Ayatsuri, officially known as the Holy Nation of Ayatsuri, is a religious oligarchy, its government structured around the worship of the god Kairaishi. At the head of the nation are the eight Divine Hands, who are said to answer directly to Kairaishi’s will. The Divine Hands live their lives largely in the Holy Temple of Takamen in communion with their god, and on the rare occasions that they leave, the nation’s cities are designed with upper levels for them to traverse, to minimize their time polluted by mortal concerns. Their divine insight controls the destiny of Ayatsuri, and all within its borders are expected to follow the path the Divine Hands lay out for them. Due to this level of control over their citizenry, Ayatsuri unexpectedly tends to vote alongside the Vuurstahl Empire in the Tempestian Union, as despite the several ideological conflicts between the two nations, they both have a vested interest in keeping Union’s power out of their affairs.
There have been many cases throughout history of the Vuurstahl Empire accepting refugees from Ayatsuri who have fled religious persecution, due to the Empire's own notoriety as an areligious nation. One of the most prominent historical examples is that of the Koizumi family, the ancestors of which pledged their blades to the Empire in exchange for citizenship. Bestowed the title Blademaster for their devotion, they are responsible for much of the Empire's knowledge of Ayatsuri sword arts passing into Imperial hands.