History of Nanako Islands

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The history of homo sapiens in Nanako starts at c. 45,000 years ago during the last glacial period (c. 115,000- c.11,700) with first migrations coming by land bridges between Nanakian Islands, Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the Russian Far East. Most traces of rudimentary craftsmanship, polished stones, dating back to around 40,000 to 17,000 years. Harpoons and rope-pottery dating back to 13,000 BC are produced during the Jōmon era and are among the oldest samples found in human history. One of the earliest art forms, Dogū, is also found among these potteries. Iron and bronze smelting, as well as rice cultivation, were introduced around 400 BC from Japan.

The Kofun period corresponds to the appearance of new mortuary rituals from Korea. The southern half of Japan is undergoing a major cultural change, while the north, Hokkaido, and Nanako are less foreign-influenced and develop the Satsumon or later Emishi culture, a mix between Jōmon, Yayoi, and Kofun cultures. During the Ōjidai period, which coincides with the Yamato period in Japan, the first forms of government appeared, in the form of clans and monarchies, on the archipelago, refusing the authority of the Japanese emperor. In 656, the Legend of the Three Peaks Chronicles (Miyama Den (三山伝)) records the legendary creation of the Kingdom of Nanako, first idea of a unified Nanako, around 600BC, through Nanakian Shinto mythology and first legendary ruler of Nanako, Princess Deijī (弟衣事姫, Deijī Hime). During the 600s to 800s, many conflicts between the local kingdoms and the Japanese emperor ended the Ōjidai period and marked the beginning of the Heian period in Nanako, characterized by the establishment of a regent caste of Japanese people. The legendary tale of Nanako is kept secret by Shinto priests until 1878.

From the eighth to the twelfth century, the archipelago was divided between two demographic groups and two cultures. The dominant Japanese class, from the south and the west, is closely linked to Japanese culture and mainly Nanakian and Japanese Shinto and Buddhist. A classical culture carried by the imperial court is developing, very influenced by continental models from which it emancipated itself during the tenth century. The Ainu are mainly dominated except in the northern territories and the Kuril Islands, where the tribes are free and trade with the Japanese. The Japanese Nanakian clans will take part in the political tensions of the time alongside the Fujiwara clan.

The Middle Ages on Nanako began in 1180 with the Genpei War in mainland Japan and the loss of power of the Fujiwara clan which forced the Nanakian clans to recognize the authority of the Kamakura Shogun, which marked the beginning of the Kamakura period. Trade with the Ainu populations is increasing, and the Ainu tribes are gaining strength. The influence of the Japanese Nanakian clans grew on the island taking advantage of the feudal system resulting from the instability of the imperial government and the shogunate. During the Kenmu restoration, the two most powerful clans of Nanako go into conflict with each other, taking with them their Ainu trading partners. During the Muromachi era, the Eastern clan, favorable to the emperor, lost its influence and dissolved into several clans and even into a few kingdoms, giving way to a period of prosperity for the Shubikujiwa clan. During the Sengoku Period, the clan of Shubikujiwa amassed a lot of wealth from the Ainu and the trade with Hokkaido and Sakhalin. The conflicts between the west and south multiply and the south approaches the Nanbu clan. Between 1456 and 1463, Ainu tribes formed confederations and attacked clans to appropriate marketable resources. This emancipation is accompanied by internal Ainu revolts in the clans, all of which will be reprimanded. In 1478, Nanako was mainly controlled by Japanese clans.

The Azuchi Momoyama era marked the beginning of the unification of Japan, but also the end of its influence on Nanako. In 1578, Captain Poole discovers and invades the island on behalf of the British crown. The war of Hisensō (Fire War), from 1577 to 1601, defeats the clans of the west and the south, with help of Ainu confederations. The island becomes a British colony under the name of British Giapan, then simply Nanako. From 1600 to 1661, the population of the island underwent a forced evangelization which ended in a peasant revolt. The 1670-1807 period is characterized by convenient social and economic stability in the colony. Only politically, Islanders still advocate for a review of the colonial system, engendering multiple revolts. Colonial capital is established in Fort Trinity, later renamed Waterpoo.

During the Napoleonic Wars, in 1807, a French armada tasked to disrupt British trade routes takes advantage of the island's relative defenses to invade it. Rear-admiral Henri Gatingues, a convinced French revolutionary, conveys to the local population republican and democratic ideas, calling for rebellion. The Nanakian Republic is proclaimed in 1808 by a local assembly governed by Gatingues in Hokosinawa. Eastern regions under French influence hailed the change but the loyalist regions of the west and south seceded against the east. Thought 1808 to 1815-1816, the Eastern regions are deeply influenced by French culture, and two-thirds of the population was taught French in public schools. In 1815, the island and its dependencies are given back to the British.

