Discovery 4.86 Storyline: Kusari in 818 A.S.

[Friday]

This talk of a democratic Kusari shouldnt be deemed outrageous by anyone. If anything, Kusari reverted back to an archaic form of government early in its history. It turned AWAY from the old democratic Japan and gave the monarchy more power - ostensibly to maintain control during the establishment of the first Kusari colonies.

The Blood Dragons are dedicated to reinstating the Hideyoshi Dynasty to the throne of Kusari - because that line was overthrown by Samura. It was a power struggle - but is it really clear on the nature of that struggle?


What if ancient Hideyoshi Emperor wanted to move back towards democratic rule - with the Emperor going back to being a figurehead?

What if Lord Samura didnt want that - and instead wanted to maintain the strength of the Emperor and the Shogunate?


I put it to you all that the consequences for Kusari history speak for themselves. A concentration of power in the hands of the Emperor and the Kusari Shogunate - backed by the military and the corporate power of the Samura Kiretsu - one that has lasted for centuries.


But as the wheel of history turns, and the dominance of Samura is lessened, what then of the Kusari government?

What I can say of the Blood Dragons is this: If Kishiro wanted the Dragons help they would give it. The core principle of the Dragons is to reinstate the Hideyoshi line to the Throne - everything else is negotiable.
So as to what form the Kusari government would take - and what power the new Emperor would have - that is entirely a different matter.

If Kishiro were to offer reinstatement of a Dragon Emperor as only a figurehead - you would see a split in the Dragons. The Taishogun and his true believers would take the offer, and they would have to turn against the militaristic Dragon Shoguns.

Likewise, if Kishiro offered the GC reforms for women's rights - then you could see a split in the GC as well, with moderates simply wanting reform splitting off from Elders more interested in building a criminal empire.

I put it to you that the spurned Shoguns and GC Elders would go on to become more of a true rebellious and criminal group. They could well pool their resources, and be somewhat less scrupulous about dealing with Outcasts, Junkers, SCRA, Phantoms and the like.
In fact - once the over-arching ideologies are removed and personal grievances settled - there is nothing to stop other spurned individuals from other factions such as the Hogosha and AFA from all teaming up to form an entirely new criminal class in Kusari.

I am just throwing it out there. As Dragon Leader I set up the Imperial Court to deliberately push Dragons (and GC) to express differences of opinion in how they perceive Kusari's future.

Yes, there are a lot of conservative Dragons. But there are equally as many young radicals drawn from Kusari academia (the late Lt. Ozu, anyone?).

In a world of conservative monachy, there is no more radical idea than democracy...

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