#devanagara

[singular-yike]

Yello, do you think you can shed some light on the early Japanese Imperial Court and how that may relate to Devanagara? Trying to use google and wikipedia doesn't get me any good results.

Hmm, I'll admit there's not a lot that can be said here, if not purely because of how little we know of the Devanagaran Fujiwara dynasty, but we can still take a look at what connections we can draw.

As a side note though though I must admit that "early Japanese imperial court" is a rather vague term, so I'll just assume that you refer to the period around around the Heian period (794 to 1185), which is when the Fujiwara had the most sway over the court.

Origins of the Fujiwara

The Fujiwara has their origins in the Asuka period (592/593 to 710), with the court official and aristocrat Nakatomi no Kamatari (中臣 鎌足), who played a key role in the Taika Reforms.

Having been knowledge for his efforts, he was granted the new name Fujiwara by the emperor, starting the Fujiwara lineage.

The next major development came in the following Nara period (710 to 794), when the Fujiwara split into four houses:

The Northern House of Fujiwara (藤原北家)

The Southern House of Fujiwara (藤原南家)

The Ceremonials House of Fujiwara (藤原式家)

The Capital House of Fujiwara (藤原京家)

Sesshō and Kampaku

Now we can briefly check out the history of the Japanese imperial court, frankly it's not too important to this discussion, but I'd like to go over two court positions here: Sesshō and Kampaku.

Sesshō

Sesshō (摂政) was a temporary position given to a regent who acted in the stead of an emperor before he came of age or on behalf of the reigning Empress.

Prior to the Heian period, the position of sesshō was never granted to someone outside of the royal lineage.

For example, the first and most famous royal sesshō would be Prince Shōtoku (聖徳太子), who served under Empress Suiko (推古天皇). (Though unlike most cases it's widely believed that Suiko was not powerless, and that she held considerable political power herself.)

Kampaku

The Kampaku (関白) was, in theory, the chief advisor to the Emperor, and is the highest nobility rank. Though as we'll soon see, it's much more than that.

The Fujiwara's Rise to Power

Now we fast forward to the Heian period, where we look at a member of the Northern House of Fujiwara, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa (藤原良房).

Yoshifusa had a grandson who became the 56th Emperor Seiwa, using this tie and his own powerful position in court, he became the first Sesshō who was not a royal himself.

After the Yoshifusa's death, his adoptive son Fujiwara no Mototsune (藤原基経) invented the position of Kampaku, which effectively gave him power to continue acting as regent even after the emperor came of age. Using this position, he acted as regent for Emperor Seiwa, as well as the 3 emperors who would succeed him.

The Fujiwara would continue to maintain strong familial ties with the royal family through marrying their daughters into it, and thus the position of kampaku became an effectively hereditary title, passed down the head of the northern house.

Of course, the Fujiwara's reign by proxy would not last forever and their power would indeed wane, though I don't feel that's too relevant here, so I'll end the history lesson at that.

Fujiwara in Devanagara

It's difficult to speculate, especially since the information comes to us through Clause, but Chouki seems to claim that the Mugneri Taira clan are a branch of the ones from reality that escaped to Mugenri after the Jishō-Juei War (治承・寿永の乱).

Thus we can speculate that perhaps the Mugenri Fujiwara is a branch of the Fujiwara themselves.

Perhaps directly the descendants of the Northern House that decided to prolong their glory by similarly escaping to Mugenri and started their own dynasty, or one of the other branches who tried to use the northern branch as their claim to power in Mugneri.

Either way, it would seem that the Fujiwara cut out the middle-man position once they got into Mugenri, and ruled directly as monarchs themselves.

Other than that, there's not much more I can say that connects our history and that of Devanagara. Perhaps there are minor parallels to be drawn:

Like how the Devanagaran government seems to be modeled after that of the Ritsuryō system (律令制), used during the Heian period

Or how the Great Mirror is named after a historical tale of the same name which covers the golden days of Fujiwara rule.

Ultimately though, there's no major tie that really connect the two outside of the fact that they were both (once) dominated by a Fujiwara lineage, so this is all I have.

Conclusion

Admittedly Japanese history isn't really my forte, compared to Japanese mythology, and of course I'm a professional in neither, so it's more than possible that I've missed something.

Still, I think that should cover the most important link between the two. Anything else would have to wait until we potentially learn more about Devanagara. With any luck, BotC would shed more light on this topic soon~.

