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Tinto Flavour #27 - 13th of June 2025 - Japan, Nanbokucho, Sengoku

Hello and welcome once more to another edition of Tinto Flavour. Today we will continue the Japanese theme by taking a look at the flavor of Japan and the Japanese clans, as well as the situations of the Nanbokuchō and Sengoku Jidai.

After a long period of peace under the Kamakura Shogunate, the islands of Japan were plunged again into war during the Mongol invasions. That debilitated the authority of the Shōgun to the point that Yamato Go-Daigo Tennō was able to wrestle control of the country away from him. However, his intentions of restoring imperial rule were not to come to fruition, as his former ally Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji established a new Japanese Shogunate.

Now Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji rules over the country after Go-Daigo Tennō fled the capital and established himself in Yoshino. The struggle between the central government and the fleeing Emperor is far from over.

Japan.png

These are the estates of Japan:
Japan Estates.png

And it has this unique reform:
Shogunate Reform.png

While the other clans and the imperial courts have these other ones:
Clan Reform.png

Imperial Family.png

Japanese countries have some common advances, and some of the individual clans have also some unique ones. Some examples:
Bushido.png

Head Hunting.png

Codified Bushido.png


Some unique ones (try to guess which clan they are for):
Clans of Tosa.png

Izumi Sea.png

Unlikely Alliances.png

Uninspiring clan.png

Furinkazan.png

Let’s talk now about how the clans behave. Let me start by saying that our recommended country to play in Japan generally is the country of Japan itself, as the clans, being building-based countries, play quite a bit different than regular tags, and thus are rather suited to experienced players that want to try a different and more challenging game style.

That being said, let’s look at how they work. Being building-based countries, they are of course dependent on their buildings. Here is some of them:
Shoen.png

Yamashiro.png


The next ones are exclusive for the imperial court countries and the non-imperial clans, respectively:
Gosho.png

Yakata.png

And another important building that cannot be built manually but it will instead be built automatically when a clan is assigned to be Shugo of a province (see yesterday’s Tinto Talks for that mechanic):
Kokufu.png

As you can see, both their economy and their troops will depend directly on the buildings that they own, so their strategy is to expand their presence by building more of those buildings and also taking the ones owned by other clans in war.

Now that we mention war, it’s time to talk about the two civil war situations in the game. Let’s start with the Nanbokuchō Jidai, a situation that starts just at the beginning of the game. Initially, all countries all assigned to support either the northern or the southern court, according to their historical alliances, but when the situation starts, countries will get the following event:
Nanbokuchou start event.png

With this, the clans will be able to choose to switch loyalties, or even declare neutrality, although for obvious reasons neither the two courts nor the shogunate are able to change their allegiances. The whole country will thus be divided into sides:
Nanbokuchou panel.png

Nanbokuchou map.png

Even after the situation has started, countries can choose to change their loyalty, not only via the actions in the situation panel but also through events that will fire during the situation allowing for that. Besides that, there will also be other events firing with options of getting casus belli or even declaring wars, making it so that chaos is ensured.

One important thing to note is that as long as the Nanbokuchō Jidai situation is active, countries will not be able to declare war on others supporting the same side as them. If you want to attack another clan that is supporting the same side as you, you will have to do it after the situation is resolved (or choose to change your loyalty, of course).

To end the situation, one of the two courts must be forced to disappear, through a special peace treaty “Force Imperial Abdication”.

So, we just had a civil war, what about a second one? Whether the Nanbokuchō Jidai situation resolves successfully or not, an even bigger civil war will still be looming. The Sengoku Jidai situation can happen after 1400 if there is no Shōgun, or if the Shōgun is in a weak position (low legitimacy or stability, or with rebellion problems), or if there are more than 6 wars currently active among the clans. As such, a strong shogunate will be able to avoid falling into it if they manage to keep their children in check.

