Legends of the Samurai Campaign Guide.pdf

Legends

of the

Samurai

Campaign guide

Charles Rice

Additional Design By

Chris Davis

Cover Artwork

Jeremy Simmons

Interior Artwork

Joseph Wigfield

Editing

Andy Rau

Layout

Chris Davis

Play Testing

Ed Lennon, Corey Hodges, Paula Rice, Ethan Ripplinger, Ryan

Kelley, Jay Fitzloff, Chris Hoover, Aaron Wiggins, Paul King,

John Abbott, Matt Allen, Alan Dudinsky, Dominic

Sciamanda.

The ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according

to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0a. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com.

Portions of this work are derived from the d20 System Reference Document.

Chapter One: Medieval Japan

Chapter One:

Medieval Japan

Timeline

left by the dominant cultures of the era.) The Imperial

Court is formed in the aftermath of a huge inﬂux of

Korean tribesman known as the Paekche. The mixing of

proto-Japanese and Korean cultures brings about another

cultural and technological leap forward, and allows the

Yamato clan to lead (after surviving numerous assaults

and challenges from rival tribes) the ﬁrst true Japanese

nation-state.

Among the advancements brought to Japan by these

Korean immigrants is the written word, which dates to

approximately 405 CE. Japanese culture is also greatly

impacted at this time by the introduction of Buddhism,

so important to the samurai warrior. The Soga clan,

responsible for bringing Buddhism to Japan, is the ﬁrst

family since the founding of the Imperial court to rival

the power of the original ﬁve great families: the Otomo,

Kume, Imibe, Mononobe and Nakatomi. The Soga clan’s

political power increases until its leaders are the de facto

rulers of Japan, acting as regents for the minor Emperor in

a precursor of the political model that will dominate Japan

from the 11 th century until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

Although the Soga clan is able to successfully destroy

the rival Mononobe clan, Nakatomi Kamatari ﬁnally

breaks their power in 607, resulting in the death of every

male member of the Soga family. Upon the defeat of

the Soga, Nakatomi restores the Emperor to nominal

power but reserves for himself and his clansmen the

most important ofﬁces at the Imperial court. Among

the honors heaped upon the clan by the Emperor are

the title Fujiwara, or “Wisteria Plain,” which marks the

transformation of the Nakatomi clan into the Fujiwara

clan.

This period also sees the adoption of the Chinese

calendar in 604 and the ﬁrst diplomatic contact between

China and Japan in 607.

Mythical Period

The early history of Japan is recorded in

a book called the Kojiki (The Book of Ancient

Matters). The Kojiki relates several tales of the gods of

Japan, describing their role in the creation of the island,

the rulership of newborn Japan, and the creation of sumo,

Japan’s national sport.

Japan itself was created by Izanagi and his wife

Izanami. Izanami gave birth to the islands of Japan and

to several gods of the Japanese pantheon before dying

in childbirth. A grief-stricken Izanagi traveled to the

underworld in an attempt to restore Izanami to life,

without success. After his return from the underworld,

Izanagi gave birth to Amaterasu (the sun), Tsukiyomi (the

moon) and Susanowo (the sea) during a cleansing ritual.

Amaterasu and her brother Susanowo fought after

he created a storm that destroyed her crops and temple.

Amaterasu was so ashamed by the incident that she hid

away in a cave, from which she had to be lured out by

her fellow gods and goddesses. Much later, seeing that

Japan was in turmoil, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi

no Mikoto to conquer the island. Ninigi no Mikoto’s

great-grandson Jimmu Tenno was the ﬁrst Emperor of

Japan. The Emperors of Japan are thus divine, as they are

descended from Amaterasu.

Sumo wrestling is said to have been invented

during this period by the brothers Takemikazuchi and

Takeminikata, who fought the ﬁrst sumo match along the

coast of the Sea of Japan.