As usual, I hope you enjoyed~! :)

[bladxbornx]

"Are we taking vertical height into that equation? Because we have a pretty tight competitor for any towers you have."

With that comment, Aura stands to move towards the front door, retrieving a heavy coat and scarf on the way.

"Well, I think I've taken up enough of both of your time with this interview. What say we head out before the local yuki-onna decides now is a perfect time for a blizzard."

"I guess you have a point there. Never been much into folklore, but if there's any place for a city of sin it aught to be in one kind of hell."

They'd surely be taken aback by certain facts of Gensokyo. But that's for the future and not while a fairy is juggling pointing a gun at 'em or just juggling it.

"Huh really? I guess I'm in the wilds then... But back on topic, if this place doesn't have room for even a small city then you'd definitely gawk at the sights there. Even it alone would be bigger than this place."

[magicalmelancholy-blog1]

Broke: Mitori is awful because they killed all those guys :(

Woke: Mitori is based actually because most of the guys they killed were pretty awful and they plan to implement various reforms that would serve to benefit the people living in Devanagara.

Bespoke: Although Mitori acts towards the benefit of Devanagara, various things betray their more imperialist ideals, such as their lack of care towards those that reside in the Sanctuary, referring to them as "inhuman ones" (while many youkai do reside there, there are a decent amounts of humans living there as well), alongside their continuation of the project to build a large land bridge across the Gloomy Straits, which in effect expands the border of Devanagara to include the Strait and serves to disrupt the livelihoods of those who rely on it for income.

[fryshrimp]

kind of disappointing that the game series' name is so similar to lenin but mitori didn't even turn devanagara communist or anything

[fumitori-forced-me]

Fumikado couldn't let their inexperience and doubt show... Diplomacy was part of an emperor's duties, after all.

"So Mitori... why did I have to come alone? Aren't we talking about how to end the conflict?" Fumikado couldn't mess this up, as In this exact room discussing these exact things, was the place that their parents were murdered.

But there was something diffrent: the people- and the people inside the room wanted very diffrent things.

"Since our last meeting I've been thinking," Mitori said, "and I figured out a way to stop these mock wars from propping up every now and then, and make the needs of both the sancurary and devanagara citizens met- Marry me!"

Fumikado was taken aback by the offer and began thinking, I could complete my goal right here, right now, but Chouki- no not just them, all of the dragonflies- would they accept?

They wouldn't - but I'm already a trator in their eyes, and responded with a "yes."

[maideninorange]

(Fic Request) FumiIyo go out for ice cream.

I put way too much thought into the existence of ice cream within Mugenri for a simple fluff with light angst fic lol. Why am I even surprised, knowing me?

(TW: Just References to Iyo-san's Tragic Past for this one. Because this is me writing this lol. Otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward fluff fic.)

The Ice Cream Merchant

The ice cream merchant only comes around once every five year.

A shadowy legend to children everywhere, the merchant goes from village to village, region to region, distributing a strange cold, sweet cuisine those who had visited them had only called "ice cream". With colder sweets being quite the rarity this far away from Devanagara for the peasantry, the merchant often draws in crowds by the tenfolds. For some, it will be the only time they get to taste anything like it.

...Or at least, that's how Fumikado had described it to them. It was also why Iyozane was not back home lounging around in the river, and instead standing behind a long crowd of children and curious adults.

So far, Iyozane couldn't see what all the fuss was about. This guy looked like just another merchant with their bright and colorful stand, if one that specialized in what may be a pretty rare product. But even with that in mind, they weren't holding their breath.

Merchants are complete and utter parasites, funneling away money that could've gone to hardworking individuals for themselves. And so far, this one seemed to be no different than the rest of the lot. If it weren't for Fumikado's eager pleading, they doubt they'd be here to begin with.

As if sensing Iyozane's silent seething, Fumikado gently nudged them, snapping them out of their straying thoughts. (The fact that their definition of "gently" sent them a few sun forward probably helped with that too.)

"Look, I know you don't like merchants, but this guy isn't like those other parasites, I promise! Their treats are to die for!"

"...So far, all I'm seeing is gaudy colors and lots of children. Feels kinda shady to me. And what is this 'ice cream' treat, anyway?"

"One of the best things you'll ever taste! So come on! Trust me! When's the last time I was irresponsible with our funds anyway?"

