Politics
It is the days of superstition and tradition, of which operates through all levels of society. But no other place was as rife of such as the courts of the emperor. Go-Sadachi was a weak emperor, constantly controlled by his advisors. Always in constant squabbles with the daimyōs due to excessive demands of tax, poor and ridiculous policies, and just blatant incompetence, it was no wonder that he was nearly assassinated three times, once while in his office and twice while in his bathroom. The irony of it had become so unbearable to him that he had his old advisors discharged and hired new ones, the most notable of them being a former Buddhist monk by the name of Kōbuchi. Through his wise advice Go-Sadachi had made better decisions, though a large civil war had erupted in part due to harsh treatment of the daimyōs. The old bakufu had collapsed, and the same would have occurred to the court if not for Kōbuchi's lifesaving decisions (Bear in mind that this was the timeframe for the original story).
After the civil war ended with the unification of Japan, the scores were settled between Go-Sadachi and the daimyōs, who had intentions of creating a new bakufu. Go-Sadachi wanted no other power to rival him and denied their request, instead sending their armies to invade Korea and hopefully China; he hoped that this campaign would distract them from local matters. He then turned to the west, having heard of the great benevolent Shishigami, who was said to have immortal blood, and if anyone so drank it he would gain the power to live forever. Go-Sadachi immediately jumped into the superstitious notion, having had three attempts on his life as a sufficient catalyst to obtain his desire. When he expressed this desire to his advisors, Kōbuchi had sent none other than Jigo the monk, to complete the task. Unfortunately the events everyone knows took place and Jigo came back empty-handed, resulting in a disgraceful disposal into the streets of Kyotō. He left and was never heard from again.
All this was certainly taking place in the land, but those in Tatara-ba couldn't have cared less; they were content on living their simple lives out in the wild hills, the Forest blessing them with a rather trembling alliance with the Wolf-girl and her brothers.
But something secret and deadly was occurring...something that not Ashitaka, San, nor the townspeople were expecting to surface, and it found its genesis in the ageing heart of emperor Go-Sadachi.
He craved immortality once again.
Here goes chapter 9! I sincerely apologize for keeping my readers waiting; I had almost given up on the story till reading your comments gave some confidence to start it up again. This chapter takes a break from the blissful story of our protagonists and summarises the political instability of Japan, which leads to emperor to seek immortality.
Enjoy reading and God bless!
