Shimazu Clan

For the Shogun: Total War faction, see Shimazu. For the successor to this faction in Fall of the Samurai, see Satsuma.

Shimazu
Shimazu Clan Mon
Daimyō	Shimazu Takahisa
Color	Dark Gold/Dark Green
Playable	Yes
Appears in	Grand Campaign
Emerges in	Satsuma Province
Bonuses	Loyalty for generals, Katana Samurai & Heroes

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

Faction Select description

The Shimazu are a proud clan, with a long history worthy of their pride. They can trace their ancestry back to the Minamoto, the founders of the Kamakura shogunate. Their strengths are the ones of any old clan: their samurai and obedience to Bushido. 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. Loyalty, Bushido, and the brave samurai are powerful assets for an ambitious warlord seeking to be shogun...

In-game Encyclopedia 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

General Information

The Shimazu Clan starts the campaign in an excellent position, at the south-west corner of Japan. From here, few factions can mount an attack on it, and it is also has immediate access to the majority of trade nodes in the game. This gives the Shimazu Clan great money-making potential, particularly if it seizes more of Kyushu and gains access to more ports.

Militarily, the Shimazu Clan has superior katana samurai thanks to its clan traits. Additionally, the Shimazu (along with the Date Clan) is one of the only playable factions that can immediately recruit katana samurai, and the Shimazu home region has a blacksmith, granting samurai +1 attack and +1 armor. This gives Shimazu armies a powerful early game advantage over their rivals: no other faction in Kyushu has access to blacksmiths initially, and the katana samurai, buffed with both the clan bonus and the blacksmith bonus, should have an easy time handling the largely ashigaru-based early game armies of the Shimazu's rivals. With enough mastery of the arts, the clan will be able to produce Shimazu Heavy Gunners, gunpowder units that can damage buildings and disrupt formations, making them useful as support for other troops.

The Shimazu Clan is also blessed with an excellent family tree. While its daimyo is fairly average, being 31 years old and having +1 attack and morale for his unit of bodyguards as well as a -2% chance of being assassinated, he has three sons, all of which are fairly close to coming of age. Finally, the Shimazu Clan's generals have increased loyalty thanks to their clan traits, so they are less likely to betray the Shimazu Clan.

Offsetting the potential quality of Shimazu troops is the quantity of its initial enemies. Neighboring Ito is hostile and has two provinces initially, allowing it to recruit units more quickly than the Shimazu. Even after Shimazu takes neighboring Osumi from the Ito, Ito's capital of Hyuga is a long trek away, and by the time Shimazu armies reach it, it often has the time to build up an ample defensive force. The Ito aren't the only concerns for the Shimazu clan early on, as the neighboring Sagara Clan to the north is often hostile. A sudden Sagara attack on Shimazu lands while its armies are dealing with the Ito could be highly disruptive.

The Shimazu have to deal with religious unrest at an earlier stage than most other clans. Much of northern Kyushu has a sizable Christian population, and the Otomo Clan actively spreads Christianity from Buzen and Bungo. The Shimazu can either convert to Christianity to speed up the integration of northern Kyushu at the risk of incurring the wrath of most of mainland Japan, or convert northern Kyushu back to Buddhism.

Overall, the Shimazu Clan is a strong choice for all players, regardless of their experience, due to the many advantages it has.

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.

Initial Information

• Generals – Shimazu Takahisa (Daimyo), Tanegashima Tomokata
• Admirals – None
• Religion – Shinto-Buddhist
• Protectorates – None
• Allies – None
• Trade Partners – Sagara
• At War – Ito
• Military Units – (2x) Generals Bodyguard, Yari Samurai, (2x) Yari Ashigaru, Bow Ashigaru
• Navy Ships – None
• Agents – None
• Treasury – 4000

Clan Bonuses

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

Regions

• Satsuma,

Military

• First Army –
• Second Army –
• Sagami Garrison -

Victory Conditions Short Campaign

Become Shogun by capturing and holding Kyoto. Also Capture 25 Provinces including; Bungo, Higo, Hyuga, Osumi, Satsuma and Kyoto by the end of the Winter 1580 turn.

Victory Conditions Long Campaign

Become Shogun by capturing and holding Kyoto. Also capture 40 provinces including; Bungo, Higo, Hyuga, Osumi, Satsuma and Kyoto by the end of the Winter 1600 turn.

Items

See List of items available to the Shimazu Clan.

Video