Just last week, with the "brilliant" idea to spend hundreds on an expensive shawl I saw. It wasn't even made of real gold! Iyozane wanted to say, but by the time they opened their mouth, Fumikado had already taken off.

...And by the cries of children that just rang out, right into the middle of the line. Iyozane let out a loud, put-upon sigh as they trudged after them.

"Sorry..." They mumbled towards the angry people now behind them, tugging their haori closer. It was the least they could offer, knowing how rude and impatient their boss can be. That sort of thing tended to make people angry, didn't it?

When it wasn't done by a royal it seemed, so some of their siblings had claimed every now and then to them in a past as distant as a bad memory. But Iyozane wasn't a royal anymore. They didn't even get to indulge that privilege even once before they lost it.

The dark thought washed over them like a plague. They turned to berate them for cutting in line, as the alternative was letting it weigh on their mind. But then Fumikado beamed at them, and the poison died from their lips.

"You're gonna love it Iyozane! I promise! I know all the best flavors!" They reassured them, "Trust me! I am the seer of ice cream!"

Considering Fumikado's track record when it comes to foresight, that did not inspire the confidence they had intended such a statement would. Still, it was a little hard to be overcome with dread when their strong and dignified boss is bouncing on their heels like a giddy little kid.

Okay, incredibly hard actually. It was hard to stay nervous with them behaving like that. Iyozane lowered their head, looking at the ground and their wobbly feet, the tension eased slightly from their shoulder.

Perhaps it was from Fumikado skipping ahead in line, perhaps it was their own thoughts siphoning away the time, but it felt like Iyozane had only blinked before they were both at the front of the line. They had to rub their eyes at the feeling when they were suddenly met with the sight of the bright pink wooden counter.

Fumikado held up a couple fingers to the smiling person behind the counter, "A box of mochi please! Give us chocolate, vanilla, and matcha for Iyozane here!"

The merchant nodded, "Coming right up. Your enthusiasm is much appreciated, but next time, please wait your turn. You might make the much more patient children cry."

"Oh." They glanced nervously behind themself, as if to check. Iyozane couldn't help but follow their gaze, as they so often did. The children directly behind them looked more annoyed than anything. But it seemed even the mere thought was enough weight on Fumikado's conscience, as they swiftly turned back to bow apologetically, "...My bad!"

The merchant gave a light chuckle, holding out a small basket full of little mochi. Woah, that was fast!

"It's alright! Just remember for the future."

Fumikado tilted their head forward as they took the basket with both hands, "Will do!"

The merchant waved them off, and just like that their little trip to such an odd merchant stand was over.

Iyozane didn't stop reeling until Fumikado found them a nice bench to sit on. They then tilt the basket forward so they can see.

"Go on! Try one! I stake a claim upon one of the chocolate ones!"

Iyozane looked the mochi over. They saw brown, green, and white at its bottom. They could tell the green ones were obviously the matcha ones, and Fumikado plucking up a brown one indicated it was the chocolate flavor. So the white ones were this "vanilla" flavor? They're kinda curious about that one, actually...

Fumikado popped the chocolate mochi into their mouth, "...Mm!!! I missed you, chocolate!"

Iyozane chuckled a little at this display. They've actually never got the opportunity to try anything with the label of "chocolate" before now. In the distant past, they only heard it in passing. Mitori had told them extensively about it in such a way that left their mouth watering. None of their wardens attendants would let them try it, saying it will rot their perfect teeth or make them sick. They weren't allowed to eat any sweets, actually. But chocolate especially.

But the present is not the past. They are no longer a lonely bird in a cage, yearning to experience the horizons beyond their window. They are a free person (if an indebted one), and able to decide for themself what to put in their own body. And if that thing rots their teeth or makes them sick?

Then let it!!!

And before they could let it stop them, Iyozane reaches into the basket, takes a green mochi between their fingers, and takes a large bite.

...Bliss.

It was definitely cold to the touch, but it was very sweet, like all the green teas they were familiar with. A touch of bitterness, which balances out the sweetness. It hurt their teeth to chew, but it was absolutely worth it.

Iyozane heard a chuckle beside them, "I take it you like the matcha flavor?"

They swallowed, smiling earnestly now, "...Guess so! Wasn't expecting it to be so cold though."

"Well duh! It's called ice cream, you dummy! It would probably be called somethin' like fire cream if it was hot!"

Iyozane rolled their eyes, "That is the worst name for a sweet I've ever heard."

