Steel and Silk - A Nippon AAR

Double Post

I'm rather obviously drawing inspiration from certain people in my writing and format. I'm really just having fun and hoping to get big enough to trigger some of those supersized events from the mod

A new Sun rises over the Ashikaga Shogunate! Basking in the glow of the crushing victory over the Ming Emperor, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi is retiring into religious life in the Temple of Iwashimizu Hachiman. He is succeeded by his son Shogun Ashikaga Yoshikazu. May the sun shine long upon his glorious reign.
               Pronouncement by the Ashikaga Shogunate, December, 1423.

I am so unappreciated. Since Yoshikazu took over at the young age of 15, I’ve improved the economy, paid off the debts we quietly took on to provide the funds needed to defeat Ming China, masterminded the formation of the alliance with the Manchu and Korea. In these two years since he took over, Yoshikazu only managed one thing. Something neither his father or grandfather could manage despite years of trying. He drank himself to death. Ashikaga Yoshimochi has been forced to return from his religious retirement. With any luck, he’ll be in a more enlightened mood and we’ll be allowed a few more years of peace to build up.
               Manzai Jugo Nikki, the Diary of Abbott Manzai, Adviser to Shoguns, July, 1425.

Brilliant, simply brilliant. Our army is 2/3 the size it was when we first invaded China, and half of that is back guarding the home islands. So now after only two years we join the Manchu and Korea in attacking the Ming again! None of our Chinese ashigaru are worth a damn yet. The fool of a Shogun and his advisors are afraid of what will happen if I’m given a real army. I will scatter the Ming armies before me and later those fools back home will come to regret this!
               From the Dairy of General Akamatsu Mitsusuke, August 1425.

The later periods of the Ming Dynasty were characterized by their cultural and artistic achievements. Architecture was raised to a new level. Construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing was started in 1421. Pottery and the famous blue-and-white porcelain vases were created. Painting and literature flourished. Neo-Confucian philosophy led to a strict agrarian society based on moral and ethical superiority.

Sadly, their military was poorly trained and relied solely on sheer numbers for victory. And Emperor Yung-Lo’s alliances with Tibet and the Timurid Empire did little to address to true threat to the Empire. The Manchu-Korea-Nippon Axis. When war broke out in 1425 the Manchu armies swept down toward Beijing, straight into the teeth of the Ming defenses. Akamatsu Mitsusuke was reinforced by 10,000 Ashikaga samurai as well as the samurai of other opportunistic daimyo, then executed his master plan. 4,000 samurai were disguised as rebels in Shanghai, sucking in two Ming armies to their destruction. Meanwhile the great general himself struck south into Kowloon, and his son led a flying column of mounted samurai in to capture Anhui and the undefended plains of Nanchang.

In two years the numerically, morally, culturally and ethically superior Ming forces were out fought, out maneuvered and finally crushed by their more militarily ruthless opponents. The Manchu gained Liaoning and Hepei, while the Ashikaga Shogunate gained Anhui, Nanchang, and Shandong.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

How marvelous. The reports are back from the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment. Through judicious use of wartime tariffs and taxes we actually managed to increase the treasury by 55.7% during the war, despite all the silver spent on supplies and training. One of the younger monks has warned that taking all this silver might not be wise. Something about blowing up or inflating the economy. He’s quite mad, I’m sure. We’ll use some of the excess silver to prepare a proper celebration of General Akamatsu’s victory. It’s the perfection solution, we honor him for his skill in a way that gives him no new power or authority. The last thing we need is soldiers actually thinking they run this military dictatorship.
                Manzai Jugo Nikki, the Diary of Abbott Manzai, Adviser to Shoguns, October, 1427

Let it be known to all that on July 22, 1428 Barbarian Destroying Generalissimo Ashikaga Yoshimochi passed on from this mortal existence peacefully in his sleep at his palace in the Muromachi district, Kyoto. In honor of the glorious deeds accomplished during his noble reign, there will be a week of mourning. AshikagaYoshinori will now succeed to the post of Shogun of Nippon and Shanghai.
               Imperial Proclamation, 1428

To the most noble barbarian smiting General Akamatsu, whose anger makes the earth shake,
    A review of the records of the harvest in the Chinese prefectures by the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment has revealed a most disturbing trend. While it is understood the Ming coddled their peasants terribly while seeking a sort of agrarian utopia, there is seemingly no reason for us to continue these wasteful practices. For example, it has come to our attention the Chinese peasants enjoy a full three helpings of millet per day. Given the census revealed 147, 352 peasants in our Shanghai prefectures, this amounts to nearly 150,000 helpings of millet per day. We see no reason why they cannot get along on the same two helpings per day our own Japanese peasants enjoy. The millet saved would be enough to commission 10,000 new cavalry, once we find the necessary horses for this. We trust you will deal with this matter, as well as the problem of any additional luxuries and rights enjoyed by our Chinese subjects.
               A letter reprinted in the Manzai Jugo Nikki, the Diary of Abbott Manzai, Adviser to Shoguns, August, 1428.

