building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Stealth_1_Sake_Den_Description \n\nA sake den makes people happy, after a fashion. There is much to be said in favour of a flash of sake at the end of a long, hard day, and many troubles look much smaller after a convivial evening. In the shadows, however, and hidden behind smiles, darker business can be transacted: secrets exchanged and arrangements made. Among other dangerous types, ninjas are to be found here.\n\nOne of the most popular beverages in Japan, sake was originally only produced in small quantities for personal consumption. In the 1300s, however, mass production began in larger distilleries, often near temples and shrines. In later years, the main producers kept to the same places thanks to the availability of good sake rice and good, clean water. Sake was often used in Shinto rituals, and today barrels of sake are still left at shrines as rather splendid offerings to the spirits. Sake is also central to the Shinto ceremony of “kagami biraki”, performed at weddings and festivals. Wooden casks of sake are smashed open with a mallet, and the drinks are then served to all the guests to bring them good fortune. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Stealth_2_Gambling_Hall_Description \n\nThe chance to gamble, with some small chance of winning, is a good way to keep people occupied and happy. The gambling hall helps to improve a province’s wealth and, additionally, attracts ninjas looking to sell their skills to the highest bidder. There is always a darker side to something that is, after all, less than entirely respectable.\n\nSocial standing was of utmost importance in feudal Japan. The gentry and warriors were at the top of the system, peasants below them, followed by artisans and merchants. There were, however, groups even lower than merchants, outcastes who did not even belong to society. These people included burakumin, the hinin, and the bakuto. The burakumin had jobs that were held to be taboo, such as undertakers and tanners: people who worked with the dead, human and animal (although, to be fair, tanning was a disgusting process and no one who had any sense of smell could stand being anywhere near). Hinin were almost non-human, defined as such by their actions: criminals and those such as actors and entertainers. The bakuto were gamblers, who did not earn an honest living. This did not stop them becoming rich and relatively powerful, although without status. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Stealth_3_Criminal_Syndicate_Description \n\nA town with no crime is too poor to have anything worth stealing! Crime syndicates, however, are not about theft: they provide all kinds of illicit and enjoyable services to the local people, even as they intimidate troublesome individuals into keeping quiet. The syndicate has a positive effect on wealth, give or take, and it aids in procuring the services of a dangerous class of men: battlefield ninjas. \n\nJapanese crime syndicates, the yakuza, have a long tradition and can trace their origins back to the era of the Tokugawa shogunate and earlier. The name is deliberately ironic: a portmanteau of the Japanese for eight, nine and three, a losing hand at cards. From their start as gamblers, the yakuza became a mirror of samurai society, with their own codes of honour. Yakuza are famed for their tattoos, the elaborate designs showing that the wearer has the strength to take the pain of his decorative work. Other than yakuza, the only Japanese group to regularly carry tattoos are firemen. Tattoos are a reason for ordinary Japanese to be suspicious of strangers. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Stealth_4_Mizu_Shobai_Description \n\nThis whole city quarter given over to every kind of entertainment does much to increase the wealth of the province, as many are drawn to sample its pleasures. Even though much is relatively harmless fun, there is also a darker side where other business can be transacted away from watchful eyes. The district allows the recruitment of geishas.\n\nThe concept of ukiyo or the “floating world” became formalised during the Edo period. Red light districts were not uncommon in great cities, but the one in Yoshiwara in Edo became the most elaborate and famous. Within its boundaries almost any form of entertainment was available for those with money. Visitors to the quarter were expected to leave their weapons behind, one of the few occasions when a samurai would willingly be disarmed!\n\nThe “water trade” or mizu shobai had its own rules, strictly defined hierarchy and did not necessarily involve sex at all. Entertainers, comedians, dancers and others were all part of the trade, but not sexually available. There was also a very clear distinction between a prostitute or courtesan and a geisha. A geisha was unlikely to become sexually involved with any of her customers, and especially not for pay. She was a highly skilled entertainer and escort, not a bed companion. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Sword_1_Sword_School_Description \n\nThe sword school allows the recruitment of katana samurai units. Use of the sword is a serious business, and the teaching and practice of sword fighting is equally serious. Students are expected to approach the subject with the deepest reverence. This is not unsurprising, given that a katana, or long sword, can easily sever a limb if handled carelessly!