1

2

3

4

5

NIPPON

By Mathias Eliasson

6

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .................................................... 7 THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN .................. 9 The Nipponese ........................................................... 10 History of Nippon ...................................................... 22 Timeline of Nippon.................................................... 31 The Great Clans ......................................................... 33 Map of Nippon ........................................................... 37 The Land of Nippon................................................... 38 WARRIORS OF NIPPON .................................. 49 Army Special Rules ................................................... 50 Commanders .............................................................. 51 Shugenja .................................................................... 52 Hatamoto ................................................................... 53 Samurai Warriors ....................................................... 54 Samurai Cavalry ........................................................ 56 Ashigaru .................................................................... 57 Warrior Monks .......................................................... 58 Yamabushi ................................................................. 59 Sumo Warriors ........................................................... 60 Onna Bushi ................................................................ 61 Kabuki Dolls .............................................................. 62 Yabusame .................................................................. 63 Red Devils ................................................................. 64 Ronin ......................................................................... 65 Wako Pirates .............................................................. 66

Ninja ........................................................................... 67 Shinobi ....................................................................... 68 Great Guard ................................................................ 69 War Machines ............................................................ 70 Mikoshi Shrine ........................................................... 71 Oni ............................................................................. 72 Tengu ......................................................................... 73 Kitsune ....................................................................... 74 Mizuchi ...................................................................... 75 Yoritomo Ieyasu ......................................................... 76 Empress Jungi ............................................................ 77 Hitomi Gozen ............................................................. 78 The Red Ronin ........................................................... 79 Sarutori Hanzo ........................................................... 80 O-Sayumi ................................................................... 81 Lore of the Kami ........................................................ 82 Clan Mon ................................................................... 83 Ninjutsu ...................................................................... 84 Vessels of the Kami ................................................... 85 THE NIPPON ARMY LIST ............................... 89 Lords .......................................................................... 91 Heroes ........................................................................ 92 Core Units .................................................................. 95 Special units ............................................................... 97 Rare Units ................................................................ 100 SUMMARY ............................................................. 102

Compiled, Edited & Partly Written by: Mathias Eliasson

Cover Art: Craig Mullins

Art: Legend of the Five Rings by various illustrators, Paizo Publishing by various illustrators, Wayne Reynolds, Angus MacBride, Creative

Assembly, Emilio, Bjrn Hurri, Tom Edward, Genzoman, kerembeyit, Andreas von Cotta, Miguel Coimbra, Michal Ivan, Nate Barnes, Steve Argyle,

Rowiel, Zvezda, chagan, James Paick, vimark, Sengoku Game, epson361, stevegoad, shima99, ColdFlame1987, alp, BeneOctavian, jgskectch22, Dreamlord, vladlegostayev, krypt, GBrush. Mariusz Kozik, Hangman801, kamyu, DiosdadoMondero, artoflinca, Zenzzen, Wen M, One Vox, vablo,

camilkou, Neil Bruce, diegogisbertllorens, crutz, reau, agnidevi, raynkazuya, capprotti, MaBuArt, vladgheneli, jubjubjedi, artifart, devjohnson,

obrotowy, skaya3000, artozi, chaser226. Noah Bradley, sundragon83, Nordheimer, J Wilson Illustration, coolart, clovery, funkychinaman, DiegoGisbertLlorens, Rob Alexander, Fenghua Zong. Book Design: Mathias Eliasson. Rules Development: Mathias Eliasson. Original Material:

Legend of the Five Rings by Shawn Carman and others, Andrew Fawcett, Arne Dam, Bill Ward, Shogun: Total War & Total War: Shogun II by

Creative Assembly, Aldebrand Ludenhof, Tito Leati, Dave Morris, Jamie Thomson, Thomas Heasman-Hunt, Stefan Barton-Ross, Simon Sullivan.

Special Thanks To: All the players that have contributed with feedback and ideas.

This book is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. The Chaos devices, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device, 'Eavy Metal, Forge World, Games Workshop,

Games Workshop logo, Golden Demon, Great Unclean One, the Hammer of Sigmar logo, Horned Rat logo, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, Lord

of Change, Nurgle, Skaven, the Skaven symbol devices, Slaanesh, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tzeentch, Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Warhammer World logo, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters,

vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either , TM and/or Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-

2013, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights

Reserved to their respective owners.

7

INTRODUCTION Welcome to Warhammer: Nippon, your indispensable guide to the mysterious realm of the

east. This book provides all the information youll require o play with a Nippon army in games of Warhammer.

WHY COLLECT NIPPON? The Empire of Nippon demands much of its samurai:

service to ones lord, service to ones Clan, and service to ones Emperor. Bushidos staunch and unyielding code of conduct binds samurai to duty, strengthening

their character and defining their choices.

A Nipponese army is a magnificent sight, filled with

colour and variety. Samurai form the main battle line,

supported by the lowly Ashigaru and brave Warrior

Monks. Sumo Warriors march with them, as do the

Clanss greatest warriors and the mysterious Kabuki Dolls. Daemonic Oni summoned by the Shugenja

accompany them, followed by deadly Ninja. The

armies of Nippon are lead by the Daimyo and the

Taisho, the clan leaders, all sworn to the sovereignty of

the Shogun.

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS Warhammer army books are split into sections, each of

which deals with different aspects of the titular army.

Warhammer: Nippon contains:

The Land of the Rising Sun. This section introduces the Nipponese and their part in the

Warhammer world. It includes their society and

history. You will also find information on the land

of Nippon, the Emerald Empire of the east.

Warriors of Nippon. Each and every troop type in the Nippon army is examined here. You will find a

full description of the unit, alongside the complete

rules for any special abilities or options they

possess. This section also includes the Vessels of the

Kami magical artefacts that are unique to the army along with rules to use them in your games.

Nippon Army List. The army list takes all of the characters, warriors, monsters and war machines

from the Warriors of Nippon section and arranges

them so that you can choose an army for your

games. Units are classed as characters (Lords or

Heroes), Core, Special or Rare, and can be taken in

different quantities depending on the size of the

game you are playing.

FIND OUT MORE While Warhammer: Nippon contains everything you

need to play the game with your army, there are other

books and updates to be found. For the other books in

the series and the latest rules updates, visit:

www.warhammerarmiesproject.blogspot.com

8

9

THE LAND OF THE

RISING SUN

A samurai is a servant, first and foremost,

and according to tradition, their first and

most sacred duty is to die in the name of their

lord if necessary. It is a fate to which most

bushi aspire, and even though those who

follow the path of a shugenja are ostensibly

people of peace, there are many among their

number who would relish a similarly

honourable death.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending

upon whom you ask - the Empire's history

has been full of war and conflict, giving the

samurai of Nippon plenty of opportunity for

self-sacrifice.

10

The Nipponese

SOCIAL CLASSES AND THE CELESTIAL ORDER The Nipponese believe all living beings, indeed all of

existence, are organized into a hierarchy set in place by

the will of the Celestial Heavens. This hierarchy known as the Celestial Order was revealed to the Nipponese by the Kami at the founding of the Empire,

and they regard it as the sacred and unquestioned

expression of divine will. To ignore or violate the

Order is to blaspheme against the cosmos itself. Thus,

the citizens of the Land of the Rising Sun are organized

into three distinct castes, each of which is divided into

several smaller ranks and sub-castes. Typically, a

person is born into a caste and remains within that

caste for their entire life, although exceptions are

possible.

At the top of the social order are the samurai, the rulers

of Nippon. They are the only real people of Nippon, and have complete power and rights over all below

them. The samurai caste itself is, of course, divided

into social ranks of its own the Kuge (nobility) and the Buke (those who serve). The Kuge include the

Emperor, the various high Imperial officials and

daimyo, the Clan Champions who rule over the various

clans of the Empire, and the daimyo of the various

families within each clan. All other samurai belong to

the Buke. Of course, there is considerable social

striation within the buke as well, ranging from the top

tier of provincial daimyo and city governors, down

through magistrates, advisors, military officers, and

other officials, and ending in the vast numbers of

simple warriors, courtiers, and priests who serve the

Empire the so-called ji-samurai. In general, a samurai is not permitted to question or oppose

someone of a higher social rank without the strongest

possible justification.

