Hanjai was the son of Emperor Angsiyan, most famous for being murdered by Shiro Tagachi at the Harvest Temple right before the Jade Wind. When young Hanjai took the title of emperor, the continent was in turmoil. Half of Cantha had been destroyed by Shiro's death wail, and the Luxons and Kurzicks had taken to fighting again after a short lived peace due to the deaths of their champions at the Harvest Temple. In addition, the vast numbers of Canthan citizens fleeing the immediate destruction of the Jade Wind inadvertently trampled the farmlands south of Kaineng City, leaving much of the population without food.