NationStates Jolt Archive

History:

In 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. Constantine XI's brother, Thomas Palaeologus (may change if needed to or if he is in another nation's history) along with Lucas Notaras, his three sons and daughter, his wife, and others fled to find new homes. They were soon at the shores of Japan. They landed there and soon founded a new state, with Thomas Palaeologus as Thomas I and Lucas Notaras as Grand Duke. The Byzantines expanded through Japan, before taking over most of it. After Japan fell, Thomas married Anna, the daughter of Lucas Notaras.

The religions of Buddhism and Shinto were kept as state faiths, along with Orthodox Christianity. Confucianism was also accepted, it being studied by the Byzantines.

Government:
Thomas III is the Caesar of Japan, no parties are avaliable. He rules from New Constantinople and the Crown passes to the eldest child (this was part of the Equalitarius Reformus signed by Caesar Demetrios VII). His ministers are the heads of their respective ministries.

Religion:
Shinto and Buddhism are two of the three state faiths and are known in Japan and the Empire. Orthodox Christianity is the third state faith and it came with the Byzantines.

Languages:
Byzantine Greek, Japanese, Ainu and others

Capital:
New Constantinople

Currency:
Byzantine Yen

National Animal:
Byzantine Dragon

Thomas III, the Caesar, lives in the Imperial Court of Christ Kosmokrator (I believe it is Lord of Time or something) with his wife, the Empress Theodora and his children. He has 4 daughters and one son. However, the son was the second child born.

His children are:
Princess Theodora (the successor to Thomas III)
Prince Demetrios
Princess Marie
Princess Sophia
Princess Anastasia

Near the Court is the Residence of the Megas Doux or Grand Duke. The current Grand Duke is Constantine Phocas (although the Notaras family has held it for centuries). The Grand Duke's role gives him some powers but the Caesar is the supreme in government.

The Orthodox Church is under the Patriarch of Constantinople, not the Patriarch of Moscow (I may change this)

The Orthodox Church is well respected but does not hold theocratic style power. It has many churches, cathedrals and so on in the Empire. One building known is the Aquinas Seminary, where Orthodox students have studied Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae. The Orthodox faith is the faith of the Caesar and his family, along with the Grand Duke.

The Church is known for making a icon of Buddha and the Japanese Sun-Goddess as a sign of good will.

http://home.att.net/~sergei592/East.html
A good website on Orthodox Christianity, contains many resources.

The Death Penalty is accepted but for crimes like the murder of children for example. Byzantine Japan uses the Jerusalem Cross as its flag.

Japanese Orthodox chanting is a mix between Japanese language and the chanting heard in Orthodox churches. It is used by parishes that use Japanese as the liturgical language. The Orthodox Church in the Empire uses the languages of the lands of the Empire. One Orthodox priest said ''Why should it matter what language we use? As long as the Gospel is preached and God is worshipped, language does not matter. One may even use Klingon as a liturgical language and still worship God.''