Conversely, a samurai can easily lord it over those of

inferior social rank, and it is expected that such abuse

will be endured honourably. Samurai are supposed to

always treat each other with extreme respect and

politeness, even if they are actually bitter enemies, for

to fail in public manners is to violate Courtesy and

possibly even lose ones face, an unforgivable social error.

Below the samurai are the Bonge the common folk, also known as heimin or half-people. These comprise the vast majority of Nippons population, and are the ones who keep the nation and economy running. They

are generally not permitted to use weapons, although

exceptions are made for specific duties such as

Ashigaru (peasant military levies) or budoka (personal

armed retainers to samurai). Samurai can demand

anything from a heimin without recompense, and can

kill any heimin who disobeys or fails to show respect.

However, the Celestial Order also dictates that there

are responsibilities between the different castes of

society, something emphasized in writings like the

Articles of Heaven. So while it is the heimins duty to produce and obey, it is the samurais duty to protect and administer. Nevertheless, the life of the bonge is a

hard one, full of difficult labour and suffering. Only a

few commoners are fortunate enough to serve a

samurai who truly cares about them for the most part, their lords treat them with indifference, if not outright

cruelty. Naturally, heimin are always respectful and

obedient toward samurai, since the alternative is to earn

their wrath, but they seldom feel anything toward their

masters other than fear and wary respect.

However, the rare samurai who goes out of his way to

fulfil his duties to the heimin caste will soon draw their

notice, and such exceptionally compassionate samurai

are often rewarded in turn by extra loyalty and effort.

Even within the ranks of the bonge, there are social

striations. The highest-ranking of the heimin are the

peasants, for they grow the food which all the Empire

needs to survive. Slightly below the peasants are the

artisans and craftsmen carpenters, blacksmiths, stonemasons, brewers, seamstresses, and so forth.

Although they do not grow food, these persons still

create things of use and value, and truly skilled heimin

artisans can actually earn the respect of samurai who

admire their work. (In fact, some samurai are artisans

themselves, although they pursue rarified arts such as

painting and sword-making rather than simple things

like building furniture or forging horseshoes.) At the

bottom of the bonges ranks are merchants. Merchants are regarded with contempt by samurai, since they do

not actually make anything for themselves they simply buy and sell things made by others. However,

commerce is important to the Empires economic

11

health, and many clans rely on commercial activity to

swell their coffers a contradiction which troubles more than one samurai. To get around this problem,

some samurai appoint themselves as merchant patrons, watching over and supervising the activities of commoner merchants, thereby allowing them to

conduct commerce without directly dirtying their own

hands with such distasteful activities.

Monks occupy a peculiar position within the social

order. They are not samurai, and by strict interpretation

of the Nipponese social system they cannot be

considered anything other than heimin.

However, their role as upholders of the Empires religious traditions affords them a respect which other

commoners do not enjoy. Most samurai treat monks

with a certain deference, and prominent members of

the monks are sometimes invited to court to provide

counsel and guidance to daimyo.

If the position of monks is peculiar, that of ronin those samurai who have no lord, no clan or family to

call their own is far more difficult. A ronin is technically still of the samurai caste, but with no lord

or clan to protect or care for him, he must make his

own way through the world, tossed by the waves of

fate hence the name ronin, or wave-man. Since ronin cannot rely on a stipend or household, most of

them are forced to work as mercenaries or bodyguards,

earning food and lodging by the strength of their

swords. Some ronin ultimately must engage in manual

labour to earn their keep, but as samurai they consider

this bitterly shameful, and many of them resort to

crime or banditry rather than live like common folk.

Below the bonge are the lowest of Nippons social order, the hinin or non-people, who are born into those tasks which the Nipponese consider to be

intrinsically spiritually impure. Primarily, this involves

any activity which leads to touching unclean substances such as blood, garbage, or dead flesh.

Morticians, leatherworkers, and refuse collectors

(known collectively as eta) form the bulk of the hinin

caste. Such persons are regarded as less than nothing,

and even peasants look down on them and abuse them.

The etas life is bitter and unpleasant, and their only hope under the rules of the Celestial Order is to fulfil

their duties well enough to be reborn into a higher

station in their next life. The rest of Nippon ignores the

eta as much as possible. Nevertheless, these people

have a vital role, performing the unclean jobs no one else will touch.

Although most of the hinin are eta, the ranks of this

caste also include a few other individuals. Torturers,

who must constantly inflict harm and touch blood and

sweat, are also considered hinin, although they are

permitted to serve samurai more directly than the eta.

Finally, geisha women who offer samurai entertainment and companionship are considered to be hinin, although unlike eta and torturers they are

accorded certain fame and respect by the rest of

society.

RITUALS OF LIFE All samurai life is ritual, and a samurais standard day is simply moving from one ritual to another. This is

true for all samurai, whether they be trained as bushi,

courtiers, or shugenja.

Although the rituals may differ from clan to clan and

family to family, the respect a samurai has for them

does not. Even a clan as militaristic and pragmatic as

the Uruchi has all manner of rituals which its samurai

follow with care and devotion.

The rituals of samurai life begin at birth. Whenever a

samurai child is born, special blessings and religious

ceremonies are held to ensure that evil spirits are

driven away, lest they curse the child or bring bad

fortune upon it. Portents are also taken from the

positions of the stars, and all possible omens are

examined for hints at the childs destiny. One month after birth, the new samurai child is taken to the nearest

shrine to be blessed and recorded in that shrines rolls. Nippon does not have anything resembling a true

census, but a dedicated researcher can learn much

about a provinces population by consulting the birth records at local shrines.

Children enjoy care-free lives in their younger days,

although dedicated parents will make sure to remind

them of the samurai duties which await when they

12

grow older. They do learn to read and write, as well as

the basics of etiquette and proper behaviour. A key

transition point comes when the child is old enough to

begin training in one of his or her clan schools. This

usually happens between the ages of 10 and 12,

although true prodigies may begin their training two or

three years earlier. The decision of which school a

samurai child should attend is a momentous one, since

it typically sets the samurais path for life. Almost all samurai attend a school, as failure to do so implies a

lack of the skill and dedication expected of them, and it

is quite rare for a samurai to be able to switch from one

school to another. Thus, parents carefully consider their

familys traditions and the needs of their lord and clan, as well as their childs visible talents (if any). Priests and astrologers may also be consulted to determine

where a childs path should lie. The wishes of the child are seldom if ever considered. A family which has

served the clan as bushi for ten generations is liable to

continue to do so, regardless of what their child might

wish.

Schooling typically lasts four years, although it can be

shorter or longer depending on the talent of the student.

When a student has mastered the first Technique of the

school, he or she is considered ready for a gempukku,

or coming-of-age ceremony, one of the most important

rituals in a samurais entire life. The gempukku ritual varies greatly from one clan, school, or family to

another, but in general, it is both a celebration of

change (from child to adult) and a testing to prove what

the child has learned. Typically, the child will be

expected to demonstrate mastery of the schools first Technique, as well as to perform other actions which

show dedication to family and clan traditions. Once the

ritual is complete, family and friends offer gifts to the

newly-made adult, who is permitted to choose a

personal name. Some prefer to keep their childhood

name, but many take a new name to symbolize their

hopes for the future or their dedication to family,

friends, allies, clan, or Empire.

The next great ritual in a samurais life is marriage. In Nippon, marrying is a duty, typically undertaken at the

command of family or lord. Marriages are treated

almost as a business matter, and are typically arranged

(a process called mi-ai) by the parents of the couple,

often with the help of a middleman, or even a

professional matchmaker known as a nakado.

Mi-ai traditionally begins with a formal interview

between the parents of the prospective bride and

groom. Samurai seek pairings which can better their

familys station, increase their lands or prestige, or cement some long-term political or personal goal

through blood ties, as well as seal bargains or alliances

between clans and families. It is not expected for the

couple to be in love, or even to know one another prior

to their wedding. The process of arranging a marriage

can take anywhere from a few months to several years,

and a mi-ai interview is not considered an immediate

guarantee of success rather, these preliminary meetings are done to make sure both sides are

comfortable with a future pairing, ensuring an

ultimately successful union. If the two families live far

apart, a nakado or other go-between will be enlisted to

help ferry messages and gifts back and forth. Among

truly high-ranking families it is not uncommon for

children to be betrothed long before they reach

adulthood.

