Honzura region

The **Honzura region** [坎负潘昆; ほんずら いぶん] consists of the northern portion of Kanton's mainland. This ancient area consists of nine prefectures: Aoma, Arami, Hamae, Heisai, Tomono, Mikei, Tsuba, Kofu and Saka. Honzura is often associated with remoteness, scenic beauty and its harsh yet beautiful snowy winters. Tourism has become a major industry.

The Honzura region is also known for its dialects, which are considered classic 'rural' vernacular to the rest of the country.

## History

In ancient times, the area was known as Eraba and was largely inhabited by the native Summui people. By the 10th century, it had been occupied by Kantonese forces, who colonised the land and divided it into two large provinces: Kanzō and Shizō, north-west and north-east. Its initial settlement occurred well after Kantonese civilisation and culture had been firmly established in central and southern Kanton. As the last stronghold of the indigenous Summui on the mainland, and the site of many battles, the Honzura region has maintained a degree of detachment from the rest of the country.

The region was named Honzura in the 10th century by a noble family named Kamon (鳥样), who ruled the area for much of the period. They kept their independence from the Imperial Court with the strength of their warrior bands, until they were finally overwhelmed by Imperial forces in 989 in the Battle of Kamon'ei. After their dispatchment, the Honzura region kept its name, but came under the full control of the Imperial Court; thus, lands were divided up and given to lords and nobles from the Court itself. Vassals of the Kamon family were forced to swear allegiance to these new governors, which caused five years or so of low-level rebellion.

During the early 1100s, the feudal lord Daimi no Shunji came to unify the upper western portion of Honzura, into one singular region known as Daimi Province (modern-day Aoma and Hamae Prefectures, along with half of Arami). Shunji also expanded trade in wider Honzura. Although initially faced with vicious rebellion by hostile clans, he managed to overcome them after a few battles and eventually became the ruler of one of the largest fiefdoms of feudal Kanton. He and his descendents built many palaces and worked on projects to beautify the region. By the early 1200s, during the establishment of provinces across Kanton by the Hanjō administration, Shunji appealed to the Imperial Court to keep governance of Daimi Province; his requested was granted.

## Geography

Honzura, like most of Kanton, is hilly or mountainous, with a number of large mountain chains running through its land. The largest of these, the Taiyu Alps, runs north-to-south towards the upper coast. The inland location of many of the region's lowlands has led to a concentration of the population there. Coupled with coastlines that do not favour seaport development, this settlement pattern resulted in a greater dependence on land and rail transport.

Honzura was traditionally considered the granary of Kanton because it supplied modern-day Kanjō markets with rice and other agricultural commodities. At one point, Honzura provided 20% of the nation's rice crop.

### Cores cities and populated areas

* Aoma, Aoma Prefecture
* Anzaki, Arami Prefecture