"Well, I personally think it sounds pretty cool myself!" Fumikado huffed.

"Whatever makes you feel better," was all Iyozane had to say to that, directly before popping the rest of the mochi into their mouth.

Wowie...They had no idea how they went their whole life without experiencing this. How many sweets have they missed out on? How many people even got to try anything like this, knowing how unreliable Fumikado can be at times?

As if reading their mind, Fumikado leaned back, inhaling a matcha mochi they plucked up when Iyozane wasn't paying attention, "Rumor has it that the ice cream merchant is from the Outside World. Brought this sweet with, and now goes around Mugenri selling it."

"Mm," Iyozane nodded in agreement. They go for a so-called "vanilla" mochi. They took a bite as Fumikado continued.

"I can't remember who told me that rumor. Probably a servant some long time ago... but either way I knew we couldn't miss this! A shame Tsugumi didn't want to come..."

"For a rumor, it certainly has some merit to it, with a merchant stand looking like that," Iyozane pointed over at the stand in question, swallowing the rich sweet iciness in their mouth. In the distance, children rotated in and out of the line for the garish pink stand. Some clutched upside-down cone shaped cookies with brightly colored, larger versions of the filling within their own mochis.

"Hm...Good point, my dear servant! I suppose even a moron can be right every now and then."

Please don't confuse me for yourself. We walked past this stand three times trying to look for it, Iyozane sneered inwardly, too busy finishing off their vanilla mochi to actually jeer.

Not that it mattered for too much longer, for Fumikado's next words nearly made their heart leap out of their chest, "But I digress! Thanks again for coming with me today, Iyozane! It really means a lot to me!"

Iyozane had to do a double take at that. Fumikado? Sincerely thanking someone? Not their odd roundabout way of showing gratitude? They never thought they'd see the day.

In fact, Iyozane isn't used to gratitude like this at all. In another life, all of those suffocating expectations were just that: expectations. You were supposed to fulfill them, or otherwise be punished. Also, Fumikado is their boss. If anything, a lack of gratitude was to be expected.

So with that in mind, one could certainly pardon Iyozane for their flustered reaction. They fan themself with their hand, sweat beading down their forehead, and thankful the blazing heat of summer disguised their anxiety well. Although, their voice probably gave it away when they heard themself stammer a smidge:

"Uh...You-You're welcome, Fumikado-san. I mean...it's not like I had much else to do today, right?"

Scratch that. They sounded very, very nervous to their own ears. Not good not good not good-

However, if Fumikado noticed, they certainly didn't say anything. They just crossed their leg, rubbing the back of their head as if nervous themself.

"N-No! I really mean it! Whenever I got the chance to visit the ice cream merchant here, old Pops, may he rest in peace, never let me go with anyone. Well, it's not like I had many to go with to begin with. Just Chouki, but..."

Their pointy ears twitch, like most youkai do when anxious. Unbelievable. But like...in a good way? Fumikado sounded in over their head over taking them to somewhere as simple as the marketplace, and yet Iyozane couldn't help but find it weirdly endearing in its own way. The way they chuckle awkwardly was doing strange, terrible things to their heart and makes their legs go weak, and they couldn't begin to comprehend why.

They hid it well, in their opinion. They just raised an eyebrow, saying, "So you're saying you're lonely?"

"Not lonely!" they huff, "Just...in need of companionship for this very special occasion is all!"

"...So lonely?"

"No!!! You're utterly impossible sometimes, Iyozane!"

Iyozane had to cackle a bit at that. "Why of course I am. If I wasn't, we wouldn't get anything done. We'd probably still be terribly lost right now if it weren't for me."

"Don't be so arrogant. I'm the one in charge, remember?"

"Then act like it."

"Okay! Sheesh. Even emperors make mistakes, don't they?"

There was no malice in either's words. Iyozane felt a wide grin had graced their face, and Fumikado was beaming equally as much. They both laugh once more.

"Why yes. Yes they do. Would appreciate if you had a better sense of direction somedays though," Absentmindedly, Iyozane reaches into the basket for the last mochi.

And that's when, ever so suddenly, fingers, big and slightly sharp from retracted talons, brushed against their own. Iyozane let out a small yelp of surprise as they both grabbed for the little sweet, raising it up.

"Oh...Uh, whoops?" Fumikado offered awkwardly, shrugging.

