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What is Yamatai's religious makeup?

Doshii Jun

Doshii Jun

Perpetual player
Retired Staff
A quick search for religion brought up two topics that referenced religions within the Yamataian culture.

As you can see, the first isn't so helpful -- Fred says that Yamataian culture disdains religion, which promotes the ease of transferring bodies.

In the second one though, we get this idea from Wes that Yamatai has religion much like early 13th-centry Japan had -- A Shinto-esque religion of nature spiritualism, some Buddhist-like polytheism, ancestor worship (probably in the Chinese fashion?) and some rare monotheistic sect.

I can imagine the Shinto religion to be an extention of modern Shinto, along with the Buddhism. But the ancestor worship and the monotheistic sect -- what about them?

I know of the Temple of Chiharu and one of my characters references Chiharu sometimes. But I must admit ignorance, as I don't know how else it works on Yamatai. Is it safe to say it works like the Wikipedia article?

I'm just curious about the monotheistic sect. Thanks in advance, folks.
 
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I noticed your characters started making references to "Chiharu-sama" after the NH-18 Kotori clone mentioned it to the Lorath High Priest.

For the sake of reference... the NH-18 was lying through her teeth to appeal to the Lorath priest. She couldn't have cared less about Chiharu and could have had pretty much have made up the story - I based that on Kotori being aware that Chiharu had indeed had a temple dedicated to her *shrugs*

Kotori herself isn't religious in the least. I admit my impression of Yamatai not being fond of religion is mostly based off Rufus immense dislike of religious nuts (like *cough* Yosef) - but Rufus is Nepleslian and might not have the same views as the typical Yamataian.

Additionally, one thing to take into account is that on the old boards, dead characters tended to not quite entirely be dead. Kai Ashigari was a notorious example: you kill the guy and his spirit would stay around, gain something like omniscience and then would start talking to people whom were close to him (like Keiko and Amaya). This seemed to stretch even to the point of outright 'possession' with Chiharu occasionally. There was more than one passing reference of Chiharu's spirit floating about some events concerning Michiko.

I think a more recent case of spiritual communication was when Kenji Ashigari and Kohana were assasinated. Kenji's spirit when to see Kai's and told him how he died, causing the other to want to expose Kenji's malefactors to the public (which led to SAINT terminating him and Elena).

This power even the dead spirit have could very well have been the basis to stuff such as the Temple of Chiharu, though I think by now the Temple is really just a monument more than anything else. The new ESP rules makes me positive whatever power spirits once held in the SARP is pretty much gone.
 
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To be fair, I'd made mentions of Chiharu before that Sakura mission. I think Yukari really made mention beginning at the Iori.

I'm actually reading through the old boards now -- I'll be reading more later after work -- but as the History tells us, yeah, characters had a hard time dying. But I wouldn't think that's the basis for a religion -- how would the public know Chiharu was so hard to kill? I figured it was on her great deeds in the Star Army as well as some help from Yui that created her "religion."

I don't care about the power spirits have anymore, honestly. I'm just looking for a little information on the religions themselves.
 
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I can only speak for my own characters when I talk about this, so...

Yaichiro is a hair more religious than most seem to be, believing in "souls" in a somewhat more expanded sense than standard brain data. He isn't necessarily religious, but he believes there is something beyond the understanding of current science at work. Of course, this has the side effect of believing he is 'soulless' because of his own condition, unlike ST backups of people who have already died, which, when used, allow the new body to obtain the souls of the departed and start where they left off. Yaichiro's 'soul' is tied up in Yuji's living body at this point, from his view.

Toshiro is even more religious than that, and while not a specific religion, believes in intelligent design and potentially a higher power or super-advanced "seeder race". He is somewhat critical of coincidence, and believes in fate to a point, though he sees the final outcome to be the choices of the participants involved.
 
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I want to point out what Kai did was unique to him and should not be done by anyone else. And if you didn't notice it only happened to those he knew or were emotionally tied to. In fact I'm surprised nepleslia hasn't done anything about the announcement about the higher ups on yamatai
 
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Sorry Tyler... but spirits have been around - spirits other than Kai. I wasn't there, but I can read well enough. You're discounting what happened with Chiharu.

As for only Kai being able to do it... I am moved to wry amusement. On one hand, it sounds like you are saying "people don't do that in the SARP anymore" and on the other hand you seem to be saying "only Kai was cool enough to be able to do that".
 
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No no Fred what i'm saying is that the only reason he was able to was because of his intense psionic ability and the fact he died then came back. It opened a weird state of medium. And I am warning people not to try it because I know how much it grated the mods and wes' nerves when I did it.
 
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I wonder if you remeber Chisou, She made mention to god a lot. Mainly because people kept doing stupid things (in her opinion).

And seriously, She's haunting the Sakura. You guys killed her, without even asking permission!
 
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It seems to be a rather solid knowledge in Yamatai that there is no afterlife. Prime tenets of christiancy rest on this. I'm not sure it'd survive intact.

For example: there are no such thing as ghost or haunts. It's probably a Mishhu ;)
 
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Judaism certainly - a minority gourp of jews should exist.
Islam - Good idea. Make some.
Buddhism - Slightly younger faith, but some of the principles are likely to have been absorbed into SA.
Greek God's - no ones seriously worshiped them for 1700 years. Despite my love of them.
 
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Actually that's not a bad idea.

Hinduism should probably also have a connection - I see that as fringe Yamataian. I don't think we've ever had an Indian character.

But Christianity - that has the versatility to be a faith in both Empires, and even infiltrate other cultures - it's good at that. Of course the beliefs can be changed a little:

For example the Bible would no longer exist. Little is known about the facts of Jesus' life or the early Church, in fact nothing really pre Nepleslia. However the beliefs in a vaguer form and in general saying from Jesus would remain. And the works of a apologists.

You also get great scope for heresies - no faith has had more.
 
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I'll be honest and say that my character's religion comes from David Weber's Mutineer's Moon series. In those novels, they make references to a "Maker" and a "Breaker". Thus, Lucas believes that Maker (being God) is the creator of the universe(s) and Breaker (being the Devil) is the destroyer of all things. Slight Christian values come to play in this "religion" such as good people go to back to their Maker, evil people go to Breaker...etc. Lucas, however, believes "good and evil" are all a matter of perspective, and that man has made them up in order to justify certain acts of...whatever.

The books never really gave the religion a name, so...until such time as it may or may not be acceptable, Lucas' religion is just going to be his and his family's.
 
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