Wanshu

Wanshu (湾州 Wanshū), formally known as Wanshu City (湾州市 Wanshū-shi) is a major city in Chisei. Located at the head of Daiwan Bay, the city forms the majority of the Wanshu Special Autonomous Province on the west coast of Shirakawa. Wanshu is the largest city in Chisei by population, with 14.15 million people residing within the 28 main city districts, and a total of 28.79 million living in the Greater Wanshu Metropolitan Region, which includes the entirety of the WSAP as well as parts of the adjacent Chinzei, Kaniba, Honeoka and Mimasaka provinces, equalling approximately 21% of Chisei's total population and 48.5% of the population of Shirakawa.

Wanshu, originally known as Sagimura, was a small port and fishing town until coming under Yamataian occupation during the Great Shinbi War. Ginsagi castle was constructed in the region by Empress Momiji to fortify it against rebels, and it quickly grew into a major supply port for the Yamataian forces during the period of occupation. In 1582 it was made the capital of the mainland territories, and renamed Wanshu. After the Yamataian retreat in 1591 it was retaken by Shirakawa, and Regent Takeshima Noriko ordered the construction of a new shipyard. Wanshu achieved city status in 1640, and grew quickly as it developed into a major commercial and military port. In 1826 it became the headquarters of the Chiseian Royal Navy. Shipbuilding and textile production were the city's leading industries in the late 19th century.

The Great Wanshu Earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed much of the city in 1893, and led to a significant drop in it's population, from 10 million in 1892 to 6 million in 1900, with many resettling in eastern Shirakawa, in the Chiseian colonies or on the Uraani frontier.

The city was captured in 1921 by Yamatai during the First Escar-Varunan War, and was located close to the frontlines of the invasion, resulting in extensive shelling by the Chiseian Royal Army. After the war it was made the capital of the New Territories, the Yamataian-occupied section of Western Shirakawa. Millions of Yamataian service personnel and civilians settled in the city and surrounding regions, and it recieved heavy investment from Yamataian corporations and the Imperial government. Wanshu Central Station and the artificial island of Tsububa were both constructed under the occupation governmment. Resistance forces were active in Wanshu, and executed operations such as the assassination of Governor Terauchi Yoshimichi in 1933 and the 1935 Wanshu Uprising.

The First Battle of Wanshu in January 1938, during the Second Escar-Varunan War, was an attempt by the Royal Army to seize control of the city. Though unsuccessful, the attack dealt extensive damage to the city's port facilities and disrupted Yamataian supply and command capabilities, a critical factor in the Imperial counteroffensive ultimately being bogged down at the Enokaji Line. Wanshu was finally recaptured in 1943, and it served as the backdrop for the end of the war under the Treaty of Senbonzakura, signed on a Yamataian battleship docked in Wanshu harbour.

In the postwar period, Wanshu experienced an unusually rapid recovery and explosive growth in the late 1940s and early 50s, which came to be known as Ginsagi Miracle (銀鷺奇跡). This was in part due to heavy government investment in restoring its valuable port facilities, as well as the relatively little damage it suffered during the war, compared to other major cities such as Eito or Yanagiko, which had been directly on the frontlines and subject to massive strategic bombing campaigns. Many refugees from destroyed northern cities chose not to return to their old homes, and instead migrated to the former New Territories. In addition, a large population of Yamataian civilians, resettled under the occupation, were abandoned by retreating Yamataian forces during the war. The vast majority were refused repatriation by the economically crippled postwar Yamataian government, and so many chose to remain in Wanshu. This population was gradually through government edicts between 1951 and 1962. By 1949 Wanshu had outpaced prewar Eito in both population and GDP, and by the 60s it was firmly established as the new commercial center of Chisei.

Today Wanshu is a, with over 200 languages spoken among its population and 20 million visiting the city annually. It is one of the largest financial centers in the world; according to the National Statistics Agency, Wanshu overtook Niihama in 2020 as the city with the most billionaires in Escar. The city is dominant in the Yashiman-language media industry of Chisei, and is a major hub of television producers and film makers in the region. Culturally, Wanshu is often percieved as the 'trend capital of Chisei', with the fashion, dialect, music and cuisine of the city having a massive influence on the rest of the country. Outside Wanshu, and in the rest of Shirakawa in particular, the city's percieved socio-political dominance is a highly contentious issue.

