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The campaign got underway this week. Great start I forgot the main campaign map! I blame being drafted to video tape my brother in law's wedding the next day just as I was packing to go to the club. Short notice! No pressure it's only his wedding !!

Anyway after a muddled explanation of the rules we began the game in earnest. Clans were selected (I got Takeda woo hoo!), armies positioned and then the first moves were made. An action packed turn unfolded with no less than 6 battles! with the Hojo Clan (Jon) taking part in three!

All players had to adjust to the latest battle rules (hopefully we will have that sorted soon.) and the time restrictions of 30 minutes per battle after set up. Two battles ended in draws due to the time limit, however after the dust and gunpowder smoke had cleared it was Julian with the Shimazu clan which had taken an early lead due to two dazzling victories over the Mori Clan (Nick). Julian success all the more dazzling since he had crossed sea routes to invade the Mori and if either of his armies had been defeated they would have been destroyed as no retreat can be conducted across a sea route.

Up in the north of Honshu the epic struggle of the Hojo and Uesugi clan's had begun. Two Hojo armies invaded two Uesugi (Richard) provinces with the armies clashing. A Hojo victory in the first battle had the added bonus of resulting in the destruction of the entire Uesugi army as it's retreat moves were blocked by the other Hojo army. The second battle was a draw however the Uesugi army retired leaving Jon the proud owner of two new provinces. Down south a Hojo push into Takeda territory ended with a sound thrashing at the hands of the Takeda (your's truly) however we think the fatigue of the two previous Hojo battles gave the Takeda player an advantage. Takeda and Imagawa (Tom) armies traded blows in a drawn battle and the Uesugi laid siege to a Hojo fortress.

I am looking forward to the next turn, to see if strategies change as player's armies shrink in size with each battle and alliances begin to form. Also will we see any event cards effect the play of the game.

A fair bit of debate on the combat rules for the campaign, in particular the classification of the Ashigaru. We have finally decided to class the ashigaru as spear (instead of Fast Blade) and revert the combat rules to DBA version 2.0 rules. The only addition being shot to keep with the 1560 period. I have amended the lists changing the Lancers to Knights and I have also added bow armed Psiloi. Please see the updated rules with new army lists. I have also increased the size of allied contingents to 6 elements.

A more cautious opening to the campaign this week as players consolidated early gains and strategies and alliances started to develop. Turn two for the Takeda clan came to an abrupt end with poor weather preventing any army movement. The Takeda were spared any attacks however as both the Imagawa and Shimazu clans conquered a Mori province each, and the Hojo clan's only movement was to send an army to raise the siege of his fortress by the Uesugi clan in the Mutzu province. The Mori clan got busy building a fortress and no doubt were happy to be spared another attack this turn.

Richard was away on holiday this week so the fate of his clan was put in the capable hands of the Shimazu player Julian. The Uesugi and Hojo armies met in battle near Mutzu castle and we witnessed the most entertaining and close fought battle of the campaign so far. The Uesugi army had lost one element due to the siege and the Hojo army was at full strength. There was some debate as to who was the defender and whether a garrison could be placed in the Castle (BUA), and whether or not the Hojo player needed a camp (this will be clarified shortly in the next rules update). The two armies faced off and cautiously approached each other. A degree of caution has entered the game as players realized that there was to be a long time before their armies could receive any reinforcements and a bad defeat can have disastrous consequences for the player's clan (as the Uesugi and Mori can certainly attest). Jon the Hojo player placed his army in the gap between the castle and a hill on his left flank. His shot held the hill, his spear and blade in the center and his knights (including general) on the right against the castle. Julian had his knights (including general) in the center his shot on the right flank and his blade and spear either side of his knights (See photos below).

An earlier exchange of fire between opposing shot killed an Uesugi shot, not a good start for the Uesugi but undaunted Julian pressed on and The Hojo player seemed to hesitate. He moved a blade element into the Castle to garrison it and he awaited the Uesugi lunge.

As Julian was about to strike a cry erupted from his army "Traitors! We are betrayed!" Jon had played the Treachery card! Two elements, one knight and one blade changed sides and were now fighting for the Hojo!! The Campaign moderator could barely contain his glee at this development and the look on Julian's face was priceless. Julian position was now critical. He had already lost one element and his center had just changed sides and were now the enemy. His army reduced to 9 elements still had a breaking point of 4 elements. With no other choice than to fight on the Uesugi lunged forward. and battle was joined.

