alternatehistory.com

Hello folks, now we are to look at northeast Asia, a region which seldom gets much attention. This update is thus going to be speak of developments in Mongolia, Far North (1), Zorkia (2), Korea and Japan.

Mongolia
View attachment 541055
Silver Tree of Karakorum, modern imitation
The Eastern Steppe in the 14th century is very much different from what it has been some one hundred years ago. By the later 14th century, it is mostly a backwater, as many of its former inhabitants have either died in wars or settled down elsewhere, where they have established themselves as rulers of the land.

Those that have remained have generally continued to pursue the old nomadic lifestyle, and have been recruited to serve as cavalrymen for Yuan army.

With the fall of the Yuan dynasty in China proper, a large number of Mongols and Yuan officials have retreated northwards, beyond the Great Wall of China. A large number of sinicized Mongols has fled northwards as well, though many remained behind.

By the end of the 14th century, the Northern Yuan has lost almost all of its Chinese characteristics, and has generally become a standard steppe horde. Many of its peoples, especially those in the northeastern corners of the realm have turned back to Tengri shamanism, with the practices being highly syncretized.
View attachment 541052
A political map of northeast Asia. The Naiman Khanate is green, to the east of which is the Khamag Khanate and the Buryat Khanate is located at Lake Baikal
The late 14th century saw the general breakup of the Northern Yuan dynasty into a handful of statelets: the Hami kingdom , which was found along the Silk Road at the western end of the Gansu corridor, distinguished by its Manichean culture, possibly of old Uyghur origin (which had been suppressed, but resurfaced again during the 14th century, then we have the Naiman Horde (a Christian horde consisting of the southwestern Mongolic-speaking tribes, namely the Naimans and the Keraites, as well as other tribes), the Khamag Khanate found in the east, consisting mainly of Korchin and Khamag tribes, partially Christian and partially Tengri, while the Baikal region is dominated by the Buryat Khanate, a predominantly Tengri horde. And at the source of the Yenisey River, we still have the Kirghiz, who are Manicheans…

The Far North
Before reading this section, I suggest you get yourself some tea and put on some warm clothes, as temperatures get here, really, really cold.

The lands to the east of the Yenisei River and north of the Amur River are populated very sparsely. The Baikal Lake regions should neither be considered as part of this region; they are culturally very similar to the Mongol peoples further southwards

The Yenisei Valley is populated primarily by Ket, Yugh and other tribes belonging this linguistic family. However, large parts of the later Tunguska Plateau are populated by newly-arriving Tungusic-speaking peoples from the south, who have originated in the Upper Lena regions, and are known as the Solon (4). The Solon are equipped with better technology and are known to be reindeer-herders. As such, they gradually outcompete or assimilate any remaining Yeniseyan peoples in the Tunguska Plateau, which later becomes named after them.
View attachment 541053
A linguistic map of Northeast Asia. To be witnessed is the expansion of the Tungusic languages and a slow push northwards of the Japanese
Another group of northern Tungusic-speaking peoples, the Lamut (5) have spread eastwards along the coast of the Lamut Sea as far northeast as the beginning of the Kamchatkan Peninsula.

The Central Lena Basin is held by the Sakha, also popularly known as the Yakuts, who are a Northeastern Turkic (Siberian Turkic people). The Sakha also herd reindeer and small, sturdy Yakut horses for living

Ultimately, the north-easternmost expanses of the Asian continent are populated by more ancient tribal groups, who still rely mainly on hunting and gathering, as well as fishing for survival. The Kolyma and Ingidirka plains along the northern coast are home to the Yukaghir – an ancient people unrelated to any other, with only distant links to the Uralic language family.

Kamchatka and Chukotka are populated by a number of related tribes – Chukchi, Kamchadals, Koryaks, Itelmens. The Kamchatkan tribes by now are beginning to transition from hunter-gatherer culture to reindeer herding, which was introduced by the incoming Lamut from the southwest, while the Chukchi still remain dependent on hunting and fishing.

Zorkia
The areas east of Mongolia and north of Korea are populated by various Jurchen peoples, speaking Tungusic languages.

The Tungusic languages are one of the world´s primary linguistic families, and the Tungusic peoples are indigenous to these regions. Over time, two major branches evolved: the Northern Tungusic languages, consisting of the Solon and Lamut languages, who have expanded northwards, into the area labelled as Far North, and the Negidals.

The southern branch itself is divided into a southwestern group, consisting of the Jurchen and a few related dialects, and a south-eastern group, based on the lower Amur River, consisting of the Nanai, Orok and Ulch languages; the Udyge and Oroch may be considered transitional between the northern and the south-eastern groups

The regions of Zorkia proper had at first come under the rule of the Northern Yuan dynasty; however one of the generals a certain Naghacu has manged to win hegemony over the lands. His dominion was conquered by the Ming dynasty, and they have established stable relations with the local Jurchen tribes, namely the Haixi and Jiangzhou peoples; those living further northwards have maintained their own independence.

