan population towards the Haoist faith, meanwhile the Aso Emperors began expanding southwards in a series of protracted conflicts between 1065-1086. Despite the strict laws implemented at the time, the southern realms remained stable, allowing for a golden age of sorts to begin in the 1100s. New art styles such as the Yakasuki Style were developed, and new methods of weaving silk made the island chain's silk trade boom like it never had before.

Despite this Golden Age, the islands did face an invasion by the newly crowned Blue Emperors in 1181, as the two empires fought at the Battle of Yakasuki, where the Xin were driven back to the sea three times, with Miyadaka remaining unconquered. However, with the increased trade in this period, a new disease called the Scarlet Plague broke out across the southern islands beginning in 1201 - killing thousands and going into remission. The plague would go on to ravage Miyadaka four more times: with an outbreak between 1223-1225; another outbreak between 1231-1232; a smaller outbreak in 1257; and another outbreak between 1287-1290. This plague killed millions over the course of the century, and caused mass instability for the Aso Dynasty, who also struggled with a drought between 1291-1296, which culminated in a succession crisis when Narikazu II died with only his infant son, Yoriyuki III, as his heir in 1316.

Warlord Period
As Narikazu II's privy council met on the night of his death to discuss his succession. The lead councilor was Arikore Fuji, who, with the support of the rest of the Councilors, who were from his clan, locked the Emperor away in the imperial palace in Kumarori. He declared himself to be acting in the name of the emperor, and throughout 1316-1321 he instituted what were known as the Fuji Regime, where he implemented many laws designed to benefit his clan over other families in the country. This led to mass unrest, and eventually revolt, as families from across the country attempted to retake the capital from the Arikore Clan, who maintained control of the emperor - marrying him to Arikore's daughter to ensure the imperial line merged with their family.

Despite the Emperor claiming to be the true authority of the kingdom in this time, he was only a figurehead, as the Arikore ability to enforce the laws they made from their series of puppet emperors was limited - having little to no control outside of the imperial capital by the mid 1300s.

Itsu Period

 * Imposed strict social walls.

Civil War
Century long civil war between the Itsu and Gou houses who attempted to assert control over the throne.

Government, Law, & Politics
Miyadaka is a constitutional monarchy located in eastern Asania, governed under the provisions found within the Constitution of Miyadaka, which organizes the federal government into three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial; while also laying out clear checks and balances between the three to prevent corruption.