Shikumo-gawa (ɕi.ku.mo.ɡa.wa)

"And so it is that each year the Emperor travels to the shrine of Ryūmizu-no-Kami, to ask that the great Kami continue to remain still and not flood the island and its peoples overmuch." - excerpt from "A Yabanjin's History of Wamato"

Shikumo-gawa is the largest and longest river on the island of Kojima. Its source is in the southeastern area of the island, among the mountains that run down Kojima's center. It flows generally northwest from there, passing through several prefectures before reaching the Nichibotsu Sea. Its course is approximately 225 miles long, and much of the best rice-growing land on Kojima is found along the final hundred miles, a region known locally as Inano-no-Chi, or "The Land of the Rice Fields". The health and good management of the Inano-no-Chi is crucial to the population of Kojima, as a bad harvest there can result in famine.

The Shikumo-gawa is also a vital transportation link across the island of Kojima, and is one of the busiest waterways in the Northwestern Region. During the history of the Empire of Wamato, control of the settlements along the river were often critical for controlling the island. Several battles were fought on the riverbanks during the consolidation of the Empire, and during the worst of them it was said the river was "Chi no Kagaribi", a Yanjinese phrase often translated as "afire with blood".

There are many settlements along the Shikumo-gawa, both large and small. The most significant of these is the port city of Ryūguchi, located near the mouth of the river. It is the second-largest port on the island after Wamato, and provides access to the island's interior. Foreign ships are not permitted to sail up the Shikumo-gawa, so goods from abroad are often sold to Yanjin merchants in Ryūguchi, who then bring these to the settlements further inland.

Notable Spirits

The Kami of the Shikumo-gawa is named Ryūmizu-no-Kami, and is one of the most important gods to the people of Kojima. Ryūmizu-no-Kami manifests as an enormous serpentine dragon with rippling blue scales. Long ago, Ryūmizu-no-Kami would often manifest and move about, creating great floods and devastation along the length of the river. The people of Kojima cried out each time the Kami destroyed their crops and their homes, but the Kami paid them no heed. Finally, the first Emperor of Wamato came to the river and approached the Kami directly to ask why Ryūmizu-no-Kami was so often agitated and restless, and to plead for the people who were drowned by their motions. Ryūmizu-no-Kami recognized the Emperor as one descended from the Kami, and replied respectfully that they moved so that the people would know they were there, and would perform the appropriate respects and rites due to a Kami of his stature. The Emperor then suggested that if the rites were performed regularly, perhaps the great flooding and destruction could be omitted, a proposal that Ryūmizu-no-Kami agreed to. And so the Emperor established the Ryūrei no Hasshiki, eight holy rites of the Shikumo-gawa held across the year to honor the Kami of the river. Furthermore, the Emperor promised to attend the first rite of each year, at the beginning of the spring. This is a promise kept by all the emperors since then, who have either attended themselves or sent their heir in their stead each year.