Province of Sakura

The Province of Sakura was was the most populous province of the Empire of Plagatéa. The province was established under the rule of Tsuki Hoshasei Numachi, who became Lord of Sakura until his death, succeeded by the young Aisuru Numachi.

Arrival
The Sakura peoples exist as a branch of those Nieden who migrated over from their continent following the Escharian Ascension. The group of Nieden immigrants that were to in part become Sakuran sought a peaceful that settled in the northern swamps and mountains, hoping the geography of the land would bring them the peace they so desired. Upon arrival, they discovered the native population, which unlike some of the more resistant and tribal factions encountered in other regions of Plagos were communicative and welcoming. They asked only that there not be bloodshed such that all might appreciate the beauty of the lands together, and that the people would stay apart, in their own communities, co-existing and tolerating each other's existence but not interacting, and not intruding on their places of worship, the few places where Sakuraki ('holy blossom trees') grew. These native people called themselves in their own language Sūhaisha-no Sakuraki, or 'worshippers of the holy blossom tree', which still today despite language categorisation and integration with other Nieden dialects translates the same to Traveller's Tongue.

Integration
In time, the communities would began to see the benefits of cooperation. Trade between the peoples was the first to manifest, by necessity where in years of poorer harvest food was less plentiful, and defence, sometimes also fighting alongside each other against raiding parties. As education became of greater importance, younger men would venture out, attempting to catalogue the traditions and culture of the Sūhaisha, often at the behest of the Nieden immigrant clan leaders. The peoples were still wary, but began to become far more used to the presence of each other.

After some time of this, the Sūhaisha honoured the leader of the Nieden immigrants after a battle in which the immigrants rode overnight to prevent the sacking of a Sūhaisha place of worship, by taking him to the Sakuraki tree there, one of the few existent in the lands, that formed the core centre of the Sūhaisha beliefs. Entranced by this, the then-Nieden-leader Biruda returned and spread the word of the magnificent trees. He and many Nieden immigrants led a pilgrimage to the site of the Sakuraki he had been shown, and were permitted entry when the Sūhaisha saw their desire was genuine. It was here that the Sakuran beliefs about the Sakuraki (that are still held today) spread.

In time, after the immigrants turned to the Sūhaisha 's beliefs, the old agreements between leaders began to slip away. Eventually, after several native women escaped to join Nieden men they had fallen for, permitted by the Nieden immigrants but not the native peoples, the leader of the native peoples agreed to allow marriage between their people. This is symbolised in the old Sakuran tale, Wakai-sa Maisukitsaigu to Aitukugaihi-sa (The Young Female Heir and the Quiet Man), about a quiet, young, male, Nieden immigrant named Alexander and the passionate, fiery daughter of the clan leader of the native people's clan, Aihiru, eloping in the mountains, believed to be at the site of what is now the town of Yamagake and Numachi Mountain. From here, the people began to merge, until the immigrants and the Sūhaisha were no longer identifiably separate races. The combined race that was left's language was predominantly influenced by the Sūhaisha language (though with some Nieden and Asarāvijāyan influence) including the term for the lands in which they lived - Sakurakitochi, the lands of the holy blossom tree.

Formation after Union
As the states of Plagos united under Nova Plagatéan Federation, the lands previously under the control of the Shigetada Shogunate were organized into the Province of Sakura, named after the town of Sakura, now the old town area of Kitaichi. On this day, the Sakuran calendar begins on Keiseihi 1 Sanchōki, 0 SKE, as backdated by Alexander S. Numachi during the Sakuran Cultural Revolution. The nearby city then known as Ieon was established as the capital of the new nation, with the settlements and lands of the towns of Sakura and Yamagake, ancestral Sakuran lands, being put under the rule of the new province, as well as nearby similar Linwan. Not long later though, Lord Tsuki would die in an encounter with worshippers of Entropy in southern Plagos. At his death bed, he named his adoptive daughter, Aisuru Numachi Naho, who became Aisuru Numachi as the new Lord of the province, before shortly passing away. Despite in legal terms being a Lord, Aisuru titled herself formally as Lady Aisuru Numachi.

Identity
They later, a development during the first Empire as the Province of Sakura, began to gradually adopt a new identity. All people in the region, not just those with Sūhaisha blood, began to call themselves the Sakurans, after they all came to share a belief in the beauty of their province. Some even believed that the holy blossom was a part of all of them, through their shared ancestry, as more and more people from different backgrounds intermarried in the province. No place is this symbolised better than the merger of cities of Ieon and Sakura, Ieon the capital and built mostly by the Shigetada clan, and Sakura, home to the Numachi and the initial Nieden-Sūhaisha people. Now called Kitaichi, the city began to be rebuilt and reorganised, throughout the first Empire, Sakuran independence periods, Realm of Asarakaen and Second Empire, and now shows many more features in line with what would be considered more Sūhaisha inspired architecture, nowadays just called Sakuran, having previously shown more Naho esque style.

Ieon, the Town of Sakura and later Kitaichi
The province was named after the town nearby to the capital, Ieon, founded around the first, holy Sakuraki (lit. holy blossom tree) found in the swamps, the seeds from which were planted elsewhere in Sakurakitochi (lit. 'the lands of the holy blossom tree'), which was formally known in Plagatéa as the Province of Sakura. Sakura Castle was constructed on the mountain cliff beside the town of Sakura, becoming an iconic sight of the province as one of the 'Twin Castles', alongside Ieon Castle constructed a short while previously. Towards the end of the Empire, Ieon and Sakura were merged into one larger capital city, becoming known as Kitaichi, by agreement between Lady Aisuru and Tagavor Nero (who resided in Sakura Castle and Ieon Castle respectively).

Yamagake
Yamagake was founded by Cync Numachi, second son of Aisuru Numachi and Techno Numachi. It was developed from the already-present mines within Numachi mountain, with Cync designing plans for houses built into the side of the mountain as a project to be undertaken by the Sakuran provincial government. However, little progress would be made, with only a few sample buildings built and some further plans including tower and gate placements created by Eli Akihiro (who was later adopted by Tagavor Nero).

Due to the proximity of Yamagake to the town of Sakura, a young Alexander S. Numachi often visited with his brother Cync and his mother. It was here, in the nearby woodland, that he discovered Hitomi Numachi, who would be adopted by the Numachi family and grow up close to Alexander. Later in his life, after Cync's health began to fail, thanks to the so-called 'curse' of the Numachis, Alexander, now a young man, was sent to further the development of the town, which he would reference in later writings as the making of him, giving him a valuable alternative education to academics. Under Alexander as Daimyo, Yamagake grew larger, with many rows of houses built on the cliff face of Numachi Mountain and Cync's plans finally realised. Yamagake also began to floruish with a stable population as a market town as well as mineral extraction. Additionally, the Numachi Nōbumachi Kōenkabe (Royal Numachi Garden) was added to the plans as a tribute to his mother and father, plans only realised however during the Realm of Asarakaen.