It took a moment for Iyozane to respond. They were too busy staring at the chocolate mochi between their hands. If they moved just the wrong way, they could easily end up gripping Fumikado's hand instead. The thought didn't quite disturb them as much as they'd expect it to.

"Um...It's the last one...I've never had chocolate anything before..." they eventually mumble, looking away.

"Seriously?! Not even a little chip?!"

"No. Locked away for most of my life, remember?" Iyozane gently chided.

"Oh right! Uh...So how about we share it then?"

"Share it?" Iyozane parroted back at them. They looked back over to see Fumikado tug at the mochi between their fingers.

"Yeah! I get half, you get half! Think of it as generosity on my part, as a token of appreciation."

"You just want me to try chocolate, don't you?"

"And so what if I do? It's a crime against sweets for you to never have even tried it!"

That sounded like something Mitori would say as they attempted to slip them some. The guards would always catch them back then, alas.

But that was then and this is now. And right now, that sounded delightful. Iyozane nodded, their hand clenching the wooden bench beneath their hand.

And then they split the last mochi in two and ate their respective halves. The taste made all the needless struggle all the more worth it.

"...So what did you think? Was it everything you expected?" Fumikado asked, their mouth still full.

Iyozane waited a moment as they swallowed. It...wasn't quite how Mitori had built the taste up to be (though it could just be because it is cold), but it was well worth it in the end. It almost melted in their mouth, even (albeit rather literally).

"Hm...I'd say so! Can definitely see why Mitorin always loved the stuff now, at least."

"Oh come on! No shock and awe at the taste?" Fumikado pleaded.

They shook their head, "What were you expecting? I'm nowhere near as dramatic as you typically are, you know that."

"Why excuse you!!! I'm as expressive as an emperor should be!" They crossed their arms, pouting.

"Which is really dramatic apparently, but who am I to judge?" Iyozane couldn't help their snicker at the aggravated shout Fumikado let out at that, proving their point.

But that's Fumikado for you. Loud, boisterous, and more than a little dense. There's a certain charm to them though. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stuck with them as long as they have. Still doesn't explain the heart racing whenever they see them smile like that though.

But that's a question for another day. The two just chattered and babbled amongst themselves until the sun set and they had to head home. It wasn't a very interesting story, in Iyozane's mind, but it was well worth it all the same. Tsugumi had missed out! And neither of them could wait to tell them all the ways how.

Psst! Hey! I'm taking requests now! Feel free to drop one in my inbox after reading the rules here (might need to go on desktop first though)!

[maideninorange]

The ink youkai rolled their eyes at this. Nevertheless, they took a step towards her, a hand, its talons stained black with ink, coming up to stroke her chin.

Maki kicked at them, arms straining against the grip of the bizarre youkai that ambushed her. But it did nothing to keep the claw from trailing up her chin, the strange eye on its owner's top hat squinting oh so slightly along with their actual eyes as they study her.

"...Yeah she's cute. Cute in that sort of sick puppy way. You know? Where you can't help but pity it?" Ink trails up her sides as the youkai pinches her ribs, drawing a whimper out of her, "She's not even very meaty. Barely enough for just one of us. How could you expect both of us to eat her?"

"Who said we had to eat her? I mean look at her! She's so cute! She'd make a great pet, wouldn't she?"

"And then we'd have to take care of all her needs and make sure she doesn't escape. Ugh, that's too much effort..." The ink youkai bemoaned, like that idea wasn't the reason for her beginning to hyperventilate and that they were seriously considering it, "Besides, you'd just get bored of her after a day and then it'd be my responsibility. And if we can't eat her, than what's the point?"

The arms currently hoisting Maki off the ground begin to... flicker weirdly, like one of those electric lights they have in Devanagara when it begins to malfunction. It sent chills up her spine as they begin to wail.

"Bu-But she's so cute!!! Pleaaaase Tsuba? You won't even know she's there!" Pleaaaasase!!!"

"That's what you say every single time you find anything cute. And guess what? I always notice when you inevitably lose all interest in caring for it." They pinch their temple, like they and the... abomination behind them were arguing over a stray puppy, "For the last time no! Just throw her back. Or kill her. I don't care anymore. She was your catch anyway, Yabusame."

Yabusame... Like a shock to the system, the name ignites another round of air slipping and sliding through her lungs. If the nickname didn't do it, this name did.

Yabusame and Tsubakura...They were the priests that went mad and became youkai not even a century back, weren't they? Her father had always taken care to warn her to watch for them when she first became a merchant. So to know the youkai with her life in their hands were them...

