Editing Kensei (section)

====Buke====
[[File:Buke.jpg|thumb|300px|left]]
The warrior castes of Hymukai. Although the Buke clans are also related to the Tenno line, they are bound by oaths and the distance of their territory from the capital not to attempt to claim the position. Instead many clans want to replace the Kuge class entirely with one giant Buke class.
Buke are the most strict caste in terms of rank and behavior. Social position is well noted, duties are codified, and dishonor not tolerated by self or others. 

In terms of the current war, Buke are split between those interested in increasing their own power and those disillusioned with the "supreme divine right" of the Kuge. While Kuge scheme and assassinate over who will rule, the Buke interest and method is more simple; envy your neighbor, march your army and take what is rightfully yours by virtue of your strength, repeat. Kuge are entitled by luxury and arrogance but don't deserve the power the Buke have had to fight and die to preserve. The Sohei, those who should respect their betters, must be taught their place; Buke place Bushido above faith and believe that the Samurai social position above the priest and peasant must be enforced at sword point, although otherwise the Buke and Sohei would be at peace. The Otokodate are barely human as far as the Buke are concerned, representing everything wrong with the world as they bring sinful western influence, are as entitled as Kuge, and behave as pirates and peasants. The Kuroi-te are a challenge the Buke are unafraid of and destroying them is seen as the test that will prove the Buke are superior. Most Buke are unaware of the Hattori and dismiss them as legend, although some Buke are cautious regardless. 

Buke absolutely refuse to use firearms, as foreigners and their sinful weapons have no place in Hymukai. Archers are more respected, but ultimately the only true art lies in martial combat. They are willing to use spies and some minor assassins although not to the extent of the other clans.

Ironically the history of real life Buke began in 702 when the Daijō-kan, or Great Council of State, was established which gave the Kuge powers as the administration of the Emperor. The first armies of professional soldiers were organized and hired, largely composed of archer cavalry nobility on horseback and peasant melee footmen. The cavalry were the predecessors to the Samurai and belonged to low nobility who's purpose in the organization of the government was as professional soldiers that carried out the will of the Kuge. Prior to that Japanese history had largely been a struggle between the Imperial family and clans of warriors; in fact the very first recorded history of Japan is from a Korean diplomat who spoke at length about an Empress who is now forgotten by history that struggled to expand her empire against the many warlords of the countryside. What to that forgotten Empress was an empire became a province in her descendant's empire not even a hundred years later. Despite, or possibly because of, this fast expansion the warlord culture continued to thrive even when subjugated under the rule of the Imperial line, which itself gradually became more and more complex as hundreds of families in the Kuge caste tended to increasingly ritual roles leaving the Buke largely to self-govern. The Emperors themselves began to retire early and become Cloistered Emperors who were the real power behind figurehead Emperors that tended to the mundane duties. When a dispute broke out between a former Emperor named Sutoko became angry that his father Toba had ruled in his stead then put his brother Konoe on the on the throne after forcing Sutoko to retire. The untimely death of Konoe without an heir created a schism in the capital with the Kuge split between loyalty to the last Emperor Sutoko and the grandfather Emperor Toba (who was still the one making the actual decisions) that had put yet another one of his own sons named Go-Shirakawa on the throne. The most powerful Kuge family, the Fujiwara, split in two on the sides of the two Emperors and reached out to two Buke clans called the Minamoto (who sided with Sutoko) and the Taira (on the side of Go-Shirakawa) resulting in the Hogen Rebellion where the capital was burned down. Eventually the Minamoto was defeated and the practice of Cloistered Emperors continued, although the Minamoto rose again soon after in the Heiji Rebellion by kidnapping the current Emperor and the now-Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa who later escaped leading to their defeat by the Taira. The head of the Taira clan named Kiyomori was promoted into the highest levels of government as a reward and married his daughter to an Emperor named Takakura who fathered a son named Antoku. Not long after that Kiyomori removed all his rivals from the Kuge caste (pushing them down into the Buke) and demanded the Emperor step down and put Antoku on the throne immediately to avoid the possibility of one of the boy's uncles becoming an heir instead (which ironically the Kiyamori had fought to continue the practice of) and in doing so created a proto-Shogunate where a small number of Buke clans loyal to him ruled. Most of Japan sided against him, including members of his own clan, and Takakura's brother Prince Mochihito was the face of the rebellion (as Kiyamori had been correct, Mochihito WAS the intended heir to the throne). The Minamoto and Taira waged war against each other in the Genpei Wars which embroiled much of Japan. 
It culminated in a battle where the child Emperor Antoku and his grandmother Taira no Tokiko were (allegedly mistakenly) killed in naval battle and the three holy treasures of Japan that represent the divinity of the Imperial line via Amaterasu were lost (and two were allegedly recovered, although to this day they have never been studied by archeologists or verified and only Emperors may look upon them). Cloistered Emepror Go-Shirakawa, still the actual decision-maker behind the throne, chose Emperor Go-Toba as the new Emperor gave the head of the Minimoto clan that lead his side to victory, Yoritomo, the right to collect taxes and control the leadership of the provinces of Japan. After Go-Shirakawa's death Yoritomo was appointed the official position of Shogun to rule in the name of the Emperor in all positions other than ceremony and privilege. After that point the Shogunate became the ultimate position of power in Japan and the Kuge were relegated to the attendants of the Emperor, although any clan wanting to be close to the Shogun or even replace him wound up tying their legitimacy to family relation to a Kuge clan or even the Imperial line itself through them. Various Emperors gathered armies to rebel against the Shogun who supposedly ruled in their name and become a supreme leader again, but these wars were usually short and always resulted in a battered but surviving Shogunate who's legitimacy was through a figurehead Emperor. 
The Buke first formed as professional soldiers with administrative powers in 702, were solidified under the first Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1192 which was around the time Bushido was in its infancy, and became the dominant force in society in the mid-1500's. They saw a reduction in power beginning in 1873 during which they were renamed to Shizoku and lost most of their power in society along with the abolishment of the Clan system. This lead to the final year of the Buke with the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 AKA what The Last Samurai '''BADLY''' tried to tell the story of (both sides used guns and cannons until the final battle where the Samurai made a final stand, which only occurred in the first place because they ran out of ammunition and knew they were going to be slaughtered anyway, plus the Samurai side was only fighting to maintain political power rather than a way of life). During World War 2 the concept of the Samurai was used for propaganda although without the Buke connotations, responsibilities, or privileges. Out of the four castes in Kensei, the Buke are the only ones that died out by the modern day. Unless you count reenactments for tourists, or the <strike>possible</strike> guaranteed future of giant robot combat.