CONTENTSGender, Marriage, and Sensitive MattersReligion and Superstition Clothing Style GENDER, MARRIAGE AND SENSITIVE MATTERSAs previously stated, the particular samurai paths are not determined by gender; since the first days of the Empire, it has been evident that the women of the land are at least as strong as the men. Marriage is naturally very important for alliances and the continuation of the Clan. One partner takes the surname of the other; there is a short ceremony with their Lord, letting them take new allegiance. Once they have borne children, many women choose to undertake the important task of raising the heirs of the Clan, though if the husband is a courtier or shugenja and the wife a bushi, the task will generally fall to him once the children have been borne. As long as the spouses reach agreement on the matter, then either spouse is accepted. 90% of marriages are arranged, 8% are love marriages, and 2% are unwilling or forced marriages. Older members of the Clan generally either retire to a Clan house, teaching and sharing their wisdom with the younger generations, or retire to a monastery, becoming a member of the priesthood and seeking enlightenment. Sexualities other than heterosexual are permitted, as long as there are heirs to the Clan. If a samurai is the sole heir of a family line, then they are expected to form an alliance and produce children. As long as there are children of the line and the liason is discreet and honourable, lovers of any status are permitted to married samurai. Unmarried samurai are discouraged from having affairs with other samurai, as it can bring shame if they act in a dishonourable manner. Concubines of commoner blood are permitted to any samurai, and quite common. Prostitutes are commoners, both male and female, and are ranked by the fee they command. They live in the ‘licensed quarters’, the red-light district, and are licensed by the local magistrate. There are the high-class courtesans, taiyuu (literally ‘high-fee’), whose clients are high-ranked samurai; they are accomplished entertainers and companions, and rarely are used for other services. They wear elaborate clothing and bells in their obi and headdress. Slightly lower are niban (literally ‘second’), who attend samurai and high-class commoners; they are entertainers and prostitutes equally. Lower still are licensed prostitutes, hashi (literally ‘end’, end of the line), and lowest are ‘nighthawks’, illegal prostitutes who do not live in the licensed quarter. The Empire’s culture is not an affectionate one; unnecessary touch between those who are unrelated is considered either insulting, offensive, or ‘indiscreet’. While family (and, to a lesser extent, Clan) are permitted to touch and embrace as sign of affection, even holding hands with an unrelated person is considered ‘indiscreet’ and sexual in nature. RELIGION AND SUPERSTITIONThere are four components to religion in the Jade Empire. These are the worship of the gods and spirits, the worship of ancestors and ascended ones, and the following of the teachings of the Tao.
The worship of the Gods is strong throughout the Empire. This is especially due to the fact that shugenja use the power of the spirits every time they cast a spell. There are the High Gods, Lady Sun and Lord Moon, Lord Fire, Lord Air, Lady Water, and Lady Earth, and all pay homage to them. The Void is ranked with the High Gods, but as it has no personality as the other Elements do, it is seldom named anything other than ‘The Void’, and is worshipped as absence, emptiness, and the pure clarity removed from distraction. The Lesser Gods are those such as the Seven Fortunes (Benten, Fortune of Romantic Love; Bishamon, Fortune of Strength; Daikoku, Fortune of Prosperity and Wealth; Ebisu, Fortune of Honest Work; Fukurokujin, Fortune of Wisdom; Hotei, Fortune of Contentment; and Jurojin, Fortune of Longevity). The Gods and some spirits live in the Celestial Heavens, in the Heavenly Court, guarded by Ascended Dragons and attended by hitodama (‘floating flames’). Spirits are those below the gods – similar in rank to humans. Most spirits live invisibly in the mortal world. They make agreements with shugenja when summoned; shugenja are effectively lay-priests from their regular contact with the spiritual world. The worship of ancestors is important; it shows respect for those who have gone before, and the hope that their wisdom will guide their descendents. It also prevents retribution from neglected ancestors; people can be haunted, bad fortune can befall them, and worst of all, the neglected could turn into ghosts or bad spirits. Incense, food, and drink (most often sake, rice wine) are offered to the ancestors at the family shrine. Ascended ones are those who have ascended to the Heavenly Court for their wisdom and strength, and are especially revered. The First Emperor, Huang Kenshi, is one. The First Tao – the Tao Te Ching – predates the Empire, and was written by Lao Tsu, and it defined the concept of Tao and the search for enlightenment through oneness with the Tao. As he says in the Tao Te Ching, “There was something undefined and complete, existing before Heaven and Earth. How still it was, how formless, standing alone and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere with no danger of being exhausted. It may be regarded as the mother of all things. Truthfully it has no name, but I call it Tao.” The principle of Yin and Yang is important to the understanding of the Tao; Yin is the accumulation of energy, whilst Yang is energy expended for action. Yin is rest, receptivity, and quietude, the very substance to life, often identified as female. Yang is action, creativity and movement, the functional, active aspect of any process, often identified as male. They always exist together, as the two harmonic halves of the Tao. The meditation of the Lotus and the religious meditation of priests is often centred on the concept and attainment of Tao, the Way of the Universe, harmony of Yin and Yang, perfect enlightenment and oneness with all. The Void is considered an aspect of the Tao. The Tao is both the concept of Tao and the teachings in regards it. Those who are enlightened can hope to ascend to the Celestial Heavens once they have completed all their tasks on earth. They can rejoin with the Tao if that is their wish, and may be reborn. Those who are evil are sent to underworld, which is ruled by Yanluo-Enma, and tormented until they are purified of their wrongdoing, and can be released to the Tao. Those who are irredeemably evil will never leave.  There are a wide range of holidays and festivals, celebrating aspects of life and death. A calendar of the year (corresponding to the year 2009) can be found here.