The Uesugi launched a fierce attack on the castle but was easily recoiled by the garrison blade element. The Uesugi claimed its first element when a volley of fire from shot into the rear of the traitor blade element destroyed them ( a fitting end for such traitorous vermin!) .This was then followed up by the defeat of the castle garrison with a bonus element being awarded for taking the BUA but a Uesugi blade element was lost in the battle. The Hojo now stood at three elements(2 plus BUA) lost and the Uesugi(2 elements lost) looked like they may yet win the day. The Uesugi general however was hard pressed with enemy to his front and flank. Despite dauntless courage that would surely be worth a song or two the inevitable had to happen and the general was killed, a spear element was then swept away by a charge of Hojo horse which finally clinched victory for the Hojo.

Alas the woes of the Uesugi continue. Julian will have a lot of explaining to Richard when he returns from holiday, but I'm sure the circumstances of his defeat should prevent Julian from having to commit seppuku to restore his honour!

Photos of the Battle of Mutzu, Julian is in the blue shirt playing the Uesugi clan as Richard was away on holiday. Jon is playing the Hojo clan.

The next turn saw areas of the Hojo provinces stricken by famine. The disaster will result in the loss of one army after winter.

The Shimazu strengthened their defences by constructing a fortress in province 55 to guard the sea route to his territory. The Takeda armies began to move after being restricted by bad weather last month and quickly seized two provinces from the beleaguered Uesugi. The Uesugi, Hojo, and Mori elected not to move this turn, while the Imagawa armies adjusted their positions within their own territory.

This month saw marriage bells ringing in the castles of the Shimazu as they married into the Minamoto line. They share this position with the Imagawa and it may be this bond that lead to the announcement of an alliance between the two clans. This now places more pressure on the Mori clan and the Takeda. The Takeda clan acutely aware of this then forged alliance with the Hojo and so we now have two main factions. It will be interesting to see how long the alliances hold in the months ahead.

The Shimazu continued their building ways with a fortress in the recently "acquired" province 50. The Hojo, Uesugi and Mori again remained stationary. The Takeda and Imagawa both invaded the two remaining western provinces of the Uesugi. An Imagawa army entered Takeda territory in the Mino province (province 27) and was quickly attacked by a Takeda army. The night finished with the two armies to battle next meeting to complete the month.

Another update of the website before the next turn of the campaign this Friday. I have added a picture of the players that Nick (Mori Clan) has provided and his article on the early stages of the campaign , offering his view of the events. You can find his article here .

I have also updated the rules, adding some new rules for ninja's, fortresses, BUA, and a new turn schedule. Each turn will now represent 2 months with one turn being winter. This of course reduces the year's length by half and will hopefully keep the campaign moving at a fair pace. Next meeting will begin with the battle between Imagawa and Takeda to complete June. The next turn will still be July and then we will proceed bi monthly as follows: September, November, January (winter), March, May, July, September.

The night began with the Battle of Mino between the Takeda and Imagawa in the shadow of Mino castle. The result was a major victory by the Takeda. The two armies approached each other carefully and as the two battle lines drew near a firefight began between shot and bow. The Takeda cavalry in the centre of the Takeda line lost an element to missile fire from an Imagawa Bow. The Takeda line was disrupted by harassing Imagawa fire and when the two lines finally clashed the Takeda were in a worse position. It was however at this point that the might of the Takeda cavalry came to the fore as the Imagawa centre was destroyed by their charge, with a fair bit of luck on the Takeda side the centre of Imagawa was overwhelmed quickly losing 4 elements. It was at this point that the Imagawa General endeavored to rally his men and continue the fight (Bitter Enders card) but with his centre in tatters he lost a further two elements , however he claimed two Takeda elements in consolation. The result was a victory to the Takeda and the Imagawa army shattered and reduced to half strength.

An interesting month unfolded as the two main power blocks in the campaign started to flex their muscle. We might be seeing the endgame of the epic war between the Hojo and Uesugi. The main Uesugi army marched into the Hojo (Dewa) province hoping to gain a victory and turn the tides in their conflict however at this critical time the Takeda chose to strike at the very heart of the Uesugi. An army instead of conquering provinces adjacent to Takeda territory moved on the Uesugi army and besieged the severely weakened second Uesugi army in the Capital. The defenders were steadfast in their defence and the capital held out for the month, the Takeda army losing an element in the siege. Meanwhile the two armies of the Hojo and Uesugi faced off once more at the second battle of Dewa, the fourth battle between the two clans. An apparent error in deployment of the Uesugi, left them vulnerable to being overlapped in the combat and with their samurai knights in the second line leaving their foot troops to face the Hojo mounted samurai (knights). The result was another victory to the Hojo.

