Pinoguni

**Pinoguni** is an archipelago located to the east of the continent of Laron.

It is located to the east of the coasts of Daizhou and Ragise; northeast of the equatorial islands of Maraming's republic and its provinces at Tariduti; northeast of the islands of Muruzima, Changtai, and Kanduka; southeast of Tamatura and Afangurun; south of the boreal archipelago of the Republic of Paramosir; and west of the Sommemmo Federation.

Between Pinoguni and Irajon is a large island divided into three nations: Waiposo in the north, Vipos in the west, and Vippoš in the east. These three Wonao countries were heavily influenced by Pinogunian culture, having won their independence in the previous century.

Its capital is the skyscraper-lined metropolis of Subaremija, where its Emperors dwell and work in.

## Flag and symbols

The National Flag of Pinoguni (Pinogunian: Pinoguni no Kunibata) consists of a yellow banner with a golden outline of a flying crane. Yellow, the colour of the Emperor and his household, represents the nation's honour and heritage; and the crane (tadu) represents freedom and progress.

Pinoguni's emblem is a flying crane that faces the upper right, with the rising sun behind its head.

The national motto of Pinoguni is "Jasina-tada-no Kökörö-wo Pirömu", which means "Spread the heart of cultivating virtue".

## Geography and climate

Pinoguni consists of seven large volcanic islands that run along a southwestwards curve, accompanied by smaller archipelagos around them: Kögöjama, Iwaguni, Jöniwa, Tariduti (the largest, southeast of Motozima), Motozima (the longest, also known as "the mainland"), Pijakita, and Kiwabasi. Iwaguni, Jöniwa, and the southern half of Motozima have a subtropical climate; Kögöjama and most of Tariduti is tropical; and the two northern islands are as boreal as Afangurun to the northwest.

The islands of Kögöjama, Iwaguni, and Jöniwa have more active volcanic activity.

### Motozima

* Subaremija (す晴れ宮) - capital city at a southeastern bay, Jetora Bay.
* Suberuma (皇午) - a large city west of the capital. Paruko and her friends, such as Kojuki, Amaja, Matuka, and Tidöse, moved in from there.
* Sirobyma (白馬) - a large town at northern Motozima. Home to a large temple dedicated to Amaterasu, with stables housing sacred white horses that were ridden by past Emperors and their trusted companions.
* Pynemati (舟町) - a town along the eastern shore of Motozima. To the northeast of the two are two robotic islands inhabited by murderous automatons, where prisoners abducted by Wannaenids were tortured repeatedly and kept alive by a curse.
* Niwabetu - the former hometown of the Mitubari family, a fishing town located along eastern Motozima. It is very cold and windy.
* Idumo - the holiest site in all of Pinoguni, where a great temple was built. On October, the holiest month of the year, this temple was closed to the public as the meetingplace of the Gods.

## History

In their early history, the Pinogunians were renowned warriors and artists: their legacy includes a vast trove of literary works and martial arts, and the blades and armour of the *saburabi* knights that served and fought for their *obonaru* lords. This was after they were influenced by Daizhouvian merchants, statesmen, and intellectuals.

At some point before the Sixteenth Age, Pinogunian merchants and travellers visited the Wonao kingdoms east of their island home, where they established cities and assimilated themselves into their new homes. They introduced metalworking and engineering to the Wonao realms, and many of them continued to serve their new rulers. Notably, in one war waged by the emperor of Pinoguni to conquer the continent, the Pinogunians of these Wonao kingdoms rejected the imperial army's offers and fought against their own people to defend their Wonao homelands.

From their battles against the extraterrestrial monsters of the Eighth Age to a ruinous campaign to conquer all of the continent of Laron during the later Sixteenth Age, the Pinogunians view their traditions of combat with great respect; but they were also well-known for their industry and their innovation, such as when they quickly rebuilt the technology that they kept away from the Kyrvotins' global shutdown in the previous millennium.

After the Green Years, Pinoguni was divided into four regimes of Burrow-cities. The Central Government was the first to allow the resettlement of ruins outside the Burrow-cities, but also hunted down the Ontemazei warbands who continued to attack human survivors. By the time the Exiles waged war on the world, Pinoguni had gathered into two governments, one of which attempted to restore the monarchy. A faction of Exiles seized control of much of Pinoguni and nearby Afangurun to create the Drugoi Kingdom, but lost much of its fleet after a failed conquest of Paramosir, the islands north of Pinoguni. A century after the defeat at Paramosir, the Exile government was overthrown and replaced by another imperial dynasty.

