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OboeShoes · **09-03-2017, 10:51 PM**

Is there any specific details as to when this time occurred? Would it be possible to have a character who lived during that time?

LiadansWhisper · **09-03-2017, 10:56 PM**

Uh, well, I'm honestly unfamiliar with that period of time. I've never heard of it.

OboeShoes · **09-03-2017, 11:04 PM**

It was a period of intense war in Hingashi amongst the region's various former clans, where the various combat styles of the Samurai were born. Until a unified government was formed to maintain peace.

Kieron Lohengrin · **09-03-2017, 11:22 PM**

(09-03-2017, 10:51 PM)OboeShoes Wrote: Is there any specific details as to when this time occurred? Would it be possible to have a character who lived during that time?

We don't know. That was basically the devs going "hello here is our fantasy version of the Bakumatsu" in a few throwaway lines during the SAM quests. Even the Sekiseigumi is just a red recolor of the RL Shinsengumi. (Correction: either fantasy Bakumatsu or fantasy Sengoku. Probably the latter.)

If you go off the Garlean occupation of Doma, then it was at the very least 25 years ago. Likely more. But that's just speculation.

Sounsyy · **09-04-2017, 09:33 AM**

(09-03-2017, 10:51 PM)OboeShoes Wrote: Is there any specific details as to when this time occurred? Would it be possible to have a character who lived during that time?

We do not yet have a specific date for Hingashi's Age of Blood, but we do have several clues. All that's for certain was it was in the "distant past" before there was one leader, or "bakufu."

Musosai Wrote:I shall begin at the very beginning. In the distant past, Hingashi underwent a period of strife, during which numerous opposing factions vied for supremacy: the Age of Blood. In this age, full many took to battle with katana in hand, and in the crucible of war our art was forgedâ”€the way of the samurai. Eventually, the realm was unified under one banner and peace reigned once more. The people set aside their katana, save for we samurai, who continue to wield it as symbol of authority. And with that authority comes a grave responsibility: protecting the peace. To ensure that the Age of Blood is never repeated, we samurai seek out the wicked and bring them to account. In so doing, we ward off chaos and preserve order in the realm. Such is our calling.

Makoto Wrote:We Hingans live by a rigid caste system, wherein one's standing in society is inherited rather than earned. My comradeâ”€he hailed from a poor farming village. His family grew scarcely enough to pay their lord his dues, and it was all they could do not to starve. In order to escape the shackles of his birth, he sought a new life in Kugane, a more progressive district, where a man may yet rise above his station. He became a samurai in hopes that he might one day have the power to bring about changeâ”€change to an irrational system that holds people hostage to their birth.

Souls such as him make up the Sekiseigumi, those raised with a plow in hand, and not a blade. You'll find none among us born into a samurai family; ours is a ragtag band gathered from the lower rungs of society. Yet for our disparate origins, we are patriots all. Ugetsu and his cohorts, too, claim to be patriots. But in order to bring about their change, they would as soon see our nation razed to the ground. As with any nation, Hingashi is not free of problems. Far from it. But should the bakufu be toppled, the great lords would rise against each other in a bid for power. The realm would be transformed into a battlefield, and another Age of Blood would begin. If we are to prevent thisâ”€if we are to protect the peace, Ugetsu must not be allowed to succeed. No matter the cost.

Dialogue from the Astrologian questline about how Yanxian geomancy first came to Hingashi "several decades" ago in the time of Kyokuho's great-grandfather makes specific mention of a singular ruling Hingan bakufu. Considering this was three generations back, but repeatedly referred to by "decades" instead of "century(ies)" I'm going to guesstimate 60~80 years ago. Considering Othard wasn't "discovered"/accessible by the western world until the turn of the sixteenth century of the Sixth Astral Era, circa 60~70 years ago this timeframe fits. Fernehalwes confirmed in the recent PAX West Lore Panel that at the time the first western explorers came to the Far East, Hingashi (and Kugane) was not yet open to foreigners.

This helps date the Age of Blood greater than 80ish years ago. So, no, it's unlikely that there would be someone alive from this time period.

Kyokuho Wrote:It all began several decades ago when the bakufu decided they were opening the port to foreign trade vessels. To accommodate the influx of ships, a section of ancient coastline forest was cleared. However doing so angered the entity who had guarded the wood for countless generationsâ”€a golden fox named Kinko. A great battle ensued, but claws and fangs were no match for cold steel. Kinko was slain and the new port completed.

The foxâ€™s spirit, however, remained, spoiling our milk, withering our crops, causing storms that dashed ship after ship against our rocky cliffs. In desperation, the bakufu turned to the landâ€™s most powerful geomancerâ”€my great-grandfather, Kazan. Kazan used the power of the sea, the skies, and the land to soothe the spirit long enough that he could erect an invisible barrier that not only protected the city, but ensured that it would prosper. My great-grandfather created his barrier by anchoring the energies of wind, water, and earth to four shrines located at the north, east, south, and west ends of the city.

The Age of Blood is only specifically mentioned in the Samurai questline. However, numerous mentions of an "Age of Strife" in Hingan history can be found in the Ninja questline and Encyclopedia Eorzea. It's unclear if this is the same time period viewed from a Doman perspective or if Hingashi's Age of Blood is different from Hingashi's Age of Strife. Note that the only NPCs who say "Age of Blood" are Hingan while the only NPCs who say "Age of Strife" are Yanxian.

If these are one-and-the-same time period, we may be able to better date the event. According to the Ninja questline, and the lore book, Hingan ninjutsu came about during this time of strife where Hingan warlords vied for supremacy. During this time lived a warlord Hanzo the First of the Kagekakushi clan. It was he who sent Sasuke to the lands of Doma across the sea to liberate the province from a tyrant. Currently the leader of the Kagekakushi clan is Hanzo the Hidden, who claims to be the twelfth leader of the Kagekakushi, presumably the twelfth after Hanzo the First.