The Uesugi (Richard, left) and the Hojo (Jon, right) face off as their epic war continues. Julian (centre) the able Shimazu commander reviews the map no doubt devising some fantastic strategy for the months ahead.

Down in the southern borders of the Takeda the fight heated up with the Imagawa and Shimazu. The Imagawa stung from the previous month's defeat licked their wounds behind their borders. The Shimazu took a leaf out of the Takeda book and forced marched an army across Imagawa territory to engage a Takeda army in Mino province (27). The Takeda army retired into Mino castle and were besieged but held out for the month leaving the Shimazu sitting outside one element smaller.

The Shimazu siege cannon bombard the Takeda Castle. Eureka miniatures, Figure conversion, digital smoke and scratch built cannon by Neil Hughes (Takeda)

The surprise of the turn was the movement of the Mori clan. Since the initial disasters against the Shimazu earlier in the campaign the Mori had spent most of its time, adjusting its armies and placating the aggressive Shimazu and Imagawa clans trying to avoid a similar fate to that of the Uesugi. It seemed to be working and the Daimyo of the Mori felt secure enough to win back some territory for its clan. An army moved into the Imagawa controlled Wakasa province (37) seizing it for the Mori while in a bold move another Mori army crossed the sea route to Kaga (30)province to engage the Takeda army that had recently taken the province from the Uesugi. The Takeda army decided to retire and concede the province to the Mori giving the Mori a strategic possession enabling them to attack the Takeda or attack the Imagawa from the north.

At the end of the turn the game had really tightened up at the top with the Shimazu and Hojo tied on 97PP with the Takeda on 96PP.

The month opened with the fickle finger of fate touching the Mori clan. The Mori's acceptance of religious expression and freedom of faith unfortunately encouraged the more extreme factions of the Buddist faith. An Ikko Ikki revolt rose up in Bingo province. The Mori clan was extremely alarmed by a insurrection so close to its capital and they immediately dispatched Army 2 to deal with the fanatics.

The Ikko Ikki rise up! Figures are Eureka Miniatures, conversion and portable shrine by Jon Bunce (Hojo Clan)

Up north the Uesugi again attacked the Dewa province held by Hojo Army 1, however this time the Hojo retreated to avoid battle and the Uesugi were able to claim their first captured province (albeit previously their own). In the Uesugi Capital the defenders again held out the Takeda for another month and prayed for a early winter.

Down south the Takeda sent Army 1 south to Mino to raise the siege of the castle and fight the Shimazu army 3. The first clash between these powerful clans.

The night finished with two battles to be resolved. The Mori versus the Ikko Ikki and the crucial battle between the Shimazu and Takeda.

Campaign resumed tonight after some delay's due to illness, but the action continued. Unfortunately the losing streak of the Mori continued, defeated by the Ikko Ikki revolt ably commanded by Richard the Uesugi leader.

At Mino castle the eagerly anticipated battle of the Juggernauts got underway. The Shimazu army besieging Takeda held Mino castle were attacked by the Takeda. Both armies were at less than full strength, however both sides were expecting sizable allied contingents to make an appearance.

Friday 10th of June

November 1560 AD

The last turn before winter but plenty of action nevertheless. It was natural disaster month as a flood struck the Shimazu and an earthquake hit the Imagawa provinces, however the damage was minimal and all Shimazu & Imagawa possessions escaped destruction. The Mori experienced a bumper harvest enabling them to gain an extra army in Spring , while there were wedding bells in the Hojo capital as they secured a marriage into the Shogun line. The Uesugi and Shimazu cemented their friendship by officially declaring an alliance, although with the Takeda and Hojo pressing and the Shimazu many miles to the south there appeared to be little benefit to both sides and it did nothing to relieve the perilous state of the Uesugi.

The Takeda and Shimazu reached a gentleman's agreement and the Shimazu abandoned its siege of Mino castle while the Takeda likewise retreated from the Uesugi capital. The Uesugi went on the offensive with it one remaining field army and besieging the Hojo fortress in province 7 trapping Hojo army 3. The Hojo also besieged the undefended Uesugi castle in province 8. In the ensuing sieges both castles fell. The Hojo army was destroyed in the siege resulting in the first victory for the Uesugi in their long war . The Uesugi castle fell after the Hojo received the benefit of Portuguese cannon to aid the siege. Both victorious armies then entered their castles to wait out the winter.

