Imperial Lands - The Imperial Palace: The Forbidden City

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The Imperial Palace
In the center of Otosan Uchi, within the enchanted walls of the Ekohikei, Otosan Uchi’s inner districts, lies the Forbidden City: the Emperor’s personal domain, an irregularly shaped piece of land surrounded by its own low but thick and well-defended wall. Only two gates allow passage through this wall: the main gate that the Emperor and their visitors use, and the much smaller Necessary Gate, used by servants and hinin.

Only the Emperor, the Emperor’s immediate family, and the handful of elite samurai who run the Imperial Court are permitted to live within the Forbidden City. The Hantei resides here for eight months out of the year, hosting the Imperial Court and receiving the petitions and requests of the Empire’s citizens. All others, including the guards who defend its walls and the heimin and hinin servants, are required to live outside, entering each day to perform their duties and then leaving

The heart of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Palace, the Emperor’s ancient and magnificent residence, a ten-story keep that is itself larger than many entire castle complexes. It is located atop an artificial plateau known as the Imperial Mound, which it shares with two smaller buildings that are managed by the Otomo and Seppun. Access to the mound is via sever-al ramps. The most prominent ramp, which leads directly to the front gate of the palace, passes beneath a series of huge torii arches and connects to the main elevated road (the so-called Road of the Most High) that the Emperor uses to arrive at and depart from Otosan Uchi

To fully describe the interior of the Imperial Palace would require a book of its own. Every room, every detail, is a masterpiece of aesthetics. The art and architecture are of the greatest possible quality, but also of the most traditional and conservative design; many parts of the palace are completely unchanged from the original structure built in the first century. An army of servants labors day and night to ensure that the palace is always impeccably maintained and perfectly clean; shugenja of the Seppun family conduct daily purification rituals to purge any spiritual contamination, how-ever slight.

Away from the Imperial Mound, the rest of the For-bidden City’s interior is taken up by a sprawling complex of gardens and the official guest homes of the seven Great Clans. Each clan’s delegation to the Imperial Court resides in these guest homes, a supreme honor and one limited to only a handful of samurai. These samurai are among the Empire’s political elite, and they can call on vast resources of favor and support simply by being able to attend the Imperial Court each day.

The gardens are also home to the Temple to Hantei, built by Hantei Genji to commemorate his divine father; it has never needed the slightest maintenance or repair in all the centuries since. The shrine is actually quite small, barely large enough for a single person to stand within. It is located on an island in the largest pond in the gardens and is reached by a single long bridge lined with statues of all the Hantei emperors. As each Emperor dies and ascends into the Heavens, the bridge is redesigned to add another statue.

Winter Customs
Each winter, the Emperor and the Imperial Court depart Otosan Uchi to spend the season with one of the clans. When this happens, the Forbidden City becomes a quiet and empty place, tended for the most part only by servants, guards, and those bureaucrats and functionaries too lowly to accompany the Emperor to Winter Court. A few inhabitants of the guest homes may remain as well, for personal reasons, but this is unusual

Despite this exodus, the Emperor’s home must still be watched over, supervised, and kept pristine for the Hantei’s return in the spring. The responsibility for ensuring this is done is granted to the Miya family. Accordingly, at the beginning of each winter, the Miya daimyō names a set of kanrinin (caretakers) to oversee the Imperial Palace. Typically, these are relatively low-ranking samurai of the Great Clans who have earned the favor of the Miya family in some way. For the duration of the winter, the kanrinin have full authority over the Imperial Palace: they are in charge of not only the servants but also the guards and any samurai residents who remain there. This is not a very exciting duty, consisting mainly of endlessly reviewing the servants’ reports, inspecting the palace and grounds over and over, and overseeing any necessary repairs. How-ever, it is considered very honorable, and performing it successfully can mark the kanrinin as trustworthy samurai who can be granted more significant duties in the future. On the other hand, failing to keep the Emperor’s palace in pristine shape results in an immense loss of honor and face; at minimum, the failed kanrinin are disgraced for life, and they usually commit seppuku to purge their shame. Earthquakes have caused the demise of no few kanrinin over the centuries.

Rumors of the Imperial Palace
A secret door is hidden in the back of the Imperial Court Chamber, allowing the Hantei to enter and leave without notice and even to spy on the court from hiding.

A tunnel connects the Imperial Palace with the caverns and passages beneath Otosan Uchi. If an enemy ever man-aged to capture the Forbidden City, the Emperor could use the tunnels to escape.

The torii arches that stand over the steps to the Imperial Mound are protected by Scorpion wards. Anyone who ascends the steps without an Imperial invitation who is not of Hantei blood becomes hopelessly lost, unable to reach the palace.

Those who fulfill their duty to the Empire receive a great blessing when they visit the Temple to Hantei. One person even vanished from sight, taken up to the Celestial Heavens by Hantei himself.