While power resides in Toko Mitshuide’s voice, the clans govern the territories in his name, drawing upon the power his approval confers upon them to protect the go-wa and see that the residents who fall under their clan’s banner flourish Seijitoshi.
The Go-wa are not ‘clan nations’ or ‘clan states’, though a traveller may well say they are walking through Funkazan territory, or entering Yasei woodland. The clans tend to operate to a lesser and greater degree in each of the Go-wa, with Funkazan forges throughout the land, and Kumo smoke houses to be found in every major city.
It is important to remember that to displease the Emperor is to risk his wrath. What he gives, he can easily take away, humbling even the most powerful of clans and stripping them of all wealth and power should they dare displease him. Many a minor clan has found themselves poorer than dirt having fallen afoul of the Emperor’s temper, and even the largest and most powerful are wary of displeasing Toko Mitsuhide, lest they fall foul of a similar fate.
But not every clan thrives in the pursuit of power. The notable exceptions are the scholars of the Kioku, who have no real interest in the petty machinations of man, and would rather devote their existance to understanding the past, and the seafaring Aranami who refuse to recognise the right of the other clans to impose their ‘laws’ upon them and recognize only the voice of Toko Mitsuhide to rule over them.
The five Go-wa are:
Seijitoshi – Glade of blossoms
Senhonō – The thousand flames
Jiyūriku – The Freelands
Sorakurai – Heaven’s Throne
Mugenmori – The Endless Forest