Down south the Mori again launched an attack on the Ikko Ikki and in a short fight the Mori mounted Samurai lead a great charge straight at the general of the Ikko Ikki, killing him and putting the rest of the army to flight. The Mori tasted their first victory and the Ikko Ikki were no more.

With that; armies retired to winter quarters, and pondered the months ahead.

January 1561 AD

Winter and all armies were tucked up inside their castles for winter. They spent there time writing poetry and perfecting their execution of the tea ceremony and planning their next campaigns. Due to loss of territory both the Mori and Uesugi lost 1 army, leaving the Mori with two armies and the Uesugi one.

March 1561 AD

Spring; and with the New Year the war resumed in earnest. The Takeda and Hojo launched an attack on the one remaining Uesugi army in its Capital and brought it to battle. The Uesugi were facing a full strength Hojo army and a large Takeda allied contingent which appeared on the Uesugi's rear. It was a do or die battle for the Uesugi. A loss would have resulted in the utter defeat of the Uesugi clan and the fall of its Capital.

The Uesugi fought bravely including a masterful rear guard action by a couple of blade elements which far from just stalling the Takeda assault, destroyed three elements and bought time for the main Uesugi force to defeat the Hojo. The result of the battle was a Uesugi victory with the Hojo and Takeda armies losing 3 elements each and the Uesugi losing 2.

Elsewhere the Takeda continued it land grabbing ways occupying three provinces, one from each of the Uesugi, Imagawa and Mori. The Mori clan was unable to move and so its armies (including its brand new army in Spring , bringing its total to 3 armies) could only watch as two Shimazu armies entered their territory and besieged two fortresses in provinces 51 & 45. The Castle in province 51 quickly fell to the Shimazu forces while the other castle stubbornly held on. The Imagawa were busy erecting a fortress in province 36 and positioned their armies to defend against the Takeda.

Sunday 13th of June.

Major update of website. I have created the campaign archive for the last few turns and there has been a big revision of the rules. I have amended the conditions for claiming the shogunate (now 20 provinces) and added some new rules for diplomacy, spies, ninjas and allied contingents. There have also been a few other corrections etc.

Friday 5th of August.

May 1561 AD

Mother Nature struck a devastating blow to the Takeda Clan with a earthquake off the coast of province 13 causing a Tsunami which wiped out the Takeda 1st Army. The Imagawa and the struggling Uesugi declared an alliance with each other to help in the struggle with the Hojo

The Mori now able to move after last month's bad weather, launched a major counter attack against the Shimazu in the most aggressive action by this clan so far. One Mori army attacked the Shimazu army which had just captured the fortress in Province 51 while another Mori army daringly crossed the sea to Shikoku island to attack another Shimazu army. The Shimazu respond in kind by launching an assault on the Mori Capital, The Mori army deciding to retire into the Capital and be besieged.

The Imagawa invaded Takeda territory to again threaten Mino castle but upon arrival of the Takeda 4th army the Imagawa chose to retreat and avoid battle. The Uesugi remained in their castle to await another Hojo assault but the Hojo spent their time retaking provinces briefly retaken by the Uesugi however the Hojo siege of the the Uesugi castle in province 7 continued for another month.

It was at this point that a terrible series of events devastated the Mori Clan. In the first battle on Shikoku island the Mori attacked the Shimazu and employed the use of ninja in an opening move of the battle. However this action did not utilize the element of surprise and was quickly wiped out by the Shimazu forces. The two armies then clashed and in a repeat of previous battles between the two clans the Shimazu clinched victory by killing the Mori general and another element while the Shimazu lost one element. The Mori army could not retreat across the sea and so were destroyed.

Back on the mainland it was more bad news for the Mori as the other battle resulted in an absolute rout of the Mori army losing a staggering 5 elements with no losses to the Shimazu. The Capital held out for the month and the Daimyo of the Mori was in despair at the staggeringly poor performance of his forces in battle.