One of the most basic purposes of the Imperial Court is

to bring people together in marriages that create

alliances and cement bargains for the following year.

Fathers and mothers of noble lineage always bring their

most gifted children to the Imperial Court, hoping they

will catch some royal eye. Weddings themselves are

very elaborate rituals, performed with the presence and

supervision of both daimyo and priests, and many

blessings and prayers are made to prevent bad fortune,

remove evil spirits, and bring harmony and fertility to

the match. Usually the ceremony is held privately, with

only the immediate family and a presiding priest, but

this is followed by an elaborate public reception in

which guests enjoy a magnificent feast and offer

numerous gifts to the new couple. The bride

traditionally wears white, the colour of death, at the

beginning the wedding, symbolizing that she is dead to

her old family. After the ritual is complete and she

emerges for the reception, she removes the white

kimono to reveal a red one underneath the colour of life, showing she is reborn into her new family. Once

the ceremony is done, the newly wedded couple often

spends a month apart, meditating on what it means to

be married, before they take up their new household

together.

13

When a samurai reaches the age of forty, it is

traditional for him or her to retire from active service to

the clan. This is not mandatory, however, and samurai

in the more active and pragmatic clans will often

continue to actively serve their lords long after

reaching their fortieth year. High-ranking nobles and

daimyo also tend to stay active longer than the normal

time. A samurai who does retire will most commonly

choose to join the monks, taking a new name and

beginning a new life as a monk or nun. Such retirement

is accompanied by an extended ritual celebration, in

which family and friends commemorate the samurais deeds and bid him goodbye. At the conclusion of this

ritual, the samurai shaves his head, a transformation

symbolizing his entering a new life of religious

contemplation. Not all retiring samurai join the monks,

however some of them instead remain with their families or their lords, living quiet but honoured lives,

and offering advice and counsel when it is sought.

Retired samurai may also sometimes return to active

service, taking up their swords once more when a crisis

or threat requires their attention.

The last ritual of every samurais life is their funeral. These, like everything else in Nippon, follow a strict

protocol. By Imperial Law, all bodies must be

cremated. Traditionally, a funeral takes place four days

after death, and those four days are filled with prayers,

as well as the burning of special scrolls filled with last words which are the final parting words of the living to the dead. The body is anointed and purified by eta,

then kept in state with an honour guard until the day of

the cremation itself. Special foods are prepared on that

day, and relatives and friends gather to observe the

funeral pyre, which is also blessed by shugenja and

monks. Once the body has been burned, even more

prayers are spoken, to speed the spirit of the departed

on its journey to the afterlife. The immediate relatives

gather at the pyre and use special chopsticks to remove

the remaining fragments of bone from the ashes these are placed in a crematory urn, which is kept in a place

of honour for 35 days before finally being buried, an

event accompanied by a final round of prayers, chants,

and blessings.

RELIGION The official religion of Nippon is called Jinto and has

been so for thousands of years. During Nippon's history

it has existed as an amorphous mix of nature worship,

fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and

shamanism and unusually it has no recognised founder.

It is a religion of nature and spirituality and the belief

that human nature is inherently good, and evil is

thought to stem from the individual's contact with

external forces or agents that pollute their pure nature

and cause them to act in ways which are disruptive.

Jinto worship is centred on the reverence of the gods or

kami. Kami may be anything that is extraordinary and

that inspires awe or reverence. Consequently, a wide

variety of kami exist in Jinto: there are kami related to

natural objects and creatures -- the spirits of mountains,

seas, rivers, rocks, trees, animals, and the like; there are

guardian kami of particular locales and clans; also

considered kami are exceptional human beings,

including many emperors. Evil spirits are also known

in Jinto, but few seem irredeemably so. While a god

may first call attention to its presence through a display

of rowdy or even destructive behaviour, generally

speaking, the kami are benign. Their role is to sustain

and protect.

14

In a way Jinto is similar to the Old World religion in

that it consists of a pantheon of deities. However, the

priests of Jinto worship all the gods or kami as one

rather than there being any single clerics of a particular

god. Although some gods are more popular than others,

such as the Sun Goddess Amateratsu for example, it is

highly unusual for anyone to take on a monotheistic

perspective. There are hundreds, perhaps even

thousands, of gods in the Jinto pantheon which are

discussed further in this chapter but suffice to say the

Sun Goddess Amateratsu is one of the most pre-

eminent of the kami as well as the divine couple

Zanagi and Zanami who were said to have created

Nippon.

THE TENETS OF BUSHIDO All samurai are supposed to live according to a strict

and demanding set of ethical principles known as

Bushido (literally, the way of the warrior). They quickly came to be accepted by all the clans in Nippon,

and as the roles of samurai evolved to include courtiers

and artisans, the Code of Bushido evolved into a

complete philosophical view of the role and duty of the

samurai. In modern Nippon, Bushido is integral to

almost every aspect of a samurais life, and the proper way to uphold the Code is a subject of continual

discussion and debate among all samurai.

Bushido is comprised of seven Virtues: Courage,

Compassion, Courtesy, Duty, Honesty, Honour, and

Sincerity. These virtues are held to represent the proper

way in which samurai should live and serve their lords.

In its ideal form, Bushido values each of these virtues

equally, and a samurai is expected to adhere to all of

them with equal vehemence. In practice, however, few

samurai can live such spotless lives. Moreover, every

clan in Nippon views Bushido in a slightly different

way, according to their respective views of duty,

honour, and life. The true nature of Bushido is

constantly debated within the courts of Nippon, and the

true way to uphold its Virtues is seldom fully agreed

upon even within the same clan. Every clan, has its

idealists who try to uphold every Virtue no matter the

cost, just as every clan contains a few dark souls who

laugh at Bushido and flout its principles.

Compassion Compassion teaches samurai that, as the warrior elite

of society, it is their duty to protect and guide the lesser

folk of Nippon. In its most obvious form, this means

offering military protection, guarding the commoners

against bandits, criminals, foreigners, and the monsters

of Haikido.

It is this form of Compassion which is most widely

respected and revered in Nippon, for all clans

recognize the importance of keeping their peasants

alive and productive. Bullying or abusing those of

lower station is an act unworthy of a samurai, even if

the social order allows it. Some clans take Compassion

more fully to heart, however, and seek to offer

guidance and help to the lower castes.

Courage Courage is in many ways the most basic and universal

of all the Bushido virtues, since every samurai is

expected to be ready and able to die at a moments notice. The central importance of courage to a

samurais life cannot be understated. A samurai must be prepared to fight and die without hesitation, whether

at his lords command or simply due to unavoidable circumstance. Indeed, it is popular to say that a samurai

lives at all times three feet from death, since that is the

reach of a katana. But in truth there is no clan which

ignores courage. All recognize that courage is

important if their samurai are to fulfil their duties

properly.

It should be noted that courage does not mean

foolhardiness. After all, a samurais life belongs to his lord, not to him. A samurai who throws his life away in

a useless and selfish gesture is not behaving

honourably, but rather is failing in his duty to lord and

clan. Indeed, there are many times when retreating

from a fight requires more courage than merely staying

and dying.

Courtesy Samurai are civilized men and women, not barbarians,

and are expected to behave with courtesy and proper

manners at all times. A samurai who shows undue

emotion or rudeness is not only violating Courtesy but

is also losing his face (on), disrespecting those around

him and shaming himself. A true samurai remains

courteous and well-mannered at all times, even when

15

facing his bitterest sworn enemy, or provoked with vile

insults and malignant behaviour. A samurai who

openly insults others is showing his own weakness,

which is why Nipponese courtiers endlessly practice

the art of the subtle and indirect insult. Conversely,

when a samurai is confronted with failures of Courtesy

by those of higher station, his own honour is

demonstrated by his ability to endure such

provocations and avoid drawing attention to others failures. Nipponese as a whole make a point of

ignoring those who engage in uncouth and improper

spectacles, since to draw attention to such discourteous

behaviour is to make matters even worse.

As one might expect, those who serve their clans in

politics and the courts tend to place a very strong

emphasis on Courtesy, since it is a vital element of

social and political negotiation. The most heavily

political clans place a special value on Courtesy,

although for some this is more for the Virtues tactical value in court than due to any moral commitment to it.

