Saharin

The Kintsugi series takes place in the fictional, East Asian country of Saharin. Making the bold assumption that the historical revisions necessary to carve out this area as a sovereign nation did not drastically alter our timeline, all else is presumed the same. The following summary provides context to, among other things, the undercurrent of racial tensions in the story.

For centuries, the Amur region volleyed between Manchu, Han Chinese, Japanese and Russian control while trampling Tungusic peoples, Nivkh and other indigenous tribes. In the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company and other European traders took advantage of the lack of centralized leadership. Establishing footholds in the region and using the people as middlemen allowed them to access ports otherwise closed to them. They also found a plethora of natural resources to exploit.

At the end of the 19th century, Saharin became the first mainland territory of the Japanese Empire and anyone who could ‘pass’ became Japanese. An entire generation was raised by Japanese-installed school system, ‘civilized’ by Japanese-installed infrastructure and saturated with propaganda. Any lingering unrest toward exploitation became longing when their Russian liberators tried to become their new overlords.

Now, they are beholden to the United States and their European allies, who supported Saharin’s sovereignty solely to access the resources – which include oil – of their new friend. Thus, instead of harboring animosity toward the Japanese like the rest of the Pacific Rim, Saharinese are proud to be Japanese, resentful of Americans and Europeans, and despise Russians.   Explore Saharin and aspects of the Kintsugi novel series below!

Kintsugi
Golden Lotus
Prequel In Progress
Sequel In Progress