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So, I only just completed my Jade Regent AP and was reading through it recently. Therein, the point is made that the Oni are prevented from directly ruling Minkai due to proscriptions in the Laws of Golden Perfection, and thus in order to take over the nation they have to act through proxies (thus setting in motion the entire plot of Jade Regent).
So how is it that the oni openly rule in Chu Ye (and a voidlord is the shogun)? Is there something else going on that allows this? Some loophole in the Laws of Golden Perfection?
(Sounds like something Asmodeus would get involved in.)
A shogun is the top general. There would still need to be an emperor or head of state, even if it was a largely figurehead position with the shogun wielding true power, either openly or as the power behind the throne.
This is largely how it plays out in Jade Regent, though the Jade Regent is less of a figurehead than his shogun would have hoped for.
Ooh worldbuilding in Tian Xia. Nice. Go on...
A shogun is the top general. There would still need to be an emperor or head of state, even if it was a largely figurehead position with the shogun wielding true power, either openly or as the power behind the throne.
I'm not sure that our RW definition of a shogun has precisely the same meaning in Golarion, though. It seems to be just another title of rulership, at least inasfar as Chu Ye is concerned.
For one thing, Chu Ye is listed as a shogunate, with voidlord Tsuneni its shogun. All the (admittedly short) descriptive text of Chu Ye indicates that he is the tyrant, ruling directly with his armies of oni, giants, and ogres. He's even written and implemented his own set of laws (among which are the outlawing of owning of weapons by humans). Even further, the suggestion for how he might be involved after the events of the Jade Regent have him staging an invasion of Minkai; he certainly seems to think that he can take over that nation directly, where whatsisname in JR doesn't in spite of having plied his mind for centuries looking for loopholes in the Laws of Golden Perfection.
That said, one thing that occurred to me that could possibly account for Tsuneni's reign does mesh with your suggestion. That being if we look at Chu Ye not as an independent state, such as the Empire of Minkai is, but as if it is still a subordinate state to the Empire of Lung Wa (or whatever ultimate successor arises over the continent). Perhaps then, in some godly cosmic sense, Tsuneni is not directly interfering with the LoGP by not attempting to take a title of emperor, even if he is interfering directly in man's dominions through his tyranny. Perhaps it is the specific title and rank that the LoGP address, rather than a broader "keep your hands off!" sort of thing.
A shogunate is a 'government of the shogun'. During the Japanese Shogunate period, the shogun 'ruled' Japan, but he still had to be appointed by the figurehead Emperor, though in practice he ruled Japan through the law: Might Makes Right.
The figurehead ruler of Chu Ye could be locked in a dungeon somewhere, waiting to be rescued. He made the mistake years ago of appointing Tsuneni as his shogun and the land and people have suffered ever since...
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Plus, I think part of the reason the Laws of Golden Perfection are so important in Minkai is due to its unique position of being directly blessed and favored by Shizuru (if I remember correctly). It's possibly that since Chu Ye lacked this kind of scrutiny, it's easier for oni to do as they please.
Furthermore, if it is a successor state to Imperial Lung Wa, then perhaps the breakdown of its society is as metaphysical as it is physical. Because Lung Wa's no longer united under one dynasty or set of laws, the Laws of Golden Perfection could be similarly damaged there, unable to be enforced properly until the empire is once again reunited and the natural order restored.
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This eight year old thread was worth digging up and hitting caps lock on?
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Also I'm not sure if vampires only turning their own ancestries into vampires is a thing anymore. I can think of at least 1 example in bloodlords where a halfling is turned into a vampire by a human. Not to mention that as paizo grows and so do the scope of their stories. I'm sure they will feel emboldened to try weird/cooler things like vampire tengu/kitsune.
Its small note but its helpful to remember that so called "absolute truths" about the setting exist only as long as they serve the writers and the stories they want to tell.
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Vampires only being able to turn their own species just does not even make sense to me, especially with the 2e dhampir heritage being applicable to any ancestry, not just human. Doesn't really seem like it would improve the stories or setting any to make the 4+ strains of vampirism also be unique to each host species.