Himikoku: A Magical Girl History of Japan

[ArlequineLunaire]

Himikoku is an alternate Japan that has had Magical Girls since early in its timeline. It was the setting of an old Quest of mine, Mahou Ronin Sachiko, and may likely be the setting of another in the future, though there's been some changes made since. I'd personally describe this setting as like 'Touhou with swords' (well, more swords), Okami with later eras of Japanese history, or 'Magical Girl Samurai Warriors/Sengoku Basara'.

Himikoku was made as a 'counter-timeline/control group' by the Shinto pantheon, where magic still reigned and monsters still roamed. It split from our timeline when its first and eponymous Empress, Himiko, started teaching shinto-style sun magic to her fellow maidens, Himiko being the human incarnation of sun goddess Amaterasu like all Empresses (and some Emperors) since. Yet magic in Himikoku would be expanded upon by the arrival of the Moon Princess Kaguya Naotake and more Buddhist lunar esoterism, the divinatory teachings of Kitsune onmyoudo, the smoke-and-mirrors ninjutsu and natural shugendo of the Tengu, and finally Occidental teachings such as Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and western Witchcraft (the rest of the world having its own equivalents to MGs, be they fae-touched Princesses, angel-anointed Maiden-Saints, or pagan Witches).
While the more notable figures are female, magic is by no means exclusive to women, though expect male wizards to lean femboy.

Samurai Eras

The Dawn of the Samurai: The era in which the mahobushi (magic warriors) came into being, first making their presence known which the revolt of the first Dark Queen, the Skull Witch (Taira no Takiyashi), and then the fate of the country being placed in their hands with the Taimin War of Succession. This saw the introduction of many samurai practices, such as carrying a second short-sword to slay oneself before turning into a Hannya. Analogous to the late Heian, particularly Masakado's revolt and the Genpei War.

The Rising of the Samurai: The era in-between the establishment of the Sword Queen and the all-encompassing Civil War of the Noon. not that this era didn't have Civil Wars of its own, such as the War of the Sun Courts Amaterasu through the Empress and the goddess Marishi-ten through the Queen of Swords fought each other, splitting all samurai between them. Analogous to the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, especially the Genko and Nanbokucho wars.

The Noon of the Samurai: An all-out Civil War pitting clan against clan, before its winner could be appointed the new Queen of Swords. It was also a time when the increasing availability of grimoires and scrolls made magic accessible to more people, resulting in minor nobles or even peasants suddenly becoming major players, Daimajo. This era also saw contact with lands overseas, particularly Tanalusia and then Aardezee, and the mass introduction of Western magic such as Witchcraft, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and anything to do with guns. Analogous to the Sengoku period.

The Setting of the Samurai: A long time of peace after the finalisation of a new Queen lineage, mainly known for one-on-one sword duels mostly replacing large-scale warfare, and the rise of the masterless, drifting ronin, the latter not being helped by this era being far stricter about what species could be Daimajo. The empire at peace led to the repurposing of magic as an artform, the first time since before the Samurai where its primary purpose wasn't war. Himikoku spent most of this era floating in the sky, hidden from the rest of the era, before years later being threatened by the airships of Vespucia. Analogous to the Edo period.

The Twilight of the Samurai: After the Vanishing from the World ended, Himikoku once again had to quickly catch up to Western magics, with overseas empires having touched the Moon, the Earth's core, and begun to time travel. Tensions led to one last Civil War erupting again between Empress and Queen, the Nightfall War, but this time with the Empress victorious and the Queen of Swords fleeing to her newfound Hokusei (North Star) Republic. Analogous to the Bakamatsu period.
(I'll eventually cover more of the timeline beyond the samurai years, but I'm starting by focusing on them since they already give me a lot to work with.)

Species of Himikoku

Humans: The most populous species in Himikoku and the wider world, given no special powers by birth unlike the unqiue biologies of other species, but able to learn almost any magic through study and education, be it in academies like Wizards/Onmyouji or through fieldwork like pagan Witches, Druidesses, or Yamabushi. Their progenitor goddess is Amaterasu, the first Empress and who every Empress or sometimes Emperor since has been the human reincarnation of, with Himiko-jin traditionally believing the further you go from their isles, the more humanity becomes diluted from Amaterasu.