The post-French period was marked by strong democratic demands which led to a number of political reforms from 1815 to 1840. In 1840, the colonial council to the governor was replaced by a council of commoners, mainly originating from the bourgeoisie. From 1842 to 1870, French political instability becomes a motive to immigrate to Nanako, thus the eastern regions become more and more influenced by French culture, and republican ideas. 1856 marks the first time ever the Kuril islands become a diplomatic issue between Russia and Nanako. In 1890, the governor Sir Philips Nottingham creates an independent judicial system known as the Confederated Court of Justice. In 1899, strongly affected by the industrial revolution due to its coal and steel resources, a socialist movement overthrows the governor and creates "His Majesty's Nanakian Confederation". Through this revolt, the crown and the British Parliament grant the status of dominion to Nanako, and a parliamentary democracy led by a Prime Minister is installed.

The Chinese revolution of 1911 created a wave of Chinese immigration on Nanako, the origin of the Chinese districts of Inaba and Shubikujiwa. The outbreak of World War One engenders a wave of Commonwealth patriotism and shows that tensions of the past century have settled down. Of precisely 378,442 soldiers sent to Europe, only 103,666 will come back to Nanako, recording one of the Commonwealth's most casualties/manpower ratios. The inter-war period was characterized by constant economic and industrial growth, a rapid natality growth due to the losses in WW1, and the development of rail in the country, becoming the first mean of transportation. The Russian civil war created a wave of immigration to Nanako, mainly in the western provinces. The stock market crash of 1929 had relatively little impact on Nanako, which took advantage of its position as a developed island, in a still relatively underdeveloped Asia, to make its trade flourish.

Japanese aggressive behaviors in the region led to the extension of the Nanakian Royal Army and its defensive facilities. In 1941, Japan invades Nanako. The battle for Nanako lasted 1 year from 1941 to 1942. Officially the Nanakian government never surrendered, and fled to the Andreanof Islands, Nanakian overseas territories, and was protected by the USA. A guerrilla resistance force organized itself on Japanese occupied Nanako. Many attacks against the Japanese led them to retaliate by mass-killing civilian populations. The total Nanakian casualties from WW2 are estimated to 100,678 soldiers, sailors, and airmen and 209,677 civilians for a total population at that time of around 17 million. The country was liberated by the capitulation of Japan in September 1945, just before the Red Army landed on Nanakian shores. In 1947, protests led by communist movements and independentists demand independence. The pressure is such that the British Government allows Nanako to leave its dominion status in the "Independence Bill 1947", letting Nanako a 10 years transition period to create a constitution and a working political system. In 1957, through "The Partition Act", Nanako becomes a fully recognized and independent realm of The Commonwealth of Nations. The Independence bill also institutes the "Regime Duality".

Nanako stood during the cold war as a close and strategic ally to NATO, the Commonwealth, and Japan due to its direct proximity to the Soviet Union. However, Nanakian diplomacy tended towards a neutral relationship with the Soviet Union, to avoid many crises and to try to keep stability in the Northern Pacific, mostly because of the very tendentious Kuril Islands concern. The First Economic Miracle (1958) gave Nanako a two digits economic growth partially explained by post-war reconstructions. This period also was a long reconciliation time between Francophone, Japanese and English populations, leading to the construction of a multi-cultural nation. In 1978, following hippie movement ideals, the country revoked its right to declare war, and the military was renamed Nanako Self-Defense Forces. 1980, same-sex marriage and abortion are legalized. The same year, the government adopts the denomination "Republic" as an official alternative to "Realm", closer to the actual depiction of the political system, in the frame of the "Regime Duality Law". 1995 marks the beginning of the second Economic Miracle, based on research, high-tech and medical and aeronautics industry. Nanako becomes the 6th largest economic power in 2006 and in 2008, the economy is affected by the global recession. Social Democrats assume power. Most recently, Nanako joined the newly created United Forum of Nations organisation and now hosts the International Court of Justice.

Nanakian Paleolithic (before 13,000BC)

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The Nanakian Paleolithic probably began around 45,000 years ago when the first humans reached Nanako and its archipelago using land bridges between Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the archipelago itself. During the last glacial period, from 115,000 to 11,500 years ago, large ice caps caused sea levels to descend, emerging shallow sea beds. At the climax of this period around -18,000, the sea level was then 130 to 140 meters lower than the current level. Most of the territory was then occupied by tundra, except to the south and in the emerged lands of Adachi Bay in which had grown, sheltered from polar winds, coniferous forests. The first homo sapiens shared the land with large animals, including mammoths, and probably occupied the forested areas of the island. However, excavations in permafrost soil of the northeast fjords of the island have revealed that isolated populations remained beyond the central mountain range. The acidic nature of some soils makes it impossible to preserve human remains.

