Seisen

The Kyosan State religion, Seisen (聖戦, literally “Holy fight” but translated as “Holy War”) has an impact on almost everything in its followers' life. It is heavily enforced and its followers are completely devoted to its philosophy and objectives. There is no central god or group of gods as such, however it is believed that there are godlike spirits for everything (e.g. rock spirits, water spirits, etc). The closest thing that Seisen has to gods are the sun’s spirit (Known as Jitsei, 日精), and the Emperor, who is believed to contain within him a manifestation of the sun’s divine energy.

The origin of the name ‘Seisen’ is mostly unclear, however it is believed to have come about in reference to the sun, and how its light conquers all. While the sun may set at the end of the day, it always returns to conquer once more at the beginning of the next day. This continues for eternity. Therefore, the sun is waging eternal ‘Holy War’ on the night. In much the same way, it is believed that it is the holy duty of the followers of Seisen to wage holy war upon those who prove obstacles to Seisen.

=Beliefs= One of the most important beliefs of Seisen are the core Three Tenets (教義三, Kyōgisan, literally “The Tenets Three”). These Tenets are objectives that every follower of Seisen should be aiming to achieve. The Three Tenets are as follows, in order:


 * Harmony – this is sought between everything to create a natural order. The sun is harmonious with the planet, creating life, flora is harmonious with fauna to create ecosystems, and the like. It is generally believed that a state of Harmony produces desirable outcomes. However, Harmony is not only sought in nature. Harmony between nations must also be sought. It is the duty of the Imperial Government to remove obstacles to Harmony. Nations that can work with Kyosu are seen as being harmonious, and those that cannot are seen as obstacles to be eliminated. Harmony should also be sought between the State and the Subject, meaning unwavering loyalty to the Emperor and the one true Faith.
 * Purity – it is important for one’s soul to be pure in order to respect one’s ancestors and adhere to the other two tenets. The Purity of one’s soul can be tainted by performing Impure acts. These include, but are not limited to: doubting the State, the Emperor, or the one true Faith. The law of Kyosu prohibits Impure acts either way. While one can be redeemed from Impure acts by stopping them and ensuring they strictly follow the one true Faith, full and repeated embrace of Impure acts will taint one’s soul for eternity. This bestows dishonour upon one’s ancestors, and taints the future of one’s family, who will have to work harder to remove the stain of impurity. The State actively seeks to remove impure individuals, as they disrupt the Purity and Harmony of the Empire. The act of routinely hunting down impure individuals is also an exercise of Discipline for the State.
 * Discipline – the third Tenet is more of a behavioural guide than anything else. Discipline simply means that all followers of Seisen should be self-discipline in all that they undertake, and should aim to go above and beyond the call of duty for their Faith.

The Three Tenets are the reason that the Sun is so important in Seisen. The Sun is seen as the perfect example of the Three Tenets in nature. The Sun fulfils Harmony with the planet to create life, without which humanity and Kyosu would not exist. It fulfils Purity as the holy light it generates purifies itself each day. And it is Disciplined as it carries out its duty each day without question – providing light for the planet.

The concept of ‘Shiko’ is an important belief within Seisen. Eternal Shiko (永遠神聖帝国, Ein-no-Shiko) refers to the ultimate goal of having Seisen and the state spread around the world, lasting for eternity. The term itself is a contracted form of ‘Shinsei Teikoku’ (神聖帝国, Holy Empire). Often, Kyosan officials will refer to the ‘ultimate goal of Eternal Shiko’ or something to a similar effect, referring to this idea.

The reverence of one’s ancestors is also highly important in Seisen. As long as they led a pure life, one’s ancestors are viewed as honourable people who brought your bloodline into the world. To honour their memory, one must lead a pure life in dedication to the State and the one true Faith.

=Practices= In order to be a good follower of Seisen, one must fulfil the beliefs that come with it. One of the best ways of fulfilling the Three Tenets, for example, is regular attendance at a shrine. These shrines are dotted around every Prefecture in the Empire. Through praying and meditation at a shrine, one exercises all three of the core Tenets. One achieves Harmony by connecting with nature. Shrines are places to cleanse the soul of impurity. And regular attendance also exercises Discipline. Regular attendance at a shrine is not compulsory, but it is seen as a social taboo if one does not regularly attend.

=Foreigners & Seisen= The Empire does indeed actively encourage the conversion of gaijin (foreigners) to Seisen. This is because in order to embrace the religion completely, one generally must view Kyosu as the world’s greatest nation. This is good for the state as it means either loyalists across the world, or immigrants that have already been integrated through their religious conversion. Nations that usually adopt Seisen as a state religion are thoroughly encouraged to become vassals of Kyosu and are then integrated fully. If a state following Seisen does not become religiously or politically subsidiary to Kyosu, they are declared heretics.