Once it starts, the stronger and bigger clans will automatically transform into landed Daimyō, with the rest receiving an event with the option to also become landed, at the cost of opinion with the shogunate.
Sengoku Event Start.png

Becoming landed will have many consequences. For once, all locations in the shogunate in which they have a presence with their buildings will become owned by them, and they will receive a new government reform replacing the “Japanese Clan” one:
Daimyo Reform.png

Even if a country does not choose to become landed with this event, they may have the option to do so in the future, both via further events that can fire during the situation, and also directly through the action “Proclaim Independence” in the situation panel:
Sengoku Panel.png

The actions available in the panel are slightly different for the Shōgun, giving extra tools to control the many clans, both the ones that have been already landed and those that are still as building-based countries:
Sengoku Shogun Actions.png


The objective of the Shōgun will thus be to curb the autonomy of the clans, while the objective of any clan would be to gain sufficient power to either become the Shōgun themselves or to destroy the shogunate entirely. The situation will end when there is only a single country in the shogunate (with the exception of allowing for the presence of a building-based emperor), or when the Shōgun has managed to reduce all other clans to just a single location building-based country.

As with the Nanbokuchō Jidai, there will be some events firing during the situation, giving the countries options to gain casus belli, declare wars, etc, and there are also some event chains of interaction between the Shōgun and the clans when the former uses the action to “Summon to Court”.

And that is all for today. With almost 150 countries in the Shogunate, there is much more to unpack in the game, but this is as far as we can show here.

As an extra treat, because many of you asked about it, here's an updated view of the terrain map for Japan, with an especial effect of cherry blossoms during spring:
Japan Terrain.png


Next week @Pavía will be back, so I'll leave you in his care (I still don't know what will be the schedule for next week, sorry).

And remember to Wishlist Europa Universalis V now!
 
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Thats a shame, with the length the Japanese imperial families been around and the fact they've never been gotten rid of it'd be neat to have some mechanic to disincentives removing them
There should probably be some massive penalty to Japan if the imperial family goes extinct. So the Shōgun and clans are all motivated to keep them around as figureheads since removing them could easily spell the end of their rule as well.
 
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There are events for Sen no Rikyū, Tea Ceremony, and the temples.. For the famous characters of the Sengoku, there are no events specifically for them right now as it would require too much railroad of the history, although there are other references to them.
I might suggest a non-raildoady solution for Toyotomi Hideyoshi specifically: since he was a lowborn that had to get adopted by a noble family in order to be eligible as Kempaku/Taiko, he might pop up as a possible general or heir for an already existing daimyo that fits certain criteria. :)
 
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How does war between bbc work?
When becoming landed, do you keep your previous buildings, even if some other landed tag?
If a war happen, how controlling location work when there is a building on a foreign location?
War among bbc is entirely relying on the armies, although you can siege the location where they have buildings if you're also at war with the owner of the location.
 
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Just gonna say, while this is definitely subjective, but I’d recommend lowering the saturation of the water. Right now it looks more tropical and cartoony than realistic and I think the oversaturation is a big reason for that, plus I find the contrast between the deep oceans and the seas are too distracting with two drastically different shades of blue (one dark blue, one aquamarine) and I think adjusting the saturation would fix that :)

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Does the map colour of the tag of Japan dynamically change to the map colour of the daimyo i.e. if the Shimazu Clan becomes the Shogun does Japan's map colour become purple(Shimazu's map colour)?
The map color is the color of the country, so unless they take away the territory from Ashikaga, then no.
 
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If the Ashikaga Shogunate wins the Nanbokucho situation, is there a way for a player-controlled Imperial Court to make a bid for imperial restoration again later in the game or does that relegate the Imperial Court tag to effectively an observer?
They can always take advantage of the chaos of the Sengoku to try an imperial restoration.
 
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Don't take it against him, he usually has to deal with more things than me.
So you're NOT keen on starting a northern tinto studio asking for the forumites to follow you, despite the amazing civil war situation you just presented ?
 