The first traces of craftsmanship date back to around 30,000 years ago for the most part and consist mainly of polished stones. The oldest crafted object was discovered in 1997 during excavations in the Narakonai region and was dated to around 45,000 by carbon dating. Multiple datings were carried out on this object since it contradicted a theory according to which the migratory flow would have come from Hokkaido, and thus would be dated around 32,000 years, years of the beginning of Paleolithic in Japan. The doubts were removed in 1998 by the discovery of a second object in the region's mountains, also dated around 40,000 years ago. The artifacts discovered on Nanako consist for the most part of spears and harpoon, axes, and knives. This period of the industry will last up to 15,000 BC. During this period, 20,000 years ago, the population was estimated at 6,000 or even 7,000 inhabitants, living mainly from hunting, fishing, and gathering.

In 15,000 BC, in the southern forested areas, appears thinner blades and more elaborate tools. This more developed industry will spread over the rest of the island between 15,000 BC and 12,000 BC. The wedge shape of these blades recalls the cutting methods observed around Lake Baïkal, thus corroborating the idea that the first waves of migration had come from the west, from the mainland, rather than from the south. Indeed, in southern Japan, the rounded shapes of the blades are similar to those found in southern China. Climate change, melting ice, as well as the disappearance of some game, lead to a shift in the diet of these first inhabitants towards a diet richer in plants and fish.

Ancient Nanako (13,000BC - 500)

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Ancient Nanako is a protohistoric period of the Nanakian history sending between approximately 13,000 BC and 500 (13,500 years) which saw three major eras: the Jōmon era, Para-Yayoi era, and Kofun era. In terms of world-historical landmarks, this great period encompasses the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. Ancient Nanako begins with the emergence of the Jōmon culture through immigration and the evolution of technology is marked by a major ethnic change with the arrival of the Yamato, sometimes used as an alternative periodic division, and ends with the start of the Ōjidai period and the creation of the first states organized as such.

Jōmon (approx. 13,000BC - 1000BC)

The Jōmon era begins around 13,000BC, which is 15,000 years ago. The Jōmon period (縄文時代, Jōmon jidai) takes its name from the pottery characteristic of this period, which marked a turning point in Nanakian culture. The first archaeological discoveries uncovered potteries "decorated (文, mon) by printing strings (縄, jō)". The Jōmon period was rich in tools and jewelry made from bone, stone, shell, and antler; pottery figurines and vessels; and lacquerware. It is often compared to pre-Columbian cultures of the North American Pacific Northwest because in these settings cultural complexity developed within a primarily hunting-gathering context with limited use of horticulture. The very long, approximately 14,000-year Jōmon period is conventionally divided into several phases: Incipient (16,500-10,000 years ago), Initial (10,000–7,000), Early (7,000–5,450), Middle (5,450–4,420), Late (4,420–3,220), and Final (3,220–2,350), with each phase progressively shorter than the prior phase. The dating of the Jōmon sub-phases is based primarily upon ceramic typology.

The earliest "Incipient Jōmon" phase began while Nanako was still linked to continental Asia as a narrow peninsula. The sudden rise in temperatures which begins at the end of the Younger Dryas, around 11,700 BC, marked the start of the Holocene interglacial and continued until around 4,000 BCE. On this date, it seems that the temperature during the summer was two degrees higher than current temperatures. By the end of the Incipient Jōmon phase, around 8,000BC, a semi-sedentary lifestyle apparently led to an increase in population density, so that the subsequent phase, the Initial Jōmon, exhibits some of the highest densities known for foraging populations. The warming causes large migratory movements and demographic growth which will be reflected through these initial Jōmon periods. During Jōmon, the population which was then estimated at 7,000 inhabitants increased to 47,000 or even 86,000 inhabitants, judging by the number of houses found.

