Chosokabe
Description

The Chosokabe clan claim descent from the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Despite their long history, the Chosokabe clan has had mixed fortunes, and has been under the protection of the Ichijo, who helped them to recapture their castle at Oko. Chosokabe Kunichika, the daimyo, is certainly bold and brave enough to have imperial blood in his veins: he once jumped off an Ichijo castle wall for a dare! He has now broken with the Ichijo, rebuilt Chosokabe influence, and vowed revenge on his enemies. Kunichika can take advantage of the Chosokabe's traditional strengths: they are phenomenal farmers, and gain extra income from their lands; they produce superb archers and cheap archer units too. With their strength concentrated in Tosa province, the Chosokabe are already at war with the Kono clan of Iyo to the northwest. Now they have to make an interesting strategic decision: deal with their immediate enemies in Iyo, crush the Ichijo clan at home in Tosa, or attack the Miyoshi clan of Awa province. This last might seem like madness, but Awa is blessed with plentiful warhorses, a valuable resource for anyone planning to expand their clan army. The other nearby resource that will be incredibly useful is the good building stone in Sanuki to the north east. Once these immediate opportunities and problems are resolved, then who is to say the next shogun will not be a Chosokabe lord?

Clan Traits

* Increased income from farms
* Reduced recruitment cost and upkeep for all bow infantry
* Can recruit superior bow infantry

Date
Description

Date warriors have fierce and unforgiving natures. Their foes learn this on the battlefield, shortly before they die. All Date units have a charge bonus, and their fearsome no-dachi samurai, with two-handed swords, are cheap to recruit and maintain. The Date can also recruit superior no-dachi units as well: attack is a Date watchword! Seen from their home province of Iwate, there are many rivals worth attacking. Date Harumune, their daimyo, is already at war with rebels at his own door, not to mention the Mogami clan of Ugo and Usen to the west. An attack there could put holy shrines under Date control. To the southwest, matters are a little more settled: the Hatakeyama clan in Miyagi is currently at peace with the Date, but who knows if such a situation will last? The forests of Miyagi represent a useful resource too. The clan was founded by Isa Tomomune when he was given control of the Date district by the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo at the end of the 12th Century. The clan steadily gained influence until recently, when fighting broke out within the clan over the issue of a marriage alliance with the Uesugi. Date Harumune quarrelled violently with his own father, Tanemune, over plans to marry off his younger brother: a large number of the Date retainers and warriors agreed with Harumune and the old man was removed. Now, Harumune needs a new challenge, perhaps the shogunate?

Clan Traits

* Charge bonus to all units
* Reduced recruitment cost and upkeep for no-dachi samurai
* Can recruit superior no-dachi samurai

Mori
Description
The Mori have a long history of seafaring and are sea masters without equal. They can read the waves and move their fleets further than other clans, and their shipbuilding skills make the construction and maintenance of ships cheaper too. They can also build some rather superior vessels as well. The Mori came to prominence as jito, or stewards, of the Aki province after the Jokyu War in 1221. Despite owing their position to the Kamakura shogunate, they distanced themselves from their sponsors, and were in league with Ashikaga Takauji when he overthrew the old order. They got caught up in the struggles between the Amako and Ouchi clans, and only survived by combining military might with astute diplomacy. Under Mori Motonari, their daimyo, the clan is still at war with the Amako and, indeed, their home in Aki is threatened by an invasion from the north by the Amako. They are still allied with the Ouchi clan of Suo and Nagati to the west, and have peaceful relations with the Kikkawa and Kono in Bingo and Iyo respectively. The war with the Amako is not without opportunity, though: the Amako's home province of Iwami has deposits of precious metals. Access to other valuable resources would require the removal of the Kikkawa and Kono. But with the sea-going skills of the Mori and the wealth of Iwami, an ambitious daimyo could go far, perhaps as far as the shogun's palace?

Clan Traits

* Increased campaign map movement range for all ships
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for all ships
* Can recruit superior ships

Hattori
Description
The Hattori are the leading family in Iga, a mountainous province, and the home of the independent Iga Sokoku Ikki, a kind of proto-republic which denied the power of the Kamakura shogunate's feudal lords. The people of Iga developed a school of martial arts, the Iga-ryu ninjutsu, which combined martial arts, assassination techniques and unconventional warfare tactics. They used their ninjutsu to keep their independence, and then to make themselves wealthy as swords-for-hire. The tradition of independence, however, has remained strong in Iga and among the Hattori. Ninjutsu remains a dark art, passed down through families and jealously guarded from outsiders eyes. It is not surprising, then, that the Hattori can recruit ninja warriors more cheaply than any other clan, and their ninja also have more expertise, both on and off the battlefield. Under the leadership of Hattori Yasunaga, the clan remains dangerous. As he looks beyond the borders of Iga, who knows where ambition may take his clan: perhaps to the shogun's palace? The Hattori are largely at peace with their neighbours, although such arrangements have a tendency to fall apart. To the north, the Asai in Omi represent a tempting target, as there is a school of ninja there. To the south, the Kitabatake and Tsutsui defend holy sites that might be better under Hattori stewardship, while the Ashikaga of Yamato represent all that is wrong with the old tired system of government, as they control what passes for a shogunate at the moment.

Clan Traits

* +2% to the success chance of ninja actions
* Specialist Hattori units can hide effectively in battle
* Specialist Hattori units possess kisho training

Hojo
Description
The Hojo are greater builders than any other clan. Any castle costs are reduced for them, and damage is cheaper to repair. They can also produce cheaper, and better, siege weapons than any other clan. These skills allow the Hojo to pursue a strategy of occupying land, then daring an enemy to evict them. The Hojo began their rise to power modestly enough on the Kanto plain, taking advantage of civil war and the troubles of others to establish themselves. Ise Shinkuro, a powerful official in the shogunate, founded the clan, but it was his son who adopted the name Hojo, even though the family have no connection with the Hojo clan of elder days. The clan did not go unchallenged, and they fought both Uesugi factions: the Uesugi even stopped fighting each other to take on the Hojo! They have also had incidents with the Imagawa and Takeda clans, but for now there is an uneasy peace. Should the Hojo daimyo ever be in a position to become shogun, peace will vanish faster than the cherry blossoms. From their homelands in Izu and Sagami, the Hojo are surrounded by threats and great opportunities. They are, for the moment, at peace with Imagawa, and the Takeda in Kai to the northwest. The Takeda, in addition to being superb horsemen, also occupy a province with superior warhorses, and no warlord can afford to ignore such a potential prize. Suruga is also a prize worth contemplating. However, the Hojo also have an immediate problem: they are under threat from an Ogigayatsu clan army about to invade Sagami from Musashi.

Clan Traits
* Castles are cheaper to build and repair
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for siege units
* Can recruit superior siege units