Neko Machi, a Nara period Japanese inspired homestead

[EnbyKaiju]

The small homestead of Neko Machi (cat town), named after a natural rock formation overlooking the town that resembles a cat.

As the next stage along my long-play (at least 360 days per historical period), also the mid point in my Survive/Contrive/Thrive adventure, I decided to set this bronze-early iron settlement during the Nara period of Japanese history. Set during the 8th century CE, the Nara period was a primarily agricultural period in Japanese history, where Shintoism was the primary religion and the capital of the nation moved to the Nara prefecture (somewhere I love to visit IRL).

This was my attempt to capture a self-sustaining homestead or very small town during the period. With each building having a set purpose and being part of the nature without overtaking it. In the background are the watchtower (right), the Neko formation, and the Kura (storehouse) in the traditional Nara period style for storage of precious items that needed to be stored separately from the rest of the town to protect it from fires or flooding.

Japanese homesteads of the period were mostly self-contained, with a few outbuildings, all built from local materials. I luckily built on top of a copper mine, which at the time would have been more than enough to keep a small but sustaining trade operation running as well as local agriculture like apples and rice.

Most villages during the era followed Shintoism, with the worship of natural & ancestral spirits. This was also the period where Buddhism was properly established, but it didn't feel right to have it in such a small settlement of this size where it wouldn't have the infrastructure to support a monastery or temple complex.

As the year fades from autumn into winter, and the quiet blanket of snow covers Neko Machi, this is where I will finally (after nearly 300 hours) be working into the iron age (I've been playing it real slow to focus on the moment and immersion), and then it's time for the big project and one I've been wanting to build for a long time in Vintage Story: my very own Edo period castle town.

Hope you'll join me on the next stage in my journey, as I got from hunter/fisher to Daimyo of my own little prefecture.

 

 

[LadyWYT]

Isn't there a little cat figurine clutter item in the game? It may only be available via creative(or exceedingly rare as ruins loot), but could be a neat little decoration to scatter around, depending on how far the residents leaned into the cat theme.

[EnbyKaiju]

50 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Isn't there a little cat figurine clutter item in the game? It may only be available via creative(or exceedingly rare as ruins loot), but could be a neat little decoration to scatter around, depending on how far the residents leaned into the cat theme.

I haven't found any cat statues, that might just be creative.

However, I did find every single cat mask in tunnels under my town. Which just confirms the cat blessing. When I move on from here I'm definitely leaving a mannequin dressed up & in a cat mask in the house.

edit: just checked, I think there's a clay figure cat, but I've yet to find one that actually drops or in a chest so who knows if I'll ever find one. What I'll probably do is carve a couple over the long winter and leave them all around the town. Abandon it to the kitties.

Edited 14 hours ago by EnbyKaiju