Ryu: The only species that can rival humanity in authority, being the only other species allowed to become Daimaho after the end of the Samurai Noon. Evolved from serpents, they resemble humans with webbed ears, scales, claws, and tails, able to breathe underwater and master the sea. Ryu are found all over the world, but tend to have a more fearsome reputation further overseas. Their progenitor god is Watatsumi.

Kitsune: Fox-people who grow an extra tail with each century, skilled in pyromancy, illusions, and driving other to madness. As they grow more tails with each century, their powers expand to lightning control, posession, proper shapeshifting and even time warping, before ascending to godhood with their ninth tail (if they aren't killed before then). Kitsune can be found in other lands, such as in Xiaguo and Deokhan, and even in Aardezee under the name 'Vossen'. Their progenitor god/dess is Inari.

Oni: Physically the strongest race in Himikoku, they resemble towering, muscular humans with bull horns and tiger claws, as well as a variety of skin colours, red and blue being the most common. Living in craggy mountains or rocky islands, they have a brutish reputation and a (distant) past history of cannibalism, they do often find employment as bodyguards or ghost/demon hunters, being forced to make contact with the undead in humans' place. Said to have descended from ancient Hannya, superstition therefore states they are most susceptible to turning into Hannya, when if anything it means they've built up an immunity. Their progenitor is Enma.

Tengu: Mischievous corvid-people who fly with black wings, they live mostly up high in the mountains, if not floating in the sky, and are masters of wind and lightning magic. Said to be the reincarnations of unfaithful priests due to their close link with the yamabushi, they were the inventors of the more unorthodox ninpo magics used by shinobi. Their progenitor god is Susano'o.

Usagi: A rabbit-eared race who came from the moon but fled to Earth after a series of wars. Known for their burrowing and impressive jump height, they were known for introducing lunar magic to Earth, e.g. elixirs allowing them to greatly extend their usually short lives. Lunar rabbits have also been sighted over in Vespucia. Their progenitor god is Tsukiyomi.

Jorogumo: Spider-people, mostly women, that tend to live behind waterfalls. While they have found more respectable employment as weavers and architects, they are more infamous as socialites, courtesans, and spies. Their progenitor goddess is Ame-no-Uzume.

Nekomata: Catfolk who could be nicknamed the 'death and taxes people', as they tend to occupy the lowest ranks of society as merchants or worse, burakumin, with much of their magic being essentially necromancy. Non-human species tend to be worse treated in Himikoku the more associated with death they are, such as the Oni and Tengu, with Nekomata possibly being treated the worst. Their progenitor goddess is Izanami.

Karakuri: The newest of Himikoku's peoples, a race of robots originally made for amusement and performance but increasingly put to war, having come around in the Noon of the Samurai. Their 'progenitor god' is Kagutsuchi.

Yurei and Akuma: Catch-all terms referring to ghosts and demons, who aren't a species in themselves but rather members of any species after succumbing to their darkest emotions, whether upon death (yurei), or during life (akuma). Most notorious are the Hannya, the demonic forms of fallen Magical Girls, leading to the invention seppuku as a way of intercepting and preventing their emergence. However, the further along you go in the timeline, the more turning into a Hannya becomes understood as a condition that can be overcome, rather than a death sentence as was believed.

