initiate your
awakening
The Way of the samurai is found in death - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Embark upon a personal journey.
Immerse yourself in a story rooted within an ever-expanding interactive realm, a spellbinding experience within an environment that rouses the soul, inspired by Japanese history, architecture, spirituality, and folklore.
A brutal era. Constant war, bloodshed, new loyalties, and frequent betrayal. You, samurai, lay among the fallen, yet your trials are just beginning. Awoken in a strange yet familiar world, you strike out to discover the reality of your fate. So, you begin to walk the Path to Kyorikai.
Many begin the journey… few possess the strength to see it through to the end…
The way
The way
The Ways of the gentleman are three… In humanity, he has no anxieties; in wisdom, he has no confusion; and in courage, he has no fears – The Analects
Throughout our lives we face many difficult choices. We engage the full spectrum of emotions, from love and joy to hate and despair. At our best we can be angels, at our worst, demons.
Samurai were no different – at times honorable, disciplined warriors and fathers… at times opportunistic, political actors and government enforcers; living by a strict code, a set of ideals, yet sacrificing them when expedient.
Our story takes you on a journey of introspection, examining your past life and the ripple effects of your decisions, slowly teaching you the truth about the Way. This strange spiritual world takes you beyond yourself to experience the collective memory of a people and culture.
Though unaware, your quest has begun. You have started upon the circular path of existence, broken only by attaining enlightenment and becoming one with the world… understanding Zen.
Start your Journey...
Become A Samurai
Step by step walk the thousand-mile road - Miyamoto Musashi
Our launch is celebrated by the Genesis Collection
a provably unique series of samurai kabuto. Stoic warriors of old, with fantastic armor, timeless weapons, and renown skills. Ever present in our societies to this day, yet enigmas to many. Discover the life of an ancient samurai warrior, take on their identity by donning your
fearsome kabuto.
We begin our journey by delivering what many have not – highly technical, beautifully painted samurai headgear with an immense focus on historical accuracy and respectful entertainment value. Join our community by acquiring the identity of a samurai; a unique persona made possible through the purchase of an NFT whose digital signature allows for access to our world.
Each NFT represents one of the Chosen, a select few of the hundreds of thousands of samurai of the era. Forge an immediate bond through our unprecedented level of personal curation via our customization process.
Only the Chosen few can join the elite ranks of the samurai who may pass through the gates and enter the Kyorikai.
Who among you will join the Chosen souls?
Explore your kabuto
Hachi
Hachi
the bowl shaped, top section of the helmet, providing the main cover to the head. Through its evolution it took on various forms. Our project uses several hachi as a basis for this element: the Hoshi, Hari, Suji, Zunari, and Momonari historical variants.
Maedate
Maedate
the spectacular horns and decorative crests that were featured on the front of samurai helmets. We included a variety of the most commonly used crests and maedates, along with the kuwagata horns that are quintessential of any maedate seen on samurai helmets.
Shikoro
Shikoro
the flexible neck guard that extends from the base of the hachi. Often seen adorned with various colorful woven patterns, or overlapping plates tightly woven together.
Mabizashi
Mabizashi
the visor attached to the front of the hachi. The evolution of the designs and materials used to make up the mabizashi will be reflected within the variants we have created. There are exceptions, such as the zunari variant, as it forms its own visor using one of five plates that create the hachi itself.
Fukigaeshi
Fukigaeshi
most easily recognized as the ‘wings’ or ‘ears’ of the kabuto, these refer to the various projections from the sides of the hachi. There are many different unique combinations of shapes, angles, and materials that made up fukigaeshi on samurai kabuto from across Japan; we have tried to incorporate the main styles and sizes in order to stay true to the various combinations seen throughout history.
Wakidate
Wakidate
the spectacular horns and decorative crests striking out from the sides of samurai helmets. These names all refer to the placement on the kabuto itself: maedate (front), wakidate (side), kashiradate (top) and ushirodate (back). We have incorporated all the main themes that adorned samurai of old, announcing their presence on the battlefield. Each element will have its own color schemes, materials and patterns. As part of our initial collection, we will not feature any horns protruding from the top or rear, as those were exceptionally rare and may be used for a future special kawari-kabuto limited series.
Mempo
Mempo
Samurai of old had several types of facial covering. The most common were the menpō, or mempo, covering the bottom half of the face, and the hanpō, which omit fully covering the nose and mouth. We focused on varying designs to the mempo, which covered the entire face, due to the perspective alignment of our initial static designs. We have also included a variety of teeth and facial hair variations, considering these were featured more often than not.
Yodare-kake
Yodare-kake
the throat guard seen beneath, and attached directly to, the mempo. This is not to be confused with the nodowa neck guard that was attached directly to the warrior’s neck.
