Hinoan archipelago

Hinomoto (日本) is a part of the Yashiman archipelago. , located to the east of Akitsukuni in the northern part of the Sea of Yashima, acting as the barrier between the Sea of Yamatai and Shirakawan Sea. It includes 355 islands. It lies 480 kilometres off the Escaric mainland and 305 kilometres from Akitsukuni, is 550 kilometres long and has an area of 53,175 square kilometres. It is governed by Yamatai as the Hinomoto Special Administrative Region.

Hinomoto was once a part of a now-submerged landmass that included Akitsukuni island prior to continental drift; Hinomoto is located on the West Escaric plate while the rest of Yashima rests on the Varunan plate. The island is characterised by wide coastal plains dominated by two mountain ranges, bisected by the fertile Mikawa river valley. There are several peaks above 3,500 metres, the tallest of which is Yuzan at 3,952 metres. Similar to the rest of the Yashiman archipelago, the island is tectonically active and often experiences earthquakes, a few of which are highly destructive. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in the Sea of Yamatai.

The climate ranges from subtropical in the south to cold in the north, and is governed by the West Escaric Monsoon. The island is struck by an average of four typhoons a year. The northern mountains are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife, while land use in the eastern and southern lowlands is intensive. Heavy warfare in the 20th century has also rendered some areas inaccessible to humans due to reckless usage of land mines, preserving large areas of land for fauna to thrive.

Hinomoto has traditionally been the gateway for the movement of humans, culture, language and trade between the Yashiman and mainland civilisations due to its geographical location. The early kingdoms of Hinomoto were the first Yashimans to contact the mainland, and were instrumental in the spread of Tsutikuon-influenced culture throughout the rest of the Yashiman archipelago. Due to their isolation, the Hinoans were initially spared from the conquests of the early Empire of Yamatai, and began settling the mainland between 900 to 1200 CE. In the 14th century, Hinomoto underwent a century-long period of civil war, resulting in the creation of the Shogunate of Hinomoto, which would later join forces with Shirakawa to attack Yamatai in the 17th century over competing exploration and colonial expeditions. The failure of this attack led to a chain of events that caused Hinomoto to quickly fall behind the other Escaric nations. Hinomoto would later become absorbed into the Greater Empire of Yamatai in the War of 1890.

Subsequently, Hinomoto was largely freed following the defeat of Yamatai in the Endwar, forming the Republic of Hinomoto that quickly seized the small areas of the island still occupied by Yamatai. In 1952, the Hinoan Revolution resulted in Hinomoto becoming the People's Republic of Hinomoto, which was the focal point of the Hinoan Missile Crisis and later the Hinomoto War, which resulted in its return to Yamataian control in 1978 as the Hinomoto Special Administrative Region, nominally a self-governing entity.

Communist rule
The island was once occupied by the People's Republic of Hinomoto.