The Beginning of Time

Since the beginning of time, a land was formed on the East Sea which the land is now known as Japan. The land of the Rising Sun has seen better days as of late, but mostly the interesting part of Japan's history may be their entire mythology. The Yokai are such an example of Japan's mythology, spanning from many variety of such spiritual creatures and beings, but none of them are as fearsome and haunting as the Oni. The Oni are the demons of Japan, and people have a right to be afraid of them, as they viewed the Oni as monstrous and savage beings known for causing bloodshed and reek havoc upon the mainland. Some of the Oni do live among in the human realm but they hide inside some caves or mountains but not all of them do. The Oni live among the depths of Jigoku, the hell realm of Japan, Jigoku holds the great eight hells where the Oni live for such eternity of their lives, this earth prison is what they call "home". 

The Oni take in such sadistic pleasure in torturing unfortunate souls who are transported in Jigoku to serve throughout their eternal punishment. The Oni and their spiked clubs also known as a "Kanabo" are their preferred choice of weapon into mashing, and pulverizing souls with their Kanabos. However they had no ruler at all yet, as there were many Oni tribes so to speak, the tribe fought against each other over dominance and territory, their motive as that only the strongest shall survive while the weak must perished. However one Oni didn't believe in such motive at all, as he grew tired of seeing his entire race fighting among each other for nonsensical violence. His name was Aisutaba Kogeki, Kogeki demanded his people to stop the fighting as there so much more then mainly fighting among each other for dominance and territories. However some of the Oni didn't agreed with Kogeki's words at all as they rebelled against him and those who supported him. 

Kogeki was a towering Oni indeed but all his life, he kept wondering if there's more than just torturing souls that land in Jigoku. Now some of his people view him as their leader in a desperate time where there is none, yet Kogeki made enemies who dare to eliminate him for trying stop the savagery and violence that they've gotten used as their way of life. A civil war between the Oni had started, those who stood by Kogeki went against those who want to eliminate him for threatening their way of life. The war lasted 1 million days in Jigoku's timezone with many Oni killed on the battlefield and in the end Kogeki and his supporters won the war. The eight great hells of Jigoku saw the growth of some civilization for the Oni as villages were being built, and soon a supreme ruler did emerged in the form of Enma Daiō who was now the ruler of Jigoku. Enma alongside with his two demonic servants, his chiefs of course being Gozu and Mezu themselves but also including his two secretaries, Shiroku and Shimyō as all five of them held power in Jigoku with the Oni serving under Enma as somewhat of citizens or villagers of some sort.

Everything was at peace in Jigoku in somewhat of a perspective in some way, minus that the Oni still kept torturing the damned souls who are unfortunate in being transported towards Jigoku as punishment for all of the sins they've committed. Meanwhile Kogeki the Oni who wanted to change for his people, now resides in Tokatsu, Jigoku as he isolates himself from the rest of his people in finding something more meaningful then ever before. On one faithful day, a unexpected situation occurred when Kogeki was roaming around until he stumbled upon a young woman who shouldn't even be in Jigoku at all as seeing she was still alive. The woman's name was Sekiyo as she came from a village in the human realm, Sekiyo was innocent and fragile as she was terrified of Kogeki's demonic appearance. Gradually Kogeki managed to calm her down as he meant no harm towards the young human, Kogeki asked her what exactly was she doing in Jigoku of all places, Sekiyo answered that she stumbled upon a ruined well and accidentally fell into the well. Now Sekiyo found herself in the eerily and demonic realm of Jigoku as she wanted to go home, Kogeki decided to help her despite his stoic demeanor for an Oni. 

Kogeki and Sekiyo gradually grew close together as they bonded more often, yet Kogeki kept her hidden from the rest of the Oni as he knew they would seek to harm her and take her as one of their own. There was a sense of forbidden love between a Oni and a human as both Kogeki and Sekiyo knew that their kinds shouldn't even be together at all. It was a dangerous type of love, one that may attracted those who wouldn't stand seeing a human being together with a Oni. Yet as time passed, Sekiyo fell in love with Kogeki, the more they've spent time together, and soon enough the pair ended up having a sexual intercourse for the first time. Now the couple live isolated from preying eyes as they live on the mountains of Tokatsu, Jigoku and soon enough, Sekiyo gave birth for the first ever Hanyo child which would set the foundation of the Hanyo people emerging across Jigoku. It's unknown what happened between Kogeki and Sekiyo, and if Sekiyo ever did return home to her village in the human realm, yet Sekiyo gave birth to several Hanyo children which have been a estimated number of 12 or 14 which was unheard of at that time. 

One famed Hanyo who may have been one of the biological children of Kogeki and Sekiyo, would soon come to power one day. His name was Yoshishige but he would soon lay the seeds of what would transpire the birth of the very first Oni or Hanyo Samurai Clan in existence, The Umemoto Clan but that same clan now currently go by "The Umezaki Clan". Yoshishige adopted the surname Umemoto after he somewhat liked the name after hearing it from one of his Hanyo brethren. The young Yoshishige and rest of his kind faced heavy prejudice from the Oni once the Hanyo species began to surface across Jigoku and the Oni didn't accept any of them at all. The Oni saw the Hanyo as a disgrace to all demons because of their humane features even though the Hanyo had horns like the Oni, they wouldn't be accepted at all still. Soon enough the Oni began attacking the Hanyo, trying to eliminate every single one of them, which resulted in the dreadful Oni-Hanyo War. Yoshishige rounded up some of his people while encouraging them to fight back against the prejudice of the Oni, the Hanyo began seeing Yoshishige as the hero they desperately needed. The Hanyo soon gotten as strong like the Oni as they matched their strength and power intensely, the Hanyo fought back with a vengeance against the Oni. Yet both sides faced heavy causalities and soon enough, Enma decided that enough was enough, as ruler of Jigoku, Enma issued a decree to end the Oni-Hanyo War once and for all as he demanded all of the Oni and the Hanyo to learn how to live together in Jigoku.

