Thousands of miles away from the Old World lies the island of Nippon, also known as the Land of the Rising Sun. The theoretical head of Nippon is the Emperor Takagura but far more powerful is the Shogun Yoritomo Ieysau, the country's military dictator. The Shogun came to power by defeating his rivals (with no small help from Marienburg guns) and overthrowing the puppet shogunate backed by the Emperor. Now Yoritomo rules the land with an iron grip and enforces strict edicts which forbid the lower classes from carrying weapons and ensures the obedience of the various provincial rulers or daimyo through the use of a complex network of spies as well as holding their wives and children in the capital city every two years. Nippon is the home of the warrior caste known as samurai, the highest rank of nobility in the land. They owe their allegiance to their master through pain of death. Then there are the martial artists and the sinister ninja.