Tetsu no Kuni

Land of Iron Symbol

Tetsu no Kuni; The Country of Iron

Tetsu no Kuni, also known as 'The Country of Iron' or 'Land of Iron' is a notable nation due to their Samurai military and an abundance of iron, as their namesake would suggest. Resting next to both Hi no Kuni and Denchi no Kuni, this neutral nation was once home to grounds used by the Five Great Shinobi Nations for their Kage Summits in order for the Five Kage to discuss matters that threatened the world in order to prevent destruction. Since the rise of Kiba no Kuni, Tetsu no Kuni is no longer used as a meeting place between villages, causing many to forget about the country's importance entirely; something the Samurai are more than content with.

The 'Three Wolves'

Terrain

The majority of the terrain in central Tetsu no Kuni is rolling hills and towering mountains, lending a great deal of natural iron and other mineral deposits to it's citizens. The land along the borders, however, tends to be a bit more varied.

Samurai

Hohei Ranked Samurai

Samurai are the guardians and military power of Tetsu no Kuni and have been for generations.

Military and Government

Out of all the other countries on the continent, Tetsu no Kuni has one of the odder governments due to the Samurai presence, resulting in a loose type of Shogunate. The country is actually divided into ten different 'provinces', each one lead by a Taishō. The Taishō is the Samurai General of all military forces in that province, and all Samurai who live there are expected to follow his or her commands without question. These Taishō are hands down the most skilled Samurai in the country, some even rivaling Kage, which has allowed them to retain their neutrality thus far. The Taishō reside in the respective capital city within each province.

One among these ten Taishō is the Shogun; the be-all-end-all leader of all military forces in the country, including the other 9 Taishō. The seat of the Shogun sits in the Ookamisan province in the center of the country, acting as the nation's capital. The title of 'Shogun' is frequently carried through bloodlines until a bloodline is lost, in which case the nine remaining Taishō convene at a summit to decide who is the most worthy and honorable among them to be named Shogun. It is not uncommon for relatives of the Shogun to rise to the position of Taishō, typically making it very difficult for a bloodline to be lost short of a costly war with high casualties.

Sharing a seat in the Ookamisan province is the Daimyo who oversees and governs all non-military interests, much like in all other countries. Together, the Daimyo and Shogun work hand-in-hand tirelessly to keep Tetsu no Kuni safe and profitable. That isn't to say that the two work together flawlessly- in fact more often than not its the opposite. The Daimyo have a history of rarely possessing the same sense of honor that their fellow Shogun do, resulting in two conflicting ideals as to what direction the country should go, especially in regards to shinobi relations.