Five years. Five years of rebellion! All become some damned ricecounter at the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment decided some peasants weren’t malnourished enough! I’ve been forced to delay pacifying the natives of Taiwan while dealing with revolt after revolt. I know what Manzai is really up to. I can’t be a threat to the precious Ashikaga is my every waking moment is spent fighting. Well, he’ll soon find how untrue that is…
                From the Dairy of General Akamatsu Mitsusuke, February 1433

Finally things are going smoothly. General Akamatsu seemed to finally have those coddled Chinese peasants well in hand. I trust they now understand that as a peasant they can be killed at any moment for any reason. Nothing keeps people in line like a little unreasoning fear. I worry about Muromachi-dono (Ed: Shogun Yoshinori) though. He’s far to unreasoningly…
                Manzai Jugo Nikki, the Diary of Abbott Manzai, Adviser to Shoguns, Final Entry, April 8th, 1433.

Barbarian Destroying Generalissimo Ashikaga Yoshinori, whose light shines over Nippon and Shanghai,
     I regret to inform you that your trusted advisor, Abbott Manzai, was found dead last night in his study. Two Chinese Deer Antler Daggers were found buried in his body. Happily the murderer has already been captured and confessed. Unthinkable that an agent of the Ming Dynasty could have gotten so deep into Muromachi palace. Clearly the cowardly Ming Emperor blames the most esteemed Manzai’s policies for the defeat his Empire has twice suffered at the hands of your predecessors. We await your orders on how to respond.
               Letter composed by Magistrate Akamatsu Junji on April 7th, delivered April 9th, 1433.

By order of the most honorable Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, a state of war now exists between the Empire of Nippon and the Ming Empire of China.
               Imperial Proclamation attached to the first Thunder Crash Bomb fired over the wall of Beijing, May 1433.

The plan is very simple. I will lead my 20,000 Akamatsu samurai and Chinese ashigaru down into Kowloon to start the siege there. My son Akamatsu Norimura will lead the army besieging Beijing. I’m fast approaching the time when I’ll be retiring to a monestary. It’s time my son started to earn his own glory. My other plans for the Shogunate can wait until later. For now I need to expand my powerbase a little more.
                From the Dairy of General Akamatsu Mitsusuke, May 1433

The sweeping attacks up and down the Coast of China were an inspired risk. But one that did not pay off as General Akamatsu intended. His siege at Kowloon went smoothly enough. His sacrificed the Chinese Ashigaru with reckless abandon but made fast progress. His son was not so fortunate, however. The army sieging Beijing was soon forced back past Shandong. Though he managed to capture Jiangsu, Norimura’s attempt to relieve the siege of Shandong failed and in July, 1434 the city fell to the Chinese. General Akamatsu was forced to abandon his plan to attack Guangdong and rush north to recover the situation. General Akamatsu drove through the undefended lands of Jinan and besieged Beijing himself, defeating two Ming Armies in the process.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

We have just received word that a new Ming Emperor, Zhengtong, has been crowned. In his new Imperial generosity, he is offering us 88 in silver in exchange for peace. As if he can buy off our rightful vengeance. Well, with money at least. Land…that will do nicely. But he refused our offer of peace in exchange for Jiangsu and Kowloon. By my calculations, it will only take four months, 17 days for the revenue from those two prefectures to exceed the amount of silver offered by the Ming Empire. However, the risk of revolt is rising. By our calculations, the money we will spend to suppress the peasants will no longer be worth the investment into this war in another year. I’ve therefore instructed General Akamatsu to finish the siege of Beijing with all deliberate speed.
               Zenshu, Monk of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, Feb 1435

Once again Hachiman, the God of War himself, vomits over my fortunes. My fool of a son cost me a year in the siege of Beijing. When it finally fell, I was looking forward to the pleasure of pillaging the Forbidden City. But now I find the Emperor has already fled. With most of his wealth. And all his wives, and princesses. All we really recovered was an amusing water clock and a few maps, which I’m sure will be very interesting to many people back home but for me now, they are useless. So we now know the lands far to the west of the Ming Empire. Big deal. If those Timurids and Tibetans were worth knowing about, they’d have been of some use to their allies.
                From the Dairy of General Akamatsu Mitsusuke, July 1436

The end of the War of 1433-1436 came not a moment too soon for all involved. Both the Manchu and Nippon were starting to have troubles with Chinese peasant revolts. And the Ming were in no shape to continue resistence. Kowloon and Jiangsu were ceded to the Ashikaga Shogunate and China sank into economic depression. Turning inward for perfection and hoping the rest of the world just leave them alone.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

