Buzen is a province in Total War: Shogun 2, Rise of the Samurai, and Fall of the Samurai.
Description[]
Buzen is a small, moderately wealthy province located on the northern tip of Kyushu. Its provincial delicacy, yakiudon, is a type of thick noodle that is very popular throughout Japan. Buzen’s capital suffered heavy pollution following major industrialisation during 20th [sic] Century, and it now stands at the forefront of anti-pollution measures in Japan.
Total War: Shogun 2[]
- Clan: Otomo Clan
- Port: Coastal Village
- Fertility: Average
- Specialty/Resource: Crafts
Buzen is one of two regions owned by the Otomo Clan. Its port allows whoever holds it to seize and fill the trade nodes nearby, and its craftwork specialty allows it to recruit superior missile units or create crafts as a trade good. It is the westernmost province which has the craftswork specialty, making it an especially useful target for the Shimazu Clan, Mori Clan, and the Chosokabe Clan.
Should the Otomo Clan manage to build a Nanban Quarter in this region, it can give its Portuguese Tercos a big accuracy boost with the right research and investment.
Aside from its value as a province, Buzen has strategic value as it is the only province for which land armies can march over from Honshu onto Kyushu and vice versa. Holding the strait between Buzen and its Honshu counterpart, Nagato, with ships prevents hostile clans from crossing with land troops, forcing them to invest in navies to try amphibious landings.
Buzen neighbors Nagato to the east, Bungo to the south, and Tsukushi to the west.
Rise of the Samurai[]
- Clan: Kobayakawa (Taira)
- Port: Coastal Village
- Fertility: Average
- Specialty/Resource: Crafts
Buzen is a valuable province thanks to its craft specialty and its proximity to trade nodes supplementing its average soil. Like other provinces on the western third of the map, however, it is unlikely to help most playable factions until after Realm Divide due to how far away it is from them. The Yashima Taira are the likeliest to benefit from it; it is probably the second most accessible craftwork province after Hoki for this faction.
Buzen initially belongs to the Kobayakawa, which start the campaign as vassals to the Yashima Taira. While this grants the Yashima Taira some extra income and honour, the Kobayakawa are inevitably attacked by their neighbors, forcing the Yashima Taira to either get dragged into wars that it can do little to resolve in the early game, or abandon the Kobayakawa and suffer the resulting honour and diplomatic penalties.
Fall of the Samurai[]
- Clan: Kokura (Imperial)
- Port: Harbour
- Fertility: Meager
- Specialty/Resource: Coal
Buzen retains its usefulness, this time due to the significant discount it provides to shipbuilding thanks to its coal resource. Navies are as expensive as they are vital in Fall of the Samurai, making Buzen a logical choice for invasion from nearby Saga, Choshu, Satsuma and Tosa.
Besides its discount bonus, Buzen is also useful for its strategic value: it is the only point through which armies can invade Kyushu from Honshu (or vice versa).
Buzen neighbors Nagato to the east, Bungo to the south, and Tsukushi to the west. It is separated by its eastern neighbor, Nagato, by a short waterway that can be traversed by land armies. Hostile navies can block armies from crossing.