Paramosir's successful defence was largely the result of a local government using a mixture of technology from the Green Years and alien wreckage in the icy wastes. This also inspired other nations to also apply the alien machinery developed by the Paramosirian defenders, as it turned out to be more advanced and efficient than their own. This was when waves of Rukanians were invited to help Paramosir teach its allies to use their technology. Eventually, their scientists taught the other nations of the region to develop their own technological projects, including the Standardisation of Zvesta.

In the modern era, Pinoguni became into two Shogunates: the first in 346 AT and the second in 1638 AT. The Second Shogunate was known for its militarisation, heavy industrialisation, and a fanatical personality cult centred on the Shogun, in response to Wannaenid assaults.

In 1787 AT, the kingdom of Murujima became independent from Pinogunian control after a long revolt.

Encouraged by Murujima's success, various minorities began to revolt against the Shogunate, seeking to revive or preserve their native customs. While this led to clashes between local rebels and the Shogunate's armies, the threat of Wannaenid domination and Tariduti becoming more powerful than Pinoguni forced the Shogunate to concede to the rebels. Another prince overthrew the emperor and took his place, and agreed with the rebels to make Pinoguni a federation.

At the same time as the federalisation of Pinoguni, the locals revived traditional clans, resulting in the establishment of up to 723 obonaru (daimyo) clans throughout the country. Among them included tribal chiefs and ancient kings of the local minorities and Tariduti.

In 1887-1889 AT, Ikokata was the Emperor of Pinoguni. He was the son of the reformist emperor Atumori, and he agreed to allow his people to fight alongside the Bujanski against the Wannaenid rulers as foreign volunteers.

Currently, Pinoguni is preparing for a possible invasion from the Wannaenid Empire and the Sommemmo Federation in the east, or from the Tamatura in the west.

## Government

Pinoguni is a constitutional monarchy: while the Prime Minister manages day-to-day affairs, the Emperor (or Suberagi) is above him or her.

In 1854 AT, various protests led to the country to become a federation. The former colonies of Tariduti became self-governing provinces.

This also led to the revival of the obonaru clans and tribal chiefs. Unlike their historical counterparts, they are not very wealthy, but treated like cultural symbols.

### Emperors of Pinoguni

* 1832-1854 - Kanebura
	+ Overthrown by his younger brother, who denounced his corrupt officials.
* 1854-1882 - Atumori the Blessed
	+ Led a campaign to modernise Pinogunian society. He also made Pinoguni into a federal monarchy.
	+ Abdicated to see if his only child and son, Ikokata, can be as capable as him. He was very happy that his son was a skilled ruler, popular with his own people and the other ethnic groups.
* 1882-1931 - Ikokata the Diplomat
	+ Emperor Ikokata was a diplomat, having a love of exploring the world before he was selected as the next Emperor.
	+ During his reign, some Pinogunians picked up arms and wanted to fight to aid Bujan and their allies. They also produced more armaments to aid their allies.
	+ He attended the coronation of Dostagir, the first king of the independent Bujan.

## Military

The Pinogunian Armed Forces are one of the strongest militaries in the region, equipped with extremely advanced plasma weaponry.

Pinoguni is one of the last nations in the world to still use mechas, although modern mechas from the country tend to be as large as a small house or a tree, usually as walkers and fire support.

The saburabi orders, or "samurai", are revived as knighthoods, popular among young boys and men. But unlike their Sixteenth Age counterparts, they are more akin to gentlemen's clubs and chivalry academies, possibly influenced by Rukanian knighthoods and academies but using traditional Pinogunian culture.

## Economy

Pinoguni's economy is among the strongest and the most developed on all of Jerde, and it is mostly supported by industry, manufacturing, mining and synthetics (especially in Tariduti), and digital machinery. Its technology is among the most advanced in the world, on par with Bujan's and Baesorja's high standards.

