Wa Wa is an island nation made up of several islands . Geography . The largest island and most populated island of Wa is known as Tsukishima composed of towering but extinct volcanoes and fertile lowlands . Uwaji the capital , is located on the east coast . The second largest island is knows as Shidekima . Shidekima is dominated by vast dry plains , making it mostly unsuitable for farming . To the north of Tsukishima lie the islands of Paikai and Machukara , and like Shidekima are sparsely populated . Paikai comprises of a cluster of islands covered with rugged mountains and stretches of volcanic ash . Machukara is a land of dense unchartered forests and is the northern most region of Wa . The rest of Wa is known as the Outer Isles comprising dozens of charted and hundreds of uncharted islands . Charted islands include The Isle of Devils , The Isle of One Thousand Pines , The Isle of the Gloomy Temple , The Isle of the Black Tree , The Isle of No Mosquitoes , The Isle of Immortality , The Isle of the Long Legged and Long Armed , The Isle of Gargantuas , The Isle of Poison and the Isle of Pearls . Society . After centuries of war , Wa has settled into an era of peace that has lasted longer than in any other nation of Kara - Tur . Peace brought a renewed interest in education and the arts , producing a flourishing culture and the promise of a secure future . But change has not come without a price . The same rigid social system which ensures domestic tranquility borders on tyranny and oppression for most . Distinct social classes are inflexibly enforced , travel is closely monitored , even religion is regulated by the state . Prosperity is concentrated among the ruling military , condemning a staggering number of commoners to lives of hardship and poverty . Regardless of their social status , the citizens of Wa are united by their fierce national pride and deep distrust of foreigners . Contact with the rest of the world is limited , and few details of Wa are known outside its borders . Bushi . Bushi are warriors who fought proudly and bravely during Wa ' s bloody centuries of war , but in the current era of peace , they are more likely to be found working the rice fields or serving on the administrative boards of city government . Bushi have had difficulty adjusting to modern Wa . Men of action are often disoriented in times of peace , but where the samurai have adapted by becoming governors and scholars , many bushi are adrift and useless . A sharp rift divides the ranks of the bushi , pitting the young against the old . Young bushi , strangers to times of war , have contented themselves with administrative positions in castle towns . Preferring academics to military discipline , they are considered cowards by the old bushi . With only military skills to offer , many of the old ranks have nothing to do but reminisce about past glories . While some have found work as laborers and guards , others have become mercenaries , vagabonds , and bandits , some even taking up with the ruthless yakuza gangs in the north . The assimilation of the old guard bushi into mainstream society is a problem that has yet to be adequately addressed by the nation ' s rulers . The possibility of a violent revolt by these sad , frustrated old soldiers should not be taken lightly . Kabukimono . Kabukimono are loosely organized fraternal groups of soldiers . Their colorful costumes and proud songs highlight the parades of many holidays . The kabukimono groups typify the problems of having too many military men with too much time on their hands . At best , their juvenile needs for excitement are merely annoying ; drunken kabukimono may throw stones through shop windows , but they usually pass out in the street before they can do any real damage . But at their worst , kabukimono can be dangerous . They have been known to assault women , set fire to eta residences , and engage in violent street fights which result in death for participants and bystanders alike . Kabukimono are easily recognized by their gaudy costumes and long hair ; bushy sidewhiskers are considered a symbol of masculinity . They carry absurdly long swords and prefer pretentious names such as Band of the Cods and Soldiers of Iron . Machi - Yakko . The machi - yakko are youth gangs whose members are the sons of shopkeepers and merchants . Originally organized for social functions , they are becoming increasingly involved in political activities . The machi - yakko were organized in response to the increasing reports of violence and terrorism from the kabukimono , but no major clashes have occurred . To complicate matters , the kabukimono are officially recognized and sanctioned by the government , but the machi - yakko are not . The machi - yakko are convinced the government has no interest in protecting commoners from the kubukimono , and they have vowed to stand up to them . A serious altercation seems inevitable . Ronin . Ronin are displaced samurai who have no masters . Many have abandoned the military to become farmers and craftsmen . The large number of ronin in Wa is due to the shogunate ' s decision to reduce the number of fiefs and reorganize the administration ; too many strong rulers was thought to be a threat to the nation ' s stability . With no master to serve , these former samurai warriors were faced with finding a place in a society that no longer had a use for them . Many drifted to the countryside where they quietly became farmers . The more ambitious became traders and merchants . Others , ashamed of their status , relocated to a different part of the country and became anonymous laborers . Many ronin feel betrayed and forgotten . The shogunate is well aware of their discontent and is mindful of an uprising . In fact , there have been two organized ronin rebellions within the last century . The first occurred in 1755 when a group of militant ronin sided with a radical Chantea cult in their siege of Juzimura Castle . The siege was short - lived , and all of the rebels were executed . The second occurred in 1760 when a ronin plot to assassinate the shogun was uncovered in Iiso . The assassins were intercepted and executed , but the proximity of the attack prompted the shogunate to monitor the activities of the ronin more closely . Still , ronin are generally respected by the common people of Wa for their integrity and sense of duty . The ronin character is illustrated by an incident which occurred in Uwaji about a century ago . A minor