The various Jurchen tribes, be they under formal control of China or paying at least some form of tribute were gradually coming more and more into contact with Chinese culture, although still maintaining their own shamanistic practices (in fact the word shaman comes from the Jurchen language), while a small number of them has adopted Buddhism.

Sakhalin and Ezo
When thinking of the Sakhalin, which effectively forms an extension of Zorkian mainland, and could be easily reached by foot during winter, when the see freezes, one ought to think of the bigger picture, and the Lamut Sea (between Sakhalin, Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands) forms an organic unity, with trade being established and mainly facilitated by the Ainu, but also the Nivkhs. The Nivkhs lived in small villages with large households, and made their living by fishing, raising pigs, , hunting sea mammals, and during the autumn they were also known to go on prolonged hunting expeditions.
View attachment 541061
A Nivkh girl
The littoral regions of outer Zorkia and northern Sakhalin were populated by the Nivkh people who had accepted Naiman suzerainty. As such, the Nivkh had been supported by the Naimans, who had established their administrative headquarters at Nurgan on the Amur and Amgun confluence. The Nivkh were paying tribute in the form of highly prized sable furs, falcons, highly valued by the upper classes of the Yuan dynasty.

The Nivkh had complained that another tribe, the Ainu had been attacking their lands from the south. The Ainu had established themselves primarily on the island of Ezo, known to their Japanese neighbours as Hokkaido, but have also settled the Kuril Islands, the southern tip of Kamchatka and southern Sakhalin.

In the previous century, the Naimans had attempted to attack the Ainu settlements on Sakhalin, but were only briefly successful, as the Ainu continued to carry out raids against the Nivkh.

By the beginning of the 14th century, the Ainu had surrendered to the Yuan and were paying a tribute in form of largely animal furs. After the 1330s, however, the feeble Yuan control over Sakhalin and the adjacent regions of the mainland ceases and tribute is no longer offered.

The side effect of the brief subjugation of Sakhalin has been the end of free migration of the Ainu between Ezo and Sakhalin; as a result they were forced to look elsewhere – and that elsewhere being northern Honshu – thus creating some trouble in Japan.

Korea
View attachment 541056
Royal flag of the Goryeo dynasty
Introduction to Korea
Korea has been given little attention in this timeline so far, so hereby I wish to amend this. The Korean language is a language isolate, without any surviving relative, and this has been the case for a few centuries. In the past, however, there have been a handful of other Koreanic languages. These are said to include Ye Maek (historically spoken Zorkia), Koguryoic or Puyo languages (Gokuryon, Buyeo, Okjeo and Ye spoken in the Korean-Zorkian borderlands) and Samhan languages spoken on the peninsula proper (to include Kaya, Baekje and Sillan, which gave rise to later Korean and Jeju languages). In short, modern Korean is descended from the southern branch in the kingdom of Silla.

The first realms on the Korea Peninsula are said to have emerged in the 2nd millennium BC, and were the Gojoseon in the north and the Jin confederation in the south. By the 1st century AD, we can witness three kingdoms on the Korea Peninsula: Gokuryeo located in the northern parts of the peninsula and adjacent areas of Zorkia; then Silla occupying the central and south-eastern parts of the peninsula and ultimately Baekje found in the southwest. Later Silla united the realms in the 7th century, however the areas in the north became independent again in the late 7th century as Balhae.
View attachment 541070
A map of the the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the 5th century AD (yes, Gaya is a fourth one )
Korea had come into interaction with China as early as 1100 BC, when a Chinese sage sought asylum in Gojoseon to avoid wrath of the emperors of the Shang dynasty. Subsequently, Korea has come under periodic Chinese influence, sometimes also in the form of direct political control.

Both the writing system, called Hanja, based upon Chinese characters, and the system of civil service examinations (gwageo) document the strong level of Chinese influence.

The name Korea is derived from the name of Goryeo dynasty, which has been ruling the peninsula in some form since the 10th century. The founder of Goryeo dynasty, a certain Wang Jeon, claimed descent from the Goguryeo nobility. The Goryeo dynasty placed itself as a suzerain of both the Khitans and later the Naimans. At first, the Naimans sought to establish themselves in the peninsula with military might, however ultimately they reached an agreement after conquering roughly a third of the Peninsula.

Religion in Korea

The original religion of the Korean people was shamanism, very close to that practiced in China, among the Tungusic peoples or the Japanese Shinto. Korean shamanism is often referred to as Muism, with “Mu” being the Korean word denoting “shaman”. It is generally centred on veneration of ancestors and worship of gods.
View attachment 541058
A Korean shaman
Buddhism has arrived in Korea in the 4th century, when the country was divided into the three kingdoms of Silla, Gokuryo and Baekje, and has effectively become the state religion. As such it enjoyed many privileges. Gradually however, there rises a significant anti-Buddhist sentiment, mainly among the philosophers, but also due to the corruption.

Taoism has also had its place and there exist a number of Taoist shrines in the peninsula as well. Confucianism is also deeply rooted in Korean tradition, with the system of imperial examinations.