Duty If there is a Virtue which competes with Courage for

universal acceptance, it is Duty. A samurai must

always be ready to serve his lord in whatever way is

required, no matter what the cost. Death is the least that

a samurai may face he must be prepared to endure humiliation, dishonour, shame, and failure for the sake

of Duty. He must remain faithful to lord, family, clan,

and comrades no matter what temptations may fall in

his path. A samurai who violates loyalty to his lord or

clan is violating Duty, and such untrustworthy

individuals are hardly worthy of the title samurai. Duty is the reason why love is so problematic for

samurai, since a samurai in love will feel a conflicting

loyalty to his (or her) beloved which may disrupt or

diminish the fulfilment of duty.

Honesty Honesty is in principle the simplest of the virtues of

Bushido, but also perhaps the most troublesome.

Ideally, it would seem obvious that an honourable

warrior should always tell the truth, and indeed, there

are some families and clans which embrace Honesty

with the same fervour as the rest of the virtues.

Honesty is also strongly associated with justice, and

thus tends to be a virtue admired by magistrates (or at

least by those magistrates who take their duties to

heart).

However, many other samurai, especially those who

serve their clans in court, find that Honesty is often a

virtue which must be danced around, or perhaps even

violated, in order to fulfil their duties. Almost all those

samurai who serve in the arena of court and politics

practice the art of deceiving or manipulating their

opponents while still remaining technically truthful,

and some families make almost an art form of

employing such tactics while still satisfying themselves

that they are behaving honourably. Most highly

political schools and families quietly accept that

sometimes they will simply have to lie for their clan,

and therefore tend to emphasize Sincerity far more than

Honesty in their approach to Bushido, counting on their

adherence to the other virtues to make up for their

sometimes erratic observance of this one. The

Scorpion, naturally, ignore Honesty altogether, and

exhibit almost open contempt for samurai who strive to

tell the truth or who follow the path of justice.

Honour Both the subtlest and the most basic of the virtues,

Honour teaches that every samurai stands in judgment

over himself, at all times. Bushido is not merely

enforced by social convention or superior authority, but

by each samurais own heart and soul. A samurai without Honour cannot truly follow the other virtues of

Bushido, for he is merely acting as others expect, not

as his own sense of honour demands. Conversely, a

samurai with true Honour will follow the ways of

Bushido even when the society around him becomes

corrupt and his superiors expect him to behave

dishonourably solely because they command it.

Almost all samurai in Nippon respect Honour, for it

lies at the very heart of Bushido.

Sincerity Samurai are taught from childhood that they must

express absolute sincerity in both word and deed. A

samurai who speaks on behalf of his lord in court, but

does so in a lackadaisical or unconvincing manner, is

serving his lord as badly as if he refused to speak at all.

A samurai who shows a lack of dedication in his

actions, who acts and behaves without absolute

commitment, is a samurai who fails his lord and his

clan. Sincerity is regarded with particular admiration

by political clans and families, but most samurai

respect it.

16

The Concept of Face Face is a vitally important aspect of samurai culture. It

is intrinsic to the belief that samurai are exceptional

persons, chosen by birth to serve the Empire in ways

that mere peasants cannot. A samurai is expected to

maintain self-discipline at all times, to control himself

and to never show the sort of open emotions and out-

of-control behaviour that characterizes lower people. A samurai who cannot control his emotions is a

samurai who cannot serve his lord with honour and

trust, for his emotions will override his judgment and

loyalty. Thus, maintaining dignity and self-control is

vital to a samurais life.

The ability to maintain this self-control, never showing

ones true feelings, is referred to as maintaining ones on or face. A samurai who maintains face is a samurai who cannot be manipulated, a samurai who

can deceive his enemies, a samurai who serves his clan

without fail. By contrast, a samurai who loses face,

who loses self-control, shames both himself and,

worse, his family and clan.

Face is a purely samurai concept, one that is not

expected of peasants and other common folk.

Maintaining face is sometimes compared to wearing a

mask, a mask which must be kept on every hour of

every day, concealing ones true feelings beneath on.

SHAME AND DISGRACE A samurai who is shamed by dishonourable actions or

loss of face will be expected, at the very least, to offer

deep and sincere apologies for such actions. Typically,

if the disgrace was fairly modest, the samurai will be

punished in a non-permanent way assignment to less prestigious duties, for example, or expulsion from the

castle, court, or city where he misbehaved. Although

such punishments are not lethal, they nevertheless

represent a deep and profound shame for the samurai

involved, who may well spend the rest of his life trying

to redeem himself for his failure.

More extreme failures, such as a violent outburst, an

attack or serious insult against someone of higher

station, or a breach of duty or loyalty, are punished

much more severely. A samurai who commits such acts

is quite likely to be ordered to commit seppuku (if he

does not offer seppuku himself out of shame). On other

occasions, such disgraced samurai may be expelled

from family and clan, and thus made ronin. A samurai

may also forsake his fealty and become ronin by his

own choice rather than face the prospect of punishment

or seppuku, particularly if he feels he is not actually

guilty.

Seppuku Seppuku is a form of ritual suicide which samurai

perform when they have been irretrievably

dishonoured. By performing the ceremony and thus

dying honourably, the samurai wipes away the stain of

dishonour and leaves his or her family name clean and

untarnished. It is important to remember that the main

purpose of seppuku is to protect the family, rather than

the individual. In Nippon a family is the repository of

all the collective deeds and accomplishments of its

members, and it is commonly said, I have borrowed my name from my ancestors. I must return it to them

untarnished. A dishonoured person thus brings dishonour and shame to the entire family. By

committing seppuku, a samurai spares his family from

the shame of his deeds.

A samurai who is committing seppuku in a formal

setting dresses entirely in white (the colour of death),

and traditionally writes a final poem, a death-haiku,

before taking up his wakizashi to commit suicide. The

ritual may be witnessed by the samurais friends or relatives, representatives from his daimyo, or other

individuals. The actual suicide is usually performed by

means of the wakizashi, the blade which symbolizes a

samurais honour (although another blade can be substituted in a pinch). The samurai kneels and makes

three cuts across his belly, disembowelling himself. In

order for the ritual to be properly completed, the

samurai must not flinch or cry out in pain. Since this is

extremely difficult, by long-standing tradition seppuku

is assisted by another individual, a second, whose task is to complete the ritual by beheading the samurai,

ensuring he dies with honour. Serving as a samurais second is an important and honourable task, and the

sword used to behead the victim is carefully cleansed

with water beforehand. Seppuku is usually not something a samurai can do at

will. Samurai who are facing total battlefield defeat or

the military annihilation of their bloodline, however,

17

will sometimes commit seppuku immediately rather

than face the eternal shame of utter defeat. Indeed,

entire samurai families have been known to commit

suicide under such circumstances. More normally,

however, permission to commit seppuku must be

granted by the samurais daimyo, and cruel or intolerant daimyo have been known to deny seppuku

and force their samurai to live with their shame.

Aside from acting to preserve family honour, the other

form of permissible seppuku is to protest unjust orders

from ones lord. This form of protesting seppuku is known as kanshi, and must still be authorized by the

daimyo. Most daimyo dont care for such an act, but it is considered quite dishonourable and ill-mannered to

refuse ones samurai permission to commit kanshi.

Women of the samurai caste who are not bushi are

permitted to kill themselves in a less painful fashion,

known as jigai, in which they stab themselves in the

throat with a knife. This is generally reserved for

women who are courtier or shugenja. Given the chance,

they will bind their ankles together before performing

this act, so as not to shame themselves with wild

kicking during their death throes.

POLITICS The way of the samurai is often considered

synonymous with the way of the warrior. But in the

Land of the Rising Sun, samurai do not serve their

clans solely on the battlefield. Politics has been a vital

element of Nippons history since its founding, and the

negotiations and manoeuvres of courtiers have changed

the Empire as often as war, if not more so. Indeed,

skilful courtiers can sometimes alter the outcomes of

wars after the battles are fought.

Although some bushi look down on courtiers and the

subtle arts of politics, those who must serve their clans

in court reject the notion that they are any less samurai

than their warrior cousins. Courtiers must pursue their

diplomatic struggles with the same courage and zeal as

a bushi in combat, for their failures can be as

catastrophic as a lost war, and their victories can bring

glory and success to their clan without the need to fight

a war at all. Failure in court can mean death as certain

as failure in combat courtiers must walk a perpetual knife-edge, working to obstruct, undermine, and

destroy their opponents without falling prey to the

same fate themselves. Seasoned bushi who get re-

assigned to court are often forced to admit it is just as

taxing a field of conflict as warfare itself.

