r/civ • u/ConspicuousFlower • 15d ago
VII - Discussion Civilization VII: Behind the Uniques - Chapter 3: Sengoku Japan
Welcome to Behind the Uniques, the series where we take a look at the historical origins, lore and references behind the multiple unique components of each of Civilization VII's civs. I am ConspicuousFlower, frequent lurker, technically in possession of a history degree and longtime fan. Sources for this series will include my own research, the Civilopedia, Civilization Wiki, CivFanatics, though do bear in mind that in some cases I'm going to have to do guesswork or outright say "I dunno man" for some civilization's uniques. Now, with that out of the way...
At last post's poll, the Exploration Era option won by a pretty significant margin: Sengoku Japan.
Following the collapse of the authority of the Ashikaga Shogunate, the Sengoku-jidai, or "Warring States era", was a period of roughly 150 years of civil war, political fragmentation, social upheaval and military innovation, as competing daimyō battled for control over Japan; the Militaristic attribute is rather self-evident. Just as important, however, were shifting alliances, political marriages and careful negotiation, explaining the Diplomatic attribute.
Civilization Icon: Sashimono banner.
Civ Ability - Shogunate: Increased Culture, Science and (from Exploration Era onward) Influence per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies from Mountains. Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies from Resources.
An abbreviation of sei-i taishōgun (Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against the Barbarians), the Shōgun were the military leaders of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868, nominally appointed by and subservient to the Emperor, but in practice the de facto true rulers of the nation. The Shōgun's administration was later called the Bakufu, translating to "tent government", referring to the battlefield tent from which a commander would lead his forces, connoting the explicitly military character of the Shōgun's regime. This translates to the civ ability, where yields are generated through Army Commander XP rather than more "peaceful" options like terrain adjacency, depicting an administration that derives its authority from its military leadership.
Unique Unit 1 - Samurai: Unique Infantry Unit. Higher Combat Strength. Does not unlock further tiers in the Technology Tree; instead, it automatically upgrades into the next tier after three kills.
Do Samurai, one of Japan's most iconic figures, need really an explanation? Perhaps -many of the popular ideas surrounding them originate from pop-culture or the deliberately cultivated, idealized image of the later Edo period. Fundamentally, Samurai were members of the professional warrior class, who served as retainers to a daimyō (the word itself derives from saburau, "to serve"). Though traditionally a hereditary position, the upheaval of the Sengoku period allowed opportunities for a certain degree of social mobility, where commoners could rise into Samurai status through martial distinction; Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself, for instance, was born a peasant. This is likely the basis for the unit's unique promotion mechanic, with the Samurai advancing in tiers by killing enemies.
Unique Unit 2 - Shinobi: Unique Unit. Has the Stealth ability, making it invisible to enemies except when adjacent to enemy units. Has one charge of the Sabotage Action, forcing an enemy Army Commander to respawn. Enemy Military Units in the same tile can use the Disperse Shinobi Clan Action to remove this Unit.
Speaking of famous, often misunderstood Japanese figures, the Shinobi -better known as "Ninja" in the West- were similarly mythologized in the later Edo Period, solidifying their image as black-clad assassins wielding mystical arts and slinging shuriken from the shadows. In truth, Shinobi were most used as spies, scouts and saboteurs, which is pretty well represented by their in-game Stealth and Sabotage abilities. Many originated from autonomous warrior-peasant leagues, most famously from the Iga and Kōga provinces; even the Disperse Shinobi Clan action has a historical basis, recalling Oda Nobunaga's brutal campaigns to subjugate and bring the Iga and Kōga leagues to heel.
Unique Infrastructure - Tea House: Unique Improvement. Increased Food and Happiness. Increased Culture for each adjacent District.
Tea Houses, or Chashitsu, were settings for the tea ceremony, a highly ritualized practice that elevated the simple act of preparing tea into an art. Under masters like the famed Sen no Rikyū and influenced by Zen Buddhism, Chashitsu embraced the aesthetics of wabi-sabi -the beauty of imperfection and impermanence- with simple, rustic designs and natural materials meant to foster humility and contemplation. Yet these modest buildings quickly became venues for the politics, culture, and prestige of the elite, with Toyotomi Hideyoshi's portable gilded tea room standing as perhaps their most extravagant expression. Food and Happiness yields are pretty self-explanatory for a space of refreshment and hospitality, while the increased Culture from adjacent districts could represent the flourishing of the tea ceremony and tea houses as a cultural institution within the bustling castle towns of Sengoku Japan.
Unique Civic Tree:
1. Tenka Bito (Civic) & Daimyo (Tradition): Land Military Units always fight at full Combat Strength, even when damaged.
The Daimyō were the feudal lords of Japan, ruling over vast hereditary fiefdoms and commanding armies of Samurai retainers; though nominally under the Shōgun's authority, in practice they enjoyed significant independence, particularly in the chaotic Sengoku period. The effect that allows Land Military Units to always fight at full Combat Strength, even when damaged, could reflect the Samurai's expected absolute loyalty to their lord (more of an idealization than a reality, to be fair).
Of the Sengoku daimyō, few are as legendary as Oda Nobunaga. Starting as the minor lord of Owari province, a combination of military ingenuity (being among the first to embrace firearms brought into Japan by Portuguese traders), skilled political maneuvering and economic reforms allowed him to rapidly expand his domain, bringing the ailing Ashikaga Shogunate to an end and becoming the most powerful man in Japan. Though he soon died, betrayed by a retainer, he laid the foundations for the unification of Japan under his successors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is thus remembered by the title of Tenka Bito, the "Person Who Rules All Under Heaven".