In a world like the Empire, where spirits and ghosts are a reality of life, superstitions are a common thing. They include: Red is a lucky colour, symbolising health, happiness, peace, and prosperity. White is a colour of purity, innocence, holiness, and also the colour of death (shrouds and graveclothes are always white), so clothing in this colour is generally only worn by the young, or as part of the wearer’s clan colours. Breaking a comb or the cloth strap of a sandal is an omen of misfortune. Stepping on the edge of a straw mat invites bad luck. The number 4 is considered unlucky, as it sounds like the old pronounciation for ‘death’. 8 and 7 are lucky, because they sound like ‘lucky/fortune’ and ‘good’ respectively. If you sneeze suddenly, someone is speaking ill of you. Jade is a lucky substance, which grants protection from the supernatural. There are a lot of superstitions about New Year; clean your house, to start afresh; don’t use knives, or you’ll sever your luck; wear red; eat rice to symbolise prosperity. Chopsticks shouldn’t be stuck upright in rice, as this is only done with altar offerings to spirits. CLOTHING Bushi generally wear kimono or zhigi with hakama (wide pleated pants), or sangfu with straight trousers. Female bushi also wear cheongsam (waistlength, short-sleeved, formfitting shirt with a side closure) or aodai (long-sleeved, formfitting long dress with slit to thigh or waist) over hakama or trousers. Bushi also wear haori (kimono jacket) or hanten (zhigi jacket), and sometimes the formal kataginu (stiff overcoat with wide shoulders). Except in exceptional circumstances, whatever outfit they wear, they will always carry their swords. Shugenja generally wear similar outfits to bushi, with the addition of loose outer kimono, kipao (long, loose robes with side closure), or noshi (wrapped jacket tied at the neck and the waist) and often wear prayer shawls or wraps, imitating the priesthood. Courtiers wear the most varied and colourful dress. It tends to be trailing and elegant, in rich fabrics in Clan colours. They generally favour the flaring hanfu to the straight kimono. Female courtiers wear layered hanfu or kimono, sometimes with a skirt or hakama, and always with a wide, ornate obi. Another option is an elaborate aodai and long skirt. Male courtiers wear layered kimono with hakama and kataginu or haori, sangfu and trousers or skirt. Obi with a long, ornate aprons are common as marks of rank. Both sexes also wear a trailing outer kimono, haori, or rukan (transparent or gauze short jacket with a large bow closure at one side). Commoners wear plain, simple outfits, most often a plain kimono or zhigi with straight pants and a narrow obi. Hair can be worn short or long; among bushi and shugenja, long hair is generally tied up into a topknot or high ponytail. Female courtiers wear elaborate hairstyles with many ornaments, and a curved sideways crest-like headdress on the top of the head. Male courtiers wear high hats (tall black hats), winged hats (small pillbox hats with long side wings), or tasselled hats (tall pillboxes with a flat board on top, with dangling jewels and tassels). Other headwear includes straw hats, hachimake (headbands), and hachigane (headbands with an iron plate). Jewellery is worn in a restrained manner, with a maximum of one or two necklaces, a few bracelets, and one or two jewels in the obi. Jewellery is less popular than ornamentation of the clothing with jewels, which is also done in a restrained, refined manner. There are various kinds of footwear in the Empire. The most common are zori (straw jandals), worn with tabi (toed socks), or simple flat shoes with a strap over the foot or around the ankle (ballet flats), with the same tabi. Other shoes include waraji (straw sandals with straps over the foot and around the ankle), and geta (wooden jandal-clogs). Boots include mukuluku, a favourite of the Tundra Clan (mukluks, knee- or calf-high boots, leather or suede, with laces bound around them), fur boots with straps or ties, or plain leather boots. STYLE
The style of the Jade Empire is complex, a dichotomy of simplicity and ornamentation. The lines and general form of architecture, clothing, ornaments and art are simple, sweeping and generally inspired by the natural form of the object’s material. Ornamentation is applied in a careful manner – not too little, not too much – and deliberately located to enhance the natural beauty of the object or its wearer. Quality is valued over quantity – a kimono with tiny, exquisite embroidery will be more valuable than one heavily but poorly embroidered. In dress, greater ornamentation is indicative of higher status, and dressing with too much or too little is seen as either arrogance or lack of care for status. Courtiers are of course the great arbiters of fashion, and between tradition and desire for unique expression, fashions generally change about every four to five years. Fashionable affectations such as likings of particular songs, poets and styles of address change every few months. Pets such as small lapdogs and cats come in and out of fashion; they are currently very popular in the Imperial Court.  |
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