Recent History

Kyushu

The island of Kyushu is home to two ancient feuding clans: the Otomo and Shimazu. These two have clashed many times over the course of the Sengoku-jidai, with neither able to make any significant gains. A new arrival threatens to upset the balance and change Japan forever: southern barbarians from across the sea have come visiting, bringing with them a strange new religion and gunpowder weaponry.

Shikoku

The island of Shikoku is home to the Miyoshi, once a minor vassal of the massive Hosokawa clan. The Miyoshi very recently overthrew the Hosokawa in retribution for the murder of their Daimyo, and have made significant gains in their absence, gaining control of the majority of Shikoku, as well as successfully seizing Yamashiro province and the capital city of Kyoto.

Southern Honshu

Honshu is the largest of the Japanese islands, and Southern Honshu has recently seen the collapse of the Ouchi clan, with the former Ouchi’s lands now divided between their surviving vassals, the Mori and Sue (who initiated the coup against the Ouchi). The Mori have accepted this coup, but relations between the two clans remain tense. A war with the Amako clan has just concluded, and the Mori and Sue now hold much of the Amako’s former territory. Further north, the Murakami were overthrown by their vassals the Ukita, who now share borders with the formidable Yamana clan.

Central Honshu

The provinces around Kyoto have seen much bloodshed in recent years, especially following the collapse of the Hosokawa clan. Kyoto has been burned to the ground more than once, and several new clans have emerged to fill the power void, including the Masuda clan. The province of Kaga recently rose in open rebellion thanks to the machinations of the Sohei of Hongan-ji, and the so-called “Free City of Sakai” has also emerged as a dominant political entity in the region. The fortified city supposedly claims no masters except for the merchant lords responsible for the city’s wealth.

Northern Honshu

Northern Honshu has seen several large clans locked in a power struggle for years. Nearly constant wars between the Hojo, Takeda, Uesugi, Imagawa, Oda, and other clans has resulted in the frequent swapping of provinces. The violence follows a common story: every time one clan rises to dominance, its neighbors unite against them. Currently the Hojo have the most military and economic power, but this cannot be expected to last. Only the isolationist clans in the far north have kept themselves out of the fighting, preferring instead to remain aloof and, if not peaceful, certainly less warlike.

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