The Yamaichi Family

 

“You’ve heard of them, right? Ruled by that witch-queen? It’s said they disappeared, nobody knows if they really existed or not. Maybe that daughter of hers really was a witch. They made that great mound for her mother’s grave after she died. The king didn’t last long until they put her girl on the throne. When that Emperor got mad about it, she told her people to chuck themselves in that hill, so they did. My folks were there. They hesitated, along with some others… They said they were afraid, but just before they could get the gumption to do the same, the whole earth shook, the hill, it just started collapsin’ on itself. People were rollin’, fallin’ everywhere… Then it stopped, and there was a hole there. People panicked. They started digging in the ground, looking for their lost loved ones. The dug and dug, well into the night. They found rocks, dirt, bones. No people. Then the rains came, made it sink more. Further and further it went. Soon, the whole island fell into the sea. Nobody believes us, though… I’m telling you, sure as these old bones hold me, it happened..”

• Susano

 

The Yamaichi have been among the recorded history of the people of Mann for some time, though not for its entirety.  No one knows from which of the Great Families they sprung, unlike other houses. One of the curiosities is the lack of record of their existence before the year of 132, despite the apparent sudden wealth, influence and control that their members have held at their emergence in historic texts. The Yamaichi have lived in the kindgom, named for their Family, that they have held cheifly under a Countess since they began to grace the pages of the scholarly records. Their origins, however, remain elusive and shrouded in mystery. It is speculated the Yamaichi are unacknowledged, yet favoured descendants of some King or Queen. Perhaps a daughter some doting father would not release to her suitors? None of the Royal Families, however, have chosen to make the case to connect their line to the Yamaichi. Perhaps they are even cast-aways from some as of yet unknown distant land. Perhaps, still, some of the tales told of them might be true, though this scholar finds such claims dubious at best.

 

There are stories that the Yamaichi’s descendents simply emerged from the Astral Plane dressed in a fashion close to that favoured by the Yamaichi today. Their embrace and favour among the locals affording them the land, and power they occupy to date. It is also speculated that they fell from the sky, though how such a feat would be accomplished without killing one is something to be pondered.. Other tales speak of their ancestors washed ashore from the ocean, beings crafted from the foam and creatures of its unfathomable depth.

 

Scholars, as a whole, are frustrated in attempts to pin down the mundane lineage of the Yamaichi, and the Family seems to offer no definitive answers. During their emergence as a lineage, it is noted that at the time of the first recording of the name “Yamaichi” it was a time of unrest within the lands of Mann, and several wars were noted as ongoing at the time amongst several kingdoms. It seems, perhaps, the likelihood of this Family being attached to as some as of yet unclaimed monarch in their past is quite possible. What is known is that, to date, they have made an irrefutable mark in the history of Mann.

 

My first impression upon entering the Yamaichi's home city at the heart of their county, Okuninushi in which I now reside is one of shock. Okuninushi is a hub of activity, with every aspect of innovation encouraged, tirelessly, by its holders. 

While many of the Kingdoms adhere to the concepts of ‘Virtue’ and ‘’Modesty’, it seems, as a whole, the society here simply does not care what amount of skin one tempts others with. Upon entering the local General Store to obtain what goods I would acquire for my stay, a young lady entered shortly behind me. She was clothed in nothing more than wrappings o’er her breasts and pants, opened at the side and only tied just beneath the hips, at the knees, and again the waist and her feet wore no more than sandals. I could not help but stare. Rather than rebuke the young slattern, the shopkeeper served her, as if she were any other, and shook his head at me for the look I must have possessed. He informed me that staring is impolite, regardless of what country I hail from. I could not help but point out what the girl was wearing. The shopkeep simply told me that it was rude to stare, and what anyone wore within the city was not my business, nor was it my place to comment on, regardless of the profession I believed her to be a part of. The shopkeep made some excuse about the heat. I was astounded. My deceased wife, was a most modest soul and would not complain when she went about her business dressed how it is deemed socially acceptable. I still am flabbergasted by the experience.

 

The Yamaichi Family is typically matriarchal, though that appears to be strictly through tradition. This is, perhaps, why the Yamaichi display such strange morals nor understand the concept of ‘modesty. Any member of the Family that proves themselves competent and worthy are treated as such and given such opportunities. Rarely, it seems, have men deigned to take the helm of the Family directly, as it is rumored that the seat is cursed under a male’s long-term leadership. Disorder, unrest and famine are all key markers of periods that the Family fell under male-dominated rule. Perhaps coincidence, or perhaps the legends of old of magic might be true? Most scholars believe it to be merely coincidence, as these times coincide with fluctuations across other countries, however, belief in the supernatural is typically irrational. Men clearly occupy lesser seats within the Family, so, in all likelyhood, such beliefs, like many others, are based in the phobias of the reckless female mind.

 

The Yamaichi Family is most known for its pursuit of knowledge. The Family, as a whole, appears driven by a higher, or more distant purpose. Their stories are littered with terms and ideas that seem the stuff of fantasies. They seem to believe it real, and the Family seems driven in seeking fulfillment of these ideas, as if each child, borne from the womb of its parent, opens its eyes with dreams beyond our ken. Luckily, such idealism has, indeed led to a hardworking and productive people, that, along with their appreciation of a tidy society, and a love of art and beauty makes them a Family worth studying.

 

The Yamaichi Family also carries with it a culture, and faith, of unique significance. The Family’s modus operandi is one that stresses civility, elegance and respect to both friend and foe. While such niceties are seen as superfluous among other, more warlike, Houses, to the Yamaichi, such seeming frivolity carries with it the judgement of the Family as a whole. To a Yamaichi, when one is unable to appreciate the elegance and weight of life, death and the ongoings in between, then that individual lacks the ability to achieve anything of worth

 

Regardless of if a Yamaichi takes up hammer, sickle, paintbrush or sword, each member is encouraged by the Family leaders to increase their aptitude, and seek out new discoveries within their field. They call this reaching for “Deo”. Crafting something beautiful, efficient, or beneficial to the Family is seen as an act of great merit, and celebrated to the Yamaichi, Honour and Glory, after all, are not exclusive to the battlefield.

 

“The queen of ants cannot count her servants, but she knows that they are loyal”

-Words of a Yamaichi warrior