Pleased to see an update on Northeast Asia, especially Japan. I do have a couple of questions and observations:
What is the status of Korean shamanism at the moment? Is it considered largely rural and backwards as OTL, or has it maintained a little more prestige and serious attention? With a weakened neo-Confucian influence, some of the marginalization of Korean folk religion might be avoided, but given the references to the dominance of Buddhism (and some Orthodox influence working itself in at the edges from Rhomania, Russia, and Japan, I would imagine) it's equally plausible that other faiths have simply done the same instead.
Also, what's the status of Hokkaido, and I suppose the Ainu more broadly? Previously you'd mentioned the island as being more or less OTL, but have the Shimazu done anything to further integration and assimilation of the island? I can't help but notice the mercantilist turn Japan seems to be taking - the Red Seal port at Nagasaki reminds me a lot of the Casa de Contracion monopoly the Spanish enforced through the port of Seville during their golden age. Here's hoping the Japanese can avoid the same sort of stagnation and underdevelopment in the rest of their infrastructure.
What is the status of Korean shamanism at the moment? Is it considered largely rural and backwards as OTL, or has it maintained a little more prestige and serious attention? With a weakened neo-Confucian influence, some of the marginalization of Korean folk religion might be avoided, but given the references to the dominance of Buddhism (and some Orthodox influence working itself in at the edges from Rhomania, Russia, and Japan, I would imagine) it's equally plausible that other faiths have simply done the same instead.
Also, what's the status of Hokkaido, and I suppose the Ainu more broadly? Previously you'd mentioned the island as being more or less OTL, but have the Shimazu done anything to further integration and assimilation of the island? I can't help but notice the mercantilist turn Japan seems to be taking - the Red Seal port at Nagasaki reminds me a lot of the Casa de Contracion monopoly the Spanish enforced through the port of Seville during their golden age. Here's hoping the Japanese can avoid the same sort of stagnation and underdevelopment in the rest of their infrastructure.