It was a long process but nonetheless, the two races began to live somewhat in harmony together for the first time. Yet there was still some Oni who still refuse to accept the Hanyo as one of their own, and this led to more dangerous battles. It wasn't until samurai armors of the souls of fallen samurai who've died in battle began to surface around Jigoku that the Hanyo and some of the Oni began to wear it. Though it was actually Tankō armor not the types that people associated with the samurai, yet the Hanyo and the Oni decided to add wearing tiger skin fur as well. They tied the fur around their waists like skirts and thus, Yoshishige established the first Oni and Hanyo samurai clan in Jigoku to help protect the Hanyo from the rebellious Oni who were still angered by the outcome of the Oni-Hanyo War. A Oni by the name of Tsukano Murakage formed a faction of Oni known as the Murakage Domain to repeal against the Hanyo and other Oni who stood by the Hanyo at their side. It was now the recently formed Umemoto Clan against the Murakage Domain, and yet Enma gave permission to Yoshishige to put an end to the Murakage Domain as everyone view the faction as a dangerous threat. 

The battles between the Umemoto Clan and the Murakage Domain were brutal and fierce, yet Yoshishige still struggled to lead his men to conquer the Murakage Domain. Yoshishige was alone in the Umemoto Clan's stronghold camp, he had isolated himself from his men as he tried to think of a way to defeat the Murakage Domain once and for all. Then suddenly, Yoshishige heard a distinct voice call out to him as he decidedly left the camp and followed the voice towards a secluded area. The voice was then revealed to be none other than Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the God of Evil himself, Yoshishige held his sword in hand tightly as he was prepared to attack the god himself. But the god offered Yoshishige a gift that could help him greatly in defeating and vanquishing the Murakage Domain, as he handed Yoshishige a mysterious elixir. Yoshishige soon drank the elixir as it tasted bitter and sweet, Yoshishige felt a sharp pain in his chest and soon enough the pain slowly subsided as Yoshishige felt unmatched spiritual magic and elemental power coursing through within him now. 

With his new founded abilities, Yoshishige returned to his men at once and soon led the charge attack against the Murakage Domain army in battle. The battle only lasted half an hour as the Umemoto Clan crushed the Murakage Domain once and for all with Yoshishige killing Tsukano Murakage without hesitation. Just like that, the Umemoto Clan emerged victorious and they have proven themselves into being a force to be reckon with now. After some time, Yoshishige found the love of his life in a young female Hanyo named Tsunade, after several months of spending time together, Yoshishige married Tsunade. The couple had 2 sons and 3 daughters together, Mitsunori, Yoshinori, Tomayo, Osami, and Kiyo as everything was seemingly peaceful in the Umemoto Family. But soon, tragedy would struck the Umemoto Clan, as Yoshishige lost control of his powers given by the elixir he had drank many years ago. Yoshishige transformed into a full Oni as he suddenly took the lives of his beloved wife Tsunade and his two daughters Osami and Kiyo. Mitsunori, Yoshinori, and Tomayo discovered the disturbing scene as the two brothers tried to subdue their raging father but couldn't as Yoshishige overpowered them both. Tomayo managed to slice through her father's hardened Oni skin with a sword but it wasn't enough as the Oni Yoshishige tossed her like nothing. 

Soon the three of them chased after their now demonic father without the aid of the Umemoto Clan. They followed him up towards the mountains of Tokatsu, where they finally surrounded him at last. It was a long grueling and brutal battle between a now dysfunctional family as Yoshinori and Mitsunori did everything they had against their father Yoshishige, even using the same elemental power that their father possessed. In the end, Yoshinori sacrificed himself to save his sister Tomayo from being stabbed by Yoshishige's sword as while Mitsunori ignited his sword on fire to finally deliver the final blow to decapitate his father's head off. The battle was finally over but at the cost of Yoshinori's life as now only Mitsunori and Tomayo were left. Mitsunori soon took over as the new head of the Umemoto Clan after the death of Yoshishige while Tomayo wedded one of the high ranked warriors in the Umemoto Clan to continue the Umemoto bloodline.

Yet the Umemoto still face more incidents that occurred similar to what happened to Yoshishige and soon enough the curse of the Oni Jigoku-Budo spreads within the Umemoto bloodline. The Umemoto Clan faced constant family conflicts, betrayals, and more incidents of the curse in the family tree. And yet somehow the Umemoto Clan still remain currently as of present day, despite all the hardships, losses, and pain caused and nearly tarnished the family legacy. The Umemoto would rename themselves to the "Umezaki Clan" once Umemoto Kiyohide took over and became the new Daimyo of the now renamed Umezaki Clan. The Umezaki Clan's legacy continued to flourish to the now current day but they hoped to one day that they could be freed the family curse that has plagued their bloodline. Now in the present day, that hope would take form of a young descendant and relative, who would follow into the footsteps of her ancestor. Some people said that she is nothing more but a kindred spirit, while other have said that she is known as "Jigoku no Kijo" or the Ogress of Hell, as the young Hanyo or Kijo would go by the name of... "Azumi."