At the time when the First Emperor set the boundaries of the country, he split it into four Lands: the Great Lands of the North, South, East and West. These were positioned around a center land: the Capital.
Each one of the Great Lands was prosperous in its own way. The North had the most watery lands and brought up the scholars of the country. These were highly intelligent people and most men occupied official positions in the Capital.
Green and rich forests ran across the Southern Land. Here is where the ninjas, spies and bodyguards of the country were trained. The people here were fast and cunning but not without honor.
The East is where the army was. The rich plains that stretched across the land were perfect for harvesting rice, wheat and other food. People here were proud and strong, always upholding their principles and traditions.
In the West there were mountains. With tops whitened with snow, these natural bodyguards protected the land from any invasion. Here is where the healers and monks came from. Kind and considerate people, they always put others before themselves but, in the same time, never failed to protect their boundaries if need be.
As it was expected, in time, each one of the Great Lands developed a capital city. Mizukuro was in the North, surrounded by water. Kagemori was in the South, almost invisible through the thick forests. Aomori was in the East, being the only one found into the open, between green fields. Shiroyama was in the West, protected by a row of tall, sharp mountains.
Despite being so different, these Lands worked together in order to bring prosperity to the country. Everything was centered around the Capital, the spiritual center of the country. This was the place from where the Imperial court governed with the help of the scholars and ministers coming from the North and the Shogun, whom was appointed once every fifty years.
The Shogun was chosen from each Land in anti-clockwise order. In this way, each had a chance to rule for an equal amount of years and the peace would be maintained throughout the country. The successor would be presented to the Imperial court once every fifty years, in order to receive the blessings of the sacred Dragon King. If the Shogun died before the fifty years have ended, then a Regent would be named from among his heirs, to rule before it was time for the next Land to come to power.