The next two years were quiet. China quietly formed an alliance with Tibet and Assam. But the Ming remained mostly dedicated to the peaceful perfection of their nation. Even with the land lost, China was still the most wealthy nation in Asia. In 1437 the King of Korea pledged himself as a vassal to the Manchu, a move which was greeted with some concern by the Ashikaga Shogunate. But toward the end of the Eikyo era, they had problems of their own to demand their attention.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

Sheer foolishness. Ashikaga Mochiuji, Military Commander of Kanto, is attacking Uesugi Norizane, the Kanrei of Kanto. Again. In 1430 Norizane had rebuked Mochiuji for not paying proper attention to his duties. We could have warned Norizane that our personality calculations suggested there would be a 73.5% chance of Mochiuji reacting violently. But our profile on Norizane said there was a 67% chance he would have disregarded it, so why bother? The trouble goes deeper than this, of course. Ashikaga Mochiuji was the adopted son of Shogun Yoshimochi and he had hopes of becoming Shogun instead of Yoshinori. An ambition he’s never quite given up. But someone is putting him up to this recent trouble. We have no idea yet, but we have our best abacus jockeys on it to work out the probabilities.
               Zenshu, Monk of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, Nov 1438

Fools and imbeciles. I’m surrounded by men who make my horse look like the paragon of intellectual might. Mochiuji could not wait for the proper moment, instead his temper got the better of him and he struck at Norizane too soon. The poor fool never had a chance. Caught between the forces of the Kanto Kanrei and the Shogunate he was crushed like a riceball. My agents are even now stirring up trouble in Mochiuji’s old lands. With luck I can keep the Shogun occupied there until my preparations are done. Now that I’m retired to my home in Harima I have plenty of time to set things up while my son keeps China under control. Like a fine tea ceremony, a conspiracy takes time and care to be successful.
                From the Dairy of General Akamatsu Mitsusuke, Jan 1439

The year 1439 saw China attacked by the alliance of Dai Viet, Vientiane and Cambodia (Dai Viet’s vassal). Tibet and Assam immediately broke their alliance with China, leaving the Ming to face this assault alone. Nearly two years later China was forced to buy them off for peace.

At the same time the Ashikaga Shogunate was wracked with more conflict at home. Shogun Yoshinori had all the strength of will and fierceness of his heroic ancestors. But he lacked their charisma and compassion. He strictly enforced the old moral laws, often severely punishing those he deemed guilty of improper behavior. Essentially, he governed by terror. Over 60 officials were executed during his reign and countless others were banished or placed arbitrarily under arrest. Even in an age of violence, his ruthlessness stood out. Twice more followers of Ashikaga Mochiuji would raise rebellion in Kanto, and each time they were crushed brutally, the roads lined with the crucified bodies of the rebels.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

Marvelous! What a glorious evening! I had invited the Shogun over for a celebration of the subdual of the Kanto rebels. A little good food, some fine sake. Dancing girls. And then for the finale, a stampede of horses created a distraction that allowed my men to massacre the Shogun and his guards. What a feeling to see the look of realization in his eyes before I hacked him down. To put his head on a spike with my own two hands. In a day my son will be raising the banner of the Akamatsu in the Chinese prefectures while my forces march on Muromachi. I WILL BE SHOGUN!
                From the Dairy of General Akamatsu Mitsusuke, July 1441

Intolerable! Akamatsu believed that by cutting off the head of the Shogunate, he’d leave the rest of us incapable is swift action! But I wasted no time in consulting with Hatakeyama, Shiba, and Imagawa. With speed he could never have foreseen we formed a committee to decide our course of action.. The Yamana family was assigned to punish Akamatsu in a truly spectacular way. Even the Great General Akamatsu can’t hope to stand against the full weight of the Bakufu.
                From the Dairy of Kanrei Uesugi Norizane, Aug 1441

The death of the Shogun sent a shockwave through the Empire that took years to wear off. Akamatsu Norimura managed to gain control of Kowloon and Anhui, and the prefecture of Zhejian took the chance to rebel on their own. But Uesugi Norizane quickly regained control of the situation in China. The notoriously fierce Zhejians took longer than the Chinese Akamatsu forces to subdue. The Yamana attack drove General Akamatsu from his stronghold of Shirohata. Peasant representatives took this moment to press for their own rights, but in the ferocious mood of the time they were simply massacred. The next three years passed in putting an end to Akamatsu’s rebellion as well as a host of peasant uprisings. Zhejian revolted again and after a siege of 18 months was the last to fall. In August 1444 Akamatsu Mitsusuke was finally cornered and forced to commit seppuku.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

What a disaster. With the constant wars and rebellions, revenue has dropped off to a mere trickle of what it once was. (Note: The BoME manual defined ‘trickle’ as between 45% and 55%). We were forced to borrow heavily to keep the armies fighting and the government working. And our last choice as Shogun, AshikagaYoshikatsu, died at the age of ten, only a few months after he was appointed. THIS time we’ll handle it right though. A committee will be selected to choose the candidate everyone agrees is the best. Shogun Yoshinori was selected by lots among his brothers, the least practical, enlightened method I can think of. A committee will surely do better.
               Zenshu, Monk of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, Aug 1441

