Oda
Description
From his castle in Owari, Oda Nobuhide commands a clan with a formidable reputation. The Oda are rightly respected for their skills as inspiring battlefield commanders of ashigaru. These common soldiers are cheaper to train and maintain than samurai, if not quite as deadly. Numbers, however, are becoming important in warfare, and ashigaru can be recruited in very large numbers. The Oda not only produce ashigaru efficiently and economically, they can also recruit superior ashigaru forces as well. Originally retainers of the Shiba clan, the Oda grew as the Shiba faded, but this only led to decades of strife within the family for supremacy. Eventually, the Kiyosu branch of the family came to prominence and eventually changed the clan name to Oda, a respectful acknowledgement of their ancestor, Taira no Chikazane, who had settled in Oda in Echizen. Now, the Oda confront outsiders: to the north, the Saito of Mino province; to the east, the Tokugawa clan in Mikawa and, beyond them, the Imagawa lurk. An attack to the east could destroy the clan’s enemies, and will also give the Oda access to valuable warhorses in Mikawa province. No warlord should ever ignore the chance to improve the quality of his cavalry, particularly at the expense of his enemies! Relations with the Tsutsui clan in Ise to the west have been peaceful recently, but Ise is a tempting prize because of its inspirational religious sites. And beyond the immediate lies the prize of the shogunate.

Clan Traits
* Improved morale for all ashigaru
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for all ashigaru

Shimazu
Description
The Shimazu are a proud clan, with a long history worthy of their pride. To the Shimazu, loyalty is everything, and their generals are less likely to develop ambitions of their own. Shimazu katana samurai are cheaper to recruit and maintain in the field than those of other clans; they can also recruit superior katana-armed samurai. The clan can trace its ancestry back to Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. In 1187, Yoritomo appointed his son, Tadahisa, as military governor of southern Kyushu. The young man took the name of Shimazu in Hyuga province, his seat of government, as his own. Thanks to a well-organised army and administration, abundant local resources, and a certain distance between Kyushu and the Kamakura court, the Shimazu clan became rich and powerful. They did not, however, become hidebound: when their vassals in Tanegashima met a strange, shipwrecked people from the other side of the world, the Shimazu were quick to see that trade with these nanban Europeans might be worthwhile. Now, under the daimyo Shimazu Takahisa, the clan has a chance for true greatness. Their home province of Satsuma is secure, and they are at peace with the Sagara of Higo province to the north. Higo, however, is a tempting target for expansion because of the warhorses to be found there. There is the small matter of a war with the Ito clan in the provinces of Osumi and Hyuga, but once these local difficulties are resolved the distance from Kyushu to the shogun's palace is not so great after all

Clan Traits
* Increased loyalty for all generals
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for katana samurai
* Can recruit superior katana heroes
* Can recruit superior katana samurai

Takeda
Description
Takeda warlords have ruled Kai, their home province, since the 12th Century, but they have known little peace. Clan infighting, a long series of struggles against repeated invasions from the neighbouring Shinano province, and wars against the Hojo and Imagawa clans, saw to that. They have, however, mastered diplomacy as well as horses, and have achieved peace on occasions. Now, under their daimyo, Takeda Shingen, the clan have opportunities and threats on all sides. A Murakami army is about to invade Kai from northern Shinano; the Kiso clan from beyond the mountains in Shinano, is at peace with the Takeda. Shinano itself, if its current owners are destroyed, has valuable stone resources for the taking. To the east, in Musashi, the Ogigayatsu clan are also peaceful, as are the Hojo of Sagami and Izu provinces. Sagami must be considered a tempting target for an ambitious warlord, thanks to the skilled smiths who live there. To the south the Imagawa clan have recently been reliable allies. The Takeda clan, then, have enemies, worthwhile prizes to aim for, and worthy allies. Not all clans are so blessed! As might be expected of horse-masters, the Takeda clan can recruit and train cavalry much more efficiently than other clans. They can also produce a superior class of horsemen to anyone else. And it may be those horsemen who carry the Takeda daimyo to the shogunate!

Clan Traits
* Improved morale for cavalry
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for all cavalry
* Can recruit superior cavalry

Tokugawa
Description
Although the Tokugawa are an ancient family, claiming descent from Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, they have known hard times since those glorious days. They have also changed their clan name, with the permission of the Emperor Matsudaira, to Tokugawa, the place where Yorimoto's descendent settled. The Tokugawa have been squeezed between two powerful and ambitious clans: the Imagawa to the east, and the Oda in the west, a most uncomfortable position. By accepting the protection of the Imagawa, the Tokugawa only guaranteed that they were frequently attacked by the Oda. This goes some way to explaining their superior diplomatic skills, their training and use of very good kisho ninja, and the superior metsuke who keep order in their lands. Now, they are at war with the Oda once again. An Oda army has actually invaded the Tokugawa province of Mikawa. In theory, the Tokugawa are vassals of the Imagawa clan to the east in the provinces of Suruga and Totomi. They do not, however, need to worry about the Kiso in Shinano province, as relations with these neighbours are peaceful. That said Shinano has useful stone resources that could prove useful to an ambitious warlord. Historically, after much struggle, Tokugawa Ieyasu did become the seii taishogun, the great general who subdues the barbarians and the ruler of Japan with the emperor as a figurehead. The Tokugawa clan kept control of Japan for over 200 years, shutting the country off from pernicious outside influences. History need not turn out that way: another Tokugawa could quite easily become shogun.

Clan Traits
* +2% to the success chance of metsuke actions
* Bonus to diplomatic relations
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for kisho ninja
* Can recruit superior kisho ninja

Uesugi
Description
* +2% to the success chance of monk actions
* Increased trade income
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for warrior monks
* Can recruit superior warrior monks


Clan Traits
* +2% to the success chance of monk actions
* Increased trade income
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for warrior monks
* Can recruit superior warrior monks