In Nippon, politics takes place primarily in the various

courts of the Empire. Every daimyo and governor

maintains a court in their castle or palace, inviting

emissaries and visitors from other families and clans to

attend and meet as their guests. The higher- ranking the

host, the more prestigious the court, and the more

important will be the political discussions and

negotiations which take place there. The most

prestigious court in the Empire, of course, is the

Imperial Court, hosted by the Emperor and his chief

advisors. Many courtiers spend a lifetime trying to win

18

an appointment there. The heaviest political activity

takes place during the winter, and just as the Imperial

Court is the most important and prestigious of political

postings, the Imperial Court is the most desirable of all

courts to spend the snow-bound months.

Court, more than any other part of Nipponese life, is

suffused with delicate etiquette and indirect speech.

After all, diplomats speak for their clan, and have the

weight and prestige of that clan behind them. A minor

daimyo who insults or ignores a courtier without

legitimate cause could well be forced to commit

seppuku for his breach of etiquette. Nor is anyone so

uncouth as to openly discuss alliances or treaties in

open court. Trained diplomats employ hints and subtle

conversational gambits to suggest a possible topic of

discussion. Much of the truly important and crucial

negotiation at court takes place in private meetings,

rather than in open chambers where others might

overhear it.

Political agreements in Nippon are seldom expressed as

written treaties, save when both sides wish to present a

formal agreement to the rest of the Empire. More

commonly, negotiations are handled through personal

commitment and word of honour. Clans trust their

courtiers to handle delicate situations, and courtiers in

turn can call on the trust of their clan to give their word

great weight. Indeed, minor daimyo or provincial

officials may well have difficulty keeping their

positions if a powerful, influential courtier speaks out

against them to their feudal lord especially if the courtiers accusations turn out to be true.

A major part of politics in Nippon is the exchange of

letters, and experienced courtiers spend much time and

effort each day in composing and sending such

missives to each other. A good courtier can maintain a

steady flow of correspondence with dozens of people

from across the Empire, dropping small tidbits of

information to them and carefully reviewing the

snippets of gossip they send him in return. For many

courtiers, this network of correspondents can be just as

important as the allies in their own court.

Correspondence can build an alliance that lasts

generations or begin a feud that lasts centuries. Indeed,

a timely piece of information from the far side of the

Empire can turn the entire course of negotiations, and a

courtiers fame and fortune can be founded, built, or shattered by a single letter.

Within the courts themselves, critics and blackmailers

alike employ letters as their weapon of choice, and

lovers use them as their most subtle but most direct

gift. This continual flow of correspondence within a

court is known as the Game of Letters. Unlike letters sent to and from those outside court, these letters are

designed primarily to display skill and to manipulate

others rather than to convey information.

DUELING Nippon is a society ruled by a caste of armed warriors

who follow a strict code of honour and etiquette. When

a samurai is insulted or maligned, and even more so if

his (or her) family, clan, or lord is the target of such

insults and slanders, he will usually respond by issuing

a challenge to a duel. Duels are considered the

appropriate and socially acceptable response for any

situation where a samurai feels that honour or

reputation has been threatened or compromised.

Indeed, failing to issue a duel means the original insult

or slander is left unanswered, in effect making it true.

Conversely, once a challenge has been issued, the other

samurai must either back down and apologize,

retracting whatever slander he issued, or else defend

his words with steel. Backing down, of course, is a

tremendous loss of prestige and face, and a wise

samurai will never issue an insult or accusation without

being prepared to back it up in a duel.

Duels are not always to the death. Samurai are not

supposed to throw their lives away without cause, and

when the insult or offense which caused the duel is not

of great magnitude, a duel to first blood, or until one

combatant acknowledges defeat, will be considered

sufficient. When the insult is serious, however, duels

are always lethal, and end only when one (or both)

participants are dead.

19

Regardless of whether it is to first blood or to the

death, a truly honourable duel must be authorized by

higher authority. Typically, this requires the permission

of each samurais daimyo, but other high-ranking samurai such as Imperial officials and district

governors can often approve duels as well, especially

duels to first blood. Magistrates also have the power to

authorize duels to prove the guilt or innocence of an

accused criminal. This is not to say that a duel cannot

be fought without such permission. Unauthorized duels

are a regular feature of Nipponese life, especially

where samurai passions become involved, and while

such duels are considered socially scandalous and

improper, they are not punished in the same way as a

murder. Typically, the samurai is subjected to little

more than house arrest or a public reprimand.

Traditionally, any samurai who wears a katana is

signifying his ability to defend himself, and if he is

challenged to a duel, he must fight on his own behalf.

A samurai who carries only a knife or a wakizashi

(such as the typical courtier or shugenja) is signifying

that he is not a warrior and cannot fight his own duels.

If he is challenged, he can call for a champion to fight

on his behalf. Likewise, if such a samurai issues a

challenge to another, he is expected to have a champion

available to fight for him. Usually, daimyo will supply

champions for their samurai, although they may refuse

to do so if they consider the duel to be fought over

insufficient justification. Once the duel is resolved, the

losing party is expected to share the fate of their

champion, committing seppuku if it was a duel to the

death.

Once a challenge has been issued and accepted, the

challenged party will be permitted to specify the time

and place of the duel (a custom known as the rights of the challenged). When passions are high, the duel may be accepted and fought immediately, but more

typically the challenged party will choose a symbolic

or beautiful location at some noteworthy time, such as

dawn. In theory, a duel can be held weeks or months

after acceptance sometimes as much as a year, though never more than that but delaying a duel in this manner is often considered a sign of lack of self-

confidence or even cowardice.

WAR IN NIPPON The Code of Bushido is also known as the Way of the Warrior, and although the Nipponese religion often focuses on peace and compassion, most samurai of the

Empire are bushi, raised in the path of arms and taught

to seek glory and fame on the battlefield. Minor wars

and border skirmishes are a constant reality of life in

the Land of the Rising Sun, where the different clans

are constantly jockeying for power and influence, and

major wars erupt with some regularity. During periods

of crisis, such as the eras of the Warring Clans, war is

near-constant and major clashes of arms become a

regular part of every samurais life.

Armies and Tactics Nipponese armies are primarily infantry forces. The

native Nipponese pony is not hardy enough to support

full-scale cavalry warfare, although it can be used

effectively for scouts or mounted infantry.

20

Thus, the only samurai who employ true cavalry tactics

in Nippon are the Taneka, who imported full-size

horses from Cathay. Other Nipponese armies

developed some degree of anti-cavalry training and

tactics, but their lack of full-size horses prevented them

from deploying any large-scale cavalry force of their

own.

When armies go into battle, regardless of their strength,

it is the smaller units legions and companies which form the primary units of tactical manoeuvre. They

usually deploy in rectangular blocks, wider than they

are deep. However, the Nipponese generally do not

have concepts like phalanx fighting or maintaining a

shield wall. It is expected that once two enemy units collide on the battlefield, the soldiers on each side will

engage each other in personal combat. Consequently,

the Nipponese march and advance in a more dispersed

and open formation than Old World armies, and once

contact is made with the enemy, any formation will

quickly break down into a sprawl of hundreds of small

melees. Thus, battlefield tactics tend to focus more on

pre-contact manoeuvring, bringing more troops to bear

on the decisive point through effective scouting and

skilful march and deployment, and wearing down the

enemy with archery and magical attack prior to

engagement, as well as on successfully withdrawing

and rallying units after combat.

FOREIGN RELATIONS Basically-speaking Nippon is not a very open society

and distrusts all foreigners, save those from Cathay

perhaps, and all Old Worlders are viewed as hairy

savages. When Shogun Yoritomo Ieyasu rose to power,

and re-united the warring states of Nippon, he imposed

certain restrictions on foreigners as well as restricting

his own people from leaving the island. Most

foreigners are confined to sealed off areas in whichever

city they are occupying and dealings with them is often

conducted by lower class characters, such as

merchants.