Maki began to scream. She was then swiftly shut up by the mind numbing abomination of a bird youkai, Yabusame, thrusting a hand over her mouth.

The ink youkai, Tsubakura, covered their ears, turning in favor of her now busted cart, "Annnnd now you've broken her. Great. Just great. I'm gonna go do something useful and check if she has any ink anywhere. Come after me once you finish with her."

And with that, they strutted off. At least her horse got away. She always liked him...

"If I can't keep her, and Tsuba and I can't eat her, hm..."

But then Yabusame flickered in front of her, their hand taking a moment to shift to something more... humanly plausible, and Maki knew her time was up. She gulped at the bored frown fading to something more... playful. A very sinister sort of playful.

"I know! I'll just put you with all the other critters I've collected! Then you can always be around to play with me~!"

Maki wanted to ask what they meant by that. However, she never the chance to. The next thing she knew, the ground was gone and so was their grip on her. The last thing she saw was their perky little wave as if they were actual friends.

Then, she was falling, and the only thing she was aware of was the darkness and her own screams.

“Ugh, stop playing with your food.”

“But look at them,” the creature purred. “They’re so cute. Delicious.”

Delicious swallowed hard.

[thetwincranes-blog]

Mugenri Fact of the Day 3:

Devanagara's red smoke tastes like cough syrup cherry

[rabbit-of-mugenri]

Hm... Mitorin thoughts? Also, feel free to spam my askbox too!

Mitorinrin~

To the people of Devanagara, Mitori is a good emperor. Much better than the last one.

They rule not with an iron fist, but rather as a guiding hand. The quality of living has gone up thanks to the laws that were passed under their name. Yet they are not so soft as to be a pushover; those who show aggression towards the betterment of Devanagara are met with swift resistance.

Yes, Mitori is adored by their people. Just how they want it. For the people would not stand for a childish, violent emperor.

It's funny. Mitori shows great wisdom, and in many wise they are quite wise. But dig deep, deep down, and you find a child throwing a tantrum over not getting first place.

It's a side that Mitori hates, a side that doesn't make for a good emperor. But it spills out sometimes, and they find blood on them that isn't theirs.

One day, they discovered a loophole to this. What if that person they killed was meant to die? What if, for the betterment of Devanagara, some people had to die?

And their subjects applauded, approving of their methods. The blood of those slain shall pave the way to the new empire!

Sometimes they have dreams, and in those dreams Iyozane is there. They tell them that it isn't their fault. They wake up in tears.

[singular-yike]

JynX mentioned that Buddhism is important to the Devanagara Royal Family. What sort of assumptions would someone from Japan make about the Royal Family (the customs, operations, ect) based on that?

(I know you're not Japanese but you do know Japanese mythology stuff and religion is kinda close to that, right? Sorry in advance if this question is too tricky, I'm just really interested in what could potentially be some lost common sense assumptions.)

Buddhism and Devanagara Court Culture

This is quite the tricky question, and there's a lot of history to go through, ones that I'm not all too familiar with. So all I can promise is that I'll try to find what I can.

What We Have in Canon

On Buddhism's Relationship With the Devangaran Court

I assume you're drawing from this question in the 2021 interview with JynX (Q117), which, I should clarify actually states the reverse of what you've mentioned.

Q: How strong exactly is the dominance of Buddhism in Devanagara? Does it have a privileged position established in the law? Are other religions accepted by the capital's residents? A: Buddhism doesn't really hold anyone in a special position outside of the sovereign family (imperial family), although the Department of Divinities and such do exist. Other religions are accepted as well, rather similar to modern Japan.

It says that "Buddhism treats the Imperial family specially", rather than the other way around, that "the Imperial family treats Buddhism specially".

Still, it's absolutely not a stretch to say that it's likely for Buddhism to be intertwined with a lot of the court's proceeding either, especially considering the numerous references to Buddhism in Devanagara as a whole.

Buddhism and Devangara as a Whole

So, let's first take a quick look at what we already have regarding connections between the two, which are mainly twofold:

One, the Imperial family seems rather fond of using Sanskrit, which is largely tied to Buddhism in Japan, we have:

Devanagara (Unclear, possibly देवनगर): "Holy Capital", also found on the Fujiwara dynasty's crown

Rudhira (रुधिर): "Blood"

Dhanya Nakta (धन्यनक्त): "Fortunate/Blissful Night""

To be clear, we aren't sure if the Devanagarans actually named the Rudhira, though considering they named both their capital and state-run casino in Sanskrit, its safe to say that they're quite fond of the language.

