Aru Province

Aru Province was a daimyate and province of the nation of Wa, situated on the island of Tsukishima and based around the town of Aru, its capital.

Geography
Aru Province lay in the northern part of Tsukishima, where it was dominated by the Ikuyu Mountains. The province included many of the rugged passes through these mountains.

The Aru was a small river that supplied the area with fresh water. It gave its name to the province.

The Isle of Devils was also under the jurisdiction of Aru Province, which it was nearest to on the mainland.

History
The area was originally part of Jasuga Province, until Wa Year 1608 (1190 DR), when shogun Eiko officially recognized the growing settlement around the Shining Temple of Bishamon and named it "Aru" after the Aru river. Furthermore, he decreed Aru the capital of the new Aru Province (cleaved off Jasuga Province) and appointed Arata Matsutomo, head of the completely loyal Matsutomo clan, as its first daimyo; the Matsutomos dutifully relocated to Aru. Arata served ably for two decades, until Wa Year 1627 (1209 DR), when bandits aided by unidentified supernatural creatures (tengu being one possibility) massacred a large pilgrim train in one of the mountain passes with Aru Province. The shogun reprimanded Arata for this failure of security. The next year, Arata's samurai guarded the next pilgrim train, but they too were attacked and slaughtered to a man. The shogun removed Arata and the Matsutomos from power.

Next, the daimyate went to Sousuke Toda, of the newly arrived Toda clan. Sousuke led well and Aru enjoyed a decade of peace. When Sousuke died in a hunting accident, his 17-year-old son Eiji became daimyo; he was eager to do well but inexperienced. The following three years saw resurgent bandits devastate the pilgrim trains, though shogun Takahiro forgave Eiji because of his age and inexperience. Then, in Wa Year 1640 (1222 DR), a foreign raiding party (possibly from Shou Lung) made it through the daimyo's defenses to Aru's outskirts and razed part of the Eta District. This failure was too great and Eiji was removed.

The shogun returned Aru to the Matsutomo clan, now under Koji Matsutomo. A weak man, Koji was liked by peasants but hated by rival nobles who'd moved to Aru. He survived two attempted coups in Wa Years 1645 (1227 DR) and 1649 (1231 DR), and thereafter focused only on protecting himself and his clan. As a result, he neglected Aru Province's administration and corruption got out of control. When in Wa Year 1652 (1234 DR) the annual shipment of tax payments at Uwaji was 30% less than reported on the manifest, Koji was removed.

Next, the daimyate passed to Seiji Kubahachi; the Kubahachi clan ruled well for two generations. However, the third daimyo, Koji Kubahachi, was cruel and vindictive. In Wa Year 1713 (1295 DR), when he levied a special tax to pay for castle improvements and a certain fishing village fell short, Koji killed every inhabitant, razed it, salted the earth, and did the same to two neighboring villages, insisting they must been aware of a plot to defraud him. In Wa Year 1717 (1299 DR), two ninjas infiltrated Aru disguised as pilgrims and tried to assassinate Koji. They were killed in the attack, Koji couldn't identify who hired them, and in revenge and as a message to his unknown enemy, he executed every one of the pilgrims in the train. At this excess, shogun Masanori removed Koji both from office and from the mortal world.

The daimyate went back to the Matsutomos. Vowing to do better, Masakito Matsutomo was efficient and enlightened, if strict, but too old to reign for long. He died in Wa Year 1725 (1307 DR) and was succeeded by his son, Hisao. Hisao lacked his father's wisdom and corruption flourished in Aru Province again. Many of his advisors established their own "business interests", most egregiously charging pilgrims a "visitation fee" to worship at the Shining Temple of Bishamon. When the shogun heard of his violation of tradition, the Matsutomos were removed again in Wa Year 1730 (1312 DR).

The next daimyo was Takashi Yayazato. He ruled ably, but his three sons all died tragically, leaving him with no male heirs to succeed him when he died in Wa Year 1758 (1340 DR). shogun Matasuuri Nagahide returned the daimyate once again to the Matsutomos. Benju Matsutomo, a renowned samurai, governed Aru Province well but as he grew older he worried about his family's future. Deciding his ancestors' failures resulted from overambition, he resolved to be as quiet, safe, unobtrusive, and error-free as he could, hoping that if the Matsutomos could hold the daimyate for a few generations, they might achieve a better position. He remained in power through Wa Year 1775 (1357 DR).

Government
In the mid-to-late 1700s, Aru Province was governed by the daimyo Benju Matsutomo of the Matsutomo clan. He focused on playing it safe whilst ensuring the safety of pilgrims to and from the Shining Temple and on making sure the Ceremony of the Three Thousand Steps proceeded without issues.

Benju brought to his side good and reliable advisors, chief among them his vassal and right-hand-man, Yuji Takaesu. He was a loyal and skilled administrator who trained Benju's samurai.

Defenses
Thanks to Yuji's training, Aru Province samurai were among the finest in the country, said to be equal even to the shogun's personal bodyguard, and were known to be incorruptible. Called the Home Guard, they were commanded by Toshikazu Wada. They patrolled the mountain passes, escorted the pilgrim trains, and policed Aru and its environs.

Legends
A local legend of Aru held that a powerful jiki-ketsu-gaki dwelled in the mountains. Supposedly, it also had prophetic powers and when a time of trouble was imminent, it left a grisly omen: a wise man slain with a "gaki-spear". In Wa Year 1775, the Yamaguchi ninja left the body of a murdered shukenja pilgrim in the Shining Temple of Bishamon, stabbed through and pinned to a screen with a strange spear to evoke this legend.