## Demographics

Nearly all Pinogunians are derived from the Jamatö ethnicity of humans, which have tan skin, brown eyes, and black hair like most people in eastern Laron. However, some people in the islands to the north and south of Motozima consider themselves to be more distinct from the main Jamatö lineage over their different traditions claiming descent from ancient peoples such as the Pajato-kinawi ("falcon-clans", northern Kögöjama), Adumi and Kumaso ("calm clouds" and "bear-coats", southern Kögöjama and Iwaguni), Kudu ("nestlands", Jöniwa and western Motozima), and Misibase ("solemn halls/gaps", Pijakita and Kiwabasi). These minorities are known as "regionals", known for reviving dormant traditions that were suppressed during the Shogunate.

Native minorities include the bearded Ensiu and the more-affluent Paramosir-utar who live in the frigid north; and the more culturally-distinct Asabala, Jonkowain, and Lutarissi tribes of Tariduti in the humid south. All of them are also humans: while most of these minorities are also tan, the Taridutian aborigines have maroon skin due to more exposure to the tropical sun. They also established communities in major cities in search for better jobs.

In the olden days, Paramosirians were seen as primitive savages, that during the Green Years, the regimes of Pinoguni boasted that they would reconquer Paramosir's islands. The Paramosirians' use of alien technology to defeat the Drugoi royal navy stunned the Pinogunians, causing them to even invite them to aid their revolution against the foreign rulers. Nowadays they are seen as a scientific, technological people.

Since the reforms of 1854, the Ensiu, Paramosir, Taridutians, and the regions enjoy equal rights with the Jamatö majority, and the government tries hard to preserve their (revived) cultures.

### Pinogunic peoples

* Jamatö (Motozima, national majority)
* Pajato-kinawi, Pajato (northern Kögöjama) - they speak both their dialect and a revived ancestral language, Pajetoi, which was related to the languages of northern Maraming.
	+ In honour of their culture, their tribal emblem, the falcon, is the regional emblem of their island of Kögöjama,
* Adumi (southern Kögöjama)
* Kumaso (Iwaguni) - their emblem is a black bear. Some of them venerate Jambavan (Tobaban), leading to them becoming the country's oldest Hindu community.
* Kudu (Jöniwa and western Motozima) - they are good at weaving, and in older times peasants and levied footsoldiers wore rattan armour.
* Misibase (Pijakita and Kiwabasi) - related to the Paramosir in the north.
	+ Paruko and her family are of half-Misibase descent, so they occasionally use a few words in their daily conversation.

### Other indigenous Pinogunian peoples

* Ensiu
* Paramosir
* Muruwin

### Taridutian peoples

* Asabala
* Jonkowain
* Lutarissi

## Culture

See also: Pinogunian glossary

Pinogunian traditional culture and norms are a blend of archaic warrior traditions and adapted classics from Daizhou. Although the Pinogunians were heavily influenced by Daizhou's culture, they prefer to remain distinct, to the extent that much of their language's vocabulary was based on native terms and etymologies.

Pinoguni has its own form of animated entertainment known as "gökase", with storylines that range from academies to classical works, novels ridden with machinery and/or comedic and combat tropes, and romantic novellas. It also has hundreds of thriving Internet and holojector network communities, even though it is at war with several hostile nations around it. However, those are not as representative of these islands as its classical culture, which remain appreciated by its allies elsewhere.

A portion of modern Pinogunian culture is based on a mixture of Tuksharan and Ald-Ardeschen influences that date back to the Sixteenth Age, when these two nations were global superpowers. Therefore, a lot of Pinogunians wear suits, buttoned shirts, vests, and dresses, allowing them to easily blend into Heronoi or Bujanski society.

The national sport of Pinoguni is *jumi-miti*, or *jun-miti* -- a form of archery that requires a lot of concentration. However, other sports such as *kata-miti* (sword duels, *katteti*), *kemari* (a game with kicking a ball and a sword), soccer, baseball, basketball, polo, mecha-duels, and horse-racing are popular throughout the country. Jousting, a sport for the further east, has developed a cult following from among former horse racers, and the large size of the islands allows more room for horse farms.

### Calendar

The Pinogunian New Year, or *Batumode* or *Kamikuri* (Arrival of the Gods), starts on the first day of October, one month after the Vozonid New Year. This is the start of *Kaminatuki*, the Month of the Gods, when their presence is stronger on the mortal world, making it the holiest month of the year.

The Pinogunian calendar observes a cycle of twelve years, derived from the Daizhouvian calendar. The tiger is the third of the twelve years, and is often observed by celebrating cats. Bujan and other nations adopted this practice, so October 1 became Cat Day in the region.