July 1561 AD (turn 11)

This turn saw the last few cards of the deck drawn and so players had to play any cards they had this turn or they would lose them (except for marriage cards) This resulted in a flurry of activity. The Shimazu continued their fortress building in province 37. The Takeda built fortresses in provinces 25 & 30 and the Imagawa built a fortress in province 33. The Mori, Uesugi and Hojo clans did not move for this month and the Uesugi fortress in province 7 finally fell to the Hojo. The Shimazu enlisted the help of the Ninja to launch an assassination attempt on the Takeda Daimyo but their attack was easily defeated by the well trained bodyguards of the Takeda.

The Takeda 4th army attacked the Imagawa in province 25. The Takeda had scouted the battlefield well (excellent reconnaissance card) and their army was confident of a victory. The ensuing battle was a close run affair with the Takeda having the upper hand in the battle before the arrival of a Shimazu allied contingent claimed the fourth Takeda element and the Takeda were defeated and retreated back to their own borders. The Takeda and Imagawa armies having lost 4 elements each.

The final blow for the Mori Clan came in the siege of the Capital with the Capital falling to the Shimazu forces and resulting in the destruction of the other Mori army without battle! By the end of the month the once proud Mori clan was reduced to one province occupied by a under strength army of four elements. This resulted in an interesting exchange via electronic herald between the two clans:

"To the Former Daimyo of the Mori,

Bands of Ronin lurking in the hills will not be tolerated.

Kindly have your men slit their bellies open and die horrible, lingering (yet poetic) deaths and turn yourself in for one of the most creative and spectacular executions in Japanese history. A flying column of 8 elements will be dispatched into the hills to ensure your compliance.

Shimazu The Magnificent."

The Mori reply....

"I will not obey the commands of a man who is neither Shogun or Emperor!
Daimyo of the Shimazu,

To our dying breaths we shall utter only one thing to you....

A gaijin saying...

"Bollocks to you!"

Mori "

A interesting situation arose after all cards had been used as the Geko Kujo card had mysteriously gone missing from the deck. A double check of the cards still did not find this card . The mystery unsolved the deck was replaced with a new one and the game continued.

Friday 2nd of September

There was a delay in the campaign for a month due to the winter DBA tournament at Nunawading war games club, my Ancient Britons doing reasonably well winning two battles and losing two, but picking up the award for best painted army. Nick aka Mori had more luck with his samurai in the tournament than in the campaign winning two battles while Richard aka Uesugi, won the guts and glory award with his Early Imperial Romans. The mighty Shimazu leader Julian was the umpire for the night. See the details here: http://www.nwa.org.au/dbx/DBA/2005-2/dba2005winter.html

September 1561 AD (turn 12)

The campaign resumed with a new deck of cards and ill fortune for the Shimazu clan and the spectacular demise of the Mori clan.

A interesting and ultimately hilarious month of action in the campaign tonight. As mentioned before, the last deck of cards was mysteriously missing the Geko Kujo card after all cards had been played out. A new deck was brought in (double checked) and the campaign resumed. The new month opened with bad weather for the Uesugi Clan preventing any movement and the Shimazu clan drawing the Geko Kujo card!

On the diplomatic front the Hojo -Takeda alliance did some strategic exchange of provinces to enable the Hojo to bring its armies down towards the Imagawa front line. Neither clan made any offensive moves this month while the Imagawa 4th army slipped across the border to claim province 32 from the Takeda. Just like last month the action was down south as the Shimazu moved to complete the destruction of the Mori clan and also defeat the mutinous Shimazu 1st army which its general had decided to seize power for himself.

Here is a Shimazu perspective on the September action.

Following spectacular successes in the Summer months over Mori, victory now seemed assured. But as the autumn leaves fell, so did Shimazu fortunes. The commander of the Shimazu 1st army, unhappy with his posting on the front line, declared the Shimazu clan to be unlawfully attempting to usurp the Shogunate and marched to the distant Shimazu Capitol with a view to overthrowing the Daimyo. The 2nd army was dispatched to intercept the rebels, but the commander proved less than resolute in issuing orders and maneuvering his forces [low PIP rolls]. The soldiers fought well enough [decent rolls in combat] and despite the lack-lustre leadership were able to inflict heavy losses on the Gekokujo army. After a long day of fighting and with losses about even, an attack by Gekokujo Samurai foot overwhelmed the Shimazu camp while the remainder of the Shimazu army remained immobile. Demoralised by the presence of enemy troops in their rear and having suffered heavy losses themselves, the Shimazu 2nd army broke and fled.