Regions of Himikoku

• The Gateway (Kadoguchi): The southernmost main isle of Himikoku, a sub-tropical dotted by rainforests, waterfalls, and volcanoes that has been many peoples' first entrance into Himikoku, such as from Xiaguo, Tanalusia, and Aardezee. Warm-water Ryu make their homes around here, as do Jorogumo when not at court, and Oni seeking volcanoes and hot springs. Kyushu analogue.
• The Blessed Isle (Seinarushima): A traditional, rural island that tends to keep to itself, it is a religious place famed for its 108 temples. Not that it's all tranquility, as it became infamous as a pirate haven. The temples and thievery often have Tengu flying over. Shikoku analogue.
• The Foundation (Zaidan): At one end of the Himikoku main island, a sacred land said to be where the gods first walked on the Earth and ruled, including the oldest of shrines. Much of this land is covered in a great desert called the Rose Dunes, from where entire castles have been built from sand, all of it covering up one of the Death's Doors to the underworld. Mirages in the area are often blamed on Kitsune, and that death's Door means Nekomata. Chugoku analogue.
• The Imperial Heartland (Teikokoro): Long the traditional residence of the Queen of Swords after and before the Gardens, and even longer the traditional residence of the Empress. One of Himoku's two major human hubs, the political activity attracts Jorogumo, trade deals Nekomata, and bodyguard jobs Oni, with shinobi villages dotted around established by Tengu. Kansai analogue.
• The Roof of the World (Sekaiyane): Home to Himikoku's highest mountains and deepest valleys, touching the heavens above and hells below. Tengu appreciate the mountains, as do the Usagi with this being the closest place in Himikoku to their home. Chubu analogue.
• The Queen's Gardens (Jo'ouniwa): Early and later capital of the Queen of Swords, thus the other of the two great human hubs, and one the biggest expanses of flatland in Himikoku. Kanto analogue.
• The Dragons' Den (Ryuusou): Being home to the great cities of underwater Azuryu-kyo and icy Nishiryu-kyo, both founded by Ryu lords, this icy northern land has become the stronghold of the cold-water Ryu. Being the northeast means this was the Oni's traditional land before humans and Ryu. Tohoku (and also Niigata) analogue.
• The North Star Republic (Hokusei Kyowakoku, usually just Hokusei): Formerly the Frontier, A distant and isolated land to the north, having a bad reputation in the past for it being a land of runaways and exiles, and being past one of the Death's Doors to the underworld, yet said to be rich in treasure for any adventurer brave enough. After the Nightfall War, the exiled Queen of Swords set up her own, Empress-less domain there. Hokkaido analogue.
• The String of Pearls (Itonoshinju): Islands to the south that fully came under Himikoku rule after the exile of the Queen of Swords, home to the ancient palaces of warm-water dragons, with many of the most impressive structures being underwater, and Usagi making their home on the islands closer to Kadoguchi. Okinawa and everywhere else south of Kyushu analogue.

Other Nations (may expand on later)

• Xiaguo: China analogue. The earliest records of Magic Warriors (outside goddesses, demigods, and the risen Immortals) there come from a troupe of female warriors founded by an Artist of War, who are still active today and considered the most elite mortal fighting force in the country. Martial magic there is largely based on the application of yin and yang energies, which is also true to an extent in Himikoku, and magical girls are typically educated in monasteries. Unlike the more organised Himikoku with its discomfort over ronin, the most famous Magic Warriors in Xiaguo legend tend to be lone drifters (Youxia).
• Deokhan (Seondeok/Deokman+Han): Korea analogue. More known for its Magic Scholars than Magic Warriors, although it certainly has warriors of its own with, among others, its 'Flower Knights' (Hwanang/Hwarang).
• Tanalusia (from Lusitania, plus neighboring Andalusia): Portugal analogue. Home of the Mouro people, a species of gemstone-people living underground. Unable to reproduce, they ensure their survival by transforming others into Mouro, usually by agreement but on some occasions by force.
• Aardezee ('Earth sea'): Netherlands analogue. Country where magic was used to raise sunken land up from the seafloor, with a spell cast on people to grow extra tall to keep them from drowning. Has a fair Kitsune population under the local name of 'Vossen', as well as an elite team of female demon hunters (a la Mad Meg).
• Vespucia Star Union (after Amerigo Vespucci): US analogue.
• Matrodina: Russia analogue.

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

I wonder how this affects gender views since the majority of magic is given to females.

Click to shrink...

More 'taught' than given, but this timeline would be on the whole more gender-equal than actual history, although like Touhou more focus is given to the girls of the setting even if it's assumed men are still there in the background.

Religions of Himikoku

There are around four main religions in Himikoku, one native and the rest of foreign origin. Depending on the era, they can either blur together or be firmly separated, usually depending on tensions with overseas nations.