1441 to 1449 was a period of chaos and rebuilding for the Ashikaga Shogunate. The bandits and pirates of Zhejian rebelled again and it took three campaigns and a year long siege to finally bring them under control again. Without a Shogun, more and more power was lost to the local constables and the individual jockeying for power grew more vicious and cutthroat. A stream of Tokusei, Acts of Grace that forgave debts or tax burdens, began to come from Bakufu officials trying to buy stability and in many cases buying allies, at the cost of long term revenue and central control. This period also saw two abortive wars by the Manchu-Korea-Nippon axis on China. Two very brief wars started by the Manchu, then ended in a couple of months when the Ming government bought them off, to a mix of relief and irritation among Shogunate officials.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

Let it be known to all that on this date, the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Go-Hanazono, Ashikaga Yoshimasa has been appointed Sei-i Tai-Shogun.
               Imperial Proclamation, Nov 1449
Today was a very promising day. I met Yoshimasa face to face for the first time. Only 17 years old but he’s Shogun, he must be very rich. I’m very excited about marrying him. He was so excited about events in the Chinese prefectures. China’s former allies of Tibet and Myanmar declaring war on their old ally. Those awful cutthroats in Zhejiang rebelling yet again. The news that the samurai sent to Taiwan have started building a military base there. That might end up being a good investment. I really think another war with China would be even better. I undersatand the maps retrieved from the Forbidden City revealed a Chinese gold mine to the west. If we can get that…well, there’s no such thing as too much gold.
               The Pillow Book of Hino Tomi-ko, Dec 1451

Three years of peace were all we could hope for, I suppose. I’ve made good use of the time. As Kanrei of Shanghai, I’ve sent many copies of the Chinese classics back to Ashikaga College. I understand their enrollment is up to 3,000, but where these kids get the idea a student guild should have a say in the education is beyond me. Shanghai College is only just started but I have great hope for it’s development.

I’ll have to put my cultural plans on hold, though. Shogun Yoshimasa managed to sit out of the infighting in the Hatakeyama family. I don’t blame him for that, choosing either the Hosokawa or Yamana would have led to even more serious trouble. But sooner or later something will have to be done. The Shogunate is losing control of it’s own officials. But now Yoshimasa is determined go to war with China. Well, his wife, Tomi-ko, is determined, and he seems to do as she desires.
                From the Dairy of Kanrei Uesugi Norizane, June 1454

I just knew Norizane-sama was the perfect man for the job. All our probability matrixes suggested so. When war was declared on Ming China, the Manchu and Korea joined in, as predicted. But his plans were perfectly efficient. Hunan fell right away, and Guangzhou and Guangdong lasted not even a year. The Manchu were soon bought off by the Ming again. But the battle of Beijing, Dec 1455 was just priceless. 20,000 samurai and Chinese ashigaru defeating a Ming army of 80,000?! Even better than our calculations had predicted. We may have to redo some of our tables to account for this unanticipated weakness of the Ming soldiers. The Ming held on a year after that but with the fall of Beijing again they were forced to grant us Hubei, Guangzhou and Guangdong. Exactly what we had forecast. Today is indeed a happy day.
               Zenshu, Monk of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, March, 1457

Thanks, I'm slowly getting more of a feel on how to write it. It's going a little more easily than I expected, but the real times of trouble are still ahead for me. It's also unusual for China to not get Korea or maybe Dai Viet in an alliance, which has helped me a little, I think.

Hmm..can't make HTML work at all. Anyway...

Domestic sliders 1458:
Aristocracy: 9
Centralization 4
Innovativeness 2
Mercantilism 7
Offensive 6
Land 5
Quality 9
Serfdom 9

Economy 1458:
Monthly income 36d
Census taxes 151d
Inflation 20%
Badgirl 20

At last, perhaps a way to catch the attention of someone in the capital and get out of this kami forsaken place. An Ainu was cut down in a dispute over the price of a sword. No loss really, but some other of his tribe haven taken issue with it and are threatening a revolt unless we give in to their demands. I’m sure the Shogun has no interest in such matters so I’m handling it myself. But I’m left with a few options. One adviser suggested we give in to the Ainu demands and return their lands in Hokkaido and Tohoku. Of course, I had him executed. Clearly he doesn’t have the well being of the Shogunate on his mind. Another suggested we simply wipe out the Ainu. Not a bad idea, a little ruthlessness never hurt. But a bit extreme. We’ll simply put down the rebellion, and then I can inform the Bafuku of my great victory, hopefully that will impress the officials.
               Takeda Nobuhiro, April 1458

You would think the Shogun would be the wealthiest man in the Empire. But Yoshimasa spends most of his time on art, literature, and those courtesans he’s gotten from China, Korea and the Manchu. He wouldn’t even be able to afford that new palace in Muramachi if not for me. My alternate methods for making money have been going very well. My brother Katsuakira has established a very clear money first policy when it comes to discussions on official matters. My servants have had great success setting up at the seven gates of the capital and collecting taxes for the ‘maintenance of the Imperial palace’. We’ve made so much money off that I’ve even been able to start a money lending business on the side.