During incipient Jōmon, with global warming, land bridges are submerged, and the galciers are retreating. Nanako's climate is gradually becoming a climate of taiga and mixed forests of conifers and deciduous trees, replacing the tundra that occupied the northern half of the island. Many native tree species, such as beeches, buckeyes, chestnuts, and oaks produced edible nuts and acorns. These provided substantial sources of food for both humans and animals. The plentiful marine life carried south by the Oyashio Current, especially salmon, was another major food source. Settlements along both the Moon Sea (月海, Gekkaī) and the Pacific Ocean subsisted on immense amounts of shellfish, leaving distinctive middens (mounds of discarded shells and other refuse) that are now prized sources of information for archaeologists. Other food sources meriting special mention include Sika deer, wild boar (with possible wild-pig management), wild plants such as yam-like tubers, and freshwater fish. Supported by the highly productive deciduous forests and an abundance of seafood, the population was concentrated in western and southern Nanako (Nova Scotia and Narakonai), but Jōmon sites range from Dodjima to the Chitokan Islands. The oldest potteries discovered in Nanako are among the oldest in the world. Fragments of pottery discovered on a site in the Narakonai region date from around 14,000BC or 16,000 years ago. The first Jōmon pottery is characterized by the cord-marking that gives the period its name and has now been found in large numbers of sites. First potteries were small and for cooking purposes. Their shapes and size meant that they were used by semi-nomadic populations. As later bowls increase in size, this is taken to be a sign of an increasingly settled pattern of living. These types continued to develop, with increasingly elaborate patterns of decoration, undulating rims, and flat bottoms so that they could stand on a surface. The Jōmon people used chipped stone tools, ground stone tools, traps, and bows, and were evidently skillful coastal and deep-water fishermen. Horticulture was practiced by the Jomon people next to settlements. This fact places the Jomon lifestyle in an unusual semi-settled agricultural scheme, that eventually developed into a fully sedentary lifestyle.

Highly ornate pottery dogū figurines and jars, such as the so-called "flame style" jars, and lacquered wood objects remain from Middle Jōmon and beyond. Although the ornamentation of pottery increased over time, the ceramic fabric always remained quite coarse. This period saw a rise in complexity in the design of pit-houses, the most commonly used method of housing at the time, with some even having stone-paved floors. This form of dwelling continued up until the Satsumon culture, after the Para-Yayoi period. After 1,500BC, late and final Jōmon, the climate cooled, and populations seem to have contracted dramatically. Comparatively few archaeological sites can be found after 1,500BC.

Genetic mapping studies by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza have shown a pattern of genetic expansion from the area of the Sea of Japan towards the rest of eastern Asia. This appears as the third principal component of genetic variation in Eurasia (after the "Great expansion" from the African continent, and a second expansion from the area of Northern Siberia), which suggests geographical expansion during the early Jōmon period. These studies also suggest that the Jōmon demographic expansion could possibly have reached America along a path following the Pacific coast.

Para-Yayoi (1000BC - 300)

The Para-Yayoi period, or Epi-Jōmon, is the period following the Jōmon period from around 1000BC to 300AD. It parallels the Yayoi period of ancient Japan, but diverges enough to be called Para-Yayoi (from the ancient Greek παρά, pará, "next to") or Epi-Jōmon (ancient Greek ἐπί, epí, over, successor). The period was characterized by the development of agriculture, especially in the large river basins of Hokosinawa, Shiitoyate, Narakonai, and the Nokabe in general. This period also saw, shortly after, its first Bronze Age - Iron Age.

Compared to the Japanese archipelago, the agrarian revolution is later. In Japanese Yayoi, the introduction of rice cultivation in rice fields flooded by Korea would have started around 1900BC, but only in the west of the country. The Ante-Para-Yayoi period, therefore, begins around 1,900BC, but the effective introduction of these technologies is estimated around 1000BC, the beginning of the initial Yayoi. This delay is explained by the eccentric situation of Nanako compared to the Japanese archipelago, and to Korea, with which very little contact had been established. According to the most recent studies, corroborating the idea of a lack of contact with Korea, the agrarian technique would have been developed without outside intervention in the course of the 1,700BC in the Hokosinawa area. Indeed, traces of flooded cultures dating from over 1,500BC have been found in the region, displaying differences in implementation compared to the Korean technique. The Para-Yayoi period, therefore, differs greatly from its Japanese equivalent, while remaining relatively parallel in technological and societal advances. This cultural distance will explain in particular the writing of Miyama-Den, and the assertion of a Nanakian identity.

The Yayoi people are the name given to the Korean farmers who immigrated in large numbers to Japan during the period, mixing with the Jōmon population, even destroying it sometimes. Again, the location of Nanako makes the idea that the technologies were introduced by Koreans quite improbable. Unlike the rice example, bronze (300BC) and iron (100AD) casting technologies would have come from Korea and China, but not through immigration, but through trade between the eastern regions and the peoples of the Amur River, who themselves traded with the Chinese and Koreans from Gojoseon. It is also likely that some of these populations migrated to Nanako, taking with them Sinno-Korean know-how.

