Warring States: Yamaguchi in 1550
Yamaguchi is the capital city of the Ouchi domain, which encompasses several provinces on both Honshu and Kyushu. There are several tens of thousands of people living in Yamaguchi in 1549. The city is divided into numerous wards; unlike later Japanese cities, these wards are not visibly separated by gates and walls. Instead, they are separated by custom and social class. The city is crossed by one major river, the Fushinogawa, which divides the city into northern and southern portions. This is the city’s main commercial route, and connects to the ocean. It is wide and deep enough to be navigable by most small ships and boats. The city is further divided by a smaller river, the Ichinosakagawa, which flows down from the mountains to the north of Yamaguchi. This river flows through the wealthier parts of Yamaguchi, and is thus kept more picturesque. The city is also crisscrossed by numerous smaller waterways, none large enough to be navigable. A variety of large temples and shrines dot the northern edge of town, from the Rurikoji to the Sesshutei. On the western edge, near the Hagi road, are the famous Yuda Hot Springs, a popular tourist spot. The central region of Yamaguchi is dominated by the merchant and upper-class districts, especially the samurai district surrounding the Ouchi manors and Yamaguchi Castle near the Ichinosakagawa. Both banks of the Fushinogawa are dominated by docks and warehouses, which are in turn surrounded by various lower class, poorer neighborhoods. Major roads lead north to Hagi and south to the Sanyodo, as well as smaller roads extending in all directions. The city peters out gradually in a series of farming communities to the south, while the city abruptly ends in the mountains to the north.The entire city is surrounded by Ouchi lands.
Due to Yamaguchi’s importance as a center for trade with China and the rest of Asia, it is far wealthier than it’s size alone would indicate. This conflux of wealth and power has generated a great number of internal factions, both samurai and merchant. Military and governmental authority is held by the samurai, specifically by the Ouchi. He completely lost his ambitions of expanding his domains and devoted his energy to arts and cultures. His retainers split into two factions. Ouchi Yoshitaka is inward looking and doesn’t pay attention to his retainers’ activities; so most decisions never actually reach his ear. His hold on clan affairs is loosening, as the number of temples and ornate pavilions in the city increases. As a result, the vast wealth of the Ouchi is being siphoned off to greedy and dishonest retainers. Day to day control of the city is now left to these ministers, who use their influence to feather their own nests. This money winds up in the local economy in various ways anyhow, so the city is not suffering directly. The hundreds of samurai and their families represent the upper crust of Yamaguchi society. Nearly all live within the "samurai district", in the shadow of Yamaguchi Castle. All city officials and senior law enforcement officers are Ouchi samurai, and most are corrupt to some extent. All live quite well compared to their retainers, the Mori, Sue, Naito, Sagara, and other clans. One thing that is constantly noticeable is the steady stream of foreigners in and out of Yamaguchi, often at the invitation of Yoshitaka – Ming scholars and artisans, Spaniard priests, even, it is rumored, exiled Chinese nobles. They occupy nearly all of the daimyo’s attention.
The large family operations that take the goods from Yamaguchi to other locations have extensive wealth and influence. They most directly affect the Ouchi now, as they jockey for position and privilege. The various merchant houses attempt to gain special favors from the Ouchi, such as increased percentages of whatever they bring back from China, appointment to various offices, and so forth. In the realm of soft power, the merchant houses are the true power inside Yamaguchi. The merchant houses have the most opulent estates in town, and usually have small stables of fighters for security. They also control most of the entertainment industry in town, paying for the festivals and large parades. Each merchant house operates a trading fleet, a moneychanger/lending house, and warehouses to store its goods. The houses deal in all sorts of goods, but these are what they are known for. There are several houses that bring goods from Asia, each a separate specialty – sake, ceramics, textiles, artwork, et cetera. There are three merchant houses that transport the goods to the rest of Japan via land and sea, for resale elsewhere. There is considerable rivalry between these three merchant houses, and they are the most heavily connected with the underworld. These are minor players of course, but given the amount of money that changes hands in Yamaguchi, the criminal gangs still bear consideration in Yamaguchi. These gangs serve as eyes and ears for the clans they control, and are the occasional source for untraceable muscle. Some of the gangs are affiliated with the merchant houses mentioned above – rivalry between the factions is fueled by merchant competition, which sometimes spills out into street fighting and banditry targeted at specific shipments. A heavy bribe to apathetic Ouchi guards and ministers makes all of this possible without interference from the samurai.