Yayoi Period

(300 BCE to 250 CE)

This period is marked by dramatic cultural advances in

Japan’s primitive cultures. Among the most important

developments are the farming of rice in paddies and

the crafting of extremely advanced pottery on potter’s

wheels. By the 1 st century CE the Yayoi are making farm

implements and weapons out of iron, living in permanent

villages, and constructing buildings of wood and stone.

Nara Period

(710 to 794 CE)

This era derives its name from the Japanese capital of

Nara, founded by Empress Gemmei. Nara becomes the

ﬁrst permanent Japanese court and the ﬁrst great urban

center of Japan. By the end of this period, Nara boasts a

population of 200,000—almost 4% of the entire Japanese

population.

This period sees a heavy Chinese inﬂuence on Japanese

society. The new Japanese court models itself after

the courts of the Tang Dynasty, and Kanji (Chinese

characters) are adopted for writing. Buddhism becomes

the dominant religion of the upper classes in imitation

of Chinese royalty (although the nature-oriented Shinto

Yamato Period

(250 to 710 CE)

This period is named after the Yamato province (the

modern-day Nara Prefecture) from which the ﬁrst

Imperial Court rules Japan. (This period is also known as

the Kofun period, in reference to the large burial mounds

page - 2

Chapter One: Medieval Japan

religion, with its nature and ancestral kami, remains the

dominant religion of the peasant classes).

One of the principal undertakings of this new, Chinese-

style court is the consolidation of records of Japan’s pre-

history (a history written in part to justify the rule of the

Emperor), and sometime between 712 and 720 appear the

ﬁrst great works of Japanese history: the Kojiki , Fudoki

and Nihongi . Early Japanese poetry, called waka, is

also written during this time; in 759, many large private

collections of poetry are combined to form the Man’yoshu

(Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), the ﬁrst truly great

work of literature in Japan. This period also sees the ﬁrst

collection of poetry written by Japanese Emperors and

Empresses, the Kaifuso (Fond Recollections).

This era witnesses the development of Japan’s feudal

system with the rise of the shoen (landed estates).

This new system evolves around lucky or far-sighted

landholders who are able to consolidate their power and

become self-sufﬁcient. Rising taxes force many of the

smaller and poorer landholders to give up their property,

which is promptly incorporated into the holdings of

the larger shoen estates. The shoen absorb these lands

not only to expand their territories, but also to take into

service the destitute “wave men” (ronin) who would serve

the shoen as military retainers.

Alarmed by the Buddhist monk Gembo’s increasing

inﬂuence over the Empress Koken, Fujiwara revolts in

740. His defeat in 764 is followed by the re-installation

of Empress Koken (now called Empress Shotoku) and the

relocation of the capital—to Nagaoka in 784, and then to

Heiankyo in 794.

control through a regency over a succession of minor

Emperors. Although their direct power is suspended from

897 to 930, during which period Emperor Daigo rules

directly, the Fujiwara continue to grow in power and

inﬂuence through their extensive inﬁltration of the ofﬁces

at court. When Emperor Daigo dies, the Fujiwara assume

complete control over the central government and within

a decade are able to enthrone or dethrone Emperors at

will.

However, while the Fujiwara have taken control, they

and the other ancient clans have become completely tied

to the capital city of Kyoto, removing them from the real

source of wealth and power in Japan: the land. The major

clans’ focus on the city allows the provincial landholders

to gain power outside Kyoto. In addition to the wealth

they’ve gained from controlling increasingly large shoen

landholdings, this new class is also permitted to employ

vast numbers of armed men to ﬁght barbarian tribes and

enlarge the borders of the kingdom. This combination of

wealth and a large, well-trained military force signals the

rise of a new and powerful social class: the daimyo. Thus,

Japanese society is unwittingly divided into two great

sources of power: the Buke (military clans) who reside

in the provinces and the Kuge (court clans) who reside in

Kyoto.