\n\nSamurai were the only people allowed to wear a pair of swords, the daisho (literally “long and short”) of a katana and a wakizashi. Constant practice was required to use a sword properly, and many schools taught the art of kenjutsu. Iaijutsu was also taught, but this was the specialised skill of drawing and striking with a sword away from the battlefield, a useful thing for self-defence in dangerous times. The emphasis in all teaching, however, was on combat, not on sport or fun. Style mattered, but only as long as it aided the serious business of beating an opponent. Teaching also concentrated on the katana, although a few practitioners, such as the famous sword-saint, Miyamoto Musashi, favoured a two-sword style. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Sword_2_Nodachi_Description \n\nThis dojo allows the recruitment of no-dachi samurai units, armed with fearsome greatswords. The use of these swords is a specialised art, and not all samurai are suited or able to use no-dachi. The weapon is also one that requires considerable space, even for practice. However, the men who can use the swords command considerable respect among their peers.\n\nThe term “dojo” means “the place of the way”, or a formal training setting for a particular martial art. Often these would be large halls built in temple grounds, but courtyards could also be used. In the case of a no-dachi, training would have to be in the open air.\n\nA no-dachi was instantly recognisable when carried because it was worn slung over the shoulder, but its great length meant that it could not be drawn from that position. It was a weapon for the open battlefield, and rarely used indoors or in confined spaces because it needed a lot of space to use effectively. Of most use against cavalry, the no-dachi was not a common blade, as it was harder to make than a shorter sword and required a strong man to swing it! True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Sword_3_Master_Dojo_Description \n\nThe sword master school both improves the quality of sword-armed units recruited here and reduces the amount of time needed to train them. A sword takes many weeks of patient labour to forge, but the swordsman takes even longer. The sword is the soul of the samurai, and long hours of practice are necessary to master this apparently simple weapon.\n\nA kenjutsu school was more than a building: it was also the philosophy and ideas of its teachers and leaders, and each had its own style of combat and teaching. Although all schools shared the idea of kata, or forms, for practice, how these were used could vary greatly. Rivalry between schools was, at times, quite fierce, almost bordering on feuds, and duels to settle which school had the best style were not uncommon. The sword saint, Miyamoto Musashi, was, at one point in his career, particularly given to duelling with adepts from different schools. In his most famous duel he used a bokken, or wooden practice sword, against a man armed with a no-dachi. Accounts differ as to how his opponent, Sasaki Kojiro, died (and even as to why they fought) but all agree that Musashi beat him with a wooden blade! True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Sword_4_Legendary_Dojo_Description \n\nThe legendary kenjutsu school allows the recruitment of hero units. It also greatly improves the quality of all sword-armed units recruited here. An experienced unit of katana samurai will always be present to defend their school. Finally, the first clan to construct this legendary school will gain a useful close combat bonus for their units. The correct use of the sword is one of the traditional marks of the samurai warrior class; the other is skill with the bow. A kenjutsu school of this quality is therefore a mark of great honour for a clan, as well as a practical benefit.\n\nMany martial arts, including kenjutsu, the art of swordplay, are based on a set of kata, or codified forms, meaning both moves and stances. These actions help the martial artist learn and perfect his skills in combat, to the point where he no longer has to think about his next move or response to an opponent. A particular school of martial arts can often be distinguished by the kata that it expounds, as well as by its underlying spiritual philosophy. \n\nIaijutsu, the “art of immediate reaction”, relies almost entirely on kata because its fast-draw sword techniques are usually practiced alone. Apart from anything else, it would be supremely dangerous to practice iaijutsu with a partner unless both participants were supremely skilled. Even then, death or dismemberment would come all too easily. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Yari_1_Drill_Yard_Description \n\nThe drill yard allows the recruitment and training of yari-armed samurai units. Using a spear effectively in battle requires training, discipline and trust.\n\nThe art of using a spear, sojutsu, is one of many Japanese martial arts, and probably among the oldest. The spear was, with the bow, one of the traditional weapons of the samurai. The spear also has its place in Japanese mythology, because drops falling from the tip of ame-no-nuboko, the “Heavenly Jewelled Spear” formed the islands of Japan. This spear, however, is also referred to as a naginata, a slightly shorter slashing pole arm.