Kirisaki

Kirisaki

Personal details
Birth name	Burimi Koga
Birth date	7547
Birth place	Toshi-bu, Fisks islands (de jure)
Death date	7639
Death place	Toshi-bu, Sokoku
Burial place	Toshi-bu
Monuments	several
Nationality	Vittmarker
Education	Toshi-bu Kotan
Meishu (leader) of Kakuri Stift
Years active	7574-7609
Style	Honourable Lady
Height	164 cm
Predecessor	Oto
Successor	Usugi
Children	E'ba (b.7579), Mirei (b.7581)
Mother	Chika Burimi
Father	unknown

Kirisaki, officially Kirisaki junkfru av Kakuri (7547-7639) was a Kakuri leader from 7574 to 7609 as part of the Nokumo Nobono leadership collective. Kirisaki's rule coincided with the status of Fisks and Kakuri Stift as member states of Vittmark. She had a close, personal relation to the royal family of Vittmark at the time, even leading to princess Tovemor becoming part of the Nokumo Nobono leadership.

Early life

Not much is publicly known about Kirisaki's early life, apart from that she was born in 7547 in Toshi-bu under the placeholder name Koga (meaning "child"). She gained her name Kirisaki ("slayer") at age 13, when she encountered four Fisks settlers and killed three of them with a handheld axe in self defence. One of them later turned out to be Karl-Johan Fisks, one of the three brothers leading the Fisks colony on the island. After the incident, Kirisaki moved in with the family of Ochi Hana, herself a future Nokumo Nobono member as well.

Through Hana's family's contacts, Kirisaki was invited for further education at the kotan, a privilege for only about 10% of the Kakuri people. While focusing on an education as actress and vocalist, she showed talent for playing the shamisen. But without any perspective of a leadership role for her, she was forced to graduate at age 22.

Nokumo Nobono

After graduation, she took the initiative to start a performance group with Ochi Hana. Within a few months Koyubi joined, followed by Sitchi Dai a year later. It was unheard of that an unsanctioned group tried to perform during Kakuri gatherings, but the Kakuri leadership Oto allowed for it. Not bound by Kakuri traditions or current policies, the group developed a rather radical stance within the community, both performance wise, as well as politics.

When Oto proposed a successor for their own leadership, Kirisaka held a tear filled speech sketching a sombre scenario for the Kakuri culture, unless something radical would be done about it. With the narrowest of margins, the Kakuri community gave them a year to prove their point in 7574. Kirisaki then personally took the initiative to contact some Kakuri employed by the Fisks colonisers in Carlsby, in order to reach out directly to the federal authorities of Vittmark.

In 7575 a Vittmarker delegation visited Toshi-bu, including the Chancellor of Internal Affairs Frania av Lårsten and the crown princess. This gave Kirisaki the authority to continue leading the Kakuri community. In 7578 the Kakuri gained statehood as a non-territorial entity after a personal request of Kirisaki.

She got into conflict with the leadership of Fisks, who had difficulty accepting her authority as an equal level state leader, multiple times. That was even before it became publicly known that she had encountered Anton of Alfred Fisks brother in a violent incident. However, she put in a lot of effort to build up relationships with a new generation of Fisks settlers, including the future leaders Martin och Astrid Fisks.

When Vittmark came into conflict with Aedeland and the entire Häverist community, Kirisaki felt loyal to the case and wanted to create unrest in the nearby Häverist colony of Schangtienrand. She managed to convince lower level leaders of the benefits for Fisks, which resulted in meetings with rebel forces at Dog Beach. Kirisaki's knowledge of the Izmotal Chi language helped establish trust among that ethnic group in Schangtienrand.

Kirisaki's vision for a future Schangtienrand became more viable when Kamura took over custody of the northern Fisks islands, which had been cut off from Vittmarker airship access through The Bind. So Fisks wanted to move a large part of manufacturing, warehousing and shipyard facilities to the more nearby island, which had to be decolonised first. At the same time, in her role as leader for the Kakuri community, she presented the ideas about a structure for a multi-ethnic state her daughter Chika Mirei had developed for a future nation. Where Chika Mirei experienced challenges with communicating her vision, Kirisaki had no problem marketing the idea due to her charismatic personality.

In 7611 Vittmark carried out a state reform, abolishing all the non-territorial entities. De facto, Vittmark had lost control over Kakuri and Fisks territory already over a decade before, but this reform confirmed the new status of the Kakuri as one of the founding members of Sokoku as a nation state. Nokumo Nobono resigned as leadership after a record long period of time and Kirisaki continued in the traditional role of Kakuri judiciary together with the other (former) members.

Kirisaki died at the age of 92 and was registered as an Orkanan Exemplar by Fjällsta stift one year later. Despite this registration and her official title as Baroness of Kakuri, she always went by a single name.

Personal life

After Chika Mirei's death in 7666 it was revealed that Palne Kristersson, husband of the late Queen Anna of Vittmark, was the father of Kirisaki's children. Even though this never has been addressed in any biography, it is assumed that Queen Anna was not only aware of this, but also approved of it. Queen Anna spent several months in the Kakuri community in 7580, after prince Kolvard's birth, at the same time when Kirisaki was pregnant with Chika Mirei.

Kirisaki is generally considered as the ultimate master player of the Kakuri music instrument shamisen. Her instruments and her playing techniques are still considered standard material for Kakuri music student.