The homegrown religion is called 'The Solar Road' or 'The Purifying', which teaches that there is a spiritual essence or Kami within every person and object, an essence that can grow greater with age even as the physical form withers, and that the greatest and most revered of mortal heroes can ascend to be kunitsukami, earthly spirits who serve the world, or amatsukami, heavenly sprits who watch over from above, upon death. Almost all gods in the Sunlit Realm pantheon are ascended heroes, save the primordial kami from the other timeline, the foremost ascended spirit being Empress Himiko/Amaterasu, who first taught the religion.

An example of everything possessing a spirit are the Tsukumogami, objects which have gained sentience after remaining intact a certain number of years, usually at least a hundred. Probably the most significant of the Tsukumogami are the Togami, the spirits that reside in samurai swords (whether tachi, katana, or otherwise)

Next in prominence, and blurring with the Solar Road depending on era, is 'The Lunar Road' or 'The Awakening'. Though it had spread to other countries on Earth before, it was brought to Himikoku by the Moon Princess Kaguya, and became established in the country by a love-smitten Empress of Light.
Whereas the Solar Road concerns itself with life as the people of Himikoku are concerned, the Lunar Road concerns itself with death and especially reincarnation, thus is the common religion of funerals. Here the moon is viewed not just as an alien homeland, but as a metaphor for enlightenment, rising above the various mortal realms.

The Lunar Road sees gods as merely another stage of existence rather than the be-all end-all, and that it doesn't place full faith in the gods has brought it into conflict with the Solar Road. Nevertheless, the worship of many ascended kami and bodhisattvas (enlightened humans who have chosen to remain in the world till all have found peace) has overlapped through history.

The Road of Light and Darkness came over with the Lunar, although between religion and philosophy verges more to the second than the Lunar does. Its main concern is harmony with nature and acknowledging and accepting the light within the dark, and the dark in the light. While not officially recognised the way the other three religions are in Himikoku, it is a special favourite among pure mages, namely the urban Onmyouji and rural Yamabushi.

Then there is 'The Stellar Road' or 'The Reckoning', the newest of the religions, being introduced to Himikoku by Tanalusia in the Noon of the Samurai. Its teachings heavily concern itself with the nature of virtue and sin, the latter not a topic addressed by the Solar and Lunar Roads (though they have comparable concepts, like tsumi and kleshas), but also the forgiving of sin through divine sacrfifice. The Stellar Road talks about an Infinity who, unable to be perceived by mortal humans, incarnates in two Aeons at once throughout history, the two most famous being the physical Sophia Salomonis and the immaterial Holy Wisdom. Other than recurring Aeons, the Stellar Road also has Angels, who deliver the Divine Word to human Prophets, and Saints, who the angels grant Divine Power for their faith. Rulers in the West have often sought divine approval to justify their reigns, though have rarely gotten it, resorting to the blessings of the Fae to be cast upon their princesses.

The Stellar Road is also unlike the Solar and Lunar in that it does not teach ascendance, only forgiveness, and that a human gone to Heaven is still a human. The main schism within the religion as of the Noon, though Himikoku was quite isolated from this, was the acceptance of Witches as Magic-Users as per the legacy of Saint Walpurga. Some branches accept Witches provided they place Sophia first and foremost among their objects of worship, while branches that accept only Sophia naturally don't tolerate Witches.

(Edit: Reason why I equated Buddhism with the Moon and Christianity with the Stars is due to Buddhism's use of the Moon as a symbol of ascendance, e.g. in the Bhavacakra, while Christianity has the Star of Bethlehem, the Fixed Stars on the Primum Mobile, and things like the Virgin Mary's 'Crown of Stars'. I didn't go over a Confucianism analogue as, between it and Christianity, Buddhism, Shinto, and Taoism, I felt it was the most difficult to mesh with Magical Girls since its typically the most 'masculine'.)

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

Currently flip-flopping on what to do with the Hannya/Akumajo. My original goal was to portray them like in myth, where they're monsters people turn into when they accumulate too much anger, greed, or other negative emotions, with me putting in a side-note about how the Hannya condition has become more understood and treatable as time's gone on (even though 'hatred turns you into a monster' is not really an allegory for mental illness).