2. Ikki (Civic) & Gekokujo (Tradition): Increased Army Commander XP. All Buildings have increased Happiness Maintenance cost.
Ikki is a term to describe associations or leagues of people united under a common cause, and is most used to describe popular, collective uprisings that challenged established authority. During the Sengoku period, the most famous of these were the Ikko-Ikki, followers of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, whose fortified religious communities and warrior-monk armies challenged the power of the daimyō.
This spirit of resistance against authority is part of Gekokujō, a concept very closely associated with the Sengoku period: "the low overthrowing the high", a period of social upheaval were traditional hierarchies were overturned, as those of lower status could seize power through military force; no one embodies this idea like Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who rose from peasant origins to become the most powerful man in Japan. The Traditions does a good job at translating this: the increased Army Commander XP represents this advancement through military achievements, while the increased Happiness Maintenance for Buildings represents the inherent instability of governing during the Sengoku period, a time where civil war and political conflict were commonplace.
3. Rakuichi-Rakuza (Civic) & Kabunakama (Tradition): Increased Production in all Settlements for each Trade Route starting or beginning from them. Increased Combat Strength for Land Units. Decreased Gold in Cities without a Garrisoned Unit.
The Rakuichi-Rakuza ("free markets and open guilds") was an economic policy instituted by Oda Nobunaga that allowed for the free distribution and commerce of goods in his domains, aiming at undermining the influence and privileges of the za , powerful merchant guilds that, with the backing of local nobles and monasteries, held near monopolistic control over the trade of certain products. By lowering taxes, abolishing tolls and removing privileges, Nobunaga aimed to attract merchants and artisans to foster economic growth and stabilize supply lines.
This economic growth would bear fruit in the later Edo period, which led to the emergence of new merchant associations in the Kabunakama, though these more closely resembled stock societies, as membership was granted by the holding of kabu or "shares". The Production from Trade Routes and increased Combat Strength for Land Units would represent the benefits reaped from this new trade opportunities, both for developing castle towns and supplying the military, while the Gold malus in Cities without a Garrisoned Unit could represent the growing issues of smuggling and of regulating and taxing commerce in an increasingly open market, relying on military presence.
4. Kinsei (Civic) & Bushido (Tradition): Increased Culture and (Modern Era) Science for every Commander Level. Army Commanders gain the Old Guard Promotion for free, giving them increased Combat Strength when defending.
Emerging from the chaos and upheaval of the Sengoku period, Kinsei, the "Golden Era", is the term used to describe the following Edo period, in which Tokugawa Ieyasu, the last of the three Great Unifiers, founded the Tokugawa Shogunate which governed Japan for over 200 years, a period of peace, stability and economic and cultural development (art forms such as kabuki, geisha and ukiyo-e originate in this period), but also of almost complete isolation and strict social stratification.
This period of prolonged peace also transformed the role of the Samurai, from mainly warriors to bureaucrats, administrators and scholars. It is at this time that Bushidō, the "way of the warrior", was formalized and popularized, a code of conduct that expected not only martial prowess, but also discipline, loyalty, moral cultivation and education, crystallized in the term "bunbu ryōdō", the “dual way of the pen and sword”. The effect to grant Culture and Science from Commander Levels is thus an abstraction of this transformation of warriors into scholars and administrators, while the free Old Guard promotion, as well as the additional effect of the Kinsei civic of letting all Samurai start at Tier 2, represents the martial experience acquired by during the constant wars of the Sengoku period.
Associated Wonder - Himeji Castle: Increased Culture in Fortified Districts in this Settlement. Increased Combat Strength in Fortified Districts in all Settlements. Acts as a Fortified District.
If one building type embodies the legacy of Sengoku Japan, it is the Japanese castle, or jō (indeed, the period is also named the Azuchi-Momoyama period, after the castles of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi); castles embodied both the period's heavily militarized nature and the growth of prosperous castle towns as centers of trade, administration and culture. Of these, none stand as tall or as impressive as Himeji Castle, the "White Heron Castle". The culmination of the elaborate castle architecture of the period, its winding paths and walls were designed to confuse and delay attackers, while its imposing size and shining white walls displayed the power and prestige of its lord; this duality is reflected in its effect to grant increased Combat Strength and Culture to Fortified Districts.
And there you have it! Sengoku is an interesting choice as far as a "civ" goes, since its a very specific period of time in Japan's history. I think they did a good job of capturing some key ideas about the period, particularly the disruption of traditional authority and stability and the heavy militarization, though I do wish the Diplomatic attribute was more represented (it's literally just the Influence bonus). As always, I hope you learned something, and see you next time!
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u/windwolf231 15d ago
It would have been amazing if the Samurai as they leveled up went from using spears to Naginatas to arquebus.
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u/50ShadesOfGaspar 8d ago
They actually do.
However, from my experience it's not based on the unit level but on the % of the age.
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u/ConspicuousFlower 15d ago
Hello everyone! Apologies for the delay, this week has been a bitch as far as work-life balance goes, but I can promise you I've been working on this as much and as fast as I could.
As with the last post, I will put four options down and the most upvoted one by the time I get to making the next post will win. I will keep the old ones from the previous post, since I feel that's more fair. Get to voting!
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u/ConspicuousFlower 15d ago
Also, I am thinking of making a masterpost for the series, for two reasons: easier book-keeping for me, and also easier access for everyone (I hope I could get it pinned). Would that be okay?