### Languages

While the official language of the country is Pinogunian, a number of regional languages are recognised in their respective provinces.

### Other Pinogunic languages

* Pajetoi
* Adumian
* Kumasovian
* Kuduvese
* Misibase

## Religion

Most people in Pinoguni follow *Kami-no-miti* ("Path of the Gods"), their own animist religion that is filled with ceremonies and focus on harmony and cleanliness to honour its myriads of Gods and wights, known as *kamigami*. However, many Pinogunians also practice Buddhist customs, to the point that *Kami-no-miti* and local Buddhism seem to overlap. Some foreigners go to Pinoguni's Buddhist temples to meditate, pray, and purify their own souls and refresh themselves.

The whole pantheon of Pinoguni is known as the *Jaojorozu Kamigami*, or "Eight Million Gods". Even though their actual number is much larger (if not as many as the lifeforms and spirits of the universe), *jaojorozu* (meaning "eight million" or "eighty thousand") is a poetic term meaning "endless" or "countless".

Shrines and temples in Pinoguni are known as *jasiro*. Smaller shrines are known as *pokora*, and larger shrines and temples are known as *obo-jasiro* or *mija* (the latter is like a palace for its deities, hence the name). Buddhist temples are known as *dera*.

### Kami gods

The Emperors of Pinoguni are revered as the descendants of the solar goddess Amaterasu, and as a result, Amaterasu is regarded as the national deity of the whole archipelago. Her symbols are the three-legged crow and the white horse.

Other popular deities include:

* Kagututi - God of the forge and potters
* Tukujomi - God of the moon, calendars, and space travel
* Susanowo - God of the storms, fields, harvest, slaying monsters, and agriculture
* Sinatubiko - God of the wind
* Webisu - God of good luck and fisherfolk
* Jabata-no-Kami - God of warriors
* Inari Obo-Kami - Goddess of foxes, rice, industry, farming, and fertility
* Omobikane - God of wisdom and intelligence
* Sarutabiko Obo-Kami - God of the earth and monkeys
* Ame-no-Uzume - Goddess of meditation, the dawn, and art
	+ A modernist statue of her was built in 1956 AT in the capital to celebrate all artists in the country. It depicts her reaching out to a crystal ball.
* Ama-no-Kami - God of the sky, scholars, education, and learning
* Kaminari-Sama - God of thunder
* Obowatatumi-no-Kami - God of the sea and dragons
* Tukukimi - God of the moon. In some syncretic legends, he is Amaterasu's husband.
* Obo-kagaja-no-Kami, Obo-Kagaja - God of the sun. In some syncretic legends, he and Tukukimi were one and the same, being a counterpart and a spouse to Amaterasu to bring balance to the world.
* Akarubime-kami, Akarubime - Goddess of the moon. In some legends, she is Tukujomi's wife, and the goddess of mirrors, poetry, and calendars.
	+ One legend about a princess who was born from a bamboo was believed to be her daughter, which was why the saints of the moon brought her up on a carriage. To this day, this princess was believed to make elixirs of immortality in a palace of marble.

### Mythical beings

* Akaname (垢嘗) - a dirty spirit that licks filth. It also preys on the careless by eating their flesh and bones.
* Baku (獏) - a tapir spirit that eats nightmares and evil spirits, allowing sleepers to be at peace. Invoking too much of the baku will instead eat dreams and hope, making one's life feel more empty and meaningless.
* Dodomeki (百々目鬼) - a woman's ghost with many birds' eyes on her arm, as a punishment for robbery in life.
* Gawappa - a turtle spirit of the river
* Juki-wona - spirits of winter from women who died from the cold. They either enjoy freezing people to death, or they yearn for a companion.
	+ Male counterparts, called juki-toko, exist. To prevent the snow spirits from harming the living, some towns in Pinoguni lure the male and female spirits to live together, and start families of wind and rain wights who protect humans.
* Kasa obake - umbrella spirits
* Kirin - deer-like dragons.
* Kityne - a fox spirit with many tails. They are either mischievous heralds of the gods, or murderous sadists.
* Oni - furious, savage ogres with horns and fangs. They were the sentient creations of the goddess Izanami after she died giving birth to the fire god Kagututi, and reappeared in the underworld.
	+ Arnadjanai are compared to Oni because of their aggressive attitude and their great strength.
* Tanyki - dog-like creatures that resemble raccoons.
* Tengu, Amanenu ("heavenly dog") - wild spirits with long noses who attack those who wander into their mountainous domains. Aside from using clubs and bows, the tengu also control storm winds to punish intruders. However, they might had also taught certain legendary heroes in certain forms of combat and poetry.
* Tjoutej Obake - a lantern spirit born from a lantern that has reached a hundred years of age.
* Tykumogami - objects of a hundred years that developed a ghost. Some of these haunted objects became into sacred relics because of their prestige and history.
* Zasiki warasi - mischievous spirits of slain children who play tricks on visitors. Some claim that they are also chellarcha or the souls of good Terrans who were denied entry to the afterlife for their curses.

