Yōkaikoku is an ancient anthromorphic realm of misted mountains, endless cedar forests, flooded rice fields, and castle towns inspired by feudal Japan during the late Edo period, where superstition governs life more completely than written law and folklore exists as something measurable and alive. Every resident of the realm is an anthropomorphic animal, yet species became tied to centuries of spiritual expectations and inherited myths. Wolves are associated with guardianship, military discipline, and mountain shrines. Foxes are viewed as elegant manipulators, scholars, priests, and hidden rulers. Rabbits and hares are believed to carry messages between worlds. Deer preserve sacred grounds and ancestral traditions. Cranes dominate noble courts and administration. Cats are feared and respected for their connection to memory and strange luck. Tanuki operate trade networks and insist all rumors about them are exaggerated. Though technology has advanced to matchlocks, waterworks, paper engineering, and organized commerce, swords remain sacred because people believe steel remembers every wound it creates.