With the beginning of Naiman rule, Christianity is first established in Korea as well. Christianity arrives mainly with merchants from Central Asia, known to the Koreans as Saengmokin (Coloured-eyed people), or Semu. The Semu people have held a prominent position in the Yuan administration, and in Korea as well many of the Yuan government officials were Christians.

Christianity in Korea has however not been tied merely to Yuan officials. With Nestorian monks being Nestorian monks, a number of them have entered the Peninsula and were actively involved with the local population. Therefore, there are a handful of Christian converts, located in the towns.

Korea in the 14th Century
Korea has enjoyed a special status as a vassal kingdom under the Yuan dynasty, and its members often intermarried into the Yuan dynasty and vice versa. The Yuan wives of the Goryeo kings exerted great influence in the kingdom. As a subordinate kingdom, Korean kings often visited the Yuan imperial court, where they made lengthy stays, and also paid tribute to the Yuan, in the form of gold, silver, cloth, ginseng, falcons, grain, but also palace women, eunuchs as well as Buddhist monks.

Yuan influence in Korea was also present in the form of the darughachi, who was actively involved in the affairs of the Korean kingdom – and a number of Goryeo kings had been deposed by officials holding this position.

Around one half of the Jeju island off the coast of Korea in the Yellow Sea has been converted to pastures for the Yuan cavalry forces stationed there – Korea was seen as a base of operations against Japan, although these attacks have failed.

As the Yuan dynasty in China was crumbling, King Gongmin, previously held as a hostage at the Yuan court decided to act and sought to limit Yuan influence in Korea. By one of his first acts he removed all pro-Mongol or pro-Naiman officers, and restored Korean control over regions previously controlled directly by the Yuan in the northern parts of the peninsula.

During the fighting between the Red Turbans and the Yuan, Korea sought to stay on the side and not to engage in favour of any party; however they got invaded by both, however they manage to repel these invading forces.

Establishment of the Joseon Dynasty
In 1392, the Goryeo dynasty is overthrown and replaced by the Joseon dynasty, a reference to an earlier Korean state of Gojoseon, existing previously in the north-western parts of the Korean peninsula. The new regime has moved its capital to Hanyang (6) and embraced Confucianism as its primary philosophy. While demoted, Buddhism has in general become so in-grained into the Korean society and culture, as many government officials continue to visit Buddhist shrines in private.

Japan
As hinted previously (Chapter 92), Japan had few links to the outside world, and mostly in contact with Korea and China. During the first half of the 14th century the previous Kamakura period ends and is followed by the Muromachi period. The capital during the Muromachi period is set up in Muromachi in the vicinity of Kyoto.

Links China have greatly increased during the second half of the 14th century, as the Japanese shoguns wrote to the Ming Emperors, signing their letters “Your subject, the King of Japan”, and trade volume increases, with Japan exchanging wood, sulfur, copper, swords and folding fans for Chinese silk and porcelain.
View attachment 541059
A Japanese samurai
The mountainous geography has greatly aided the further fragmentation of Japan, as each of the valleys were ruled by autonomous daimyo, who paid lip service in being vassals of the Shogunate. These daimyos had at fist been appointed as governors by the shoguns, however, they were growing more and more independent as the time went on.

The Japanese society was is characterized by a system not that dissimilar from European feudalism, with the daimyo dependent on the samurai class, which can be paralleled to European knights, having also their code of honour and rules. Agriculture is mainly present in the form of rice growing. Growing rice on the mountain slopes and in the valleys is a challenging task –as a result, a collectivistic spirit is deeply ingrained in Japanese society.
View attachment 541054
Religious breakdown of Japan
In terms of religion, both Buddhism in the form of Nichiren Buddhism of the Mahayana branch and Shinto coexist, and Shinto has experienced a revival after both Naiman invasions of Japan have failed. Another form of Buddhism , Shingon has emerged from the Vajrayana branch and established itself as an esoteric religion in Japan.

When projecting the different religions on the map, Buddhism is already present in the southwestern tips of Japan and on southern Honshu and in the regions of the capital; heavy Shinto presence can be found in north-eastern Honshu and Shikoku, but also in the more backwater parts of Japan elsewhere.

Northern Honshu is politically integrated into Japan, though ethnically distinct, with the native Emishi – Ainu population making still a significant proportion of the population. The Emishi have in general adopted the Japanese cultural norms, but still maintaining a degree of distinctiveness, and are known for their formidable horse archers.

Wokou pirates
View attachment 541063
Wokou pirade raids in the 14th century
Wokou pirates, also known as Japanese pirates, were a real menace in the coastal China, Korea and Japan, making operating in the Yellow and East China Sea. Their bases could be usually found on small islands, mainly off the coast of Japan, and the pirates were of Japanese, but also Korean and Chinese background.

Ryukyu Islands
The Ryukyuan islands are a volcanic island chain connecting Japan and Taiwan. The Ryukyuan people are closely related to the Japanese.​