Norrefeldt said:
Wouldn't it be possible to represent some of the minor players as rebellions or provincerevoltrisk?
Most of those areas already in red or orange. As said, i could add Toyotomi since they didn't have any land holdings representable in EU2 province sized and their reign as shoguns wasn't extremely long.
For the Onin War:
Yamana/Hosokawa are the two major players. Not having the both would be like having the 30-year war without either France or England.
Ouichi was the reason the Onin war lasted 5 more years than it did, just to make sure Ashikaga Yoshimasa named a successor himself.
For Sengoku Jidai:
Otomo/Shimazu battled it out in Kyushu. Actually it wasn't them two intially but those are the two who became the end-game powerhouses. Had they united Kyushu, they could well have swept through and united western Japan. Also Shimazu were the clan to embrace Catholism the most.
Amako/Mori/Ouichi It was Mori who united the land and if Mori Moratomi hadn't died in an accident less than a year before the western invasion of Japan by Oda, Japan's history most certainly wouldn't have been the same.
However Mori clan starts out as a vassal switiching sides littlely by the month with Amako and Ouichi to get the best deal. Ultimately they side with Ouichi, but this is well into the war. Without Amako, this element would be lost entirely and there is no real way to compensate.
Hojo/Takeda Hojo was intially the most favored nation to win the war. They were one of the older and more prestigious clans. They also had the most land and resources, but their leaders became worse and worse.
Takeda was likely, other than Mori, the most likely alternative to stopping Oda. He too died in an accident about the same time as Mori (coincidence?) These three men, Oda, Takeda, Mori were probably among not only Japan's greatest rulers, but near the top in atleast Asia, if not the world.
Date Well he isn't that important, but he's also the only real player in the north. Had he a bit more development the resources he controlled would have made Hojo's pale in comparison.
Post-Sengoku Jidai:
Hideyoshi They were the ones that really pushed for the outward invasions. Had they conquered Japan, Expansionsit Japan would not be so far-fetched.
Also Shimazu was even more important post-Sengoku Jidai than during it.
Others:
Miyoshi Had some impact in the Onin Wars, but mostly pre-onin wars. They Also could have tried to conquer Shigoku and done so, but they wanted the more developed land of the mainland. Also not having them in is giving Chosokabe too much power.
Chosokabe The only real powerhouse in Shigoku after they pushed out the Miyoshi and Ichijo (the latter which will likely be removed for tag shortage). Not much else to say, but they can't be represented by anyone else.
Uesugi They were intially the threat to Hojo before they were defeated early on. They are also the only clan during this entire period to reform itself and revolt (though perhpas some others might have). This was a real shock. Once they reformed, they were a regional threat to Date, Asakura, Hojo and eventually Tokugowa and Oda, but not a major player.
Asakura Asakura, as mentioned, did battle for supremacy as Shogun, but compared to others his battle was short lived. He did not do any major expansion (likely some, just nothing i've read about both online and from library books or articles). He is however the only major daimyo in the area, especially once the Ashikaga are destroyed.
Hokkaido See previous posts.
Ashikaga/Oda/Toyotomi/Tokugowa If I need to explain why Shogunates are important, please go to a library and read some books on Japanese history pre-Meiji Restoration era.
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