Tokugawa Clan

Tokugawa Clan Mon

The Tokugawa Clan are one of the 8 playable clans in the Grand Campaign in Shogun 2: Total War. They were, historically, the victorious clan at the end of the Sengoku Jidai. They are known as renowned diplomats and possess superior metsuke and ninja.

In-Game Encyclopedia 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. The Tokugawa have been squeezed between two powerful and ambitious clans: The Imagawa to the east, and the Oda to 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 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

Initial Information

• Vassal of - The Imagawa Clan
• Allies - None
• Trade partners - Imagawa Clan
• At war - Oda Clan
• Starting Province(s)- Mikawa
• Visible clans - Imagawa Clan, Oda Clan, Saito Clan, and Kiso Clan
• Resources - Horses
• Clan treasury - 3000

General Information

The Tokugawa have one of the most difficult campaigns in Total War: Shogun 2, for many reasons.

Tokugawa clan traits are subject to a glitch: while Tokugawa Kisho Ninja are advertised as being superior statistically and having cheaper costs, in-game they cost the same and have the same stats--with the exception of a much smaller starting ammunition pool. This makes them inferior to generic ninja. The Tokugawa have one unique unit, Tokugawa Mounted Gunners, but they are available relatively late into the game.

The Tokugawa Clan is the only playable faction to begin the campaign as a vassal to another clan: in this case, the Imagawa Clan. Being a vassal means that the Tokugawa automatically cedes some of its income to its liege clan every turn. To make matters worse, the Tokugawa cannot declare war on other factions while being a vassal: the only ways it can enter wars are if the Imagawa declare war on someone and ask the Tokugawa for aid, or if the Tokugawa or the Imagawa are attacked. This considerably limits the Tokugawa's options for expansion. The Tokugawa can end the vassalage by attacking the Imagawa, but this comes with a heavy diplomatic penalty (-50, decaying by 1 per turn) and the loss of one honour for the daimyo, which increases the likelihood other clans will declare war on them. This penalty can be avoided by waiting for the Imagawa to be destroyed, waiting for them to attack you, or manipulating them into attacking you, or it can be partially negated by vassalising them which increases daimyo honour by one. They are more likely to declare war on harder difficulty settings, which increase AI hostility towards the player. You can engineer a declaration of war by deliberately worsening relations with the Imagawa over several turns, for example by breaking the trade agreement you start the campaign with, attempting to sabotage their armies and buildings and assassinating their agents and generals. It is also helpful to keep your armed forces deliberately small and to leave Mikawa undefended to coax them into attacking. Note that successful ninja actions do not worsen relations as your ninja is not revealed and the action is therefore not attributed to you. Only failures produce a diplomatic penalty.

The Tokugawa start with a sparse family tree comprised of the daimyo, Tokugawa Hirotada, and his only son, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who does not come of age for several years. However, Hirotada himself is only 19 and already married at the start of the campaign, which means there is ample opportunity to develop him into a high-ranking general and for him to father more children. The clan's starting general can also be adopted immediately without any penalty as there are no adult sons.

Finally, while the starting province of the Tokugawa, Mikawa, is quite rich, the Tokugawa border the powerful Oda Clan to the north, whose superior ashigaru make them especially especially strong in the early game. The Oda armies are initially larger than that of the Tokugawa, although the Tokugawa start with a Metsuke and sufficient funds (except on legendary difficulty) to bribe one of them on the first turn. When both clans are controlled by the A.I, the Oda tend to destroy the Tokugawa on the first turn, unless Oda are destroyed themselves.

However, the Tokugawa have a few advantages. They begin with a supply of highly sought-after warhorses at Mikawa, which other clans will pay large sums of money to gain access to via trade agreements. Early in the campaign they are issued a mission to research Secret Police; completion of this mission grants an extra metsuke. If the Tokugawa already have the maximum number of 5 metsuke obtained before completing this mission, the extra metsuke still spawns, meaning that the Tokugawa clan is the only faction in the game that can have six metsuke--or six of any agent at all.

The Tokugawa also have access to Tokugawa Mounted Gunners with the Sengoku Jidai Unit Pack. These powerful firearm cavalry can deal heavy damage with their guns before retreating to a safe distance.

Trivia

• The statue shown in the victory video is based on the statue of Sakamoto Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō in the Maruyama Park of Kyoto. Ironically, the two men were part of a movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. Sakamoto Ryoma makes an appearance as a Tosa general.
  • Additionally, the statue is also seen in the victory videos of the Uesugi Clan and the Ikko Ikki.
• The clan's name in-game is rather anachronistic for the 1545 start date since the Tokugawa were known as the Matsudaira. The clan wouldn't change its name until 1567.