Throughout the period, the lifestyle of the inhabitants will settle down for good, except in certain tribes scattered in the mountains and the north, which will develop a more hunter-gatherer culture, probably the foundation of the Ainu people. The adoption of this new way of life leads to a strong increase in the population, going from about 50,000 to almost 850,000. As the population increased, the society became more stratified and complex. They wove textiles, lived in permanent farming villages, and constructed buildings with wood and stone. They also accumulated wealth through land ownership and the storage of grain. Such factors promoted the development of distinct social classes. Para-Yayoi pottery was simply decorated and produced using the same coiling technique previously used in Jōmon pottery. Para-Yayoi craft specialists made bronze ceremonial bells (dōtaku), mirrors, and weapons. By the 1st century AD, Para-Yayoi people began using iron agricultural tools and weapons. It is thought from Chinese descriptions of the Han dynasty that the Epi-Jōmon wore tattoos. Indeed, the first written mention of the people of Nanako appears in the Book of Han from 111. In volume 28, Treatise on Geography has mentioned the people of Japan, and of Nanako: "The people of Wo (Japan) are located across the ocean from Lelang Commandery, is divided into more than one hundred tribes, and come to offer tribute from time to time. Still further where the water starts freezing, still exists tribes form the people of Wo, but come to offer tribute more rarely." Although archaeological research shows that the Yayoi people and Epi-Jōmon did not have the same influences, their culture remains close since most Chinese sources consider them as individuals of the Wo people. Third-century Chinese sources reported that the Wa people of the North (Běifāng Wō, 北方倭) lived on raw fish, vegetables, and rice served on bamboo and wooden trays, clapped their hands in worship (something still done in Shinto shrines today), and built earthen-grave mounds. They also maintained vassal-master relations, collected taxes, had provincial granaries and markets, and observed mourning. Society was characterized by violent struggles.

Scholars think the major chiasm between Nanakian and Japanese Shinto happened during the Epi-Jōmon period, from differing influences, thus leading to the foundation of the Nanakian civilization origins myths. The origin myths of Nanakian civilization extend back to Para-Yayoi, though they show little or no relation to the current archaeological understanding of Epi-Jōmon culture. 600BC is the traditional founding date of the Nanakian nation by Princess Deijī. This version of Nanakian history, however, comes from the country's first written record, the Miyama-Den, dating from the 6th century. In addition, this legendary genesis will be stifled in favor of the Japanese imperial reign. Despite everything, recent studies in the Narakonai region, and the study of ancient Chinese texts, which refers to "tributes from Northern Wo people", even if described as rare, suggest that during the end of Para-Yayoi, a state was established in the region. But written descriptions of kingdoms on the island won't arrive until later in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. These discoveries are supported by the story described in the Miyama-Den. Deijī Hime is actually a semi-legendary character corresponding to the first queen of the Kingdom of Narakonai (500AD-570AD) but made legendary in Miyama-Den.

Kofun (300 - 500)

The Kofun-Satsumon period spans the 300-500AD period and saw the birth of organized states and the emergence of a distinct Satsumon culture, distinct from the emerging Japanese Yamato mainland culture, although sharing a lot of customs and the same language. The Satsumon culture differentiates itself from the Yamato culture for its development is not heavily influenced by Korean and Chinese cultures. Kofun-Satsumon culture is the decedent of the preceding Epi-Jōmon culture. It is the equivalent of the Japanese Kofun period.

Throughout this period stratification of the society in different castes accelerated due to the increasing food production and bronze and iron productions. Initiated during the late Para-Yayoi period, this phenomenon starts to uniformly affect the island, and organized territories and fiefdoms start to emerge, setting the foundations of the upcoming Ōjidai period. The known organized state to have emerged is the City of Narakonai that became the Kingdom of Nanako around 500 under the rule of semi-legendary princess Deijī. Other organised states to have emerged during this period comprise numerous self-governing cities of the Nokabe region and on the shores of the Adachi bay. Northern regions, less populated, remain less sedentary and practice less agriculture. Their culture will around 500 diverge from the Satsumon culture to become the Ainu culture. The Satsumon culture has also spread through emigration and commerce to Sakhalin, the Kurils, where it became Ainu cultures too, and Hokkaido where it merged with the present Emishi-Satsumon culture to become the Emishi culture, the culture of the Tohoku region.

