The Yamabushi is a native Japanese heavy infantry unit that can be trained at the Consulate using the Japanese Isolation feature. Swinging its heavy, spiked club, the Yamabushi is effective as a pikeman, causing great damage against enemy infantry and buildings.
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Overview[]
Yamabushi are like European Pikemen, as both are relatively fast heavy infantry units with large bonuse damage against cavalry and shock infantry.
However, they have slightly higher hit points, damage and cost. They also have 10% ranged resistance instead of Pikemen's 10% hand resistance, which is generally an advantage for this type of unit. While not enough to help them survive an onslaught with Skirmisher-type units, groups of Yamabushi are slightly better at facing them than Pikemen, who die faster from their volleys.
It is recommended to train their Consulate variant as an anti-cavalry cover for their Yumi Archers in the early game, and from the Shogun Tokugawa later, as it provides a mobile Japanese army with cheap anti-building units (particularly if the "Onin War" Home City Card is sent) during the late game. They can be combined with Samurai, or replaced by them for the siege power.
Upgrades[]
The Yamabushi is automatically upgraded in every Age up starting from the Fortress Age.
Japanese Monk armed with a large two-handed club. Good against cavalry and buildings.
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—In-game description
The Konsha Yamabushi is a counterpart of the Yamabushi which starts with +10% hit points and damage. It can be trained at the Consulate when Japanese Isolation is chosen.
Upgrades[]
The Konsha Yamabushi is automatically upgraded in the Fortress Age, Industrial Age, and Imperial Age. However, this does not change his name from his regular variant:
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
Good Faith Agreements
Consulate unit train time -50%; Consulate technology cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades), research time -50% (except Brigades)
Intervention
The Consulate ally sends a shipment of their units
"Good Faith Agreements" only affects Konsha Yamabushi.
"Intervention" ships 10 Konsha Yamabushi (if Japanese Isolation is picked).
Yamabushi are the only melee heavy infantry units to have a ranged resistance instead of hand resistance.
History[]
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Unlike the sohei warrior monks of the same period, the yamabushi were an order of loosely banded mountain hermits who had retreated to the mountains of Japan in pursuit of peace and worldly abstinence. The yamabushi were disciples of Shugendo, the study of man's relationship to nature, and strived for spiritual enlightenment through the purging of outside influence. Over time, the yamabushi became the caretakers of all forms of obscure occult knowledge and were often sought after as healers and guides. In addition to their study of nature, esoteric imagery, and religious texts, the yamabushi also trained in the martial arts.
By the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the scattered yamabushi began to show an interest in affairs outside their mountain havens, and began to form loose groups known as konsha, which took orders from a central temple. Banded together in this way, the yamabushi, like their warrior monk brethren, the sohei and the ikko-ikki, suddenly held political power in a region where clans and kingdoms were constantly toppled. These warrior monks fought alongside samurai in many campaigns of the Sengoku Period, until they were eventually crushed by the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga.
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Gallery[]
In-game Yamabushi
In-game Konsha Yamabushi; note the circle which differs them from the standard Yamabushi