The city is the headquarters of a number of domestic and international organisations, including the Wanshu Development Summit. Almost all Chiseian and many Yamataian corporations maintain branches or main offices in Wanshu. Wanshu Base is a joint installation of the Chiseian Royal Army and Chiseian Royal Navy, and the second largest naval base in Chisei. Though having largely shifted to a service-centric economy, the city remains an important center for Chiseian manufacturing, particularly for automobiles and shipbuilding, as well as.

Toponymy
Wanshū is a transliteration of the Shirakawan Yashiman name '湾州', meaning 'Bay Province', the name originating in the 16th century when Wanshu first became a regional seat of government under the Yashiman Empire, and later under the Shun dynasty of Shirakawa. A small fishing town prior to Yashiman occupation, it was known as Saginuma or Sagimura (鷺沼/鷺村) - 'Egret Swamp' or 'Egret Village', and briefly as Ginsagimachi (銀鷺町 'Silver Egret Town') after the construction of Ginsagi castle nearby in 1579. These names likely derived from the large populations of that used to gather along the old coastal swamplands to mate.

A popular legend in the region also ties the Wanshu egrets into the origin story of the Sansagimon, Chisei's national crest. The most popular variant claims that the goddess Aoamegen'nyo once crashed her heavenly yacht on the rocks of Kitaiwa, where she and her attendants would then remain stranded for 100 nights, until a sedge of egrets arrived in the region, led by the Heron King. The King made a bargain with Aoamegen'nyo, offering to give to her his three eldest sons so that they may carry her back to heaven on her chariot, on the condition that she defeat a spider demon living in the swamps. The Goddess agreed, and struck down the demon with ease, returning to heaven with the three birds depicted in the kamon.

History
Between the First and Second Escar-Varunan Wars the city was the capital of the New Mainland Territories of the Greater Empire of Yamatai. Ginsagi castle served as the headquarters of the Empire's military operations on the mainland theatre, and the city's harbor was significantly expanded for the development of a new naval base and shipbuilding facilities. A large Yamataian subject population remained in the city after the war, consisting of army deserters, left-behind POWs, Songese conscripts, as well as civilian colonists and deportees. Along with other Seijin in the New Territories, this population was naturalised in 1962 under the Resident Subjects Act.

Wards
The Wanshu Metropolitan Government divides the Province into 11 central wards (中央区 Chūō-ku) and 17 border wards (境界区 Kyōkai-ku). These wards have similar levels of autonomy to Designated Cities elsewhere in the country,

Central wards

 * Tokino - A large shopping and entertainment district, located close to the harbour. Alongside being a major retail center, it is known for it's historic fish market and Hanamichi shrine, the largest Michi shrine in Chisei and a center of the local Chiseian Yamataian community.
 * Hosu - The City's main financial district, home to Wanshu Central Station, the headquarters of the Wanshu Development Summit, and many major businesses. Suwashi is Wanshu's main entertainment district, home to a wide array of bars, clubs and other attractions. Often compared to Kamurochō in Niihama, it is the center of Chowado operations in the city.
 * Ginsagimachi - A coastal ward including the eponymous Ginsagi castle, and the old commercial center of the city. Shiro-dōri (Castle Street) still hosts a grand array of small businesses, though major retailers have largely relocated themselves in recent decades to Kamino and Hosu. The Ward is also highly popular with tourists, who come for both the historic sites as well as for the beach at Furujuku.
 * Kitaiwa - Main harbour district of the city. Also contains the Royal War Museum and Wanshu Royal Navy Base. Tsububa is an artificial island - the largest in Wanshu - administered as part of the ward, with many upscale resorts and retail hubs.
 * Shin-sagimura - Coastal ward with a historically rough reputation. Originally developed as an industrial district, later becoming a slum in the postwar period, it underwent a program of active rejuvenation and gentrification in the 1980s. It is now the primary hub for Chisei's broadcasting and film industry.
 * Hanabashi - The historical pleasure district of the city. Today known for it's many old shrines and teahouses, as well as for the neighborhood of Takimachi ('Little Song'), home to a large population of ethnic Songese as well as postwar Osovan immigrants.
 * Hebibukuro - Major commercial and entertainment district, well known for Kokuryū-tōri and Kiirokahatamachi, centers of Otaku culture, but also notorious for it's numerous youth gangs.
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Sister cities
As of 2016, Wanshu has twinning or friendship agreements with the following cities.


 * Niihama
 * Mijeon
 * San Lorenzo
 * Ellesmeare
 * Farbai

Wanshu Development Summit
The Sagikage Complex in Hosu is the headquarters of the eponymous Wanshu Development Summit, an inter-governmental economic cooperation organisation.