The Empire There have been very few dealings with the Empire

and few Imperial merchant ships have ever made the

long and arduous journey to the Far East. However, the

Empire is anxious to change this not least because of

Marienburgs enviable position with Nippon and the Far East as a whole. They do not want to be barred

from the riches of the Far East as they are from Lustria,

although this has more to do with Marienburgs alliance with Ulthuan than anything else. Emperor

Karl-Franz therefore sent a diplomatic mission to

Nippon in order to cement some kind of an alliance or

treaty. Unfortunately progress has been painfully slow

as they try to get to grips with Nippon customs. The

fact that they are confined to sealed off foreign quarters

in the capital of Hyudo also possess problems as many

days can go by without any meetings with Nipponese

officials and what is more is that the translators present

at all of the meetings are Marienburgoise Clerics of

Haendryk. It is rumoured that they are economical with

the truth when relaying back to the Nipponese what the

Imperials want and can give in return. However, the

Imperials have been successful in converting a few

people to the cult of Sigmar both in and outside the

city. Sigmars appeal to the new converts is one of strength and unity and they view him as another kami

or god. With dozens of Nipponese Sigmarites created

maybe the Empire can make some gains?

Estalia Estalia, especially the great seaport of Magritta, is in

competition with Marienburg when it comes to

securing trade with the Far East. This has even

amounted to clashes in the Ind Ocean between Estalian

ships and those of Marienburg. As these incidences are

very embarrassing both sides have conveniently chosen

to brush them under the carpet. The Estalians havent been as successful as the Marienburgers in their

dealings with Nippon but they occupy a bit of the

merchant quarters in the port of Tokaido. The

Marienburgers are unhappy with their presence and

rumour has it that both sides are seeking to sabotage

each others trade.

21

Marienburg The most important Old World trading partner is

Marienburg. It was Marienburg who introduced

firearms into Nippon some twenty years ago and one of

the merchant houses, the den Euwe, has an heir married

to a daimyo's daughter Lady Katsi Okumoto. It is not

presumptuous to say that Marienburg has a firm

foothold on Nippon. Although they are, like the

Imperials, confined to sealed off quarters of Hyudo for

most of the time, they also occupy a small island just

off the port city called Dejim. The tiny island is

complete with its own set of quays so that ships can

anchor there and if anything the island is a piece of

Marienburg transported some seven thousand miles

across the globe. The Marienburgers were given the

island when they first came to Nippon to keep their

influences away from the populous as the Jinto priests

viewed them with distain because they were merchants.

But on Dejim the Marienburgers are free to do as they

please although the Shogun isnt without his eyes and ears there, as a shrine to Jinto attended by several

priests testifies along with the fishermen who often

moor their boats on the island. The Marienburgers,

while they are happy to join them in their religious

ceremonies, do not trust them. Nippon itself has a little

community in the city of Marienburg. It was there quite

a few years before the present Shogun made it harder

for people to leave his island. While he was opposed to

it at first Yoritomo has grown used to the arrangement.

Ulthuan High Elves used to live in several of the cities of

Nippon pre-Incursions of Chaos, but when Tor Elithis

was attacked by the forces of Chaos the vast majority

of the Elves left to defend it. Small communities lived

on in some of the cities but over the subsequent years

they gradually left. Most chose to go back to Ulthuan

but those who did not decided to go to the Gates of

Calith and reinforce the garrison there against sporadic

attacks from Chaos armies. To this day that is where

they remain. The High Elves are welcome in Nippon

although they are often feared.

The Phoenix King, although he would like to regain

Tor Elithis, is more concerned with keeping his island

territories in the vast ocean between Cathay and the

southern tip of the Southlands which are: the Fortress

of Dawn, Tower of Stars, Tor Elasor and the Tower of

the Sun. In truth, King Finubar is not too bothered

about Nippon and sees the Kingdoms of Ind and

Cathay as more valuable. However, this has not

prevented High Elf clippers from exploring the ocean

east of Nippon, as in the past, though long ago, the

Dark Elves of Naggaroth sailed a Black Ark from the

western New World to the coast of Cathay. Fortunately

the Black Ark was destroyed therefore preventing a

probable Druchii invasion.

22

History of Nippon

Like many peoples, the Nipponese see themselves as

the children of the gods. Nippon came into being when

the gods Zanagi and Zanami stood on the bridge of

heaven and stirred the waters of the Earth with a spear.

The drops of water that fell from the spear tip gathered

together to become the islands of Nippon. The pair

then descended and raised the spear as the centre pole

of their house. Nippon had been created.

Zanagi and Zanami had many children, which would

be known and worshipped as the Kami. Amateratsu,

the Sun Goddess was the first-born of these.

Amateratsu inherited the earth and would rule Nippon

and guide its people through her palace in the sky.

Even so, the land was far from unified, with many

different clans vying for power and fighting against

each other for thousands of years.

THE FOUNDING OF NIPPON Around -13 I.C., Emperor Yamayakyuki was the agent

of an important change in Nipponese history. Nippon at

this time was composed of many clans, of which the

strongest was the Imperial Yamayakyuki family. The

Yamayakyuki were one clan amongst many but they claimed the right to rule because they were descended

directly from the Sun Goddess, Amateratsu.

When Yamyakyuki was finally declared ruler of Usaki

he was already an imposing man of some thirty years.

The story goes that on more than one occasion his

opponents surrendered before a sword was drawn due

to his defeating charisma and leadership alone. But

already as a young man Yamyakyuki proved himself a

man second to none. Before his twentieth year he

ventured alone into the Kanto-Yoshida Mountains to

the east, where he returned sixty days later carrying the

Ryatso Katana and flying on one of the legendary

Kirin. This wondrous magical mount stayed with him

until the day he died.

The Jinto priests took these events as proof of

Yamyakyuki's ancestry that he was indeed of

Amateratsus blood. The Ryatso Katana, a sword of true craftsmanship lost in the wars against the

Korgians, was to become the staff of office for all

future Emperors of Nippon and Yamyakyuki was

worshipped as the divine descendant of Amateratsu. He

declared that he had a vision from Amateratsu: he must

gather all of Nippon into a single empire, to bring

peace and harmony back to all of the Sun Goddess people or die in the attempt.

Yamyakyuki mustered a mighty army and finally

conquered all of Nippon, though the campaign took a

full twelve years to achieve. The defeated armies were

given the choice of submitting to the rule of

Yamyakyuki or die; only in two cases did an enemy

choose the latter. These were the warlords of the

Ichymoni and Koijo clans respectively, whose

warriors, cousins and their families were decapitated in

days; it was a blood bath.

By -1 I.C. resistance had been broken and in the same

year representatives of all the clans of Nippon gathered

at a coronation feast at Mount Fuji where Yamyakyuki

was proclaimed the First Emperor of all Nippon. On

the first day of the coronation Yamyakyuki entered the

cave in Mount Fuji. When Yamyakyuki emerged from

23

the cave it is said that the sun shone so brightly that the

gathered masses turned their eyes lest they be blinded.

During the early period of Yamayakyukis rule the influence of the mainland began to be felt in Nipponese

culture. Cathay had already advanced to a

comparatively high level of civilisation, and thanks to

the relative ease of travel and trade from Cathay, iron,

writing, literature and philosophy came to Nippon.

Nippon was divided in ten regions which were further

divided in a total of 66 provinces. Yamyakyuki ruled

Usaki, while the rule of the other nine regions were

given to the most capable and loyal of the Kamato clan

leaders, who had fought as generals in Yamyakuyukis army. The individual provinces remained under the

rule of the local clans who had accepted Yamyakyuki

as their liege lord, though one province was given to

each of the nine region rulers.

Yamyakyuki retained a firm and just rule of Nippon

until his death in -12 I.C. His oldest son, also named

Yamyakyuki, ascended the Imperial throne as

Yamyakyuki II. Unfortunately, he had not inherited his

fathers leadership skills. The Daimyo saw the opportunity to increase their own power within their

provinces. The strongest Daimyo, lead by Mitsusaki

Onokate, pressed the weak emperor to grant them tax

liberation of their personal lands. Others seeking tax

evasion became vassals of these governors and thus

avoided tax payments to the Imperial coffers.

