Blessed Ancestors

Shiryo

Shiryo are the spirits of the blessed ancestors who had earned the right to eternal bliss in Yomi. Many Shiryo returned to the mortal realm to guide, inspire, and protect their descendants. They also might find these descendants incompetent, and they offer ridicule instead. They could choose to be completely invis­ible, appear only to their descendant, or be com­pletely visible. Before the arrival of the Kami, very few souls reached the blessed fields of Yomi, and were instead stuck in the eternal cycle of death and rebirth. This was a concern for some of the Kami when they decided to guide humanity, and they've taken it upon themselves to guide humanity on a better path to break free from the cycle and find everlasting reward in the afterlife.

Life within Yomi is essentially an idealized form of the life. Warfare and battle are a thing of demonstrations and tests of skill, and no one becomes injured or hurt. They perform the various arts of courtly debate, artistic development, and erudite scholarship. Many shiryo try to commune with their mortal descendents because their actions mattered in Ningen-do more than anywhere else. Some of them choose to depart Yomi and be reborn back into the mortal world once more.

Ancestor Worship

Worship of the ancestors has been common across the land, but most established within the tribe of Isawa. Many of these practices have bled over to the Phoenix Clan, as many prominent members there are former Isawa tribesmen who decided to join the Empire. Among the Isawa, prayers to blessed ancestors are carved upon the walls surrounding their hidden city. These prayers imbue the walls with a touch of the ancestors' powers, maing them a mighty spiritual defense against anyone who would find and attack them. Elsewhere, folks often visit a grave or pray to a memorial altar of sorts in their homes to pay their respects to their ancestors, or in hopes of guidance in difficult times. 

Festivals dedicated to the dead and departed are not uncommon, but the time and traditions vary from place to place.