So while plague has been ravaging Kowloon and floods and famine have been stalking our homeland, we’ve still managed to keep a healthy cashflow. Though can you imagine it? Even the Emperor has criticized our building a palace in the middle of the famine. As if we were building it out of rice. With any luck, my Shanghai and South East Asia Trading Keiretsu will bring even more money in, once we’ve colonized Taiwan. Then we can make another grab for China’s gold mines. Can you imagine, some monk from the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment has actually warned the gold mines could hurt us? As if too much gold could even be a problem.
               The Pillow Book of Tomi-ko, Wife of Shogun Yoshimasa, Dec 1461

Ironically, despite Shogun Yoshimochi’s original intent in 1419, the conquest of of the Chinese prefectures only served to worsen the situation in Nippon. The wealth of China combined with an increasingly decentralized and corrupt Bakufu meant less and less attention was devoted to the affairs of government and more to how official positions could be used for personal benefit.

A boundary dispute and a scandal in court (now believed to have been arranged by Ashikaga Tomi-ko) set up the next war on Ming China. In March 1463 Uesagi Norizane led the samurai invasion of Henan and Jinan. For the first time, a significant number of Chinese soldiers were used. Japanese emphasis on quality was slowly leading to a class of Chinese soldier that served the same purpose as Japanese samurai. The Ming were totally unprepared for war and Henan and Jinan quickly fell.

At the same time, the situation for the Ashikaga Shoganate was also approaching a critical mass. In February Uesagi Norizane died in action. With his death, the Uesagi split into three competing factions. At the same time Shogun Yoshimasa, only 30 years old, was making it known he planned to retire in the near future. Lacking an heir, he was considering appointing his brother Yoshimi as his heir. Through sheer good fortune, the Ming proposed peace in exchange for ceding the two lost provinces to Nippon, unaware of the turmoil undermining their enemy. The peace offer was accepted immediately, on Aug 1464.                 Encyclopedia Nipponica

Yoshimasa wants to retire already? If an heir was such a big deal, why has been soo caught up with his courtesan tarts for so long? Yoshimi is only the heir as long as Yoshimasa has no heir. And I have a plan…
               The Pillow Book of Tomi-ko, Wife of Shogun Yoshimasa, Sept 1464

Woe to be born in such times. The mathematical purity of our calculations has been defiled by the random chaos of human whim. The revenue and stability of the Chinese prefectures has been compromised by the infighting among the Uesagi. Zhejiang has taken their chance again and rebelled. With Tomi-ko now having giving the Shogun a son, the line of succession is threatened. Supported by the Hosokawa clan, Yoshimasa and Yoshimi are continuing to work together. Tomi-ko has enlisted allies among the rivals of the Hosokawa, the Yamana Clan, to support the rights of her infant son. The issue has gone from simply disputes over trivial amounts of money to something that threatens the power of the Shogunate. And we have no way to calculate how this will go. The sides are evenly matched, and the bad blood has been building for a decade. Brother Kyosei calculates a 95% chance everything will go to hell within the next two years.
               Zenshu, Monk of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, Nov, 1465

The situation grew more and more tense. Both sides summoned more samurai to the capital while each tried to provoke the other into making the first move. Finally in May, 1467, the Hosokawa attached a Yamana mansion, and at the same time managed to convince the Shogun to declare the Yamana family the aggressors, and rebels against the Empire. The Yamana counter attacked, and with the arrival of Lord Ouchi and 20,000 samurai, they gained the edge. Thousands of houses have been burned. Hundreds of government buildings destroyed. Lord Ouchi alone has collected more than eight cartlords of heads. The flowery capital that we thought would last forever, to our surprise, has become the lair of wolves and foxes. In the past there have been rebellions and disasters, but in this first year of the Onin, the laws of Gods and Kings have all been broken and all the sects are perishing. There is no hope.
               Shiba, official of the Shogun, Dec 1467

The Onin was not confined to the capital. There was fighting throughout the other provinces as well, as the allies of the two factions struggled for dominance and agents of both Hosokawa and Yamana sowed rebellion in their enemie’s home territories, both in Nippon and China. Zhejiang rose again and it took two years of siege for them to be overcome, thanks to the backstabbing among the various Uesagi factions.