As the years passed, the loss of tax revenues and the

increasing strength of governors undermined the

central Imperial authority. Already during the reign of

Yamyakyukis grandson, Yamyakyuki III, the emperor, though still the formal ruler of all Nippon, only

effectively controlled the Imperial Province, home of

the capital Edo. Nippon had dissolved into feuding

chiefdoms lead by ambitious clan leaders.

By the 9th century the Emperors were actually pulling

back from the day-to-day business of ruling a country.

They were becoming symbols of power rather than the

wielders of power. As the Emperors retired from

government, control passed to the court officials. The

Emperors continued to reign, but they no longer ruled

the country.

This period was a time when Nipponese culture came

into its own, leaving its Cathayan-dominated roots

behind. At the same time, this changed the way that

Nippon was governed. The central government became

corrupt and weak. Land ownership started shifting to

great estates. The nobles who held government offices

were given tax-free hereditary estates as payments.

Many peasants and lesser landholders were only too

happy to hand over their property to these estates to

escape from the heavy taxes levied on them!

THE RISE OF THE SAMURAI At around the same time, the samurai were coming to

prominence as more than just another group of fighting

men. Like the knights of the Old World, the samurai

were the leaders of common foot soldiers. Like the

knights it was possible to win promotion to the ranks of

the samurai. And like the knights, to be samurai also

implied a degree of service to a superior. In the case of

the samurai, this service was to the Emperor, a noble or

a warlord.

The Imperial government found the samurai incredibly

useful in putting down rebellions, but with the shift in

power to mighty land-owners, the loyalties of the

24

samurai also shifted. The samurai came to serve and

protect the great lords, fighting against other great

landlords, bandits and rebellious locals. Although some

of these samurai were from humble families, the clans

that prospered and attracted allies could trace their

ancestors back for centuries, often to some (minor)

Imperial relative banished from Court to seek his

fortune elsewhere. Among these clans of aristocratic

samurai were the Mirumoto in the east and the Hotomo

in the south west of Nippon. No longer content to

merely serve, the samurai began to interfere in

government politics.

THE IMPERIAL WAR In 1155 there was a crisis in the Imperial succession,

when the current Emperor was found poisoned without

a clear heir. This led to heavy arguments of whom

would take the trone, with the Emperors uncle Hirakawa and cousin Jozun being the most suitable

candidates. The Mirumoto supported the cousin and the

Hotomo the uncle, each of which were positively

inclined to either clan respectively. That meant that

whoever would have their candidate become Emperor

would have a great boon at having their will go through

at the Imperial Court. Naturally, there would not be a

peaceful solution to the matter.

The Mirumoto and Hotomo were now in open war with

each other. At the Battle of Hogo, the Mirumoto

samurai were defeated, with the majority of them being

executed for their defiance by order of the would-be

Emperor Hirakawa. Among these were the old

Emperors cousin and many of the chief members of the Mirumoto clan. However, rather than allowing their

enemies to execute them, they cut their own stomach

with their swords in the first seen display of seppuku.

This victory allowed helped the Hotomo clan to rise

rapidly to power in the Imperial Court, and Hirakawa

declared himself Emperor. The Mirumoto, though

beaten, were not defeated, and longed for revenge.

This time, the civil war that followed was a

straightforward fight between the Hotomo and the

Mirumoto. Although the war seemed to go well

initially for the Mirumoto, events soon turned against

them. The Hotomo attacked the Mirumoto

headquarters, and then lured them into a counter-attack

that failed when Mirumoto Yorimasa refused to join in

because he could not violate his duty to the Emperor.

The surviving Mirumoto were pursued and slaughtered

without mercy.

Mirumoto Yoshitomo fled with three of his sons one of

whom, was so badly wounded that he begged his father

to kill him so that the others could flee with more

speed. Yoshimoto did this, but to no avail. He was

caught and murdered in his bath, taken when he

thought he had outrun his pursuers. Hotomo Kiyomori

then beheaded the Mirumoto clan literally.

25

Hotomo Kiyomori was seemingly unassailable. He had

beaten his samurai rivals and was now the most

powerful Daimyo in Nippon. However, he had not

quite killed all the Mirumoto and in twenty years the

survivors had become strong enough to challenge him

once again.

The Imperial War would last for another five years.

Once again, the Mirumoto opposed the Hotomo, but

this time they were supported by the sohei, warrior

monks from the temples of Kumano. However, the

Hotomo were initially successful again, defeating the

Mirumoto army at the battle of Mount Fuji.

In 1183 the course of the war began to turn for the

Mirumoto clan under the leadership of Daimyo

Mirumoto Nobunaga. They won a series of brilliant

victories, culminating in 1185 with the Battle of Sano-

Iru. Both the Hotomo and Mirumoto clans aboard fleets

of warships and headed into the straits north of Usaki.

In the middle of the Hotomo fleet was the newly

crowned, Emperor Ontaku. He was still very young

and the symbol of Hotomo and Imperial legitimacy,

and thus an important element of the Hotomo claim to

rule Nippon. What happened at the Battle of Sano-Iru

was virtually a land battle fought from ship to ship. The

sea is supposed to have run red with blood during the

battle as the Mirumoto smashed the Hotomo army. The

unfortunate Emperor Ontaku was drowned.

His military victory secured, Mirumoto Nobunaga did

not bother with any of the political manoeuvring at

Court that the Hotomo had used. His power was based

on his armies, not on any Imperial family connections.

The Emperor was forced into retirement, becoming a

mere symbol. Nobunaga took the title and office of

Shogun, becoming the true leader of Nippons power. Nobunaga also moved the centre of power from Usaki

to Hyodo. The old Imperial Court was ignored and

became largely irrelevant to the running of the country.

The Mirumoto clan would hold Nippon in an iron grip

for many centuries to come.

HUNG INVASION In 1745, the Hung amassed a great horde and assailed

the Cathayan province of Han Kou. After running

rampant throughout the land, The Hung set their eyes

upon Nippon. Wanting to conquer all the kingdoms of

the east, the Hung Warlord ordered his army to

construct a great fleet of several hundred ships, to sail

to conquer the islands.

Nippon at this time was still strong under Mirumoto

control, but severely outnumbered by the Hung. The

Shogun of the time, a rash man who attacked first and

thought later, ordered the entirety of the Nipponese

fleet to meet the Hung head on. Only a dozen ships

returned, and the Shogun, shamed by the defeat of his

mighty fleet, performed seppuku.

However, not all was lost. The Empress Jungi, though

but a symbol like the Emperors before her had been for

many centuries, was an extremely powerful Shugenja.

With the Shogun gone, she rallied her people and took

to the battlefield herself. Stunned by this expected

show of courage, the Nipponese followed her. She took

the Imperial Ship with her closest bodyguard to protect

her, and sailed towards the approaching Hung fleet.

With all her might, she summoned a huge tidal wave

that swept across the Hung fleet, capsizing their ships

26

and drowning the marauders in the murky depths. Over

two thirds of the Hung fleet was destroyed in one

strike, though Empress Jungi almost perished from

fatigue, for such was the exertion caused by the spell.

She did not let that stop her though, and personally led

the Nipponese armies against the parts of the Hung

fleet that managed to land on the coast. Nippon was

saved from the Chaos menace, and Empress Jungi was

hailed as its saviour. The other clans rallied behind her

and proclaimed her the true ruler of Nippon. The

Mirumoto Shugonate was soon overthrown, and

Empress Jungi would be the first ruler in the period

that would be known as the Imperial Restoration.

WAR OF THE COURTS Though Empress Jungi actually managed to restore the

Imperial administrative system and did away with the

Shogunate, this would not last. When she mysteriously

disappeared some ten years later and the throne was

ascended by her son Daigo, there was soon talk about

rebellion. Daigo did not possess the same level of

leadership qualities as his mother, and some rumours

even spoke about him having her assassinated to get to

the throne himself.

The Ujimasa were the first to take advantage of this,

rallying several of the clans and openly accusing the

weak Emperor of murder. They drove Emperor from

Hyodo and set up another Emperor under their direct

control. The Wars of the Courts" dragged on for 56

years as Daigo and his heirs fought against the Ujimasa

and their Emperors. In 1792, however, an Ujimasa

ambassador convinced the true Emperor to abdicate.