lord named Hayo Nuraiyi was visiting a superior officer on the grounds of Uwaji Castle . The officer insulted Hayo ' s parents and Hayo , rightfully offended , drew his sword and wounded him . Although the officer was clearly in the wrong , drawing a sword within the castle grounds is an offense punishable by death . The authorities seized Hayo ' s fief and ordered him to commit seppuku ( suicide ) . Hayo ' s 33 retainers lost their status and became ronin . The ronin waited patiently for four years , then broke into the home of the officer and killed him and all his samurai , thus avenging the honor of their former master , even though the action ensured their own deaths . The ronin gave themselves up to the officials and were sentenced to seppuku . Their selfless loyalty made them national heroes , and today , a small temple in their honor is one of the most revered memorials in Uwaji . As explained in Oriental Adventures , ronin are treated as samurai in all respects except those relating to property and attracting fighting men . Many of the ronin of Wa , however , have suffered their loss in status through no fault of their own . Rather than a result of dishonorable acts , these ronin are merely victims of administrative reorganization . All ronin , regardless of how their status was achieved , may regain full samurai status by the decree of a daimyo . Samurai . These noble warriors comprise the ruling class of Wa . In this new era of peace , the samurai have put the ways of war behind them to concentrate on learning and lawmaking . The samurai of Wa have undergone a profound change in the last few centuries . Once fierce , uncultured men of action , they have become polished , educated administrators . Samurai formerly concentrated on military training to the exclusion of everything else . They now divide their training between military studies and academic subjects . One aspect of the samurai personality that has not changed is their devotion to honor . Samurai cherish honor above all else , including their own lives . Disgraced samurai will voluntarily forfeit their status to become ronin . Especially dedicated samurai may respond to extreme disgrace with seppuku . Social Customs . From the most powerful samurai to the lowliest laborer , the people of Wa are convinced that they are the favorites of the gods and are hence superior to the people of all other nations . To a large extent , this attitude is justified . No other country can boast Wa ' s long record of peace . Nowhere do citizens hold education and culture in higher regard . And nowhere , of course , are the citizens more arrogant . . . The people of Wa are unerringly polite , but they have a deep mistrust of strangers . As it has been ingrained from an early age that outsiders were responsible for the black eras of Wa history , they are especially suspicious of foreigners , sometimes outright hostile . Strangers in Wa , particularly those who obviously look it , would do well to keep to themselves . If an outsider happens to make friends with a Wa citizen , he will likely find the friendship to be a frustrating one . The people of Wa are notoriously reluctant to express their feelings ; a soldier impaled on a spear will resist displaying his agony to his dying breath . They reserve their deepest feelings for their families , and their love of children is especially profound . A father may allow a smile to crease his face and even laugh out loud when playing with his baby . They are meticulous about their hygiene , sometimes obsessively so . Visitors to Wa have joked that the residents wash themselves before entering a stream to bathe . Families of all classes take great pride in their possessions and homes ; it is rare to find so much as a horse stable that isn ' t spotless . Social Order . The class system of Wa is rigid and strictly observed . Although the system is not specifically enforced by law , each group enjoys privileges and greater status than those below it . Since successive generations of the same family are generally locked into the same class , a child ' s status is determined at birth . A village may have as many as 100 . It is rare for a citizen to achieve a status higher than the one he had at birth , but it is not unheard of , especially for those who find favor with the ruling class . Lords . These are the members of the ruling class who exert total control over the rest of the populace . The absolute monarch is theoretically the emperor , but in practice is the shogun , with the emperor relegated to ceremonial duties and having no real power . The daimyo are samurai with authority over specific regions or provinces . Other members of this class include the counselors and administrators of the shogunate along with other principal officers of the realm . Shi . These are the soldiers and warriors who answer directly to members of the ruling class . In the military state of Wa , shi is the highest rank a citizen of the lower classes can ever reasonably hope to attain . No . Since agriculture is the backbone of the Wa economy , farmers are the highest class of workers and business - people . Fishermen are also included in this class . Interestingly , farmers are often less affluent than the merchant and artisan classes below them . However , their higher status assures them of access to military protection and preferential treatment in certain legal matters . Wealthy farmers have the highest status within this class , and day laborers have the lowest . Ko . These are the artisans and craftsmen , including painters , woodworkers , weavers , authors , performers , shipbuilders , and carpenters . Preferential treatment is given to artisans who demonstrate exceptional talent in their area , but the highest status is reserved for those whose skills are military - related . Sho . These are the merchants and shopkeepers . Their relatively low status reflects society ' s modest opinion of citizens who neither risk their lives for the protection of others , farm the land , nor create useful items . The most successful merchants have accumulated wealth exceeding the classes above them , sometimes including the ruling class . This inequity fuels resentment and unease , particularly with the samurai who often grudgingly turn to the merchant moneylenders when in need of a loan . Wealth determines status within this class , with the rich businessmen at the top and the poor street peddlers at the bottom . Eta . These are