The period saw the emergence of a developed architectural and art style, of Japanese style, but adapted to the cooler climate. Writing used Chinese characters and was limited to a literate elite. Swords, mirrors, and armour decorated with Chinese characters were found in burial mounds. Funeral rites developed during this period, introducing aforementioned burial mounds (凹丘, Kubo-oka, Hollow hill) and ceremonial funeral gifts to important figures. First archaeologists thought these mounds were evidence that the Koreans had influenced Nanako, as the mounds seemed very similar to the Kofuns found in Korean-influenced Japan (Yamato-kofun). But the excavation and exploration of these burial mounds showed that these mounds were significantly different from those found in Japan, differently shaped, placed, and organised, leading to believe that this culture was locally developed. This discovery led to the differentiation of the Nanakian Kofun-Satsumon and Japanese Kofun cultures. Iron and bronze casting techniques developed into industrial production, boosting agricultural production, deforestation and supported the emergence of organized states through the development of arms. Conflicts between cities led to the evolution of the island's politics and supported the rise of a warrior aristocracy. Nanakian Shinto continued to organize itself around its beliefs and organised shrines uniformed the practice of customs throughout the island.

Chinese sources state that the numerous independent cities of Nanako came to pay tribute to the emperor more often than they did during the Epi-Jōmon period, supporting the idea that cities formed themselves as organised states, with ambassadors. Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje, the three kingdoms of Korea were also in contact with Nanakian tribes. This increase in the number of contacts also leads to believe that the Nanakian Satsumon culture was characterized by advanced navigation technologies, enabling them to also keep very good contact with mainland Japan, which was their main trade partner. The Epi-Jōmon and Kofun-Satsumon period are often referred to as "The Two Japan", highlighting the fact, while keeping similar customs, two different Japanese-style cultures developed on the two islands. It also highlights the fact that during this time there were two cultural centers: southern Japan and Nanako, while Hokkaido was less prosperous. This phenomenon is still hardly explainable by current studies and is known in the study of the Nanakian history as the "Isolation paradox".

The word Satsumon describes a type of pottery that was found in Hokkaido, Japan, and that was identified as a merger of late Para-Yayoi and Yayoi-Emishi art styles. As such, Satsumon is deemed unsuitable to describe the Kofun-Satsumon period of Nanako that was very different from the real Satsumon culture found in northern Japan and Hokkaido. Some scholars tried to find new ways to name this period. Some proposed to simply say Nanakian-Satsumon, to properly differentiate the two, but the cultures a too different to be called by the same name argued historian Ishigo Jimede. Moreover, he points out that the pottery type designated by "Satsumon" is not even found during this time period of Nanako, for the culture of Nanako was fundamentally different and more developed. He proposed in 2016 to call this period "Kubokō-jidai", the hollow hills period.

Classical Nanako (500 - 1185)

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Classical Nanako is a historic era of Nanako that saw the emergence of sovereign kingdoms on the island, and their fall to the Japanese Empire. The era ends in 1185 with the end of the Heian period, and the start of the Kamakura shogunate in mainland Japan. Due to the complexity of this era, scholars have decided to remain fairly open in terms of period chronology. Commonly, the Classical Nanako era is divided into four periods: the Ōjidai period (500-800), the Asuka period (650-710), the Nara period (710-794), and the Heian period (794-1185). Some of these periods interwind because they observe different events. The Asuka and Nara periods are in fact periods of Japanese history while the Ōjidai era is unique to Nanako, but it was influenced by said Japanese periods due to the relative closeness of both nation and their history.

Ōjidai (500 - 800)

The Ōjidai period (王時代, royal era), compared to other periods of the classical and middle age eras of the Nanakian history is very unique and different compared to Japanese equivalent periods. While central and southern Japan enter the classical era with the emancipation and rise of the Yamato kingdom and their emperors, considered even today to be the real first modern form of a Japanese nation (Wo then Nihon during the Asuka period), Nanako enters a distinct period, also characterised by the emergence of sovereign powerful kingdoms or powerful clans, descendants of pervious local fiefdoms and sovereign cities. One of these kingdoms, the kingdom of Nanako based around Narakonai is considered to be the first modern form of a Nanakian nation. It quickly became the most powerful kingdom on the island and dominated the eastern and Jade coast regions.

The Ōjidai period is also characterised by the evolution of the Kubokō culture to the Early-Nanakian culture of Kyūba (弓馬 - literally "bow-horse"). While still sharing the same foundations as the mainstream classical Japanese culture, the Kyūba culture differs from it in the fields of social customs, art, and warfare. The very name of the culture comes from a horse skeleton excavated on the Shubikujiwa plateaux that sported one bronze and gold short-bow and a gem-ornate golden long-bow with Chinese characters inscribed on it. These remnants found in 1889 were the first crafted artifacts excavated from this period, ruins aside. Frist recovered kingdom records and writings from the Nanakian history are from the Ōjidai period. Among them is the Miyama Den, the grand tale of the mythical creation of Nanako and the deities of Nanakian Shinto.

