Hyougakure no Sato

Hyougakure (ひょうが 氷河, Hyougakure no Sato; English TV "Hidden Glacier Village"; Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Glaciers") was the hidden village of the Land of Hail. Although the Land of Hail is small, Hyougakure was a large and sophisticated village, and was led by an emperor who appointed a puppet leader known as the Hyoukage to carry out his demands, while making citizens feel as if they were in the hands of a balanced leadership. It was known to have several emperors and four Hyoukages before the Great Rebellion of Hyougakure, which resulted in the steady decline of the Land of Hail into a barren wasteland. Today, Hyougakure lies abandoned and forgotten.

Village Description
Hyougakure is located on a small island nation known as the Land of Hail, which lies to the north of Kirigakure, and east of Konohagakure. Surrounding the village are seemingly endless steep mountains, each covered from top to bottom in a thick layer of ice and snow. This tundra covers most of the Land of Hail itself, save for a select few fields and plains. Four narrow passes, one on each side, are the only way in or out of the village by foot.

The village itself was heavily fortified within it's natural walls formed by the mountains around it, although each entrance was heavily guarded, and made it near-impossible to sneak into the village. Once inside, one would encounter several tall steel buildings, much like the structures within Amegakure. At the center of the village lies the tallest and grandest structure, which housed the palace of the emperor and the Hyoukage. Each of the other structures were used for a variety of tasks, such as housing for the general population, places for merchants to meet, and strongholds which were occupied by the shinobi of Hyougakure.