Dojyu
The imperial capital of Dojyu is situated on a hill in the central Dai Plain overlooking the Dai River. Planned as an administrative center in the reign of the Empress Jumei, Dojyu has long since outgrown its original boundaries. The four wards of the walled Inner City flank the Dai River. The three wards of the Outer City sprawl around the fortifications and cluster around the two gates which give entrance to the Inner City. The Imperial Palace is a separate walled enclave in the heart of the city, an oasis of quiet amid the bustle of the capital.
The Inner City is divided into four districts, or wards. The First Ward contains the Imperial Palace and the buildings of the Imperial Court, their bright, red-tiled roofs visible from a distance. This is the home and residence of the emperor Gonijo and the Retired Emperor Gokammu. The Second Ward holds government buildings for administration and the residences of high officials and nobles. In the Third Ward are the residences of samurai and other retainers of the court nobles. In the Fourth Ward are the original shops of merchants and businesses which served the capital.
The business demands of the capital easily outgrew the bounds of the Fourth Ward, and three newer wards outside the walls hold the overflow of services, shops, and the homes of common folk. Warehouses, tanners, silk dyers, and sake brewers have their businesses east of the city, where the Dai River carries the effluvium of their work downstream. Upriver are country estates of the court nobles, used as pleasure retreats in the summer.
Only two gateways give entrance to the Inner City of Dojyu. The gates are large and wide, made of stone and fortified with battlements and decorative carvings. The gate which faces east is called the Sunrise Gate; that which faces upstream to the west is called the Sunset Gate. From these two gates the Two Gates yakuza gang take their name, the most powerful yakuza in Dojyu.
The three major schools of the Way of Enlightenment have their home temples in Dojyu. Umoroji, the seat of the school of Toro-dai, was moved to Dojyu from Fukama in 560, while the temple of Kanchai was founded in 701; both are located within the Inner City. The late-comer temple of Konjo was founded in 859, and is outside the Sunset Gate at a slight distance from the city.
Dojyu is home base of the Irridescent Peacock Society, whose highest members live in the Second Ward.
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