The first rays of the morning sun exposed the charred ruins of Ninomiya Palace. While others picked through the acrid-smelling debris, one man stood aloof, gazing fixedly at the smoldering beams. Wrapped in a single robe of deep blue cloth, he appeared oblivious to the noisy hubbub around him. Arched brows that seemed almost brush-drawn topped his clean-cut features, and his brown eyes shone beneath them with an intense light. His name was Shuga, and he was rumored to be the most gifted young Star Reader in the country.
“It should not have caused a fire,” he muttered. “If I’m right, that creature’s nature is water.”
Worship me … A line from The Official History of New Yogo flitted through his mind. Recently, the legend had begun to plague his thoughts.
Worship me, for I am the keeper of the water in this land. In return, I will charm this spring so that your fields will always bear plenty.
With these words, a water demon had tried to deceive the first Mikado, Torugaru. Could that same demon now have possessed Prince Chagum? Shuga frowned, gripped by a cold fear. But two centuries have passed since New Yogo was founded. How could a monster opposed to the divine ruler have survived for so long?
The Yogoese were not native to the Nayoro Peninsula. Originally, the land had belonged to the large-jawed, dark-skinned Yakoo, who lived in villages scattered across the fertile plain. There they had hunted the wild creatures and used fire to clear small plots for farming. Long ago, Torugaru, the divine founder of New Yogo, had forsaken his war-torn kingdom to lead his people across the sea and build a new country. Now that legend from the distant past threatened to disrupt Shuga’s life — if someone else didn’t foul it up first. Gakai! He clicked his tongue in disgust. This time it seems the Master Star Reader chose the wrong man. Now look what’s happened. It’s made everything so much worse.
Turning his back abruptly on the smoking timbers, he strode away. It had been his turn to watch the stars last night and he had not slept. Exhaustion dragged at his eyelids, yet he hesitated only a moment before deciding: He would return to the Star Palace to request an audience with the Master Star Reader.
Shuga fought his way against the flow of people hurrying toward the smoking ruins. Passing out of the gate to the palace, he headed quickly toward the east quarter of the Ogi no Kami district, where the Star Palace was located. Kosenkyo, the capital of New Yogo, meant “shining fan,” and true to its name, it unfolded from its center in Ogi no Kami, or “the handle of the fan,” at the river’s fork near the mountains. Ogi no Kami was divided into four quadrants. In the north quadrant lay the majestic Yogo Palace where the Mikado lived, its roof tiles trimmed in blue and gold. In the west stood Ichinomiya Palace, the home of the First Prince, and Ninomiya Palace, the home of the Second Prince. Sannomiya Palace, in which the Third Queen resided, was located in the south quadrant, and Hoshinomiya or “Star” Palace, where the Star Readers lived, sat in the east quadrant. A high plastered wall separated the entire district of Ogi no Kami from Ogi no Naka, “the center of the fan,” where the mere nobility lived. Through the middle of the wall passed the Great South Gate, opening onto the broad main street that ran through the center of the capital.
Shuga crunched along the gravel path from Ninomiya Palace, thinking about the legend he had memorized during his apprenticeship as a Star Reader. It unfolded in his mind with the scent of musty paper …
Once on a large continent far to the south, many kingdoms grew and flourished. The most powerful of these was Yogo, and it was there that the great seer, Kainan Nanai, was born. Highly gifted, he could see what happened in distant places and predict the future by reading the stars. When he reached manhood, he dedicated his life to Tendo, the Law of the Universe, by which our supreme god, Ten no Kami, governs all that happens in this world.
Now it happened one day that the king of Yogo fell mortally ill, and his four sons launched a bloody war over the succession. The third-born son, Yogo Torugaru, grew weary of this bloodshed among brothers, and he declared that he would renounce his right to the throne. At the age of twenty-five, he left the capital and began living in quiet seclusion with his wife and child. One night, Kainan Nanai appeared at his door, bearing a strange prophecy that was to transform his fate and that of Nayoro Peninsula.
“Sail across the northern sea,” he told Torugaru. “There you will find a peaceful paradise on a green and verdant peninsula. In that land, the voice of Ten no Kami can be heard more clearly than anywhere else. Rugged mountains will protect you from northern invaders, and the sea will guard you against attack from the mainland. Build your capital on the fan-shaped plain at the fork of the river flowing from the misty mountains. You must establish the power of Ten no Kami in that land, for you were born as his son to do his will on earth and are protected by his divine grace and favor.”
The rumor of Nanai’s prophecy spread rapidly. Many flocked to Torugaru’s side, intent on following the son of their god to paradise. Torugaru resolved to leave his homeland behind, and he led a fleet of ships across the sea. Nanai read the stars from the deck, guiding them safely across the mighty deep to the green peninsula of Nayoro. Torugaru traveled upriver toward the Misty Blue Mountains until he came to a fertile plain between the two rivers, just as was prophesied.
As Torugaru was a peaceful man, he had no intention of overcoming the indigenous Yakoo by force. The Yakoo, however, frightened by the arrival of strangers from a foreign land, abandoned their villages and fled into the mountains.