Just to the South, the 3rd army marched into the final Mori possession in order to complete the destruction of the old enemy. The remnants of the Mori clan were outnumbered by 3 to 1 and appeared to have little hope of doing much more than die gloriously, however, desperation drove them to extraordinary efforts. After some initial maneuvers, the Mori heavy cavalry attacked in a deliberate fashion supported by ashigaru musketeers and skirmishing archers on either flank. This attack was checked and driven back with Shimazu and Mori taking losses on the Shimazu right flank, while the Shimazu musketeers drove off the skirmishing Mori archers on the left. Impatient for victory and seeing the Mori cavalry fall back to regroup a second time, the commander maneuvered into the centre of the line in preparation for an all-out attack. It was at this stage that the Mori, seeing their last chance of a victory, charged and scattered the Shimazu mounted. With the commander fallen and the centre exposed, the remainder of the 3rd army fled in shock.

The Daimyo of the Shimazu, shaking with fury at the recent turn of events, ordered the new 5th army to deal with the Gekokujo, threatened the commander of the 2nd army with crucifixion, and ordered the 3rd army to regroup and get ready for a second go at the remnants of the Mori. It was at this stage that a piece of extraordinary news arrived. Following their amazing victory, the Mori marched down to the coast in order to secure supplies and consider their options. They had only just arrived, however, when the entire force was wiped out by a Tsunami (tidal wave). The Shimazu have enjoyed considerably good luck in the war, and only in the late Autumn of 1561 has Lady Fortune not been so kind. Perhaps the timely Tsunami is a sign of more good luck on the way.

November 1561 AD (turn 13)

Event: Mori clan draws a Tsunami card which wipes out their victorious army. As the seas subside all that remains of the once proud Mori clan is the following:

A message pouch, found on a beach by a fisherman's son, was handed to the
village headman. Inside, written on a bamboo scroll, and signed with the chop of the Mori,
was simply this haiku:

"Fragile sakura
at last the breeze blows truly
autumnal candle".

This scroll ultimately reached the Emperor and is all that remains of clan
Mori.

In an interesting aside to this tragic (but funny) story, the Shimazu which were defeated by such a small force, cannot believe it is true. They dispatch another army to inspect the battlefield but find only fish on the battle field. These mysterious events lead to a irrational fear of fish and fish products by the whole Shimazu army!

The other major event for the month of November was the rise of the Ikko Ikki in Hojo territory.

On the Diplomatic front the Uesugi can claim the diplomatic coup of the game by breaking their alliance with the Imagawa and allying themselves with the Hojo!! This action prevents their annihilation by the Hojo but beyond securing their short term survival, and with only one army it seems curious as to what else the Uesugi will be able to do?

As this was the last month before winter armies generally moved into winter quarters with two exceptions. The Shimazu 5th army moved to attack the Geko Kujo army again before winter, but if they are defeated can easily retire into one of their many fortresses.

The Hojo were left in a bit of trouble. Two Hojo armies could find shelter in the two southern Hojo fortresses but the last army could not retire to the capital as their route was blocked by the Ikko Ikki rebellion. The Hojo were forced to attack the Ikko Ikki and fight their way through to the capital or face destruction during winter. If they win the coming battle they will be damaged but will make it to winter quarters.

The night ended with the Shimazu/Geko Kujo and the Hojo/Ikko Ikki battles to be resolved.

Friday 30th September

Campaign resumed tonight with the conclusion of the month with the battles of Shimazu and the Hojo.

In the first battle the Shimazu forces accounted for a depleted rebel Shimazu (controlled by Neil) army while the Hojo clinched a quick victory of the Ikko Ikki (controlled by Tom) with the death of the Ikko Ikki general. The Hojo licked their wounds and prepared for the harsh march back to their capital through winter.

From the writings of the Shimazu Daimyo

"Following the dual humiliations of September 1561 a more resolute and aggressive operational directive was put into affect with the 5th Army being ordered to annihilate the rebel Geko Kujo in the Winter of 1561/62. The ensuing battle saw the outnumbered rebels rely on field artillery - its first use in the campaign."

"The battle opened with the familiar cautious maneuvering and with both armies maintaining a considerable reserve, a tactic which is only beginning to become popular this campaign and all the more remarkable as the Gecko Kinjo were outnumbered. When the two lines met, the rebel artillerist were the first to flee (abandoning their guns in the process) and after a brief fight back the remainder of the Geko Kujo army also fled. The Rebel general was crucified on the battlefield!"

