Glossary of Shogun: Total War terms

This is a glossary of terminologies used in Shogun: Total War.

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A[]

Arquebus: Matchlock gun, also called 'teppo' in Japan. Introduced in 1543 by the Portuguese.
Ashigaru: Literally, "light feet." Peasant troops recruited into a daimyo’s service. Often fought with little or no armour, footwear or weaponry until they could be looted from the enemy.

B[]

Bushido: Meaning 'the Way of the Warrior.' A code of conduct concerning the upholding of moral and ethical values in the day-to-day life of a samurai to separate them from a regular sword-for-hire. Written down in the early Tokugawa shogunate.

C[]

Clan: A Japanese noble family and their retainers. The clans formed the basis of the sociopolitical structure in feudal Japan.

D[]

Daimyo: A powerful feudal land owner, literally "one who aspires to something better."
Dai-sho: The long katana and short wakizashi, swords that could only be carried by a samurai, and were therefore a badge of samurai rank.
Do: Body armour worn by a samurai.
Dojo: A place for the formal teaching of martial arts.

E[]

Emperor: The divine rulers of Japan. In practice it was a ceremonial position, true political and military power was exercised by the shogun and daimyo.

F[]

Formation: The strategic organisation of military units on the march or in battle.

G[]

Geisha: Literally, "Art person." A class of professional women trained from adolescence in conversation, dancing and singing for the entertainment of men.
Gekokujo: Literally, "the low oppress the high." The historical trend for Japanese peasants and other lower classes to overthrow their rulers.

H[]

I[]

Ikki: Armed peasant league.
Ikko-ikki: Literally, "Single-minded League." 15th century militant, even fanatical, religious group, but the term also came to mean rioting mobs. These mobs usually acquired a degree of political power through their military activities.

J[]

Junshi: The act of suicide committed by a loyal retainer or servant following the death of their lord.

K[]

Kanashi: The act of suicide committed in protest.
Katana: A long, two-handed, slightly curved sword that was considered the 'soul of the samurai.' Often carried together with the wakizashi, the katana was used as both shield and sword due to its superior strength and cutting edge gained through the meticulous construction process.
Kengo: A master swordsman. Kengo usually went on a musha shugyo or 'warrior pilgrimage' to improve their skills.
Koku: Measurement of wealth, usually defined as the amount of rice needed to feed a man for a year (1 koku = approx. 5 bushels or 180 litres of rice).
Kunoichi: Female ninja – often posed as dancers or entertainers i.e. geisha.
Kyushu (old name: Kyukoku): Southern most of Japan's big four islands.

L[]

M[]

N[]

Naginata: Pole-arm, fitted with curved single-edged blade.
Nanban-do: Meaning 'body armour of the southern barbarians.' Bulletproof armour adapted from European armour.
Nanbanjin: Literally, "Southern barbarians." Name given to westerners who arrived in the 1540's.
Ninja: Assassins and spies; practitioners of the art of invisibility. Expert in the use of weapons but also skilled in use of poisons and explosives. Both male and female ninjas existed.
No-Dachi: A very heavy and long sword which was about 25 percent longer than an average sword.

O[]

Okegawa do: Simple, mass-produced armour worn by the ashigaru. If this had the daimyo's mon on the front it became known as okashi gusoku (honorable loan armour).

P[]

R[]

S[]

Samurai: Member of the warrior class; warrior in a daimyo’s service.
Sashimono: Identifying banner, fitted to the back of the armour. Often had the mon of the clan or family on it.
Sengoku Jidai: 'Age of the Country at War' (1457 to 1615). Much of the samurai tradition was established during this time. Shogun: Total War is set during this period.
Seppuku: Any form of ritual suicide. Considered an honorary death by the samurai class. Modified in later years to allow the presence of a second who cut off the victim’s head at the moment of agony.
Shinobi: Ninja that were particularly adept at the art of spying or scouting instead of assassination.
Shogun: Abbreviated form of Sei-I-Tai Shogun (literally, "barbarian subduing general"). The hereditary commander of the Japanese army who, until the revolution of 1867, exercised absolute rule under the nominal leadership of the emperor. The rank to which all daimyos aspired.
Shikoku: Smallest of the four man Japanese islands. It's located in the south, nestled between Honshu and Kyushu.
Sohei: Literally, "Priest Soldiers." Commonly known as warrior monks but some were thought to be non-ordained warriors recruited by the temples.

T[]

Taisho: General on the field of battle.
Tameshi Gusoku: Bullet tested armour, not necessarily the same as bullet proof armour! Sold with dents as proof of its effectiveness.
Teppo: The Japanese name for the arquebus introduced by the Portuguese.

U[]

Unit: A group of soldiers that can be manoeuvred tactically around the campaign map and battlefield.

W[]

Wakizashi: Sword 30 to 61cm (1-2ft) long. Worn by both samurai (with a katana) and ashigaru.

Y[]

Yari: Spears used as defensive weapons. The lengths varied depending on the individual daimyo’s preference but averaged around 5 metres.
Yoroi: Of the many armour types, this is the classic samurai armour which consisted mainly of the do (body armour), suneate (leg armour), tsurubashiri (breastplate), eboshi (cap), kabuto (helmet), sode (shoulder guards) and hoate (face mask).