\n\nThe spear came to be seen as a very cost-effective weapon for troops during the feudal wars of the Sengoku Jidai. Combined with bow and matchlock armed troops, spearmen formed the core of most clan armies. Spear fighting in Japan was a good deal more aggressive than the “push of pikes” that went on in European battles of roughly the same period. This probably reflected the more honour-bound and glory-hungry nature of Japanese warfare, as many European armies were full of mercenaries who could only be paid if they were still alive! True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Yari_2_Naginata_Dojo_Description \n\nThis dojo allows the recruitment of naginata-armed samurai units; if there is a large enough temple in the province, naginata-armed monks can also be trained. The naginata itself is a fearsome weapon, and requires considerable training to use effectively in battle. It is also a weapon favoured by samurai women for “home defence” when their men are on campaign. It should not, however, be considered in any way effeminate because of that!\n\nTo the untrained eye, the naginata looks like a spear with a wickedly sharp sword instead of a point. It can be used as a spear, of course, to thrust into an enemy or braced to receive a charge, but it is at its most effective when an adept uses it to cut and parry. Anyone facing a naginata has to deal with something that can cut and slash at a greater range than any sword, and be used to block any counterattack: the shaft is as much a part of the weapon’s strength as the blade itself! Traditionally, it was considered an extremely useful weapon against mounted enemies. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Yari_3_Master_Dojo_Description \n\nThis dojo speeds up the training of spear-armed troops. It also improves the expertise and experience of spear units trained in this province. Spears are traditional weapons and have been for centuries, but skilled men are needed to get the best from the weapons. Samurai spearmen bring their single-minded dedication to the weapon, but still need training.\n\nSojutsu, the art of the spear, is no longer a popular martial art in Japan, possibly because of the large amount of space needed for practice: kenjutsu, the art of the sword, needs far less room. Considered one of koryu, the traditional martial arts, the origins of sojutsu are lost in time, but it ceased to be taught on even a modest scale during the Meiji Restoration in 1866-9. Many schools were forced to close at that time, often after hundreds of years of continuous existence. The masters had relied on a rice stipend from the provinces to stay in business, and once that was gone the schools could no longer continue. True
building_description_texts_long_description_SHO_Yari_4_Legendary_School_Description \n\nThis legendary school greatly increases the expertise and experience of spear-armed samurai units trained in this province. It also allows the recruitment of yari-armed hero units. An experienced unit of yari-armed samurai will always be present in the province to defend their famous school. Finally, if a clan constructs the first legendary sojutsu school in Japan all its yari-armed units receive a defensive bonus in battle.\n\nArming troops with spears reached the height of its popularity during and after the Mongol invasions of Japan. The Mongols themselves made extensive use of spearmen, and the Japanese were not slow to adapt and copy this style of warfare. During the Sengoku Jidai, spears were issued to the thousands of ashigaru troops in clan armies, as it was relatively easy to drill ashigaru in simple spear tactics: they need only hold together, brace their spears, and then push the enemy back! The samurai, however, continued to use sojutsu, and the best samurai spearmen were indeed a force to be reckoned with: brave, skilled, and committed to victory or death under the code of bushido. The same could not always be said of the ashigaru. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Archery_1_Archery_Dojo_Description The target is nothing without the arrow. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Archery_2_Foot_Archery_Description A bow holds the spirit of its maker. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Archery_3_Bow_Master_Dojo_Description Strength is not enough: there must be form as well. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Archery_4_Legendary_Dojo_Description The shot should honour the target with its sincerity. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buddhist_1_Temple_Description Quiet should not be mistaken for "peace". True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buddhist_2_Monastery_Description A man may contemplate much, including the sword's edge. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buddhist_3_Temple_Complex_Description The whole world lies within the garden for one who cares to see it. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buddhist_4_Legendary_Temple_Description Legends feed the soul of a people. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buff_1_Encampment_Description There must be a first step in every march. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buff_2_Armoury_Description The empty scabbard is useless; beautiful lacquer mocks the owner. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buff_2_Barracks_Description Fighting is not enough. There must be obedience. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buff_2_Hunting_Lodge_Description The tiger hunts where he will. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buff_2_Jiujutsu_Dojo_Description The open hand does not need a weapon. True
building_description_texts_short_description_SHO_Buff_2_Proving_Grounds_Description One man can become an army. True
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