Hosokawa strategy no longer possible?

[aesthete]

Started playing Japan as Hosokawa daimyo -- and I realize that Japan is hostile towards me in every start. Not only that, it declares war in 1-2 years, meaning that I am forced to fight a Japan at full strength and its vassal daimyo with whoever happens to ally me. So my question is this:

1) Has anyone been able to start such that Japan does not declare war at the start due to hostility?

2) If not, has anyone managed to win the war against Japan -- and what strategies have you used?

3) Finally, if no one has managed to accomplish either of the above two, what is the best daimyo to start as if I want to create a Westernized, Catholic Japan (and what strategy did you use)?

 

[Poh]

I managed to form Japan by using Ouchi. It seems Japan will try to attack Hosokawa in the beginning and they are generally pretty aggressive so get an ally or 2 so you dont have to fight alone.

 

[Will Steel]

The powerful Ashikaga Shogun threatening and attacking the weak and isolated Hosokawa Daimyo? Exact opposite of history, but sounds a challenging game to me. What are the starting relations of Hosokawa with the Shogunate? The only decent strategy is to grab some minor Daimyo nearby before the Shogun invades, and use that land to give gifts and improve relations with him while making the clan army large enough to scare away the sudden invasion for a while.

 

[exenter]

I think it's a bug. A country shouldn't be able to DoW its vassals.

 

[Kirikano]

Its a bug from allowing you to use the CB of your vassals. Just like how a PUed country can declare independence by using the CBs of its vassal on its overlord without fighting an independence war so the union can't be restored by the peace (cough France cough), Japan can use the CBs of its vassals (the daimyo) to directly annex them.