However, I've been thinking instead of reworking the Hannya to be a monster form one becomes after killing too many people, all the kegare (corruption) from the corpse piles infecting your soul. I feel this ties in nicely with Shinto beliefs while still keeping the 'hatred makes you a monster' theme, and gives warriors a reason not to go too kill-crazy which could change how battles are fought, and give an alternate explanation for the ashigaru (that they exist because the upper classes assume the ashigaru will become corrupted instead, not realising that being responsible for killing also plays a part).

Of course there are ways to get around the Hannya corruption or at least put it off, such as purification and cleansing rites, emphasising diplomacy over combat when possible, combat tactics which minimise body count (not killing non-combatants, not charging on a retreat, or having an assassin kill only vital targets), or taking time off for pilgrimages or artistic activities.

For a completely different topic:

Castles in Himikoku

First off, there's the basic types of Japanese castle from real life, the yamajiro (mountain castle), hirajiro (plains castle), hirayamajiro (hill castle), and mizujiro (water castles, known for their expansive moats). Rule of thumb is that yamajiro and mizujiro are more impenetrable but also harder to evacuate and less connected with towns and trade routes, hirajiro are the other way around, and hirayamajiro are ideally a compromise. This is of course assuming you're human, since the existence of the diving Ryu, leaping Usagi, flying Tengu, wall-breaking Oni, and magic in general, now complicates matters.

With the illusions of the kitsune and tengu among others, a common tactic in war is the Illusion/Mirage Castle (sakkaku-jo, shinkiro-jo), the image of a castle conjured by magic to deceive advancing armies as to your location, to make them think your castle is someone else's through overlaying, or to trick them into sieging someone else's castle believing they're you.
Illusory castles were most effective back in the Dawn when large-scale warfare was still new, but as scrying advanced along with people logically deducing the suspicious appearance of a castle knowing of these mirages, tactics using illusion castles became more elaborate (e.g. giving your actual castle telltale signs of an illusion castle). there's also making your castle appear more intimidating than actuality, less well-defended than it is to instill overconfidence in the enemy, or making the moat or castle itself invisible.

Then there are shrinking castles (shushuku-jo), which are able to collapse down to the size of one's pocket and back up to normal again. This can give castles some portability to an extent, but also play into tactics of shrinking a castle down to crush an invading army, or resizing a castle back to normal right on top of an army, though these are best performed with caution lest they damage your own forces.

Then there's the disappearing castles (kieru-jo) which can teleport from one location to the next, they can often become a logistical nightmare for the owner, casters, and surrounding castle town so usually only have so many locations, though in battle have been sometimes used to telefrag the enemy. Flying castles (hiko-jo), though also tricky to pull off due to ritual complexity and weather, were once known as the terror of the skies, though nowadays are an obvious airship target. A compromise are castles which are usually on the ground, but can be made to levitate at crucial moments, like avoiding and crushing an army or natural disaster.

Underwater castles (Suichu-jo) are a trademark of the Ryu, especially magically-intensive ones able to rise up to the surface of the water when needed, and underground castles (chika-jo) in Usagi burrows or Oni caves, some of which can burrow in from the ground and rise back up. Ice castles (kori-jo) are a noted sight up north or on high mountains, but truly powerful mages have constructed them in the tropical south as proof of their power. Melting castles (yoyu-jo) are a strange one, as spells can change them or parts of them from solid to a viscous, quicksand-like liquid, leaving besiegers trapped upon them turning back to solid.

Then there's the walking mountain castles (tohoyamajiro) or just walking castles (toho-jo), which are built on the backs of youkai called Daidarabotchi, giant humanoids who resemble mountains when still, with similar castles at sea being built on the backs of the Umibozu. These are rare though, partly due to the rarity of these two youkai, and partly due to the risks involved given these creatures' size (daidarabotchi for instance can pick up mountains). The latter usually means they have to be subdued via magic, or require a special vow or at least mutual arrangement between the giant youkai and the castle owner.

Often though it's easier to only enchant parts of castles, like restructuring their internal layout on the fly, stretching or shrinking a room or hall, teleport traps sent up that scramble doors and rooms or make certain corridors endlessly loop, and hiding doors to vital rooms, on top of non-magical defences like pouring boiling oil, swinging logs, or trapdoors.

