Taisha

The Taisha was founded sometime after the Vertex first appeared, 300 years ago, and started working on the Yuusha System. During the first year after a fire sacrifice bought peace for humanity, the name of the Taisha changed from "Grand Shrine" to "Amnesty" to be reminded to take back the land that was stolen from them one day.

A prominent change in structure came when Miko Uesato Hinata revealed her "Oracle" power, and stated that all Mikos' words were to be taken with the same value as the Shinju, effectively putting her in control of the corrupt priests that made up the organization.

The Taisha of the present are a pseudo-religious organization viewed as a fringe cult by most. They seek to spread the worship of the Shinju-sama (Divine Tree), but are in fierce competition with established religions. While they practically ruled the island of Shinkoku, where they originated, it has been a slow process setting down roots on the mainland and their efforts have yet to bear fruit. Even something as trivial as petitioning the city council to allow a shrine to Shinju-sama in classrooms, offices, and businesses has been firmly rejected.

Unknown to the public, they are the sole operators and creators of the Yuusha System, which relies upon the divine blessing of the Shinju-sama to transform young girls into Heroes. The details are even more secret than the fact the Heroes exist to begin with, and no one outside of the Taisha can guess at the intricacies of such a system. They are, on the whole, a force for good, but their objective is solely to prevent the eradication of humanity. To that end, they are willing to use virtually any means, making them not quite the heroic organization they portray themselves as.

The Taisha wear masks and all have the same article of clothing. They are able to see and discuss magic either through their experience with working with it (in the way someone may work with machines, but cannot build one from scratch) for higher-ups, or the enchanted masks they wear for the majority. They are known to keep secrets even from their Heroes for the sake of worship, even if those same Heroes are seen as semi-divine.

Also see Yuusha System.