Hanajima

Hanajima is a civilization that originated in western Honshu and gradually absorbed Kyushu, Shikoku, and Awaji after a power struggle between the old Jomon tribes of the Kii peninsula and the newer Confucian bureaucracy that the Hana Tribe developed under the leadership of Grace Kinoshita.

Religion
Mahayana Buddhism is the state cult which is one of the main pillars of the imperial ideology centered around the Kinoshita dynasty as the Empresses of Hanajima and the source of the flowering of theological and aesthetic concepts in the new world. The origins of the religion in Hanajima is an early cult of Mahāvairocana Tathāgata (円成寺大日如来坐像) founded by Grace, gradually including the other Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Devas of the Mahayana pantheon.

Besides Buddhism, there is also the traditional animism of the Jomon people which is practiced in many regions of the empire. The religion has no creed or defined dogma, but is centered around the worship of amorphous spirits known as kamuy, who live in the natural world as animals, rivers, mountains, trees, etc. Some people can be Kamuy, endowed with magical powers. Animal sacrifice is common, since it is believed that kamuy are pleased to be released from their mortal coil, other times, it is believed that sacrificing an animal, or even a person, at the construction of a new building will create a guardian spirit who will protect the place. For the most part, human sacrifices are not unknown, but tend not to be practiced. Some elements of Buddhism have been absorbed by the folk religion, such as merit-making and worship of Indian deities.

Dynasty
The imperial dynasty of Hanajima has no official name, but is usually referred to as the Kinoshita dynasty. While not biologically related to Grace Kinoshita, her marriage into the family and adoption of her cousin-in-law Ruyanpe has made her surname identifiable with their line. There are four cadet branches of the household, the extended family of Ruyanpe, which are the Higashi, Nichi, Shiki, and Fuke.