Like real-life Japanese castle towns (jokamachi), Himikoku castle towns are avoided by class, like one for the samurai and another for artisans and merchants, with many placing temples and shrines at the edges of town to deter invaders. But there is now the addition of different districts based on species, usually in places other species cannot access, like underwater for Ryu, in burrows for Usagi, atop trees and cliffs for Tengu, though with the (likely) human lords having spells ready to access and patrol these places themselves.

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

So I just wanted to go over a few story ideas I had for the setting, since I feel the problem with another setting thread I did is that I couldn't really supplement it with any story prompts, which kinda halted how far I could take the setting. Anyway:

Bishoujo Sengoku (working title)

A clan dispute arises due to either external forces, internal schism, or even a combination of both. This leaves one of the heiresses to the clan in mortal peril, which she's protected from by the clan's signature spell: the ability to summon guardians from other worlds.
Completing the ritual, a group of historical female samurai from the Sengoku Era are summoned from the actual Japan into Himikoku, much to their initial confusion. Said figures would include Tachibana Ginchiyo, Ohori Tsuru, Ii Naotora, Gracia Hosokawa, Narita Kai, Izumo no Okuni, and I was thinking either Oda Oichi or Nohime.
But with the clan divided and/or their spellbooks stolen, it's soon learned that our heroine wasn't the only summoner...

I was thinking this would be set during the Noon, the era corresponding to the Sengoku, however I'm also considering having it set during the Morning for a 'chance to change history' plotline, even if Himikoku is technically a separate timeline.
This was initially inspired by the otome game Ikemen Sengoku and me wanting to do a Yuri version of that.

The Hannya Blade (working title)

When a samurai's princess turns into a Hannya, that samurai journeys to find a cure for her. She keeps her Hannya mistress restrained on-hand, likely by having her sealed most of the time within her sword. The samurai then gets thrown into the paradoxical state of not being a ronin, since her princess is still alive and with her, but not a proper samurai either since she serves a Hannya.

Most likely would be set during the Afternoon upon isolation, where fears about a powerful hannya going around risk starting another war, however it could still work in other time periods. This is a concept that just occurred to me, hence why it may seem a little underdeveloped.

Mahou Ronin Sachiko

A Quest I've already run some years before, though my ideas for Himikoku have changed enough since that it could be due a reboot rather than simple continuation. Either way, important enough to the setting that I felt to detail it here.

A kitsune ronin called Sachiko Bashou runs into a foreign reporter Victoria Verne, one of the first foreign reporters to even come to Himikoku upon the Twilight of the Samurai. However, a dark secret later comes out about Sachiko, that she killed her old mistress who turned into a Hannya, enraging her mistress' heir Erika who was supposed to have that responsibility. There'd also be a plot in the background about Himikoku officials trying to raise a Hannya army as part of creating a new military.

I'm also considering a prequel actually, detailing Sachiko and Erika's time together under their Princess (Sachiko's background being an entertainer before a samurai), before everything went to hell.

The Great Mirror of Girls' Love

Dating Quest idea I brought up that I'm unlikely to pursue, due to its admittedly uncomfortable premise. It would basically concern an ashigaru girl winning the favour of her Princess and being made her wakashu, or rather Himikoku's female equivalent thereof. While said wakashu was planned to be 18, the teacher-student power dynamic makes this idea dodgy and difficult to make work nevertheless.
However, I did get some interest in the time period, namely that it was set in the early Afternoon just after the civil wars and before the isolation, due to the relative rarity of post-war settings compared to wartime ones.

Magic Lawyer/Politician (working title)

Another one that may difficult to make work. It was about a girl becoming able to take an aged-up form, a la the Magic Idol subgenre, originally to enter into politics but now I'm thinking to become a lawyer instead. This was originally on the behalf of a disenfranchised species, but eh I was told that part of the premise was a little suspect, since why would they entrust some schoolgirl with their people's fate?
Interestingly, it was gonna be set in Himikoku's equivalent of the Taisho period (1920s-ish), outside the Dawn to Twilight timeline I've detailed above.