January 1562AD (Turn 14)

Friday 28th October

Winter in Japan and the weary Hojo 3rd Army makes it back to their Capital losing two elements due to poor weather. They successfully find forage (forage card) to prevent the loss of a third element.

March 1562AD (Turn 15)

Spring again in Japan and the war between the Imagawa and Takeda entered a bold and bloody phase. Strengthened by fresh armies after winter and frustrated by the Imagawa's stubborn refusal to break their alliance with the Shimazu, despite offering to return all previously conquered Imagawa provinces, the Takeda launch a massive attack to settle the issue once and for all. With the Shimazu so close to have the necessary provinces to claim the shogunate and the Imagawa in the way of the Takeda four full strength armies marched into Imagawa territory. One army attacked an Imagawa army in the Owari province (31), another atacked a second Imagawa army in Omi province (36) while the 3rd Imagawa army was besieged in Echizen castle (32). Unfortunately for the Imagawa, this left their capital undefended and the last Takeda army besieged it and after a brief siege the capital fell! The capital fell probably due to a loss of manpower that had been despatched by the Imagawa to Owari to build a fortress.

The benefits of an earlier great harvest resulted in a extra fresh army for the Hojo while the ranks of the Shimazu swelled with the edition of three more armies! The Hojo began moving armies towards the frontline and clearing up the last of the Ikko Ikki opposition in Mutsu (4).

The Uesugi again remained in their castle despite their alliance with their former enemy Hojo. The Shimazu began their progress towards the Capital Kyoto, stopping to conquer the last of the Mori provinces and so the story of the Mori was confined to the annuals of history.

The Shimazu also entered and claimed the Imagawa province of Tamba (43). Whether this was through negotiation , threats or the immense generosity of the Imagawa we will never know, but with that last acquisition the Shimazu now had the twenty provinces needed to claim the shogunate!!

From the writings of the Shimazu Daimyo

With the Spring thaw, all Shimazu armies were mobilised with recruits taken from the former Mori clan holdings and survivors of the Geko Kujo rebel 1st army enticed (occasionally pressed) into service. But it was our Imagawa allies who had the initiative and they moved quickly to seize more Takeda territory and pre-empt an attempted invasion of their Northern territories. During these maneuvers, however, the Imagawa left their capitol exposed and the Takeda did not hesitate to strike. With the Takeda Shingen appearing in person with his finest army outside the walls of the Imagawa capitol, the defenders panicked and quickly surrendered to the disgust of the Imagawa Daimyo. Thankfully the fortifications in Omi province (36) repulsed the Takeda attack.

The Shimazu 2nd Army was ordered to support the Imagawa's Northern forces until reinforcements arrived from the South and soon found themselves required for action. The 3rd Army finally marched into the devastated Bingo province (52) to discover a land wrecked by no less than four battles, Mori mismanagement and a tidal wave. One or two bloated Mori corpses were nailed to trees for good measure, but it was not the same as doing it to living ones so the remainder were buried in mass graves.

Arriving late on the battlefield of Owari province (31) the Shimazu 2nd Army found both sides in disarray. After successfully turning the Imagawa's left flank, traitors in the ranks of the Takeda forces had changed sides (Imagawa played Treahery card!) and attacked their former comrades, wrecking havoc before being cut down by loyal Ashigaru. Takeda musketeers stormed the Imagawa camp and others threatened to return to what passed for a main fighting line. Realizing that soon all would be lost, the Imagawa general led a cavalry charge aimed at his Takeda opposite number hoping to finish the battle before the newly arrived Hojo could over-run his exposed right flank. After a long fight the Takeda general was cut down while at the same time the Shimazu cavalry having just arrived rode down the exposed Takeda Ashigaru who had been trying to return to the battle.

With the Takeda general (Takeda played Bitter Enders Card) and half his army dead, the survivors turned and ran for safety. The Hojo allied contingent had not struck a blow and might have been able to clinch victory, but with the remnants of the Takeda forces streaming back towards them, the Imagawa in possession of the battlefield and Shimazu forces relatively fresh, discretion was considered to be the better option.

pictures of the second battle between Takeda and Imagawa.

The second battle between the Imagawa and Takeda was a much shorter affair and worse for the Takeda who were massively defeated again by the steady Imagawa troops losing another 6 elements! In two desperate battles the Takeda had been defeated twice and had lost the equivalent of a whole army! Despite this they controlled the Imagawa Capital and were besieging another fortress.