Two, Buddhism and the architecture of Devangara are closely related.

For one, buildings of religious and historical significance are preserved despite the rapid modernisation, this no doubt includes the Buddhist buildings of Devanagara, most notable the Pagoda of the Heavenly Mirror.

And secondly, the capital's popular architectural style seems to be styled after the pagoda of Buddhist origins, said to imitate the building in which the Buddha's remains, called śarīra.

Below: The common Devanagaran skyscraper and the Hōryū Temple's five-story pagoda, the oldest one of its kind in the world.

What the Audience is Meant to Take Away

To close off the first section, let's take a look at what I think (and I do stress "think", I'm not Japanese after all) JynX intended for the audience to take away from all this.

Firstly, I think you can be at ease that there's not much the average audience is really intended to "get", outside of making the observation that Devangara is heavily inspired by Buddhism.

Buddhist practices are of course very well known and observed in Japan, though I don't think you could quite extend this to mean that they'd know the religion in a very in-depth sense.

In other words, everyone, Japanese or overseas, is gonna have to do (perhaps even copious) amounts of research to really get JynX's elaborate references, so no worries there, we're all in the same, very confusing boat.

Secondly though, as far as I can tell, Buddhism seems to inform the aesthetic undertones of the city and its culture, but it does not seem to inform the city's system of government.

Why is Buddhism Not a Clue?

So this is turning out to be rather sour, isn't it? I do apologise for that. Still, there is more to go, and we can start with how I came to this conclusion:

What we now know as "Japanese Buddhism" and "Shinto" used to be very closely intertwined, almost treated as one thing.

Buddhism was introduced during the late Kofun period (552 to 538), and by the Asuka period (592/593 to 710) it had already been widely accepted by both the people and the imperial court.

While the specific details may vary, the two belief systems came to linked together as one, this is referred to by scholars as shinbutsu-shuugo (神仏習合), the "syncretism of kami and buddhas".

This lasted from the Asuka period, all the way up to the Meiji period, during the Meiji restoration.

Specifically, the Meiji government issued the Kami and Buddhas Separation Order (神仏判然令) in 1868, leading to the shinbutsu-bunri (神仏分離), the "separation of kami and buddhas", ending almost 1300 years of the two religions being treated as one.

The point of this story, is to realise that we're trying to retroactively and anachronistically apply a modern category of "Japanese Buddhism" onto a court system clearly modelled after that of Asuka or Heian era Japan.

As Buddhism and Shinto freely mixed back then, practices are rarely able to be traced back to either one specifically, or rather, it is because of this very mix that Japan's many unique customs and observances emerged.

In other words, JynX is able to be really creative and selective with what he wants Devanagara to be like. He could apply what has nowadays been extracted out of the old syncretistic system as Japanese Buddhism and simply apply that onto Devanagara.

Alternatively, he could get creative and mix in other elements as well. We actually already have one such example of this, the writing of Sanskrit in Devanagari.

Japan never adopted the writing of Sanskrit in its native script(s) (various Brahmi scrips back then), but rather, they either transliterated Sanskrit terms into kanji characters or simply translated the terms based on meaning (more often than not by borrowing their Chinese counterparts).

Yet we see, on the Fujiwaran crown for example, that Devangara in fact uses modern day Devanagari to write Sanskrit. How widespread this is in Devanagara is of course unknown, but its certainly something that you wouldn't find with Japan.

Why Buddhism is a Clue

I know I just did a whole thing explaining why Buddhism doesn't really work as a clue for us to figure out more about Devangara, let alone its court, but that's not entirely true either.

The information we have in canon about Buddhism and Devangara indeed doesn't tell us much, but we can use Buddhism's major presence in Devanagara as a small piece of a much bigger puzzle, and through it figure out what Devangara's imperial court could be mirrored after.

Ending

However, I do think that this answers the original questions.

"What is the average Japanese audience supposed to glean about the imperial family from the Buddhism's heavy presence in Devanagara?"

Honestly, nothing special. It doesn't tell us much about the imperial family at all, perhaps other than that they likely hold Buddhist beliefs as well.

Rather, it could tell us, if only a small bit, about the general culture surrounding Buddhism in Devangara. It's the main religion of the city, informing much of the city's culture and aesthetics, and it's highly respected by even the ruling class.

