Chowado

A Chowado (調和堂 Chōwa-dō, 'Hall of Harmony') is a type of transnational, originating in Chisei. Chowado groups are believed to have their origins in traditional secret societies and revolutionary/nationalist groups that existed prior to the Shin'yū revolution of 1802, and are also related to the Gokudo. In fact, the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, especially in regards to Gokudo operating in Chisei or vice versa, and the syndicates share many traditions. Chowado however are characterized by their strong political and/or religious leanings, as well as their highly decentralized, pseudo-democratic, cell-based organization.

Organization
Members of the Chowado are known as deshi (弟子 'disciples'), and are frequently recruited at an early age from poor or disenfranchised communities, such as the outcast Mura-no-mono or the Ashiwase in Saramosir. As many as 45% of deshi are also believed to be immigrants, or have immigrant ancestry. A large part of this figure are Chiseian Yamataians from families which emigrated or were forcefully resettled to the New Territories during the years of Imperial rule in western Chisei.

Chowado are decentralised, cell-based organizations. Mirroring the traditional organization of Jindo, a Chowado will often consist of a central cell, the ichinomiya (一宮 'first shrine'), with a number of affiliated cells, which pay tribute to the ichinomiya, and cells below them from which they receive tribute. However, this is not a vertical hierarchy - lower cells form part of the electorate for leadership of higher cells, and most cells do not have a single suzerain, often paying tribute and voting in multiple other superior cells. Large Chowado networks such as the Hachiehei and Daishidan will often have dozens or even hundreds of ichinomiya bosses, who work collectively to further the syndicate's overall interests, but are not directly affiliated with eachother.

The democratic nature of Chowado means unlike the Gokudo, most groups are not dominated overall by a few powerful families or clans, though many cells do have strong ties to particular families who may serve as patrons of that particular cell.

Many miya continue to be strongly associated with particular shrines or temples, for which they may be named, despite efforts by the Chiseian government to force priests and shamanic orders to publicly renounce such affiliations.

Three Grand Shrines
Facing growing pressure from police as well as intense competition from Gokudo factions, the Chowado began to decline sharply in the 1990s, reaching their lowest point in 1996, with around 20,000 mainland Chiseian deshi in 1996, compared to almost 1 million in 1982. This dramatic decline, combined with violent struggles for authority and leadership among cells, led to the mass extinction and conglomeration of many formerly independent mainland networks into three major umbrella confederacies, known as the Three Grand Shrines (三大宮 Sanōmiya), which according to the National Security Agency account for approximately 80% of the 192,000 estimated Chowado members belonging to 2,039 known cells active in Chisei, as of 2016.

A known factor in the success of the Grand Shrines in consolidating the Chowado's dwindling fortunes and reversing their decline is their renewed focus on close ties with police and government officials to counter foreign and petty criminal activity, as well as the building of new relationships with local communities and political groups that allow the secretive cells to assume a more legitimate, publicly-acceptable face.

Daishidan
The Daishidan (大市団 'Grand City Clique') are a Chowado circle based chiefly along the north-western coast of mainland Chisei, with major branches in Yamatai. They are the largest of the Grand Shrines, and the dominant power in Wanshu. Daishidan subsidiaries in southern Escar are believed to form the backbone of the Silver Road, a popular trafficking for drugs and people from the Antari coast and western Osova. The Clique has historical links to Ashikasist and Leftist militant groups; while it has been publicly disavowed by most mainstream leaders, and the group as a whole is now broadly apolitical, some of it's cells retain influence in the labour movement.

Kunnekotan
Kunnekotan or Kuromura (黒村 Black Village) is the dominant Chowado circle in Rokutan and Saramosir, and the second largest after the Daishidan. It is dominated by Kannaguru, and is the most politically active and centralised of the Grand Shrines, with significant ties to Saramosiri nationalist and autonomist groups and politicians.

Hachiehei
The Hachiehei (八衛兵 Eight Guards) is the most aggressive of the three shrines, and the most criminally notorious within Chisei. Originating as part of the pro-democracy protest movement in the 1950s, the group became closely tied to the pre-war Wanshu Gokudo and the Greater Yashiman Organisation in the following decades, employing large numbers of former soldiers and New Territories smugglers. The group has developed a notorious reputation for racism against non-Yashiman Shirakawans and other minority groups, as well as for it's thuggish tactics and a fiercely combative stance towards law enforcement.

As of 2016, the group is in decline following the arrests of several leading figures, and the designation of 7 key cells in Wanshu as hate groups by the National Security Agency.

Current Operations
The Chowado have many revenue streams, including street-level operations such as racketeering and prostitution, but are especially known internationally for their role in global and the Escaric drug trade, the latter having become especially lucrative in the last decade, with greater economic access to Dai Hoa and Masuka creating an easier route for Osovan and Ordan contraband to head west.

The bulk of income for large Chowado however comes from their legal fronts, such as construction companies, clubs and entertainment networks.