True Japan (Mongol World)

The "True Shogunate of Japan"(日本の真の幕府) was a rebel state formed by the Japanese Hojo Clan in 1281 after the noble family was exiled from an increasingly Mongol-influenced Japan. It claimed that it was the true government of Japan, had its own Shogun, and sought support among other noble families as well as Samurai. Its main fighting force were the Shinobi(Ninjas), elite assassins from a dying ancient order which mostly fought the main Japanese government using Guerilla tactics. They were eventually routed by the Mongol Navy in the mainland, while their base in Okinawa was overthrown in a native uprising aided by the Mongols. Their chronicles were written down in an extremely biased and fantastacized book by one of the Hojo Clan scribes and distributed to resistors to the Mongols as a message of hope and to get them angry.

Founding
In 1281, the members of the noble Hojo family, led by Hojo Hydekoma, were exiled from Japan for opposing the Shogun's decision to allow the Mongolian Navy to base itself in Japan. They had once been regents of the Shogun, but had slowly fallen out of favor. After their exile, they went on a ship bound for Malaysia, where they'd hope they'd find asylum. Unfortunately, due to a Typhoon, they were wrecked on the island of Okinawa, then ruled by a tyrannical Ryukyu dynasty. Using their surplus of guards and weaponry, they stormed the palace and dethroned the local ruler. They installed Hydekoma as the new Shogun of Japan, planning to reconquer it from the "brutal mainlanders".

Founding of the Shinobi-1281-1282
After, conquering Okinawa, the Hojo clan set about building a fleet of small boats to go to the shore of the southern island of Kyushu and meet up with noble sympathizers to attempt a coup. One member of the family had also brought various Shinobi manuals on the art of covert operations and had been training a number of capable locals as well as royal guards brought with them from Japan to become an elite espionage corps.

First Invasion-1283-1285
In 1283, a fleet of twelve small ships landed in a bay in Kyushu. The Shinobi Corps in them quickly fled the boats and hid in rice barrows being delivered to the lord's castle. There they were given supplies by the lord and dispersed around Kyushu, forming various secret alliances and peasant fighting forces. Their actions went largely unnoticed by Mongol Authorities and they continued to do this for three years, with more Shinobi occassionally coming. They would sometimes sabotage various Mongol projects or sink Mongol Navy Boats.

Discovery and Occupation-1285
In 1285, a Mongol Treasure Ship headed for north russia was sabotaged by a rogue Shinobi. He was captured and tortured into revealing all he knew. The lords involved were executed and the area was occupied by Mongol troops.

Uprising-1286
In 1286, several reinforcements came from Okinawa and the various fighting forces built by the Shinobi over three years were activated. There were mass-uprisings in Kyushu and the banner of the Hojo Clan was raised above the palaces.

All-Out War-1287-1291
After the uprising, the Mongols attempted to broker a deal with the Hojo Clan, but they refused to cooperate. In 1287, the full might of the Yuan Dynasty was brought down upon the True Shogunate. Newly built guns and cannons obliterated the Shinobi forces and crushed the peasant resistance. General unrest continued in Kyushu for 2 more years. The Mongols also sent several boats to Okinawa to aid Ryukyu resistance against the Hojo Regime. The natives, unhappy with the failed invasion, overthrew the Shogun with the help of Mongol weaponry. The control of the island was then handed to the Yuan.

Legacy
This rebellion sparked the foundation of the new Japanese national identity and gave people hope when rebelling against foreign conquerors.