However all this appeared to soon become a sideline, as the forces of the Shimazu gathered for the final battle to claim the Shogunate!

Friday November 25th

May 1562 AD (Turn 16)

The night began as expected the Daimyo of the Shimazu clan announced that he would claim the shogunate. This provoked a flurry of action across the territory of the Imagawa with sieges, battles, long marches, smashing victories and crushing defeats. The Imagawa were the first to act, frenetically building a fortress in Iga (35) province to complete the encirclement of Kyoto. The Takeda controlled the only pathway to the capital which wasn't in enemy hands and quickly marched an army into Kyoto to defend the capital. The depleted fifth army fell back to the capital while the fourth army took its place attacking the Imagawa army in Owari province (31) Another army Takeda army moved into Omi again to attack the Imagawa army there, but this time the Imagawa chose to retire into their fortress and be besieged.

The Hojo continued to move forces towards the front line and through secret paths (secret paths card) were able to move a Hojo army into Kyoto to support the Takeda. In an attempt to divert some of the Shimazu forces another Hojo army crossed the sea route into Shima province (33) in a risky action which saw a storm lose them two elements before battle. The Uesugi again remained in their castle and offered no assistance to their "ally".

The Shimazu began their surrounding of Kyoto (losing half an army to a storm in the process) but also went on the offensive elsewhere. One army attacked the Hojo besieging the Shima castle, another army went to the Imagawa's aid against the Takeda in Omi province.

Unlike last month, the fickle finger of fate swung Takeda's way initially with the Imagawa castle in Echizen falling to the Takeda. The following battle of Owari was an entirely different affair with the Takeda learning the lessons of the past defeating the Imagawa outright with no loss to their own forces.

The battles between the Imagawa and Takeda continue.

The Hojo army was further weakened by the loss of an element besieging the castle and this proved a major factor in their subsequent defeat by the Shimazu. The defeat resulted in the destruction of the army as they could not retreat across the sea route.

From the writings of the Shimazu Daimyo

The earlier successes of the Imagawa delayed the combined Takeda-Hojo forces long enough for five Shimazu armies to reinforce the centre of Japan, but not before the 6th Army lost half of their number while sailing across from Shikoku to the mainland in a terrible storm. The violent weather also accounted for numbers of troops in the reformed 1st Army as they redeployed to Chugoku.

The "diplomatic" efforts to try and get Hojo on side probably did more harm than good, yet the constant insults and jibes may have provoked the risky invasion by the Hojo 4th Army. The inclement weather which had caused such heavy losses amongst the Shimazu's maritime movements also accounted for some of the Hojo invasion forces. The following battle saw the outnumbered Hojo attempt to turn the Shimazu right flank, but they were unable to threaten Shimazu musketeers occupying rough ground with their mounted troops. On the open Shimazu Left flank, however, the Shimazu heavy cavalry had no impediment to their charge and were able to ride down the Hojo foot. The scattered Hojo forces were butchered as they fled to their boats.

Shimazu (Julian) vs Hojo (the part of John was played by Richard)

Further to the North, the 2nd army arrived to relieve the besieged Imagawa fortress. The battle followed the usual pattern of Takeda and Shimazu clashes. The Shimazu superiority in rough going with their large numbers of musketeers was offset by the large numbers of Takeda heavy cavalry which prevented Shimazu from offensive tactics. Takeda's assault on the right flank of the Shimazu positions was initially unsuccessful as their musketeers were accounted for by naga armed Ashigaru. Persisting with his heavy cavalry, Takeda was able to push back the Shimazu mounted but was poorly supported by his foot. Determined to relieve pressure on his hard pressed left, Takeda called for his right flank cavalry to attack the Shimazu musketeers in the wood. Although surprised, the Shimazu foot easily dealt with the attack shooting down the horsemen and driving off the supporting infantry. Realizing the hopeless situation, Takeda gave orders for his surviving troops to fall back.

The Shimazu and Takeda face off....again

With the Shimazu armies fighting and maneuvering furiously, two armies or the Takeda-Hojo Northern Alliance marched into the Imperial capitol of Kyoto claiming to be defending the Emperor from the Shimazu usurper! With most of the Northern Alliance supporting armies gutted and Kyoto surrounded by Imagawa and Shimazu fortresses and field armies, the scene is now set for a bloody finale in Kyoto.