I think I'll also make a companion post to this one, explaining what one might be able to glean about Devangara's government using its ties to Buddhism as a clue.

I do apologise for ending it on a sour note, that this line of thinking just goes nowhere, but that is the conclusion I came to, and I'd like to be honest about it.

On a brighter note though, I must thank you for the ask regardless! It is precisely during my research for this post that I realised that the capital's ties to Buddhism can be used to further learn about its basis as a whole!

I hope the follow up will kinda make up for this one being a downer.

I do admit that even then it won't bring us much about the day-to-day culture of the imperial family though, since so much of court culture was dependant on religion and influence from China, Devangara is rather hard to apply it all to.

But until then, I hope you enjoyed this one all the same~! :)

[boquitaspintadas]

despite having lots and lots of stuff to do, I ended up making a Len'en themed Inktober prompt list. Len'entober, if you will.

Day 1 - Stage 1

Day 2 - Protagonists

Day 3 - Stage 2

Day 4 - Friends

Day 5 - Stage 3

Day 6 - Senri Shrine

Day 7 - Stage 4

Day 8 - Shrine Road

Day 9 - Stage 5

Day 10 - Enemies

Day 11 - Stage 6

Day 12 - Danmaku

Day 13 - Extra Stage

Day 14 - Devanagara

Day 15 - Extra+a

Day 16 - Main Antagonist

Day 17 - Evanescent Existence

Day 18 - Favorite Human

Day 19 - Earthen Miraculous Sword

Day 20 - Favorite Youkai

Day 21 - Reactivate Majestical Imperial

Day 22 - Favorite Duo

Day 23 - Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle

Day 24 - Favorite Stage

Day 25 - Book Of The Café

Day 26 - Favorite Theme

Day 27 - Emergency Everyday

Day 28 - Favorite Fight

Day 29 - Monochrome World

Day 30 - Favorite Character

Day 31 - Free!

[unrealworld-of-mugenri]

"We advise you not to go to a dreary place like an old hell or Hastur's domain. They are filled with dangerous youkai and backwards traditions. Instead, how about you come to Devanagara?"

[flawlessandmonochrome]

Continued from...

“Ooooooh, okay~ Well that’s pretty simple, actually; there isn’t any if you aren’t planning on living in Devanagara. Just find a spot here in Sanctuary and settle in~”

“Though after that whole thing with Whirligig, folk have been a bit tense.”

[dailyiyozane]

Daily Iyo Thoughts Until There's More Fan Content In The Queue #6

Speaking of Iyozane and memories though (referring to an ask from yesterday), I feel like their memories of the palace are pretty shit. They probably had a lot of stress and pent up emotions to deal with, so it only makes sense that their brain wasn't really focused on retaining anything, and honestly I feel like they spent a lot of time in autopilot mode.

Do you think the term "autopilot" exists Mugenri? Do you think Devanagara has planes? JynX stated in an interview that there are cars (though they aren't as common as in the outside world). I wonder if planes exist in a similar vein. Maybe helicopters? I think it would be very cool if helicopters existed somewhere in Mugenri. Iyozane would look very cool riding one~

[lesbian-harpy]

I've come to make an announcement:

Suzumi Kuzu's a bitch ass motherfucker. They pissed on my fucking mom. That's right, they took their edgy fucking quilly dick(?) out and they pissed on my fucking mom and they said their dick was "THIS BIG" and I said "that's disgUSTING".

So I'm making a callout post on my twitter dot com: Suzumi Kuzu, you got a small dick, it's the size of this walnut except way smaller. And guess what? Here's what my dong looks like.

*flash-bomb sounds*

That's right baby, all points, no power-ups, no spell-cards, look at that it looks like two balls and ink (?).

They pissed on my mom so guess what? I'm gonna fuck Mugenri. That's right, this is what you get,

MY SUPER MONOCHROME RAY PISS.

Except I'm not pissing on Mugenri, I'm gonna go higher,

I'M PISSING ON THE BARRIERRRRR.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT SENRI??? I PISSED ON THE BARRIER YOU IDIOT!

You have twenty-three hours before the piss drop-el-ets hit fucking Devanagara, now get out of my fucking sight, before I piss on you too.

(based on this:

https://mobile.twitter.com/zarochan1/status/1193496248013205507)

[arrivemedi]

The Heart of Devanagara