Hikaru Sakuma
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Hikaru Sakuma | |
|---|---|
 Image of Hikaru Sakuma, the first Paramount Leader of Neo-Korea. | |
| Paramount Leader | |
| In office September 13th, 1961 – January 18th, 1986 (25 Years) | |
| Deputy | List of Deputy Paramount Leaders during the Hikaru Sakuma Regime |
| Preceded by | Role Established |
| Succeeded by | Beom Dae (1995, Paramount Leader) Kaba Ryota (1986, Head of State) |
| Generalissimus of Neo-Korea | |
| In office May 3rd, 1962 – January 18th, 1986 (24 Years) | |
| Deputy | Naito Keiji |
| Preceded by | Role Established |
| Succeeded by | Beom Dae |
| Kantoku of the Yanshen Directorate | |
| In office August 4th, 1951 – September 13th, 1961 | |
| Deputy | Pyoyter Nakiovich |
| Succeeded by | Role Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mingli Kong March 15th, 1907 Kökekhota, Jungg'o |
| Died | January 13, 1990 (aged 82) Omiskan Central Hospital |
| Manner of death | Coma-related complications caused by the 1986 Hikaru Sakuma Assassination Attempt |
| Resting place | Kökekhota Shrine, Jungg'o (Moved from original resting place in Omiskan following Invasion of Jungg'o) |
| Political party | National Development Party (1961-1990) |
| Other political affiliations | Kakumei Dōmeitō (Right) |
| Spouse | Hikaru Mai |
| Children | Hikaru Orochi, Hikaru Daichi, Mingli Kotone |
| Education | Kaesong State Academy |
| Alma mater | Jūkei Military Academy |
| Civilian awards | Order of The Pan-Hiakemirian Compass, First Class |
| Nickname(s) | Ano Kuroisu (The Black Crow) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Kaesong State Army, Kāichrén Democratic State Ground Forces, Neo-Korean Ground Forces |
| Branch/service | Army |
| Years of service | 1928-1929 (KSA) 1929-1950 (KDSGF) 1961-1990 (NKGF) |
| Rank | Adjutant (KSA) Major General (KDSGF) Generalissimus (NKGF) |
| Commands | Northern Chamorro Defensive Army (1939-1947) Southern Defensive Army (1947-1950) |
| Battles/wars | Great War |
| Military awards | Order of National Defense |
Hikaru Sakuma (Née: Mingli Kong) was a Kāichrén-Kǎilún statesman, military commander, and dictator who founded the Yanshen Directorate, and through such Neo-Korea. He was the leader of the National Development Party, Generalissimus of the Neo-Korean Ground Forces and a Major General in the Kāichrén Democratic State Ground Forces, alongside a number of other military roles before his seizure of power in the wake of the Kāichrén Democratic State's collapse. He played a central role in the government of Neo-Korea during his life, being crucial to its endurance, the establishment of the factional system of expression within the National Development Party, additionally playing a role in clarifying "Pan-Hiakemirism for the Modern Era" and establishing the economic foundations of the state through his favoring of the Iminchebol.
Born in Jungg'o as Kong Mingli, Hikaru was a part of the middle-to-low class Kǎilún diaspora to the south during the State of Kaesong's existence - with his family moving for both industrial and political reasons. As a part of this move, his name would be changed to a Kāichrén one - and it was under this name that he would become the protégé of Ogata Katsu during his time in the Jūkei Military Academy. While he would associate with the far right of the Pan-Hiakemirist movement during his time in the military academy, the situation of his birth and the racial biases exhibited by Katsu specifically prevented him from inoculating their own ideologies as his own - while his subordinate position to a member of the political left during his time on the Chamorro Islands meant he came to position himself at the general center of politics. By the end of the Great War, he would become a Major General - being recalled to defend the southern cities of the mainland Nán Yánshēn when the Atomic Bombing of Fuzan occurred.
With the prestige he had gathered during the war for his successful defensive efforts, he would take control of the southern cities of the Yanshen - declaring the Provisional Directorate of the Yanshen in 1951, with this declaration including his self-appointment of himself as the new Kantoku of the state, taking the same role as Ogata himself. While he was lacking foreign support, his legitimate skill at military planning and organization, combined with his more pro-Iminchebol policies in comparison to his major rivals and his ability to position himself as a "reasonable center" between the Renikai and Hitosutai allowed him to eventually come to claim the entirety of the Yanshen, although the loss of his native Jungg'o was a severe issue to him, and later a severe issue for the state due to the loss of its agricultural production.
Hikaru remains a popular figure domestically, although a far more controversial one in abroad Kāichrén communities. His role in massive suppression of native religious movements and practices, his promotion of economic isolation from the world and ignoring of the negative impacts of such until late in his regime, and his role in the establishment of the one party state which defines modern Neo-Korea have all made him unpopular. In contrast, however, his role in the suppression of the Enme on the Yanshen, his legacy as a skilled military commander and organizer, and his role in establishing a stable political entity in the wake of the KDS's collapse have all garnered him praise, especially in Neo-Korea itself. He has been referred to as the "Father of the Modern Yanshen".
