Nihonite Shogunate

The **Nihonite Shogunate** is a galactic power centered on Nihon and ruled by a Shogun of the Senshi clan. It was previously known as the **Nihonite Imperium** prior to its annexation by the Fel Empire in 860 ABY. Throughout history the Nihonite nation has seen many periods of rises and falls, but currently the Shogunate has been in a new golden age since its integration into the Fel Empire.

Because the main branch of the Senshi clan married into the Fel Dynasty, which brought the Nihonites into the Empire, many Nihonites consider the Fel Empire to be a continuation of their Imperium and thus usually refer to the Empire by that name.

## History

### Early History

Nihon was discovered by Je'daii outcasts who schismed from the order on Tython following the Force Wars due to moving away from the Je'daii philosophies about the Force. They believed that true balance was only achieved through equality between the numbers and powers of those who tapped into the Light and Dark sides of the Force. Having received visions of a new world where the Force was balanced and untainted by the philosophies of the Je'daii, the Great Journey of the Nihonites began in the wake of the Tython Diaspora. After several centuries in cryostasis aboard a sleeper ship, these Je'daii apostates entered the Nihon system and landed on the planet seen in their visions, upon which they immediately set up a settlement around the landed starship which became the central part of their new Great Temple where they gathered annually to celebrate their pilgrimage and their Homecoming to what they called "Mother Nihon." The next several centuries were spent peacefully as clans formed from the original settlers and the planet was colonized.

### Founding the Imperium

As the population of Nihon grew, resources started to become irreplaceable at a rate which could be kept up with the growing population, leading to conflicts among the clans and causing further destruction of lands and resources until a powerful clan leader proclaimed himself Shogun and united rival clans under his banner to such effect that the remaining clans swore fealty to him, and the Shogun was later formally crowned Emperor after uniting the clans of Nihon. One of the first acts of this new Emperor was to research and develop space-faring technology reverse-engineered from the sleeper ship that brought the original colonists to Nihon much to the chagrin and anger of the religious sects who ministered at the Great Temple the ship was housed in. After a brief conflict between the new Imperium Guard and the religious zealots, the ship was stripped of all its components except for the hull and supporting structures and the first Nihonite ships were developed with the use of kandaisa, the metal native to Nihon that formed the core of all their technologies. With the colony ships and faster-than-light travel developed, the first Nihonite colonists ventured forth from their homeworld to found new colonies, including the world of Shukaku which became the bread basket of Nihonite Imperium. More worlds were discovered in all directions, which Nihonites immediately laid claim to. The Colonial Guard was established to put down rebellions and resistance from natives who inhabited planets Nihonites settled on, as well as being responsible for enslaving and eventually killing all non-Humans who were on colonized planets, cementing the trademark xenophobia and human supremacy that the Imperium came to be known for in its first incarnation.

### War of Brothers

In their conquests, the Nihonites stumbled upon another warrior race, one who's armor was impenetrable to their crude kandaisa weapons and even the Force Blades of their officers. These warriors called themselves the Mando'ade, Children of Mandalore, and after a brief conflict that resulted in a stalemate between the fledgling Imperium and the Mandalorians, the then still predominantly Taung warrior peoples welcomed the Nihonites into their ranks like they had done before with people they deemed worthy from other conquered worlds such as Jakelia or Mandallia. Unlike other groups however, the people of Nihon managed to cling to their own unique culture due to the great distance between the Imperium and the Mandalorian heartworlds. Instead they merely adopted the technology of their new allies which brought the Nihonites up to galactic standard in terms of weapons and armour, even managing to forge a unique blend of alloy made from beskar and kandaisa. This would be the only time in the Imperiums history that Nihon willingly entered into an alliance with a predominantly non-human faction.

### The Mandalorian Wars and the Sith

While the alliance with Mandalore was initially beneficial, it would prove to be the undoing of the Imperium. They were drawn into the Mandalorian Wars by the Mando'ade, coming into direct conflict with the Galactic Republic. They fought alongside the Mandalorians during the conflict and ultimately shared in their defeat at the hands of the Jedi led by Supreme Commander Revan. Despite this, when Revan turned to the Dark Side and became the leader of the Sith - starting the Jedi Civil War - the Nihonites flocked to his banner. They joined his Sith, becoming his allies and providing him with ample recruits for his Sith Military. They saw Revan was someone who shared their beliefs, due to him having been a Jedi then a Sith, and sought revenge on the Jedi Order for what they considered the ancient crimes of the Je'daii. The Imperium continued to fight alongside the Sith even after Revan was betrayed by Darth Malak up until his defeat in 3950 BBY. This period of warfare accelerated the technological advancement of Nihonite armaments and the development of their military and religious doctrines, with the Jedi being openly declared as heretics by the priestly class of Nihon fueling the Imperium's decision to remain at war against them during that time. Countless Nihonites died during these wars, which led to great unrest in the Imperium, especially as it had reached its peak in terms of size. They were spread too thin and their losses in the recent wars would ultimately lead to the Imperium's downfall.