There are three different Daimyo in random map games, which only differs in appearance and name; Daimyo Mototada, Daimyo Kiyomasa, and Daimyo Masamune. Mototada and Kiyomasa are shipped from the Home City, while Masamune is given if the player uses the Shogunate wonder to advance into the Fortress Age or higher.
The Daimyo possesses the Saburau Zeal ability which boosts the attack of all nearby friendly units, although the effect from multiple Daimyos do not stack. They can also serve as a drop off-point for Home City shipments, allowing them to be brought to wherever he is on the map. Finally, the Daimyo can train Japanese infantry and cavalry in the field, giving the Japanese army the advantage of boosting its numbers in the middle of a fight; however, they must stand still while doing so, leaving them vulnerable.
The Daimyo are very important to win a skirmish via conquest. The preferable method is building the Shogunate, where the player can retrain killed Daimyo. The other way, the hardest, is keeping them out of battle with the help of the advance button commands, ordering him to not attack any unit.
The weakest point of the Daimyo is their ability to train units, because they must stay still while they're producing the unit. So, if one is not aware of this and leave a Daimyo alone, the Daimyo run the risk of being killed. The Daimyo don't need to stand still when a Home City shipment arrives, but if the player don't choose their cards wisely, their shipped crates of resources may drop in enemy territories!
Special ability[]
Saburau Zeal (passive): The Daimyo increases the attack of friendly units in a radius of 24 around him by 10%.
In Act I: Japan, Daimyo appear as friendly units that can be shipped from the Home City and as enemy units. The Daimyos in the Campaign are different from their Skirmish counterparts. The named Daimyos in the campaign are listed below:
Delivers Daimyo Kiyomasa; enables Daimyo Kiyomasa to be trained at the Shogunate
Daimyo Mototada
Delivers Daimyo Mototada; enables Daimyo Mototada to be trained at the Shogunate
Bakufu
Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa speed +5%, Line of Sight +10, training and research work rate +15%; land military train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead
Warring States
Samurai, Daimyo, and Shogun Tokugawa hit points and damage +15%
The daimyo were the great feudal landowners of Japan. Unlike the kuge, or court nobleman, the daimyo were lords of territory and local citizenry, and as such held great power. By the twelfth century the influence of certain daimyo rivaled even the power of the emperor. The first Kamakura shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo, had been a daimyo, but upon obtaining power in 1192 CE, he established a centralized feudal system. As a result, the shogun's power quickly weakened during the bloody civil wars occurring between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. By the end of the sixteenth century, one daimyo was quickly growing in power and wealth, rivaling the emperor for power. His name was Tokugawa Ieyasu. Upon becoming shogun in 1603, Tokugawa once again strengthened central power.
”
Gallery[]
The Daimyo's history portrait, featuring Daimyo Masamune
Daimyo Masamune concept art
The generic Daimyo portrait in the campaign
In-game Daimyo Mototada
The generic Daimyo rear view
Daimyo Mototada's icon from the website
In-game Daimyo Masamune in the Definitive Edition
In-game Daimyo Kiyomasa in the Definitive Edition
In-game Daimyo Mototada in the Definitive Edition
From left to right: In-game Shogun Tokugawa, Daimyo Masamune, Daimyo Kiyomasa, and Daimyo Mototada in the Definitive Edition
Daimyo image from the Compendium section, featuring Daimyo Masamune
See also[]
Regent - A similar unit available in certain regicide maps