### Kamui

The Ensiu, Misibase, and Paramosirians have their own ways to honour their *kamui* Gods, and so do the natives of Tariduti and their diverse ceremonies that differ by clan. These gods are usually housed in small shrines, like their counterparts in mainland Pinoguni. Among the more-notable *kamui* include:

* Cikap-kamui - owl God of success and judgment
* Ae-oina-kamui - God of skills and the forge
* Repun-kamui - orca God of the sea
* Kamui-huci - Goddess of the hearth
* Tokapcup-kamui - Goddess of the sun and civilisation. Some syncretic legends claim that she is Amaterasu's lost sister, raising the Paramosirians as their own culture as her northern counterpart to the Pinogunians.
* Kunnecup-kamui - God of the moon, and Tokapcup-kamui's husband. Celebrated at the start and end of months and full moon nights as the god of agriculture.

### Anichuri, Nichuri (Taridutian gods)

The words "anichuri" and "nichuri" are related to the Maraming word "anito", which means "a god". The word for "pantheon" or "the Gods" is "ka'anichuran".

* Atagota, Langara, Wiraka, and Lusalai - the four kings of heaven who watch over the directions. They are honoured on the Taridutian new year on February 25.
* Rawamu - the god of riches and good luck
* Ilada - the god of farmers
* Nawani and Ka'alak - the goddess of god of agriculture and families
* Kewanga, Kewana - the goddess of art and creativity
* Lasenga - the goddess of music
* Kirauno, Kirayna - the goddess of dance, games, and challenges. Many difficult dances are in her domain, and anyone who manages to succeed in those "impossible dances" are given great honours in Taridutian society, such as a cow, some gold, or a beautiful handicraft, as a gift.
	+ Some foreigners also enjoyed challenging expert dancers to see how many impossible dances they would accomplish. They did not care about the gold and prizes: all that mattered was becoming a celebrity in the magazines.
* Mauluka, Nirauka, and Sorauka - the three youthful maidens of good luck and rice
* Rumika - the goddess of speech and good words and decisions
* Lauroka - the goddess of travel and roads. Her attendants, the raunani, watch over roads.
* Tadanga - the god who hears all, guardian of travellers, writers, scribes, seers, and messengers
* Kaijura - the dragon god of the sea, the sea king

### Hindu-Buddhist deities

* Shakuten - Indra, king of Heaven
* Bonten - Brahma
* Benzaiten - Saraswati, goddess of water and wisdom
* Makakara, Daikokuten - Shiva
* Kaari, Setuma - Parvati, Kali
* Kangiten - Ganesha
* Widaten - Murugan, Karttikeya, Skandha
* Bipeten - Vishnu
* Kisshouten - Lakshmi
* Bishamonten - Vaishravana, god of warriors
* Suiten - Varuna, god of the sea
* Katen - Agni
* Diten - Prithvi
* Nitten - Surya
* Gatten - Chandra
* Buuten - Vayu, god of the sky and winds
* Jenma Daiou, Janma - Yama, judge of the dead. Like his Daizhouvian counterpart, he is the chief of ten underworld kings.

Twelve deities are worshipped as guardians.

* Bishamonten - north
* Ishanaten - northeast
* Taishakuten - east
* Katen - southeast
* Jenma - south
* Rasetuten - southwest
* Suiten - west
* Buuten - northwest
* Nitten
* Gatten
* Diten - down

### Other holy beings in Buddhism

* Kawan-on - Avalokiteshwara
* Amida Butu - Amitabha

### Other religions

Hindu deities such as Saraswati (Benzaiten), Vaishravana (Bishamonten), and Ganesha (Kangiten) are worshipped by the Buddhists of Pinoguni.

