Taesunese (Ti-sue-knees)

Disclaimer: I am a white guy! Taesu is heavily inspired by Japan and Japanese culture/history, and I have tried my best to be respectful. If I do something a disservice or am disrespectful, please inform me! It is not my intention, I assure you.

When the ancient island of Tawarakanai was sundered by the volcano Hametsu-sha's cataclysmic eruption, its people were sundered as well. The once whole nation of Taesuxuzou became the southern people of Taesu and the northern people of Xuzou. Taesu clung to many of the traditions and beliefs of old Taesuzuxou, and those beliefs have heavily informed the culture of Taesunese people today.

An Island People

Nearly all of the Taesu Empire's peoples live along the coast. As such, Taesunese folk are born and bred on how to survive on an island. They are not, however, as much a seafaring folk as the Maor. They believe there is a deep relationship between the sea and the land, and that they need both to thrive, but they do not revere the ocean like the people of Aasveig.
Taesunese people have a deep appreciation for the fusion of nature and civilization. They are devout worshippers of Xaen and Syluru, holding them to the highest regard -- with Isael coming at a close third, for she governs the skies and the seas. Taesunese architecture and city design is heavily designed around gardens and the nature flow of the land. 

Family and Bureaucracy

Families are the building blocks of Taesunese culture. They lay a heavy emphasis on the family and the clan because it is what the Taesu Empire is built around. Your family name is deeply important; a misstep can mean a life of dishonor for you and, if you don't repent, an existence of dishonor for your clan. While this can and does become a negative stressor in some cases, it is counter-balanced by a deep-running belief in owing to your kin.
Taesunese families look out for one another above all else, but they also understand that all Taesunese people are, in a way, family. As such, clans and families will often help one another out in times of strife. Sometimes, this can be a play for renown and good fortune, but it can also be a genuine exercise in welfare.
Taesunese folk live by the phrase, "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Naming Conventions

The naming conventions for the Taesunese are as follows: the surname comes first, following by their given name. In the case of aristocracy, the surname and given name are separated by the particle "no." For example, a commoner and an aristocrat with the same exact surname and given name would be different as follows: commoner -- Takeuchi Kazuhiko, aristocrat -- Takeuchi no Kazuhiko. 
Additionally, any titles or nicknames a person possesses goes between the surname and given name. Taesunese names tend to have meanings in the language Taesunese, so feel free to construct a name with a meaning (for more info on that, refer to traditional Japanese naming conventions and how Japanese names are constructed in kanji). As a final note, as with all cultures in Emaxus, Taesunese isn't mired in gender issues; people can be what they want. Feel free to pick and choose between "traditional" male or female names to best fit whatever gender -- or lack thereof -- your character relates to best.
Male Names: Atsushi, Kame, Katsumi, Kazuhiro, Mamoru, Michio, Takeshi, Toshio, Yoshiyuki Female Names: Aki, Ayame, Ayumi, Chiyo, Hanako, Haru, Kyou, Ran, Yuko, Yuki
Surnames: Abe, Ban, Iwai, Maruyama, Nagai, Shimizu, Shimoda

The Culture, Not the Empire

This article handles the culture/ethnicity of Taesunese people. It provides a brief overview of the defining cultural characteristics and the naming conventions. It does not go into the government of the Taesu Empire and how that governs people's lives. That will come in a later article on the Empire itself.

Related Organizations

• Ni-Taesuxuzou Empire