Shinobi-no-o
Shinobi-no-o
the straps that tie the mempo to the hachi and down to the yodare-kake.
Hachi
the bowl shaped, top section of the helmet, providing the main cover to the head. Through its evolution it took on various forms. Our project uses several hachi as a basis for this element: the Hoshi, Hari, Suji, Zunari, and Momonari historical variants.
Maedate
the spectacular horns and decorative crests that were featured on the front of samurai helmets. We included a variety of the most commonly used crests and maedates, along with the kuwagata horns that are quintessential of any maedate seen on samurai helmets.
Shikoro
the flexible neck guard that extends from the base of the hachi. Often seen adorned with various colorful woven patterns, or overlapping plates tightly woven together.
Mabizashi
the visor attached to the front of the hachi. The evolution of the designs and materials used to make up the mabizashi will be reflected within the variants we have created. There are exceptions, such as the zunari variant, as it forms its own visor using one of five plates that create the hachi itself.
Fukigaeshi
most easily recognized as the ‘wings’ or ‘ears’ of the kabuto, these refer to the various projections from the sides of the hachi. There are many different unique combinations of shapes, angles, and materials that made up fukigaeshi on samurai kabuto from across Japan; we have tried to incorporate the main styles and sizes in order to stay true to the various combinations seen throughout history.
Wakidate
the spectacular horns and decorative crests striking out from the sides of samurai helmets. These names all refer to the placement on the kabuto itself: maedate (front), wakidate (side), kashiradate (top) and ushirodate (back). We have incorporated all the main themes that adorned samurai of old, announcing their presence on the battlefield. Each element will have its own color schemes, materials and patterns. As part of our initial collection, we will not feature any horns protruding from the top or rear, as those were exceptionally rare and may be used for a future special kawari-kabuto limited series.
Mempo
Samurai of old had several types of facial covering. The most common were the menpō, or mempo, covering the bottom half of the face, and the hanpō, which omit fully covering the nose and mouth. We focused on varying designs to the mempo, which covered the entire face, due to the perspective alignment of our initial static designs. We have also included a variety of teeth and facial hair variations, considering these were featured more often than not.
Yodare-kake
the throat guard seen beneath, and attached directly to, the mempo. This is not to be confused with the nodowa neck guard that was attached directly to the warrior’s neck.
Shinobi-no-o
the straps that tie the mempo to the hachi and down to the yodare-kake.
Forge your Identity
I choose to live by choice, not by chance - Miyamoto Musashi
To join the ranks of the Chosen, you must forge your identity. An extensive level of personal customization immediately creates a connection between you and your NFT, inspiring you and our community at large in the creation of unique collectibles, fearsome and evocative Samurai. This bond will only intensify with the consistent delivery of incisive, immersive content, continually appreciating the value and utility for those brave enough to embark upon the Path, becoming Chosen, uniting with us through curating our Genesis NFT Collection.
minting
process
To make a fortune some assistance from fate is essential. Ability alone is insufficient - Ihara Saikaku
Upon connecting to our platform and progressing to our character creation panel, each Samurai will be faced with the same user interface: a live preview of your NFT and a series of menus and selections per category. Each NFT will represent a profile within Kyorikai, through which each samurai lives a new story (and logs their progress and achievements).
Each kabuto will be unique – no two complete combinations will be repeated. The overall options per NFT will be vast, put mildly. The total combinations far exceed one billion potential end results. Each final NFT will be 2000x2000 pixels, enough to comfortably fit across most personal monitors and serve all future intended purposes.
Customize
your creation
Technique by itself is insufficient, and spirit alone is not enough – Yamada Jirokichi
Countless representations of these soldiers exist in modern media, yet rarely are they presented in an honest manner deserving of their station, with little to no attention paid to any historical accuracy.
Our vision required deep research into the histories associated with Japanese military gear. We were consistently surprised by the depth of creativity present throughout each period; the sources of inspiration are literally
endless. Every aspect of samurai armor was meticulously created, often with intricate designs. We took it upon ourselves to provide the broadest representations we could within the confines of practicality… while considering the mental health of our lead artist.
No collection to date has offered the user the entire database from which to choose their desired variants, providing an immense selection to create their personal kabuto. The final details are still being fine-tuned, but one thing is absolutely certain – there has never been this level of personal curation towards a user’s final NFT. This is complemented by the incredible technical and artistic quality of the imagery, and the historic accuracy of its individual base elements.
The Path
to Kyorikai
Those who seek the easy way do not seek the true way – Dogen
Our aesthetic choice of realism as an art style is demanding, but timeless.