However, the Kumaso people of Iwaguni had mostly converted to Hinduism, becoming the country's oldest Hindu community, the Kumasoe Torume (Kumaso Dharma). Their main deities are Tobaban, Makogara (Mahakala, Lord Shiva), Toroka (Durga, Kali Ma), and Minameka (Vinayaka, Ganesha). Most of them venerate Jambavan (Tobaban), the god of bears; and by extension, they also venerate Vishnu (Bisenu) and Lakshmi (Rasaome).

In Kumaso folklore, Tobaban was the thirtieth bear-king, who led an army to vanquish a horde of demons from the far north or west. He is also the patron of the shamans.

## Foreign relations

### Paramosir

The alien technology developed by Paramosirian scientists defeated an Exile army after the latter conquered Pinoguni. That may had led to a nativist revolution that defeated the Drugoi Kingdom and restored the traditional monarchy.

For that, the Pinogunians respect the Paramosirians more, stunned by how a people stereotyped as "savages" would develop such ingenious machinery. Some even look up to Paramosir as heroes who aided their freedom from foreign rule, and eagerly learn from Paramosirian scientists, granting those in Pinoguni some privileges as a people associated with science.

### Porashon

Although the Pinogunians were among the first humans outside Palkyras to become allies of this Ontemazei-majority nation, the Pinogunians were amused by the Porasonids' obsession with cherry trees.

They also visit Porashon to study about its advanced technology and observe its splendid temples and mountainous jungles.

### Heronoja

This distant kingdom has become a close ally of Pinoguni, due to both countries admiring each other's classical cultures. However, the Heronoi language is considered to be "cute" to Pinogunian ears, which is an irritating remark to Heronoi themselves.

The Pinogunians are quite amused by the Heronoi in that they worship the Moon instead of the Sun, seeing them as an "opposite counterpart". Just as the Heronoi call their country "Counter-Heronoja", the Pinogunians affectionately refer Heronoja as "Counter-Pinoguni" or "Lunar Pinogunians".

Like other people, Pinogunians do find the Heronoi to be very cute.

### Josol

Josol is renowned to Pinogunian tourists for its beautiful mountain temples, its pine forests, cuisine, and railways.

### Rukania

Rukanians and Pinogunians like each other's countries for their knightly traditions and chivalry. They also conduct joint scientific and engineering projects due to the advanced level of both monarchies' technology.

They are still rivals in international jousting championships.

Notably, both countries tend to send their brightest sons and daughters to each other's academies, as their parents kept fantasising that their they would be more like knights.

### Marnos

Although the Marnosyns are seen as vulgar, drunken slobs and hooligans, its hilarious crassness is seen as a welcome relief to the "stuffed formalness" of their homeland.

Every month, hundreds of Pinogunians travel there to observe the drunks, brawlers, racing championships, and especially the "superheroes" and "wizards", the mutants who shoot fire and lightning from their hands.

It is also a popular destination for Pinogunian film directors for its scenic forests, deserts, and lakes. Some Pinogunians also enjoy visiting the cat cafes of Marnos, the more family-friendly attractions in the cities, aside from mecha-duels and the occasional rock concerts that are more popular with young adults.

### Bujan

Bujan is a close ally of Pinoguni, almost like a brother state. Because the Pinogunians went to help the Bujanski fight for their independence, cherry trees were planted all over the country in honour of them.

Ages ago, many ethnic Pinogunians migrated to Resovjant (as Bujan was known in ancient times), where they worked as smiths, architects, and guards. They became the Namirian ethnicity, which fiercely protected Resovjant from a later invasion by Pinoguni.

To some extent, Bujanski Wonao culture was influenced by the Namirians and earlier Pinogunian visitors, such as their later armour and swords, calligraphy, gunpowder, and Buddhism.

In recent times, the Namirians and Pinogunians joined forces with the Bujanski revolutionaries to liberate their country from Wannaenid rule. Pinogunian tourists in independent Bujan may end up being mocked by the Namirians for their lack of expertise in smithing and traditional arts, but those who are more willing to learn are gladly welcomed.

