Editing Kensei (section)

====Kuge====
[[File:Kuge.jpg|thumb|300px|left]]
The upper nobility of Hymukai. Only the highest among the Kuge Daimyos ever actually saw the Tenno, with them ensuring his will was carried out. 

All Kuge families are directly related to the Tenno line, and each sees themselves as the most legitimate ruler as family lines are extremely blurred as to who exactly the heir should actually be. None are actually interested in reclaiming the four holy treasures, as whoever brings them back would simply be the one doing the dirty work of whoever ends up being the actual heir. 
Kuge have ample reason to dislike the other factions; internally, every Kuge clan is a rival to the throne, the Buke are made up of low ckass traitors who don't understand politics and broke their oaths, the Sohei are peasants and sometimes heretics that rule by philosophy rather than law, and the Otokodate are Otokodate which is enough of a reason to hate them. Kuge are largely unaware of Hattori who oppose them. Kuroi-te are the greatest enemies of the Kuge. 

As the Kuge believe their honor is by default unquestionable since they possess divine blood in their veins, they are quick to resort to underhanded tactics, giving orders to their still-loyal Buke commanders alongside Hattori assassins to the great disdain of the former party. While all factions employ spies and hitmen, the Kuge are willing to field hordes of Ninjas to poison and trap the enemy. Kuge also use women in their armies, allowing anyone capable of using a weapon and showing their loyalty they march on their behalf. 
Kuge are also willing to field men with firearms from foreign lands, an abhorrent thing to the rest of society, although they are unwilling to allow the monotheistic preachers that accompany the merchants to remain in their lands as the faith of the One God does not allow the Kuge to claim their divine right to rule. For similar reasons, the Kuge mostly stick with the Shinto faith as it gives them the maximum authority.

In real life, the Kuge castes of society were the dominant rulers throughout Japanese history although their prestige began to fall beginning in the 1200's due to financial problems until they were little more than the court of the powerless Emperor by the 1600's. Technically the Kuge never went away however and regained some power in the 1800's. They still made up the highest ranks of society until the end of World War 2 where the old families used their wealth and control of infrastructure to become the captains of industry in the modern era (so your Toyota truck is a product of the Kuge).