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For the successors of this faction in Fall of the Samurai, see Sendai.

The Date are a major playable faction in Total War: Shogun 2.

Faction Select description[]

Date warriors are loyal to the ideals of bushido, and possess an attacking spirit: they are fierce and unforgiving enemies. All Date troops have a charge bonus, and their no-dachi samurai, with their two-handed swords, are amazing indeed! Attacking without restraint is what the Date do well! They have many enemies worth attacking: Date Masumune is at war with rebels and the Mogami clan, but a successful attack on any enemy would give the clan useful resources. Masumune does not lack the fierceness of his clan: he removed his own father and certainly can imagine himself shogun. Can his warriors’ fierceness gain him that prize?

In-game Encyclopedia 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.

Initial Information[]

  • Generals – Date Harumune (Daimyo), Date Yoshinori (General)
  • Admirals – None
  • ReligionBuddhism
  • Protectorates- None
  • Allies – None
  • Trade PartnersHatakeyama Clan
  • At WarMogami Clan, and Rebels
  • Military Units
  • Navy Ships – None
  • Agents – None
  • Treasury

Regions[]

Military[]

First Army
Second Army

Short Campaign Victory Conditions[]

Become Shogun by capturing and holding Kyoto

Capture and hold 25 provinces, including the following: Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, Ugo, Uzen, Kyoto

Complete by the end of your turn in: Winter 1580

Long Campaign Victory Conditions[]

Become Shogun by capturing and holding Kyoto.

Capture and hold 40 provinces, inculding the following: Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, Ugo, Uzen, Kyoto.

Complete by the end of your turn in: Winter 1600.

Domination Campaign Victory Conditions[]

Become Shogun by capturing and holding Kyoto

Capture and hold 60 provinces, including the following: Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, Ugo, Uzen, Kyoto

Complete by the end of your turn in: Winter 1600

General Information[]

The Date Clan starts the campaign in the north-east corner of the map, in the wealthy province of Iwate. It is close to a trade node, and it is isolated from most other clans, giving it a safe starting position. It is very large, making it difficult to invade. The regions in northern Japan have fertile soil and are generally quite wealthy, and Iwate is no exception. Iwate also boasts a smithing specialty, allowing the Date to recruit superior units from the outset and benefiting new generals who spawn at the capital.

However, early game expansion can be tricky. The Date start the campaign at war with the Mogami Clan to the west, who also have a large region that is difficult to invade. The nearby Honma Clan frequently declare war on the Date and land invasion forces behind their frontline. The Date also borders Hatakeyama-held Miyagi. Miyagi is a wealthy province with an iron resource, and an excellent route of expansion for the Date. However, the Hatekayama are one of the strongest starting factions in the game and are difficult to wipe out or pressure into a peace treaty because their provinces are spread all over the map, so antagonizing them early can be a risky move.

The Date are also furthest away from the bountiful trade nodes near Kyushu. This makes it very difficult to take advantage of them until much later in the campaign due to the time and effort required to send trade ships and to protect them with naval escorts without nearby friendly ports for repairs.

The Date Clan's family is strong. The daimyo is very young but has already fathered sons, and the secondary general is his brother, with another brother close to coming of age.

Nearly all Date land units have +2 charge bonus. While this benefits every unit that has access to it, it's of lesser value to units that are weak in melee fighting, while improving units that are already strong at melee fighting more significantly. In particular, Date No-Dachi Samurai have an even more devastating charge bonus when compared to the already formidable No-Dachi Samurai, and are cheaper to train and maintain to boot. While the Date Clan's cost bonuses for its units are very minimal compared to those of other clans, benefiting only one unit type, the charge bonus applied to the rest of the units are free. Other potent Date units include Yari Cavalry, which are mainly used to charge and cycle charge, as well as Naginata Warrior Monks and other warrior monk units, which benefit from aggressive use and close combat due to their poor armor but high attack values.

Items[]

See List of items available to the Date Clan.

Video[]

Shogun_2_Total_War_Date_Intro

Shogun 2 Total War Date Intro

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Total War: Shogun 2 Factions
Sengoku Major Factions Chosokabe ClanDate ClanHojo ClanHattori ClanIkko IkkiMori ClanOda ClanOtomo ClanShimazu ClanTakeda ClanTokugawa ClanUesugi Clan
Sengoku Minor Factions Amako ClanAnegakoji ClanAsai ClanAshikaga ClanAshina ClanBessho ClanEuropean TradersHatakeyama ClanHatano ClanHonma ClanImagawa ClanIto ClanJinbo ClanKikkawa ClanKiso ClanKitabatake ClanKono ClanMatsuda ClanMiyoshi ClanMogami ClanMurakami ClanOgigayatsu ClanOuchi ClanSagara ClanSaito ClanSakai ClanSatake ClanSatomi ClanShoni ClanSogo ClanTakaoka ClanTsutsui ClanUrakami ClanWako PiratesYamana ClanYamanouchi Clan
Unimplemented Factions Asano ClanHosokawa ClanIshida ClanKobayakawa ClanKuroda ClanToyotomi ClanUkita ClanUtsunomiya Clan
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