### Sevraeja

Pinogunians are amused that the Sevraejan language is also syllabic like theirs. Many Pinogunian artists enjoy collaborations with local Sevraejan painters, singers, and especially pop musicians.

### Azgo

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"wwww - a Pinogunian internet meme mocking hundreds of videos about hooligans from post-revolutionary Azgo.

Once the dreaded superpower that almost enslaved the hemisphere, modern Azgo is another source of amusement and memes in Pinoguni.

It especially contrasts against its Sarmelonid spacefaring past with the poorer conditions of its modern society, its alcoholics, and widespread vulgarity. Pinogunians sometimes call Azgo, "the Marnos of the South", for its similar notoriety for poor manners and being the laughingstock of the Vozonid nations.

Recently, Azgovians and Pinogunians enjoy making cyberpunk games set in the former's country, calling out hypernationalism, corruption, militarism, poorer diplomatic relations, and ignorance in modern Vozonid society.

## Trivia

* Pinoguni (日之国, 日の国) is based on Japan: more specifically, the Meiji era in a futuristic setting.
	+ Pinogunian is based on archaic Japanese terms and pronunciation, as in "What if Japanese seemed more 'Japanese' instead of 'Chinese'?". Much of the words used in Pinogunian are derived from *kun'yomi* readings of various kanji.
		- Pinogunian has eight vowels instead of five: the additional vowels are y [ɯ] (a weakened allophone of u in medial position), ej [ɛ~æ] (used only in Daizhouvian loanwords), and ö [ø].
	+ Paramosir is based on the Ainus of Hokkaido (if they became independent), Afangurun on the Manchus, Murujima on Ryukyu, Kanduka and Tariduti's people on the Taiwanese aborigines, and Maraming on the Philippines.
	+ Waiposo, a large island just east of Pinoguni before Irajon, may be based on Luggnagg, a fictional island east of Japan in Gulliver's Travels.
	+ Kögöjama, Iwaguni, Jöniwa, Tariduti (or Ataritsuchi), Motozima, Pijakita, and Kiwabasi's names can be rendered in kanji as 九山, 岩国, 四庭, 新土, 元島, 冷北, and 極端, respectively. Kögöjama is based on Kyushu; Jöniwa is based on Shikoku; Iwaguni and Motozima are based on western and central Honshu; and Pijakita and Kiwabasi on northern Honshu.
	+ Gökase (from 動かせ) is the Pinogunian equivalent of anime, but with less childish or erotic tropes. Pinogunian gökase tends to revolve around slice-of-life scenarios or satire.
* The other Pinogunic peoples were based on ancient tribes in Japanese history. Due to the larger size of Pinoguni, those tribes would had been more stronger and numerous, allowing them to resist subjugation for longer. This also allowed them to leave records of their cultures, resulting in regional revivals in later times.
	+ Pajato of northern Kögöjama - Hayato of southern Kyushu
	+ Adumi of southern Kögöjama - Azumi of northern Kyushu
	+ Kumaso of Iwaguni - Kumaso of southern Kyushu
	+ Kudu of Jöniwa and western Motozima - Kuzu of central Honshu at Kansai
	+ Misibase of Pijakita and Kiwabasi - Mishibase of northern Honshu
* Pinoguni is Paruko's homeland.
	+ Her family had Misibase ancestors, so her dialect may had some old Misibase words.
* The main islands of Pinoguni (not counting Tariduti) have a total size that is larger than Japan.
* One notable tradition in Pinoguni is wotagej, a sort of dance where supporters of a musician or actor wave glowsticks, sparklers, holojectors, smartphones, or even torches (fire or electric) to the music.
* Most Jerdiskar might be familiar with Japanese purification rites and their veneration of kami, as these are similar to their veneration of wights.
* The impossible dances of Kirauno were based on a prompt in one post by FlagsMashupBot, when the author chatted with another user. He boasted that he did all the impossible dances of a fictional country and several extra ones he made up. The user's character was greatly rewarded with fame as a celebrity, with many youngsters making poor repetitions of the dances and his feet being strained during the dances.
* The Pinogunian communities of Waiposho, Irajon, Makkadal, and Bujan were based on the Nihonmachi towns of late mediaeval Asia, and the location of Luggnagg just east of Japan in Gulliver's Travels (so it would make sense for the historical Japanese to also trade and live in the fictional country if it existed).