Politically the war was just as unpredictable, with alliances broken as the tides of war shifted. In a most remarkable turn of events, Yoshimi, brother of Yoshimasa, was forced to flee to the Yamana and seek their support. Tomi-ko managed to convince her husband to appoint his two year old son the official heir. And now suddenly the sides were reversed, with the Hosokawa fighting for Tomi-ko’s son and the Yamana trying to make Yoshimi Shogun. In reality it made little difference. The Shogun and his family were simply pawns in this struggle for power. Still, the Yamana had the edge and forced the Hosokawa more and more into a corner. The palace of the Shogun himself was laid siege for a time, but Tomi-ko played a key role in maintaining the defense of the palace, refusing to flee no matter how grim the situation looked.

And slowly the war burned down. In 1473 the leaders of both the Hosokawa and Yamana died and the impetus of the war faded. Over the wasteland of the capital the exhausted armies just stared at each other, while fighting continued in the outer provinces. In Kansai the Ashikaga fought Takeda over the office of Shogun’s Deputy. The Uesagi civil war over the office of Military governor of Shanghai and the other Chinese prefectures, continued. Until in 1477 the Empire was bled dry and no one had the will to fight any longer. Yoshimasa had retired in 1473, and his son Yoshihisa was now Shogun, with the power of the Hosokawa clan backing him up.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

This can’t be what it means to be Shogun. Watch plays, sign documents mom and Uncle Hosokawa give me. Adding to the power of the nobles was needed, I suppose. But now several cities, including my capital, Kyoto, are demanding rights. I understand that in the aftermath of the Onin War many areas were left to protect and govern themselves. But that’s not how it should be! I have a responsibility to the entire country. The people should not have to protect themselves, I should be doing it. I’ve decided to deny the cities petition. Uncle Hosokawa is pleased, it keeps the nobles strong. But more, I have to restore the central authority of the Ashikaga. We’ll start expanding our diplomatic sphere to Dai Viet. Take steps to build up more manpower here in Kyoto. We Ashikaga have let others fight in our place for far too long.
               Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Nov 1481

Ginkoku-ji is considered a branch temple of Shôkoku-ji , a temple favored by the Ashikaga for decades. Founded by Yoshimasa in his retirement, it was a part of his villa. And the scene of a cultural renaissance for Nippon. Noted actors like Soami and Kanze, and the brilliant painter Sesshu were all patronized by Yoshimasa. In 1483 he started construction of Ginkoku-ji (Silver Pavilion) in imitation of the ancestor who had founded the Kinkoku-ji (Golden Pavilion). It took ten years to build and was only completed three years after Yoshimasa’s death. Covered with foil made from Chinese silver, the finished temple is truly spectacular. This period sparked a flowering of innovation and artistic achievement that would have influence decades to come.
               Ginkoku-ji Tourist Pamplet, 2003

I swear the Koreans are trying to provoke us. Lady Tomi-ko’s diplomacy has made them our vassels, but twice in the last three years they have insulted us. And now there is a scandal in court regarding the quarrelsome behavior of the Korean diplomats. If the Shogun were not so set on restoring the prestige of the Ashikaga Shogunate through domestic reforms and war on China, he might have reacted more violently. But for now he’s allowing me to handle it my way. Relations have been smoothed out, and our trade restored to match pre-Onin War levels. We still have loans to pay off but I fear that will have to wait until the war in China is finished.
               Zenshu, Head Abbott of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, Jan, 1485

At last I feel like I’ve done some good. My campaign in China restored a semblance of order to the warring Uesagi factions. They now bow to my authority. Lord Ouchi in Kyushu has done so as well. A return of centralized order is bringing the tax system back to what it should be and restoring peace and stability. The war on Ming China only lasted a year and a half and ended with the capture of Hunan and Shanxi. Mom was disappointed I didn’t capture the gold mines, but it wouldn’t have been a good tactical move at this time. Ming China was also at war with the Chagatai Khanate, which made the war even easier. I’m very impressed by the Khan’s use of cavalry. We may have to borrow some of their tactics, they seem better suited for dealing with wide open spaces like I’m finding in western China. Well, back to Kyoto. I want to see how the rebuilding is coming along.
               Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Aug 1487

Yoshihisa’s return to Kyoto was bittersweet. The Shogunate was relatively stable and peaceful, but many samurai were still unhappy with stronger central rule. When massive corruption was uncovered in Kyoto the Shogun made a point of stamping it down completely, leading to the execution of a number of his mother’s old cronies. When the Kaga Ikko-ikki marched, Yoshihisa enforced the old Confucian values and encouraged peace and stability. Yoshihisa standing up to the manipulations of the Hosokawa led to trouble, though. When a battle broke out between factions over control of the post of Kanto military governor in 1489, Yoshihisa marched immediately to put an end to the fighting. Hosokawa was tardy in his support for the young Shogun and Yoshihisa was killed during the fighting. With his death, the last chance for the Ashikaga Shogunate died as well.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica


Tragedy! Ashikaga Masatomo, Lord of the troublesome province of Zhejiang, had decided to disinherit his eldest son, Chachamaru. The bloodthirsty young acted brutally, killing not only his father but also his mother and brother. He has forced the former Masatomo vassals to swear fealty to him, no doubt in fear of his cruelty. Our monks have calculated this will have a destabilizing effect of 10% on all the Chinese prefectures. Unfortunately, Hosokawa Katsumoto has decided to let this slide. He’s too busy manipulating new Shogun Yoshitane. This is too ironic. For centuries Shoguns have used the Emperor as a puppet for their policies. Now the post of Shogun is little more than a puppet as well. The only good news is a new monopoly company has formed as a part of the Tomi-ko Keiretsu. We project a long term profit of 5% now that Taiwan is fully colonized. Next target, the Ruzon South Asian trading Company. I understand pirates have found a large island ripe for development.
               Zenshu, Head Abbott of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, May 1491

So much for Yoshitane. I thought he might make a good Shogun but he’s already started to annoy me. Hje fled before I could punish him, but it’s ok. I’ve appointed Yoshizumi, Yoshitane’s cousin, as the new Shogun. I suspect he’ll work much harder not to annoy me. At least one bit of promising news. Ise Shinkuro, a former monk who’s been serving in the Chinese prefectures, stepped up to deal with Chachamaru, trapping the blood thirsty little punk in Zhijiang Castle and forcing him to kill himself. It would have been better if a samurai lord had taken care of it, but at least justice has been done.
               Hosokawa Masamoto, Kanrei of Kansai, Aug 1493

Isa Shinkuro has by guile and trickery taken control of Odawara Castle in Shanghai. He befriended the Lord of the castle, Omori Fujiyari, and inviting him on a hunting trip. The diversion allowed him to kill the Lord and take the castle with ease. He had his son, Ujisuna, marry a descendant of the illustrious Hojo family and Ise Shinkuro calls himself Hojo Soun.. Ise has since promoted good relationships with the local peasants and merchants.
               May 1495 event taken from Nipponis Universalis 2, Paradox Software, Swedish prefecture

The last years of the Ashikaga Shogunate were notable for it’s unsettled nature. The Hosokawa tried to maintain the central authority of the Shogunate. In 1496, Imagawa’s Lord was overthrown by one of his vassals and Hosokawa Masamoto took a personal role in punishing this unlawful behavior. Meteors troubled the peasants in 1497, and scandals in the court frayed the stability of the Shogunate. On March, 1498 the alliance with the Manchu and Korea collapsed and the Manchu declared war on Korea. Both Korea and the Manchu called upon the Shogunate for aid but in a crucial error, Hosokawa Masamoto decided to back the Manchu. Clearly he had lost patience with the insults and scandals of the Korean court. But in typical Manchu fashion they fought for 4 months then accepted a pay off in gold for peace, leaving Hosokawa hanging.

1500 saw the return of Shogun Yoshitane, with the support of the powerful Lord of the Ouchi clan in Kyushu. Hosokawa Masamoto was assassinated under mysterious circumstances, which aided Yoshitane’s return. But still, the Shogun was little more than a puppet of more powerful Lords. The Hosokawa remained powerful in Kanto. Ouchi and Shimazu in Kyushu. And increasingly the Shanghai Hojo under Soun were becoming the main power in China.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica



Domestic Policy:
1419: Aris: 9 Cent: 7 Inn: 3 Merc: 5 Off: 6 Land: 5 Qual: 9 Serf: 10
1501: Aris: 7 Cent: 8 Inn: 3 Merc: 7 Off: 6 Land: 5 Qual: 10 Serf: 9

Economy:
1419: Monthly: 9.8d Census: 89d Inflation: 0 BB: 0
1501: Monthly: 46.8d Census: 149.1 Inflation: 34.6% BB: 28

Comments: always welcome, i'm still getting the hang of how to write a AAR.

Remarkable. I know this has been called the Age of Gekokujo. The Age of the Oppression of the High by the Low. But even so…remarkable. Togashi Masachika, the Constable in charge of Kaga, has been driven from his province by a mob of Ikko-ikki, followers of Shin Buddhism. Fiercely independent, they captured the whole province. Togashi appealed to the Bakufu for aid and the powerful warlord Asakura was charged with putting them down. But his attack failed and the Ikko-ikki have simply dug in deeper. Nothing concerns me more about the future of the Ashikaga Shogunate than these rebellious monks and peasants taking power into their own hands.
               Hosokawa Masahiro, Kanrei of Kanto, June 1503