So twelve generations have passed since this Age of Strife? Give or take variable lifespans of previous Kagekakushi leaders and premature deaths. If we dated three generations as roughly 80 years beforehand (in regards to Kyokuho's great-grandfather bringing Doman geomancy to Hingashi) then twelve generations might equate to ~240ish years ago or more? This might corroborate Yomei's claim that ninjutsu has existed in Doma for several centuries.

Yomei Wrote:My people are the descendants of an ancient clan that traces its origins back to an age of war and strife. My ancestors isolated themselves in a secluded village and devoted themselves to the martial arts, that they might defend themselves and their land from the chaos around them.Â At first, my ancestors lived solitary lives. In time, however, their martial abilities came to be recognized by mighty warlords, who enlisted their services. So it was that my ancestors came to serve from the shadows, performing assassinations, espionage, and other such disagreeable-yet-indispensable duties. In the early days, my ancestors were known by many names: the shadow, the grass, the silent ones, those who see but are not seen... In time, as our existence became widely known and accepted by the greater populace, the people came to call us by a single name:Â shinobi, the hidden. Our art - the art of ninjutsu - has been honed through the centuries, passed down from master to student, master to student.

Kamui Wrote:Once upon a time in Hingashi, in the time they called the Age of Strife, there lived a man named Hanzoâ”€Hanzo the first. Leader of the Kagekakushi clan, he crafted a summoning mudra of terrifying power. Many a warlord did covet this power, that they might wield it to unify the warring states under their rule. Hanzo would hear nothing of itâ”€time and again, he turned down prestigious posts and untold riches, declaring that the mudra would be used only in defense. He recorded his knowledge on a single scroll, and sealed it away far from the eyes of man. Some time later, a vagabond came to Kagekakushi. After the villagers nursed him back to health, he explained that he had fled across the sea from the land of Doma to escape the reign of a tyrant.

So it was that Hanzo the Firstâ”€moved deeply by the traveler's storyâ”€called upon Sasuke, his most trusted protÃ©gÃ©, to carry the forbidden knowledge across the Ruby Sea and bring freedom to the people of Doma. Sasuke wielded the power but once, such was its power. In a matter of moments, the tyrant's army crumbled before its might, and the Doman people at last knew freedom. But Sasuke felt that his job was not yet done. He resolved to remain in Doma, and established a village here, that he might train his new countrymen to carry on his legacy, and pass down the art of ninjutsu to future generations. That is the untold story of our village's origins.

As for the forbidden mudra by whose power Doma's freedom was won, who can say why our ancestor feared it so. All that we know is that he was not content to merely seal the scroll away, but took his blade in hand and sliced it clean in two. One piece was presented as an offering to the King of Doma, in celebration of the nation's newfound freedom. The other he sealed away in his villageâ”€our villageâ”€never again to see the light of day. Even at the time, it is said that Hanzo the First told none other of Sasuke's true mission. Though unfortunate, it is little surprise that today, centuries later, his descendants see Sasuke as little more than a traitor who stole away with their greatest treasure and fled to a foreign land...

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:In the eastern seas beyond the continent of Othard can be found the remote island nation of Hingashi - a word that literally meansÂ â€˜east.â€™ An age of strife perpetuated by factions both great and small has battered this isolated archipelago for years untold, giving rise to unique forms of warfare - as was the case with the mystical art of the shinobi. Due to the tumultuous nature of its inception, however, the roots of ninjutsu are difficult to trace to a single origin. Rather, it must be said that the raw techniques devised by the individual factions were adopted on the wider field of conflict, and honed through a process of bloody evolution.

Many historians find it easier to focus upon the founding of the various ninja clans. In the mountainous regions where crops struggle to grow, people chose instead to nurture their martial skills. Children were raised into a warrior tradition, and entire families earned a living through their clandestine expertise. And when these shinobi eventually crossed the seas to Othard, the art of ninjutsu quickly found purchase upon its shores. The most famous account of this is the tale of Sasuke, a ninja who established his own clan on the continent before joining with the warlords of Doma to end a tyrantâ€™s oppressive reign.

Hanzo Wrote:Silence, whelp! The bastard git of Sasuke the Shamed deserve naught but a quick death. Well, well... A brood of Doman dogs who would call themselves shinobi. You stand before Hanzo the Hidden, twelfth lord of the Kagekakushi clanâ”€and you should consider yourself fortunate that I do not cut you down where you stand. And you would call your petty tricks ninjutsu? I spit on your ninjutsu. Your very existence brings dishonor to every true shinobi who has ever lived. Yes, those of my clanâ”€the original and true practitioners of the art.

Yuki Wrote:If I remember the histories correctly, they achieved great renown for their exploits in battle during the Age of Strife. It was said that a single Kagekakushi fought with the strength and skill of a thousand lesser shinobi. ...Until one day when a vengeful warlord razed their village to the ground, slaughtering even wives and babes. The Kagekakushi on the battlefield, too, disappeared one after the next. An inglorious end, by any measure. If this Hanzo is truly a descendant of the clan, it would stand to reason that he would seek revenge against those who betrayed his ancestors. But how this is connected to Sasukeâ”€I cannot say. But if there's one thing I know, it's that I'm not going to just stand by while this Hanzo plunges our nation into another age of war! I will return home and see if there is any more knowledge of the Kagekakushi to be had.

Anyroad, sorry I couldn't get you a more specific date! I hope this still helps though! ^^ I'm sure we'll get more lore on this eventually.