With the Ujimasa puppets now seen as the rightful

Emperors, their Shoguns came into their own, but their

power was to be relatively short-lived. The Ujimasa

period was one of great refinement of manners, of great

art and literary works. However, during this period real

power passed from the Shogun to the other great clans.

The Ujimasa shoguns were never able to control these

clans, and this failure was to lead to a century of

terrible violence.

CHAOS INCURSION Long ago, a warpstone meteorite had crashed in the

northern part of Haikido, and the once prosperous

island instead became a lair of evil. A terrible fate

began to afflict the people of Haikido as the clouds of

warp dust blew into the towns and villages. They began

to mutate and became things much less than human.

The castle of Kamakura was inhabited by foul beings,

with many of the people turning to the worship of the

dark gods. For millennia, those pure in spirit would

fight against the Chaos forces of Haikido, holding them

off from moving south into Koshu.

In 2302, the forces of Chaos were on the march over

the entire world. Though it was the Old World in the

west that bore the worst brunt of it, all was not quiet in

Nippon either. From their Castle of Decay in Haikido,

the Chaos worshippers known as the Black Samurai

27

marched south, aided by many Oni that were able to

traverse into the material plane through a newly opened

warpgate.

The clans of Nippon would set their differences aside

for the first time since the time of Empress Jungi, and

gathered to face the forces of Chaos. On what would be

known as the Fields of Death in Haikido, the armies of

Emperor Naganori, Shogun Ujimasa Horotome and his

Samurai would battle the largest Chaos incursion ever

seen in Nippons history. It was a brutal battle as Chaos Warrior fought Samurai in bitter combats. For the first

time the Nipponese were to experience the horror of

magic cast by the Chaos Sorcerers; many of these foul

wizards had come across the seas from the West. The

Nipponese could not hope to win being pitched against

such a devastating weapon. But just when the Chaos

forces were to gain the upper hand the ground began to

rumble as great cracks opened up directly underneath

the main Chaos column. Within seconds the column

was swallowed by a great earthquake, separating it

from the main battle in the process. The Nipponese saw

this as a sign from the Kami and fought with renewed

vigour as they finally destroyed the followers of Chaos.

It was a great, but costly, victory for Emperor Naganori

and Shogun Ujimasa Horotome.

The surviving forces of Chaos retreated back north.

Unable to pursue them among the warp dust, the

Nipponese have never been able to fully eradicate the

forces of Chaos from their position at the Castle of

Decay. It is said they still plot and plan to overthrow

Nippon once more, though that day has not yet come to

pass.

ARRIVAL OF GUNPOWDER In 2322 the first Old Worlders arrived in Nippon, when

a group of Marienburgers traders landed in Konshu.

The Marienburgers brought with them one thing that

would greatly affect the future of Nippons warfare: effective gunpowder weapons.

Gunpowder weapons were not a complete mystery to

the samurai. They certainly knew about Cathayan

artillery, but gunpowder hadnt really arrived in Nipponese warfare, until now. The guns that the

Marienburgers brought to Nippon were handguns or

matchlocks. They were light enough to be used by one

man and relatively safe. The handgun had a slow rate

of fire on the battlefield, but it did have one massive

advantage that was recognised in Nippon as quickly as

it had been spotted in the Old World. Training as an

archer takes years of dedicated work. Learning to use a

handgun takes days, at most. The Ashigaru were a pool

of soldiers in every army ready and waiting for an

easy-to-use missile weapon.

Given the level of skill that Nipponese swordsmiths

and armourers exhibits, its hardly surprising that it took remarkably little time before the handgun was

being produced in Nippon, and that it was adopted

enthusiastically by the Daimyo for their armies.

However, although everyone could see that the

handgun was a useful addition to the armoury, it would

take time before someone would integrate a substantial

force of Matchlock Ashigaru into his army in a

tactically effective manner.

28

WAR WITH CATHAY In 2355, Shogun Ujimasa Hideyoshi became Shogun

after killing his predecessor in a duel. Hideyoshi was a

ruthless man, who saw the decline of the Ujimasa

Shogunate and the rivalling Daimyo as a pest that must

be eradicated. In an effort to once again rally Nippon in

more than just words of peace on a paper, he called for

an invasion of Cathay to increase the borders and

wealth of his glorious land. Cathay had been hit hard

by the Hung and Kurgan during the Great War Against

Chaos, and had not quite recuperated as well as

Nippon. Now was the perfect time to strike.

He constructed a huge fleet of thousands of ships

which would take his troops across the Far Sea to

Cathay. Over 250 000 troops was sent across the

treacherous waters, making landfall near Fu Chow on

the eastern coast.

This sudden attack was a large surprise for the

Cathayans, who were quickly overtaken by the

Nipponese forces. Hideyoshis armies established a foothold with Fu Chow as a base from where they

could take in more supplies and fresh troops from

Nippon. The Nipponese would prove to be

unstoppable, beating back every Cathayan army sent

against them and conquering more and more cities on

the eastern coast. The Cathayans became more and

more desperate, resorting to hiding in the woods and

attacking supply caravans rather than facing the

Nipponese on the field of battle.

The war would rage on for a total of 120 years, until

the Cathayans and Nipponese would face off at the

battle of Xenyong. As the Nipponese forces tried to

engage the Cathayans, they were constantly lured

closer and closer into a valley, where the Cathayans

had planned an ambush. As the Nipponese cavalry

charged into the Cathayan army, they were shot down

by dozens of rocket batteries, so many that the sky

could barely be seen for all the arrows that covered it.

The Cathayan Emperor even cut of the head of

Hideyoshi, who was leading the assault, and sent it to

Hideyoshis brother who was governor of Fu Chow.

When news of this defeat reached the rest of the

Nipponese forces, they began to lose heart. City after

city was taken aback by the Cathayans, until only Fu

Chow remained. Hideyoshis brother ordered his remaining forces to take the ships back to Nippon. The

war was lost.

This defeat was the greatest in Nipponese history, and

would ultimately cost the Ujimasa the power of the

Shogunate. Certain that the Ujimasa were too weak to

lead Nippon after the defeat against Cathay, the clan

Daimyo once more began plotting against each other

and the Shogunate.

29

THE TIME OF THE WARRING CLANS In 2487, Nippon was a powder keg waiting to explode.

The Ujimasa Shoganate was at an all time low,

spending more of their time arguing and performing tea

ceremonies than leading the country. It hardly came as

a surprise when full-on civil war broke out.

The weak Shogun did nothing to prevent this, and soon

rioting became prevalent in Usaki.

It did not take long until the rest of the clans followed

suit. Each of the great clans attempted to invade their

neighbours, minor clans were trampled underfoot and

destroyed, and burning fires could be seen every night.

As the war spread throughout Nippon, Daimyo took the

opportunity to settle old scores (and gain territory at the

expense of their neighbours) with mixed results.

The central government had, for all intents and

purposes, vanished. The Daimyo were free to wage as

many wars as they wanted or could afford. The lesser

samurai families were quite free to dream of greater

power and steal land from each other as well.

A shifting pattern of rivalries and alliances emerged.

One clan would ally with another against the threat

from a third, only to find that their allies had become

just as great a threat, or that previously loyal underlings

were now more dangerous than any external threat.

Samurai warfare had always used dirty tricks,

assassination and outright treachery but during earlier

conflicts, such as the Gempei War, the clans who had

behaved in this fashion were widely regarded as

villains. In the Warring Clans period, however, all was

fair in love and war. A quick murder was as acceptable

as winning a battle. The daimyo, of course, had access

to the ninja, who saw much use during the war. It was a

wise man who took precautions against assassination,

even if he did not plot the deaths of his rivals and

superiors.

YORITOMO IEYASU During this time, the Yoritomo clan was another one of

those small samurai families who had managed to gain

control of a province during the time of the Warring

Clans. In 2506, the grim Yoritomo Ieyasu became head

of the clan.

When the Batake marched towards Hyodo, taking

advantage of the fact that the Horumi and Taneka were

busy fighting each other, they came upon Ieyasus province. Fiercely defending his home, Ieyasu decided

to attack. After a brilliant bit of trickery, he managed to

convince the Batake that his army was camped in one

place, and then ambushed the main Batake force in a

gorge. The battle lasted minutes rather than hours. The

Batake Daimyo was killed, and only realised at the last

minute that the samurai who were attacking were not

30

part of his own force who were the worse for d