The chaos continues to grow. Revolts continue to shake the home islands, keeping the local lords busy trying to hold on to their own power. Only Lord Ouchi remains in Kyoto, supporting Shogun Yoshitane. A famine swept Henan but Hojo Soun had been stockpiling rice in anticipation of trouble and he was able to save the province from the worst effects. I’m proud to say we had a roll in this. Based on an examination of Ming records and predicted a 75.7% chance of a famine within the next five years. He’s also been taking a remarkably lenient approach to his skilled workers, giving them greater freedoms and rights. The Manchu were up to their old tricks, declaring war on China on March, 1503. By June of the same year, peace was purchased by the Ming Emperor. On a more up note, Lu Zi Shan, a diplomat from Shanghai, was able to restore the alliance with Korea. For what it’s worth, the Axis is alive again. But we calculate within the next one hundred years either Korea or the Manchu will be conquered by our Empire.
               Ichizo, Monk of the Brotherhood of Mathematical Enlightenment, Jan 1505

Business is going well. Ruzon has been added to our list of settlements and a explorer named Kato Ideyasu has stepped forward volunteering to map the islands we have discovered to the south. We’re supplying him with 5,000 Chinese ashigaru from Zhejiang to help deal with local natives. The trade that had suffered from the chaos at home has been restored, even in the far away Indian markets. While we’re waiting on reports from the southern islands we’ll expand to the north, there is some land north of the Manchu we can establish trading posts on.
               Honda Jian Shi, Chief Monetary Official of the Tomi-ko Keiretsu, September, 1508

Nippon was troubled over the next decade by poor government policies, unhappy merchants, and increasing tariffs in order to protect local business and trade. While China was mostly peaceful, there was rarely a moment someone wasn’t at war in the home islands. In 1509 a popular noble of Kyoto was found plotting against the government. Shogun Yoshitane favored strongly punshing him, but his friends were just too powerful and he was forced to settle for a fine and exile to the Chinese prefectures. Then just two years later in 1511, again a vassal rose against his Lord. This time it was the the banner of the Shinzaki raised over the Uesagi castle in Hebei. In contrast to his own rise to power, Hojo Soun was the first to step up and say this could not be allowed. Lord Hojo personally led the campaign that crushed the Shinzaki and raised the green fishscale banner of the Hojo over Hebei.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

Will they never learn? February 1516 saw Ming soldiers harassing Tomi-ko Keiretsu merchants traveling to the west. Seizing upon this pretext I followed the tradition for war with the Ming started by the great General Akamatsu. We planted a declaration of war on the first body of the Chinese border guard we fired by catapult into Lanzhou. I’m sure they got the message. While I besieged Lanzhou, General Uesagi Akiyoshi attacked south into Guangxi. Cut off so far from the Ming capital of Beijing, he encountered little resistance. I had a rougher time. But the harassing tactics we’ve learned from a exiled Chagatai warlord have proved very useful in wearing down the Ming then a charge by our samurai finishes them off. The goal was a short, efficient war and that’s what we achieved. Once their armies in the field were defeated, they ceded Guandxi and Lanzhou to us in July 1518. Now off to Zhijiang, which has risen in rebellion again. Stubborn bastards.
               Hojo Soun, Jan 1519
It’s been an eventful few years. Our trading posts to the north were established with ease. Our explorer not only mapped out many islands for us, but he made contact with a new group. Ugly smelly barbarians who call themselves the Portuguese. Evidently they know the fierce reputation of our warriors well, they already have a very negative impression of our fine nation. Or perhaps reinforcing Kato’s explorers with Ruzon pirates was not the best idea. After the trouble with the Ming previously, we decided to send support to Ming dissidents. That’ll teach them.
               Honda Jian Shi, Chief Monetary Official of the Tomi-ko Keiretsu, July, 1522

The end of the Sino-Chinese war of 1516-1518 saw the first relative period of peace for the Ashikaga Shogunate in decades. Hojo Soun died in Dec. 1519 but his policy of giving better wages and rights to skilled workman was copied by many other lords. Kyoto, capital of the Ashikaga Shogunate, saw an influx of Chinese scholars and artisans, increasing it’s metropolitan nature. With the decrease in the central authority of the Shogunate, the Japanese artists that had congregated at the Ginkoku-ji have begun to spread out over the country. Lord Ouchi invited many great poets and artists from Kyoto to travel to his court in Kyushu, as well allowing a company of the great Kanze school to perform No theater at Yamaguchi in 1523. But this peaceful period was simply the calm before the storm.
                Encyclopedia Nipponica

Domestic Policy:
1419: Aris: 9 Cent: 7 Inn: 3 Merc: 5 Off: 6 Land: 5 Qual: 9 Serf: 10
1523: Aris: 7 Cent: 6 Inn: 3 Merc: 8 Off: 6 Land: 5 Qual: 10 Serf: 8

Economy:
1419: Monthly: 9.8d Census: 89d Inflation: 0 BB: 0
1501: Monthly: 63.4d Census: 239.7 Inflation: 40.6% BB: 30

And for your amusement. Europe in 1523. Yes, France is really kicking butt. their tech is far above mine, so I'm a bit worried now. I’m starting to wonder if my savegame is corrupted. I’ve had a +10 RR for the six core provinces of Nippon for almost 25 years now. It’s starting to get a bit tedius.