Ashina

Ashina as of the completion of Ashina Castle, May 2021

Ashina is commune on the eastern side of the explored world. Ashina is a replica of the Ashina Castle area of the video game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and as such is built in the style of a Sengoku-period Japanese castle town.

Ashina was created by Cthulhu and officially opened on March 17 2021.

## History

Ashina was officially opened on the 17th of March 2021.

Construction on the keep's exterior construction finished on the 17th of May 2021, 2 months after the opened to the public.

On the 20th of May, following a Decree from Daimyo Cthulhu, the appropriation of unused land, buildings or otherwise free spaces has been permitted for members of the commune. This means that members may, after asking if it is acceptable, move into any unused buildings and rooms in Ashina.

The commune's lore and ideological development began on the 21st of May 2021 and consisted of a complete rework of the Marxist-Daimyoist ideology and a reevaluation of the role of the Daimyo and Communist Party in the commune.

In early 2023 Emily and Cthulhu began work on a project to renovate Ashina, adding better detail and decoration to the commune.

## Marxism-Daimyoism

**Marxism-Daimyoism** (also known as **Cthulhu Thought**) is a communist ideology and the official name of the ideology of Ashina. The only Marxist-Daimyoist party currently in the Gay Motherland is the Communist Party of Ashina (M-D).

   Marxism-Daimyoism is unique in that it claims itself only to be applicable to countries that have not yet achieved a capitalist model of production and are still in a feudalist system. Marxism-Daimyoism favours an opportunistic approach to foreign relations, even with other Marxist states, consisting of intricate alliances and frequent betrayals which Marxist-Daimyoist intellectuals claim leads to the emergence of the strongest possible leftist group as the leader of the broader movement.

Marxism-Daimyoism relies on the existing framework of a feudalist society in order to propagate leftist views, organise the nation, and eventually achieve communism. The implementation of Marxist-Daimyoist socialism is usually characterised by the establishment of a Lordship of the Proletariat with the respective Marxist-Daimyoist party and its Daimyo at the head of all state functions. The Daimyo (sometimes referred to as “People’s Daimyo”) acts as the head of state and head of government and sets out the agenda for the development of the country. The role of Daimyo is hereditary and thus unelected.

Another key element of the Marxist-Daimyoist state apparatus is the communist party. The local communist party acts as the middle stratum between the Daimyo and the larger population of the country. In a Marxist-Daimyoist Lordship of the Proletariat, only members of the Marxist-Daimyoist party may serve in government roles however membership is not very exclusive. The party is also usually responsible for educating the public in a socialist manner and the distribution of resources to where they are needed. Marxism-Daimyoism approves of the practice of elections within the party. Individual party and government positions, including the position of Chairman, are appointed via vote.

    Marxism-Daimyoism typically operates with a “State Feudalist'' economy. Work is assigned on a person-to-person basis and the means of production are in the hands of the government and by extension the Daimyo. All production is to be given to the state for use and assigned to the population based on need.

As an ideology and practice, Marxism-Daimyoism was developed by Cthulhu in May 2021 based on his understanding and synthesis of orthodox Marxism and the realities of Sengoku-era feudal society. It is an ever-evolving school of thought whose complexity has been known to drive people to madness.