Name
Hikaru would be born as Kong Mingli, as a result of his birth in Jungg'o. The exact date when he changed his name is unknown, but it happened early into his youth as a result of the diaspora of his family into the southern, more industrialized, sections of Kaesong. Due to his role in the debating of Pan-Hiakemirism, he also had a number of literary names, which are sometimes confused for his birth name in historical records. The most commonly used of these literary names is Mingli Ishi - "Mingli's Will", chosen for its comedic value amongst the few students whom he had let know of his past.
While his exact beliefs on the matter are unknown, he would use his Kāichrén name for all of his children - except for Mingli Kotone, who was born near the end of his life. Her own beliefs on the matter are that, in a reflection of his growing age, he believed he would never have a chance to express that segment of his identity - and therefore he passed that aspect of himself on to his youngest child. Kotone's role in his biography would also uncover a number of other names which had fallen out of popular memory - including "Igkongsho" (a corruption of the term for Testament), Kongsong, and a number of others.
Early Life and Education
Hikaru was born in the city of Kökekhota - a town of sub-12,000 individuals based primarily on the agricultural industries of the surrounding regions. At a very young age his family would move southwards, as part of a greater Kǎilún migration in the wake of the industrial focus put upon the south by the State of Kaesong. This migration would involve the disregarding of many of the family's historical assets, a loss which would come to negatively impact Hikaru following his own learning of such. As a child, Hikaru would focus especially on history and military affairs - being one of the few members of the Kǎilún population to join the Jūkei Military Academy.
As a youth Hikaru was known for his ability to hold grudges, although he was also known for his generosity and ability to form fast friendships. He was a leader of the local youth groups surrounding him, working to assist both war drives for the Chamorro War and playing many pranks on those who he felt begrudged by. He was fond of getting into friendly fights, and took up the Kāichrén martial art of Itokentō, which he practiced for the entirety of his life. His dedication to the practicing of Itokento was a reflection of both his earnest determination and his love for conflict as a whole, which he considered a means of spiritual purification - through engaging in those duels, he was able to reduce his enmity with others, and it also allowed for grievances to be de-escalated before they became real issues.
He was known to possess only an average intellect, but he was good at the practice of studying, and worked to overcome his lacking intellect effectively.
Military Career
Hikaru would be one of the few Kǎilún to join the Jukei Military Academy - joining shortly after the end of the Chamorro War in 1928, at the age of 20. His determination and ability to form groups proved useful once again, as he formed one of the only legal non-curricular clubs in the Academy - one dedicated to the practice and training of Itokentō. The formation of this club would bring him to the attention of the Academy's headmaster, Ogata Katsu, who found much of himself in Hikaru. Ogata would appoint Hikaru to increasingly important roles within the academy, and would grant him access to ideological works usually restricted to those of a higher rank than himself - while in exchange, Hikaru would become his Adjunct, with Ogata using this as a test to see Hikaru's worthiness to succeed him later in life.
When Hikaru was not involved in this defacto successorship, he would prove to be popular amongst the other students - with the aforementioned martial training he underwent providing a source of stress relief for the usually lacking-in-direct-combat training members of the academy, while his ideological works - though often perceived as simplistic - were not disliked by his compatriots. While he had no close friends, he was also not particularly disliked by anyone - many times simply fading into the background of the Academy, while more radical officers or younger cadets raised havoc.
It was this fading that would see Ogata cease attempting to get Hikaru as his successor - while Hikaru had been successful, Ogata did not percieve him as having the necessary mindset to cultivate greatness when without the presence of a distinct leadership figure. While Hikaru would still provide boons to Ogata, there was no longer the distinctly close relationship between the two - with Hikaru beginning to orient himself to the political left now that he was no longer under the same amount of ideological surveillance.
Service on the Chamorro Islands
Following his career in Jukei, Hikaru would be appointed to the Chamorro Islands - being placed under the direction of Fukunaga Actassi, a member of the Chamorran population and a notable leftist within the military. He would take Hikaru under his wing - especially as the Great War began. Hikaru would become Actassi's primary subordinate on the northern islands - with Hikaru enacting the orders and leading the defenses against attempted landings himself for a period of multiple years, with this relationship being so incredibly close that, for a time, Actassi attempted to adopt Hikaru. While Hikaru refused, the two remained incredibly close - with Hiakru being given power over those who technically outranked him due to Actassi's influence.
Actassi would die in 1939, following a Marquesan coastal bombardment which managed to hit his base of operations - and with his death, after the requisite period of mourning Hikaru would be promoted to the role of Major General, at the young age of 32 to replace him. In this role, he would continue to lead the defense of the Chamorro Islands - establishing strong relations with the navy and air force during such, this coordination allowing for the islands to maintain themselves in the face of increasingly threatening Marquesan fleets.
Return to the Yanshen
In 1947, he would be recalled to the Nan Yanshen - and appointed to lead the Southern Defensive Army, ostensibly designed to defend Fuzan from a future invasion. In reality, his appointment was an attempted power play by the right wing faction of the state, more specifically by Saeki Kichirou, who believed Hikaru would align with him and therefore allow for a key section of neutral military figures to be brought into the cause of the Hitosutai. This belief would be severely shaken, as throughout his leadership of the SDA he would remove the majority of his right win subordinates, instead replacing them with those who followed him from Chamorro. Following the Atomic Bombing of Fuzan, he would gather his forces and fortify a series of southern cities, going quiet as the Renikai and Hitosutai established themselves alongside others.