Molishu Shogunate

The Molishu Shogunate rose from the ashes of the Hesomishu Shogunate, forged by the Molishu clan after years of conflict between priests, emperors, and generals. Unlike its predecessor, which ruled from afar, the Molishu shōguns sought to intertwine military and civil governance. From their seat in Maikhosato, they immersed themselves in the remnants of the imperial court, blending martial command with ritual authority. The Makhoren, who had anointed the new dynasty, secured their influence through marriage and ceremony—binding sacred legitimacy to military power.   The early Molishu era was one of turbulence. Civil wars and old clan feuds flared across the provinces before stability emerged through a new balance: the shugo, once regional governors, were granted greater autonomy. They were allowed to resolve local disputes and retain portions of their collected taxes. Over time, their power grew, filtering wealth to their hereditary warrior retainers. These families became the first daimyō, ruling vast territories with disciplined samurai armies bound by loyalty rather than imperial decree.   To secure their allegiance, the shōgun invited the most powerful daimyō into his councils. Yet this inclusion undermined the very structure it sought to preserve. The shogunate’s authority eroded as these warlords learned to manipulate the system from within, wielding their influence to advance local ambitions. By the close of the 12th century, their voices outweighed the shōgun’s own, and some even began supporting rival claimants to the imperial throne.   The final crisis came with the Maikhohan War. When the aging shōgun named his nephew as successor—judging him more capable than his son—the Makhoren intervened, insisting on the rightful bloodline. Armies formed around competing heirs: the Ihto clan backing the shōgun, the Hai-To clan siding with the Makhoren. Soon other houses joined the struggle, including the Jigezure and Hoi, each pursuing their own succession disputes.   For over a decade, war engulfed the empire. Maikhosato became a divided battleground where both sides occupied parts of the ruined capital, fighting through sieges, fires, and shifting barricades. By 1216 AP, the once-grand city lay in ruins, its palaces scorched and its shrines desecrated. When the Hai-To clan finally withdrew in 1226, burning their own sector to deny the enemy any claim to victory, the conflict sputtered to an inconclusive end.   The Molishu Shogunate survived in name, but its authority was hollow. The daimyō now ruled their provinces as near-sovereign lords, the Makhoren still held the sacred keys of legitimacy, and the shōgun presided over a shattered realm. The capital required rebuilding, yet no clan could command the unity to do so. Power had fractured beyond recall. What remained of the Molishu regime was an exhausted government ruling by ceremony rather than strength—its decline paving the way for the era of the Seven Clans, when the true rulers of Maikhohoto would emerge from the provinces.