After the countless wars, killings, and rivers of bloodshed that plagued Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, a bold vision was born. This vision was known as "The Great Unification," a project led by the ambitious yet people-minded Hōjō Clan, under the leadership of Ujiyasu Hōjō.
The goal of this project was simple but monumental: to bring peace by uniting Japan under one banner — the banner of the Hōjō. Although their ambitions were driven by power, the Hōjō still carried a genuine concern for the people, and through diplomacy, strategy, and perseverance, they succeeded. Japan was unified, and Ujiyasu Hōjō himself was appointed as Shogun, the supreme leader of the nation.
As Shogun, Ujiyasu appointed Edo as the new capital of a unified Japan and established a strict social hierarchy of samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants, a system designed to create order and stability. For a time, peace flourished across the land, and the scars of endless conflict seemed to heal.
But peace is fragile.
The Sakakibara Clan, long-standing rivals of the Hōjō, viewed the so-called Great Unification not as peace, but as a clever disguise for the Hōjō's rise to absolute power. The Sakakibara were no ordinary clan — their bloodline was famed for producing warriors of unmatched skill, ferocity and Zen mastery. To bear the name Sakakibara was to be a fighter from birth.
Under the leadership of Kanjurō Sakakibara, the clan secretly rallied discontented samurai, mercenaries, and rogue warriors. Their ranks swelled, and when the time came, they struck without mercy. What began as an invasion became an all-out war: the Sakakibara and their rebel allies against the Hōjō and their loyalists. The conflict was brutal and devastating, and in the end, the once-proud Hōjō Clan was annihilated.
To ensure their dominance was never challenged again, the Sakakibara executed Ujiyasu Hōjō publicly and relentlessly hunted down every surviving member of his clan. With the Hōjō name erased, Kanjurō rose as the new Shogun, ruling with an iron fist — enriching the wealthy while leaving the common people to suffer.
Yet, before his death, Ujiyasu had foreseen the dangers of unchecked power. As one of his final acts, he established a new institution: the Police Force. Unlike the samurai who swore loyalty to the Shogun or to powerful nobles, these samurai existed outside of political chains. Their duty was singular and unwavering — to uphold Justice and to punish Injustice.
And thus, even as the Hōjō Clan fell, the Police Force was born — the last gift of Ujiyasu Hōjō to a Japan that desperately needed balance."