Although a small contingent of troops is still assigned

to Kyoto to serve as police and guards for the Kuge, these

forces are more adept at the pomp and pageantry of court

life than at the practice of warfare. In contrast, the soldiers

of the provincial lords, whose troops are constantly at war

with the barbarians, are much more capable on the ﬁeld of

battle.

Of these provincial clans, two rise to prominence above

the others: the Minamoto and the Taira clans. These two

clans become so powerful that they are soon ignoring

Imperial decrees, oppressing farmers and generally

running things to suit themselves.

Heian Period

(794 to 1156)

The Heian period marks the peak of the Imperial Court

of Japan. This period begins when the capital is moved

to Heiankyo (later called Kyoto, a name the city bears to

this day) by Emperor Kammu. As a capital city, Kyoto has

important advantages over the previous capitals, including

good river access to the sea and better land access to the

Eastern provinces.

The Heian period is known as a high-water mark for

Japanese culture; poetry and literature produced during

the era are admired to this day. The Heian period also sees

the decline of the Emperor in favor of the military class.

The rise of the military class is preceded in 792 by

the abolition of conscription into the Imperial army. The

Emperor now lacks an army of his own, but needs some

way to defeat the Ainu barbarians in the north. Faced

with this challenge, the Emperor appoints a military

commander, given the title Seii Taishogun (“barbarian-

subduing general”), to coordinate the campaign against

the Ainu. Over time the title of Seii Taishogun will be

shortened to simply Shogun .

When Emperor Kammu dies in 806, a struggle for

succession among his sons allows the Fujiwara to take

Rokuhara Period

(1156 to 1185 CE)

These two provincial clans—the Minamoto and the

Taira—clash during the Hogen War, which begins in

1156. When the Emperor Toba dies, the Imperial throne

is contested by two rivals, Go-Shirakawa and Sotuko.

The two men (both Fujiwara regents) call on the military

might of the Taira and the Minamoto to ﬁght for them.

On the one side, regent Fujiwara no Tadamichi summons

Taira no Kiyomori to ﬁght for Go-Shirakawa. On the

other, regent Fujiwara no Yorinaga summons Moritomo

no Yoshitomo to ﬁght for Sotuko. In the end the forces of

Go-Shirakawa are victorious, and both the Minamoto and

Taira clans have gained substantial prominence and power

in Kyoto.

The two families, having fought a war (nominally) on

behalf of the Imperial heirs, now turn directly against

each another. This war ends with the crushing defeat

page - 4

Chapter One: Medieval Japan

of the Minamoto by the Taira. With his samurai rival

defeated, Taira Kiyomori is able to manipulate events and

arrange marriages to place one of his heirs, Antoku, on the

throne as Emperor at the age of two.

From 1159 to 1160, the Taira further expand their

power by making open war on monasteries that have

become feudal lords in their own right, controlling tax-

exempt lands and employing large numbers of well-

trained warrior monks. After defeating these forces of

armed monks, the Taira sack numerous monasteries in

Nara.

The victory of the Taira clan proves to be short-

lived, however. In 1180 the heir to the Minamoto clan,

Minamoto Yoritomo, who had been spared by the Taira in

an uncharacteristic show of mercy, organizes provincial

clans antagonistic to the Taira and starts the Gempei War

(1180-1185). Chief among Yoritomo’s allies are the Hojo,

the Taira retainers who had raised him.

After defeating the Taira at Ichinotani in 1184 and

Yashima and Dannoura in 1185, Yoritomo ﬁnally seizes

control and assumes the title of Shogun—supreme

military leader of Japan. Whereas in the past this title

had been bestowed by the Emperor on a military leader

of great renown to ﬁght against the barbarians, and then

promptly returned to the Emperor when the campaign

was over, Yoritomo gives himself the title and takes it as

the hereditary lineage of his clan. The transfer of power

from the Emperors to the new warrior class, the samurai,

is complete. One of Yoritomo’s ﬁrst acts as Shogun is to

raise the Hojo clan to great prominence as a reward for

sheltering and ﬁghting alongside him against the hated

Taira.

