Post by Tendo Bunsha on Jul 26, 2015 12:44:43 GMT -5
MYTHOLOGICAL ERA
Namahe no Seiso (Time of Pure Glory)
Mosakaru Kogaiso Megami (The Goddess Who Burns Brightly and Reveals All Things) and Teruyari Shiruso Gami (The God Who Shines Softly and Knows All Things) along with the other kami dwelt with the people and shared their glory with them in this time of bliss.
PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD
Danatsu no Seiso (Time of the Oppression)
The Akuna no Bokun (Demon Tyrants) or the Hakugai-sha (Oppressors) overran the land and enslaved humanity they also sought to enslave the kami. While lesser spirits fell however the great kami resisted the demons. Falling back to the heavens they gathered their might and planned to inspire humanity to reclaim its rightful pre-emincence.
Gokai Taisan (Great Heroic Wars)
When humanity rose up to challenge their evil masters the kami stood with them. Mosakaru Kogaiso Megami blazed in fire every day driving the darkness away. When the Akuna no Bokun responded by bringing forth the Seven Demons of a Thousand Hells who could not be slain by mortal weapons she granted the sacred Sword of the Sun to the heroes of Zaidan-Tai. Arikaki Hikaru was the first to bear this mighty weapon, followed by Watanabe Masato and a hundred other heroes. Teruyari Shiruso Gami meanwhile waged a secret war on behalf of humanity, seeking out the weaknesses of the various demon tyrants and whispering them in dreams to the heroes of humanity. No artifice of the enemy could hide from him and in the end all hidden paths were revealed. At the end of the great struggle the kami returned to the heavens once more. The Time of Glory had ended and it was time for humanity to forge its own destiny.
EARLY HISTORICAL PERIOD
Sheinaru Miko no Zaii (Reign of the Sacred Priestesses)
In the period after the expulsion of the Akuna no Bokun, the land was ruled by a series of Sacred Priestesses (Sheinaru Miko) chosen by the leaders of the major cults. The Tendo Bunsha contributed much during this period of general peace and growing prosperity along with the other great sects. The depredations of the Sogo clan however led to the fall of the system and to anarchy.
Sesho no Zaii (Reign of the Regents)
The Tendo Bunsha supported Hashimoto Oda in his bid to restore order. This period was afterwards a time of theological discussion for the sect which turned inwards to contemplate higher matters. Allegations that this was a time when the Shrine Maiden and Spirit Master were consumed by an internal struggle for power are of course nonsense.
MIDDLE HISTORICAL PERIOD
Kashikoi no Gikai no Tochi (Rule of the Wise Council)
The Tendo Bunsha neither formally supported nor opposed the reforms if Mori Yuudai, being focused on expanding the great shrine of Tendo Taisha and extending the faith to Chikuhoku and Noto. Accusations that the faith was using the disturbances to its advantage are of course scurrilous. Instead this was a time when the faith was still focused on exploring deeper mysteries.
Tai Henkan Funso (The Great Restoration Conflict)
In the Year of the Restoration (683), the Tendo Bunsha joined the coup d’état led by the Sheinaru Miko. At the end of the Tai Henkan Funso the Tendo Bunsha were amongst the last holdouts against the Abe ascendency. The military power of the Tendo Bunsha was eventually broken by the Abe clan at the Battle of the Fallen Sun who burned the shrine in the Noto district in revenge for their opposition. Faced with the destruction of all their shrines the Tendo Bunsha backed down and accepted the Abe victory though the Rainments of the Twelve Matyrs of Noto remain noted relics to this day.
LATE HISTORICAL PERIOD
Dai Kunshu no Toshi (Years of the Overlords)
Abe no Yusei (Abe Ascendency)
This period was one of introspection and rebuilding for the Tendo Bunsha who had suffered crippling losses in the long struggle against the warlords.
Tobsei-cho Jidai (East and West Court Period)
The Tendo Bunsha joined forcea with the Oshiro clan in the Year the Land Divided and avenged themselves upon the Abe, Spirit Master Arikaki Tanaka slaying the feared warlord Abe Akira at the stroke of midnight in the Battle of the Vengeful Moon.
Ogawa no Yusei (Ogawa Ascendency)
In the Year the Land Reunited (794) the Tendo Bunsha fought with the Oshiro against the Ogawa clan but when the Oshiro were defeated they quickly made peace with the reigning Ogawa warlord and acknowledged him as Dai Kunshu.
Yamashita no Yusei (Yamashita Ascendency)
In the Year of the Victorious Dragons (823) Yamashita Norio rebelled and defeated the Ogawa and established himself as Dai Kunshu, but his tenure was brief as he was assassinated in The Year of the Slaying (827). The Tendo Bunsha stayed out of this conflict instead using the time to extend their faith to Yunaguni.
Kyogo Ryoshu no Toshi (Years of the Contending Lords)
After the assassination of Yamashita Norio the land was without any central governing authority and the clans fought amongst themselves for supremacy. The Tendo Bunsha navigated the years of strife, trying to broker peace between the western clans while backing them against their eastern rivals. In the Year of the White Hart (903) the temple endorsed the peace established between the five leading clans.
Go Do Kunshu Jidai (Five District Lords Period)
The Tendo Bunsha has focused on spiritual matters though it has remained responsive to the needs of the leading clans in whose lands its worshippers reside.