Kyorikai itself is not found in an existent world, but rather a spiritual plane. So, while our setting is realistic in detail, we may play with and bend the laws of physics and perspectives, permitting the introduction of a variety of twists and turns to constantly keep you in awe of the realm you are experiencing.
Kyorikai is developed utilizing Unreal Engine 5. It is the most cutting edge, integrated engine available today. UE5 allows for immersive photorealistic visualizations, high-end graphics with the combination of audio, lighting, and animation among many other capabilities. It is a platform uniquely designed to bring a small team closer to the resources and output potential of a major studio.
The launch of our Genesis collection will coincide with the release of our free demonstration level
– The Wood – both proof of concept and an introduction to our tale. It will initiate you upon the Path, your awakening into this newfound plane. It is the beginning of our story, weaving you through the esoteric forested mountain pass filled with interactions, narrations and visuals, culminating in your approach to the Gates of Kyorikai.
What awaits the Chosen, what lies beyond the Gates…
The Future
If you follow the present-day world, you will turn your back on the Way; if you would not turn your back on the Way, do not follow the world – Takuan Sōhō
Our concept is large in scale, and ambitious in scope. Our chief goal is to recreate the profound connection
each of us had with our favorite games, the deep emotional conflicts throughout powerful storylines. Content such as ours will not be a casualty to the oversaturation of the NFT marketplace with hollow or misguided projects. Through this we will amass a core community of fans and friends with which to grow and expand on our vision.
We wish to provide continuous value throughout our world. Educational elements of Kyorikai allow players to learn about the culture, history, and customs of Japan. The experience is designed to appeal to a broad community by providing an engaging experience, designed to be
inclusive and culturally sensitive. We will constantly seek collaborative partnerships with museums, galleries, academics and private curators of Asian art, consistently delivering exhibitions
to our community to view these emblematic works within an impressive, authentic setting.
For those more interested in games, we will provide lasting value through a variety of puzzles, transitioning to multiplayer tabletop style recreational activities by the conclusion of our development. Kyorikai as a platform will provide a unique competitive ecosystem, both from an immersive environmental perspective with its focus on aesthetic realism and through its creative mixture of potential gaming genres.
The collective draw of these diverse avenues serves to consistently appreciate the value of our world, constantly expanding on our mission to provide a way for those in the present to view the past using the methods of the future. Our compelling vision aims to inspire the community at large to take a leap of faith to witness us inaugurate the first of many chapters in our story. Upon walking the Path, we will establish a staple of the new era, staking a claim to a holy trinity of entertainment, education, and culture.
OUR
ROADMAP
Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon – Ikkyu
Above, we outline the elements present in our launch – the Genesis Collection constituting our Chosen Samurai, their context and utility paired with the release of The Wood…
- the creation of premium collectibles, both static and eventual 3D renders, to be considered authoritative creations within the Samurai thematic, while becoming a staple of the NFT industry
- the creation of Kyorikai as an emblematic space within the virtual sphere, notably the Japanese aesthetic, and a respected creation among indie projects and 3D rendered environments present today
- a profoundly compelling narrative noted for its unique analysis and creative abstraction of human strengths, shortcomings, and complexities, represented through a deep understanding of the cultural and historical nuance of the Japanese mentality, tradition, and subsequent evolution over time, and
- the accredited representation of factual references from our historical setting.
… along with a view of what Genesis sale milestones provide towards that vision, expanded below.
Those details are subject to change as our community grows and provides welcome input.
20% - Earth, our foundation, stability of purpose
Ongoing development of Kyorikai and build out of final User profiles; release of working Kyorikai internal map, the associated purpose and utilities of specific zones and the order of their future appearance.
40% - Water, our flow, adaptability of vision
Community voting on complementary collection to begin; content and gaming team expanded, announcement of first round of cultural collaborations and future partnerships and their own associated timelines.
60% - Fire, our passion, unending motivation
Kyorikai complex overview revealed in further detail; utility pipeline for the Chosen begins community outreach and expansion ensuring constant inclusion of Genesis Collection holders in decision making processes relevant to their Samurai; work towards in-game content initiatives expanded.
80% - Wind, our ideal, expansion of freedom
Direction of complementary collection finalized, initiating development - timeline of release to follow; further expansion of development and content teams, gaming ecosystem and production pipeline revealed, initiating community outreach and input; growth of cultural and educational initiatives; first charitable donation of $30,000.
100% - Sky, our mission, unlimited potential
Community access expansion through timed release of the Spirits, a collection serving to increase the visibility and access of Kyorikai and engagement in meta events and gaming while preserving the elite status and utilities of the Chosen; each Chosen samurai to receive free Spirit pairing; second charitable donation of $30,000; further charitable causes to be chosen… by the Chosen; financing for full scope of Kyorikai secured. A new era begins...