Although the Ōjidai period is unique to Nanako, its sub-periods are based on Japanese periods due to the significance of Japanese-Nanakian relations during this period. The very end of the Ōjidai period is due to the Emperor of Japan's claim on the Nanakian kingdoms that ultimately led to the incorporation of Nanakian kingdoms to the Japanese Yamato empire, during a series of conflicts, ending in 800. The Ōjidai period is divided in the high-Ōjidai from 500-650, and the late-Ōjidai, composed of the Asuka period from 650-710 with first interference of Yamato and the Nara period from 710 to 800 which contains most of the conflicts and overlaps with the Heian period.

High-Ōjidai (500-650)

Although the earliest states and kingdoms emerged on Nanako before 500, during the Nanakian-Satsumon period, complex politics and diplomacy, conflictual situations and trade really boomed around 500, the start of the Ōjidai period. Clans and kingdoms emerged locally based on local governance and existing social castes. Rich and wealthy families established themselves inside a system they made up themselves in order to secure their power. Although the terms of clans and kingdoms are different, they usually translate themselves into a similar regime. The major difference between the two was that a clan consisted of a family, and was tied to its members, while a kingdom was tied to a location. Moreover, clans could be vassals of another more powerful kingdom. These elaborate forms of governing, which came with a monetary, tax, military, and administrative system, started to emerge in largely populated areas of the west, south, and south-east. The oldest and most powerful of them was created around approximately 470 around the City of Narakonai and became the Kingdom of Nanako in around 500 under the rule of semi-legendary ruler princess Deijī. During the high-Ōjidai, its largest boundaries, including vassals and allied clans spanned from the south of current Gasaiyonomo in the north and to current Hashikoshi to the east. The southern tip of the island was divided into multiple smaller kingdoms of which only three really struggled with each other for territorial dominance. The Fukaya kingdom (深谷 - "Deep-Valley") in the eastern regions around current Maule, Asahiwa kingdom (旭和 - "peace of the rising sun") in the southern regions around current day Shubikujiwa and the Hokuto kingdom (北東 - "north-east", meaning unknown) on the Hokuto peninsula.

The high-Ōjidai and late Kubokō periods also mark the dawn of the early-Ainu culture derived from the Kubokō culture. The early-Ainu culture started first in the mountainous regions in the middle of the island and then migrated north, pushed by the more influential Kyūba culture developing elsewhere in the island. It is often compared to the Emishi culture in mainland Japan to describe relations between Ainu and Kyūba peoples. While Kyūba peoples continued their organisation into kingdoms and clans, the Ainu that lived more secluded from main trade routes stayed organized in separate villages and small clans. Kyūba people rapidly resented the Ainu people, especially southern kingdoms, and considered them as inferior and barbaric. Ainu villages were often raided for resources by mercenaries or regular armies. Only a few Ainu tribes prospered during this period, especially in the northwest where local Kyūba clans traded with Ainu communities.

Architecture, warfare, and infrastructure rapidly developed during this period. Armies became significantly larger and organized. Horses were heavily used as excavations have shown. The most distinctive feature of the Kyūba art of warfare was mounted archers and to a lesser significance mounted swordsmen. Most wars were based on mobility and rapid clashes. Horses were often buried with their owner's grave and if the horse died before, it was often offered funerals, depending on the owner's wealth. At a site in Hokosinawa, in what was the kingdom of Fukaya, archaeologists found a large horse graveyard. Most horses were equipped with leather and bronze armours and were buried, fossils suggest, with Sugi leaves (Nanakian Shinto holy tree). The existence of this graveyard suggests that rich Kyūba people had special funeral customs when it came to their war horses. While Shinto funerals demanded the cremation of the individual, horses were not. Scholars suggest that Kyūba horse owners still considered horses low enough not to give them proper Shinto funerals but were still greeted with a form of ceremonial burial. Roads and canals were constructed to enhance trade. Some of these canals are still existing in cities like Shubikujiwa. Fortified cities and positions existed since a while ago but the Ōjidai era saw their development and enhancement. Castles were built on natural vantage points or on artificial stone-supported mounds like the Kyoshi castle (Waterpoo). Most of them were made out of wood but some like the Narakonai or Shubikujiwa castles had stone foundations and structures.