instrumental in bringing Yoritomo to the peak of power,

becomes the steward of his young son Yoriie. The Hojo

clan is a formidable force: not only have the great rewards

heaped on this clan by Yoritomo allowed them to attain

substantial military might, but Hojo clansmen also prove

to be exceptional statesmen and diplomats capable of

forging strong alliances with other clans. For the rest of

the Kamakura period, the Shogun is merely a ﬁgurehead;

Minamoto Yoriie, members of the Fujiwara clan, and even

Imperial princes hold the title of Shogun while the Hojo

rule from behind the scenes.

This environment fuels resentment among the nobles

in Kyoto who act as regents to the Emperor, since they

had in the past been the true wielders of power. In 1221

the tension between Kyoto and the Kamakura bakufu

erupts into open war during the Jokyu incident. Using

their diplomatic skill, the Hojo are able to rally enough

clans to their side to put down this revolt, and Kyoto and

the Imperial court are brought under direct Hojo control.

Although estates are set aside to allow the nobles to

maintain the Emperor in splendor, all decisions of state

must now be approved by the Kamakura bakufu.

To ease rivalries among local lords, the Hojo establishes

the Council of State in 1225, allowing other daimyo direct

inﬂuence in judicial and legislative affairs of state. In

1232 the Hojo creates the ﬁrst code of law, the Joei Code,

which establishes the duties of the district headmen (the

jito) and sets forth a system for settling land disputes and

arbitrating inheritances. The Joei Code is an extremely

signiﬁcant document, since Japanese law up to this point

has followed almost without change the 500-year-old

codes of Confucius. The Joei Code will remain in use for

over 635 years.

Contact with China resumes in a most unexpected (and

unwelcome) manner when a Chinese emissary arrives in

Japan in 1268. The emissary brings news that the Mongol

lord Khubilai Khan now rules China and demands

tribute from Japan. Although Japan has cultivated some

economic ties with China, these are difﬁcult to maintain

because of the persistent threat of Japanese pirates. The

Japanese reply with a message stressing the divine nature

of the Emperor, which they conclude makes it impossible

for Japan to pay homage to any Earthly agency, and

dismiss all foreign ambassadors. Despite the heavenly

rationale for not paying tribute, the Hojo begin to

strengthen Japan’s defenses in preparation for an invasion.

In 1274 a ﬂeet of 600 ships carrying Mongol, Korean

and Chinese soldiers, equipped with catapults and

combustible missiles, lays siege to Japan. The cavalry

formations of the Mongol warriors prove devastatingly

effective against the samurai, who are accustomed to one-

on-one combat against their peers.

The situation is grim; it appears that the Japanese

forces will be as outmatched by the Mongols as the

armies of China and Korea had been. Then the miraculous

happens: after only one day of ﬁghting, a typhoon

Kamakura Period

(1185 to 1333 CE)

Having assumed control as the ﬁrst true Shogun, Yoritomo

establishes a system allowing for complete control of

Japan by his military. The name of his Shogunate comes

from the location of his military headquarters, or bakufu,

which he places at his ancestral home in Kamakura (in

the process completely relegating the Imperial court and

its nobles to ceremonial functions). Yoritomo stations

loyal guards (called shugo) in each province of Japan and

district leaders (called jito) in taxable areas. This allows

him to head off any organization of the clans against

him and to keep most of the country under military

observation and control.

Despite his success, Yoritomo is never able to bring

all of Japan under his control; ﬁghting with Fujiwara

elements continues throughout his reign both in the

northern and western areas of the country. The region

around Kyoto is likewise not controlled by Yoritomo but

remains under the sway of the Imperial court and the

Emperor’s regents.

Yoritomo dies unexpectedly in 1199 before he is

able to fully consolidate his power. The Hojo clan, so

page - 5

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