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Is the emperor gameplay fun (though challenging) ? Or is it here more to give something to represent the balance of power in japan but not thought to be played in itself. Can the emperor become landed as well / actually replace the shogun ?

Also, are the various incidents that eu4 shinto faith had represented later down the line ?

Otherwhise the whole DD looks absolutely amazing, was the lack of next week planning intentional or just forgotten ?
The imperial courts have the same tools and opportunities as the rest of the clans, so they can also become landed and try to unify the country.
The incidents are not present as such, as that mechanic is gone, but are still represented in other ways.
 
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War among bbc is entirely relying on the armies, although you can siege the location where they have buildings if you're also at war with the owner of the location.
Can you destroy the other BBC buildings if your armies are in their location, or do you need to go at war with the owner of the loc to do so ? How does it work for the initial civil war situation when all the fighting occurs in the territory of the ashikaga shogunate ?
 
Subject: Feedback and an Alternative for the "Japanese Empire" Name
Dear Paradox Development Studio,
Thank you for your response on the forums regarding Japan's country name, confirming that "Japanese Empire" is a possibility if imperial rule is restored, and that "Yamato" is not period-appropriate. I truly appreciate your attention to historical detail.
Building on that, I would like to offer a small piece of information and a suggestion to further enhance the historical flavor.
The official name "Empire of Japan" (Dai Nippon Teikoku) historically became established in the late 19th century after the Meiji Restoration, as a translation of the Western concept of "Empire." For the majority of EU5's timeframe (1337-1821), this term doesn't quite align with the contemporary self-perception.
On the other hand, in Japanese history, the movement to restore direct imperial rule after power was seized by the warrior class has been known as "Chūkō" (中興). This is a very positive and historically nuanced term that means "the restoration or revival of a dynasty that had fallen into decline." The most famous example is Emperor Go-Daigo's "Kenmu Restoration" (建武の中興), and the government established at this time is referred to in historiography as the "Kenmu Regime" (建武政権). This shows that the concept of "Chūkō" can be universally applied to a government founded upon the revival of direct imperial rule.
Based on this historical context, I would like to propose the following alternative:
  • Proposal:
    1. For most of the game's timeline, when direct imperial rule is restored, could the country name be changed to the academically used term "Chūkō Seifu" (中興政府 - Restoration Government)?
    2. Then, the name "Japanese Empire" could be made available only in the late game (e.g., after the Age of Revolutions) through a special government reform or decision, representing the adoption of a Western-style modern state structure.
  • Gameplay Benefits:
    • This two-stage naming system provides the player with a grand, overarching objective.
    • Stage One: The player will first restore direct imperial rule through decisions and events, changing their country name from "Ashikaga Shogunate" etc. to "Chūkō Seifu." This gives them a sense of accomplishment unique to this era—not just becoming an "Empire," but achieving the monumental historical feat of "reviving the authority of the declining Imperial House and establishing a new government" with their own hands.
      • (If feasible, a system that incorporates the current era name (gengō) into the country name, like "Eiroku Chūkō Government," would be incredibly immersive.)
    • Stage Two: Later, in the end-game, the option to transition to "Japanese Empire" becomes available. This is not just a name change, but a final objective spanning the entire game: transforming the state from a "traditional imperial restoration" into a "modern empire."
Using "Chūkō Seifu" would more accurately represent the unique historical context of "establishing a new regime through imperial restoration," while positioning "Japanese Empire" as a special end-game goal. This would allow for a richer experience of Japan's historical progression. I hope this suggestion is helpful for your consideration.
Sincerely,
itoma_aikon
 
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There's currently no difference, but I'd definitely would like to add something special for the Southern Court eventually.
I would say that it is kinda of important that a notable difference is made, the Southern court party should be considered the anti-shogunate party after all.
If it's destroyed completely then no, they will be gone.
You should make it largely imposible for a japanese clan to fully destroy the imperial court (once the two courts issue is solved), it simply wouldn't make any sense.
 
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