Wa ' s outcasts , the poorest and least connected members of society . Hated and scorned by all higher classes , theirs is an existence of misery and destitution . The eta are gravediggers , fish cleaners , and animal renderers , responsible for the work no one else wants to do . Many become criminals . If an eta demonstrates exceptional skill or courage , it is possible he may rise to higher status . Village Order . Since the principal industry of Wa is farming , most of the populace is organized into farming towns and villages . A province may have hundreds of these villages , all directly answering to a daimyo who is usually headquartered in the province ' s largest city . A village is comprised of a number of holdings of varying size . A village may have as many as 100 holdings or as few as 10 , but a typical range is 20 - 50 . Here ' s how the holdings break down in Ishakura , an average farming village of the Juzimura province : Holdings under 5 koku : 12 Holdings of 5 - 10 koku : 5 Holdings of 10 - 20 koku : 2 Holdings of 20 or more koku : 1 Total holdings of Ishakura : 20 Note that Ishakura has many more small holdings than large ones . This is typical of most farming villages in Wa . The holdings under 5 koku were actually quite small , seldom more than 1 or 2 tan . After taxes , there were not enough crops to live on , forcing these farmers and their families to work for larger landholders . The ruling class has an intentional policy of tying the majority of farmers to small farms to lock them into their status . Rice , the primary crop of Wa , requires a lot of effort to grow . New plants must first be raised in special seedling beds , then planted one by one in long rows . Weeding and hoeing must be done every day until harvest time . A holding of 10 koku takes the full - time labor of four or five men , a 20 koku holding takes the labor of 10 men . Since this is more labor than a family can furnish , communities count heavily on the cooperation of neighbors to get the work done . Family members from other villages are often brought into help . Many farms employ indentured servants called genin who live in crude shacks next to the family house . In hard times , as many as 10 percent of the village population are genin . The administrators of a village are the shoya ( headmen ) and the kimori ( agents of the daimyo ) . The shoya may also have several kumigashira ( headmen assistants ) if appropriate to the size of the territory . Five Man Groups ( also called gonin - gumi supervise the activities of five households . Only landholders can become members of five - man groups or participate in village meetings , Large landholders are referred to as hon - byakusho while smaller ones are called kosakunin . Here ' s how the population of Ishakura breaks down : Shoya : 2 Kimori : 1 Farmers ( also called hayakusho : 20 Parents and grandparents : 18 Boys under 15 years old : 24 Boys over 15 years old : 13 Farm workers ( also called nago ) : 28 Genin : 11 Servants : 3 Total males : 120 Additionally , there are 108 females , including daughters , wives , and grandparents . Ishakura also has 44 horses , 21 oxen , and 178 buildings , including storehouses and stables . Goning - Gumi Also known as the five - man group , these are representatives of five households in a village with jurisdiction over the actions of their five families . Approving marriages , seeing that taxes are collected , and preserving order are among their responsibilities . In spite of its pretenses , the five - man group has little real power . Their elaborate plans and frequent meetings result in nothing more substantial than rules for tying up dogs and keeping the ditches clean . In reality , the five - man group is a surveillance organization in service of the government . Since this is common knowledge , the five - man group seldom learns anything of consequence from the families it presumes to represent . Family Order . The family is the basic social unit in the villages of Wa . In addition to the nuclear members ( husband , wife , and children ) , a village family includes relatives , workers , and servants among its members . Here are the members of the Kamano Muiji family . Muiji is one of the headmen in the village of Utumoi in the province of Fochu . 1 headman 1 wife of headman 2 sons 2 daughters 1 wife of son 1 female servant 1 male servant 2 workers 2 wives of workers 2 daughters of workers 1 father of wife 1 mother of wife The family also has two oxen and three horses . Their farm is valued at 50 koku . Like the other social orders of Wa , family status is explicit and inflexible . The man of the house ( the headman in the example above ) is the absolute authority and requires complete submission from the rest of the household . Just below him is the oldest son . After him , status falls off rapidly , with all other males clustered near the bottom , barely above the female family members . The sole exception is the head of the family ' s father - in - law , who may occasionally be consulted in matters specifically pertaining to him . Younger siblings of the oldest son can find life to be harsh . In difficult times , these children may be forced to accept substandard food and clothing rather than deny the eldest son . Because of their extravagant lifestyles , samurai have an especially difficult time providing for extra children . Many samurai children suffer poverty within the walls of a lavish home . Some are adopted out . Others are turned into the streets to make their own way . Women are expected to submit to their husbands and to males in general . A wife ' s primary function is to bear children , her secondary functions are to attend to her husband , children , and home . Wives are rarely able to initiate divorce , but husbands have no difficulty . Barrenness , disease , and laziness are sufficient grounds for divorce . If his status is sufficiently high , a husband can announce mikudari - han , a public declaration that he no longer wishes to be married . In this case , his divorce is effective immediately . In spite of their second class status , a woman ' s life is not necessarily one of misery . Males are taught from childhood the necessity of respecting women , and allowing harm to befall one ' s wife or daughter is a grave assault to the family honor . A husband who mistreats his wife may find himself the victim of her vengeful brothers . Behind the scenes . Like Kozakura , Wa is modeled after .