Late-Ōjidai (650-800)

Late-Ōjidai starts at around 650, date marking a tipping point in Nanakian civilization history. After millennia of cultural and political relative independence, the entry of Japan into the Asuka period significantly strengthens the influence of Imperial Japan on Nanako. Soon enough, independent clans and cities on Nanako actively court emperors of Japan and pay tribute in exchange for favours. Growing interference of Japanese power displeases all established Nanakian kingdoms and royalties. While commerce and sea routes tremendously expand between Japan and Nanako, established diplomatic ties between Nanakian kingdoms and Japan deteriorate. Entry around 710 of Japan into the Nara period further raised tensions between Japan and Nanakian kingdoms as cultural, commercial, political, and religious tensions as Buddhism, promoted by the imperial court, started to spread among what had become during the course of the Asuka period, client states of Japan.

Punitive conflicts between Nanakian kingdoms and their Japanese-influenced vassals sparked at around 735 a wave of violence throughout the island ultimately leading to a state of utter political chaos. Japanese influenced vassals with Buddhist beliefs claimed allegiance to the Emperor of Japan and banded against their former kings. Especially in the south where Japanese influence was greater, kingdoms suffered unexpected backlashes orchestrated in part by Japanese envoys to rogue vassals. In 758, the Kingdom of Nanako, Fukaya, and Asahiwa allied against rebels in a struggle for dominance, marking the start of the Saishū Doumei War (From Japanese, 最終同盟戦争: War of the last alliance). The first years of the war saw large progress from the allied kingdoms, stacking major victories against rogue states until in 766, a large fleet and army were assembled by Empress Shōtoku, under counsel from Fujiwara no Matate, of the Fujiwara clan, a few months before his death, to relieve Nanakian-Japanese vassals. The expedition was led by Fujiwara no Korekimi (Hokke branch, son of Fujiwara no Matate, not to be confused with Fujiwara no Korekimi of the Nanke branch). Imperial forces reached Nanako in march 767 and repelled many Nanakian forces before achieving a stalemate at the battle of Nōka no hashi (from Japanese, 農家の橋: Farmers' Bridge).

In 770, Empress Shōtoku died and emperor Kōnin assumed power. Shortly after, a large offensive on the kingdom of Asahiwa was launched and drove allied kingdoms all the way to the Asahiwan capital until a relief force sent by Nanako halted imperial forces at the gates of the city. King of Hokuto, that had been friendly to allied kingdoms' cause suddenly shifted in favor of Japanese forces after the Giman no kyōen incident (from Japanese, 欺瞞の饗宴: The Feast of Deception) in which the ruling king deceased without an heir and the throne passed to a Buddhist noble. Hokuto allied with Japanese forces and the tide of the war was changed. In 772, Fujiwara no Korekimi was once again threatening the Asahiwan capital, although this time with significantly more forces thanks to his recent alliance with Hokuto and some Ainu communities. Nanakian relief force was sent again but was slowed by a terrible winter and got stuck in the mountains for weeks. Asahiwa capitulated in January 773. A ceasefire was negotiated for 10 months before Fujiwara no Korekimi launched an offensive on Fukaya. In March 774, Fukaya was invaded and capitulated despite the efforts of Nanako to launch a relief attack on Hokuto in the heart of winter 774.

From 775 to 780, the situation remained relatively calm. Only small border struggles and alliances changes occurred while Buddhism and Japanese influence grew in the ruling classes of Nanako. The influence of Buddhism and Japan separated in multiple instances Nanakian clans between different factions. Notably, the Teiga clan was split into two factions both sporting differing allegiances. Kiyomoto-Teiga clan was favorable to the Emperor of Japan while the Shimai-Teiga kept fighting with the Narakonai clan, rulers of the Nanako kingdom. In 781, a large battle around Hashikoshi heavily crippled Japanese forces and forced them to retreat 50 kilometers east. This huge blowback led to another cease-fire agreement that lasted until 789. Winter of 790-791 was uniquely harsh and smelting of the ice caused many roads and bridges to collapse, favouring Nanakian forces which held their positions from 791 to 793 until a second offensive pushed Nanakians beyond their borders. 793 to 795 was marked by a halt of Japanese advances because of important revolts. In summer 796, Japanese forces were back at the offensive and in 800, the capital of Nanako was captured and the king was slain. This event marks the end of the Ōjidai era. From now on, the Nanakian historical periodic system will follow Japanese historic periods, as Nanako will be integrated throughout the upcoming years into the Japanese empire until Nanako was invaded in 1587 by the English.