Because even with low development the 1400s pre-idea coring costs are p. brutal for your adm. And I can't really afford advisors (mostly because of the freaking 10 regiment fort in Mino that alone probably cost 500 ducats to siege down with mercs). Although that does weaken your vassal swarm, it is useful for keeping your subjects in check. I was also diplo-annexing whenever my Dip reputation wasn't in the toilet. It'll probs take me about 40 years to be viable in wars and even then it'll be sketchy. Also how fast did you manage to get it? I've never seen them personally, but some people have, so... -Remove the 2 Unite Japan decisions (helps OCD), -Who cares about vassals anyways, the world is Rightful Japanese Clay, Edit: Also conquer Ainu, we need Sapporo beer in our lives :(, Also technically you're still Shogun when you unite because you can't play as the Yamato :////////////////. However, that left me in quite an unenviable position of being at least 4 techs behind due to sheer amount of dip and adm point drain the wars had caused, as well as very little room to expand beyond colonialism due to Ming making asia a stale and boring region (when there isn't a player horde). At home, however, the Ashikaga shoguns were weak. Thanks for the tip! Bad rulers? Allow. The decision releases all remaining Daimyos, turning both them and the shogunate into feudal monarchies. The first (Unite Japan!) Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. If you stay Shogunate you can have unlimited vassals, that's about the only reason to stay Shogunate, “Only reason” = a way to take nearly unlimited amounts of land w/o worrying about over extension, have multiple colonizers, the amazing interactions scaled to the extreme, and the addition to land and naval force limit. There are two decisions to form Japan. The basic goal for the daimyos is to grow strong enough to successfully challenge the shogun and conquer Kyoto, thus becoming the new shogun. The Onin War marked the beginning of the Sengoku, a 100-year period of continual civil war and turmoil. Also if liberty desire becomes an issue, just simply press the button that decreases their force limit for some legitimacy. Every game is diferrent so i will only give a timetable for Japan's unification and some importants things in the game. Yeah. Nope, turns out you can't enforce peace even on special Daimyo-status subjects. I've united Japan, but it took me about 40 years. Failing to unite Japan by 1600 is not a tragedy but will slow you down a lot by the end game. It’s a cakewalk if you adhere to basic tricks: 1. Yeah. As other people have stated the bonuses to not forming Japan, here are the bonuses to forming Japan: -Empire rank, so it's easier to diplo-vassalize Ryukyu and you don't need to put Kyushuan and Togoku as accepted cultures. They may ally, rival, and fight other daimyo (particularly with the "Sengoku" casus bellithat gives 25% less aggressive expansion), but not external countries. In terms of international relations, the Ashikaga shoguns sent frequent diplomatic and trade missions to Joseon Korea, and also used the daimyo of Tsushima Island as an intermediary. Japan also carried on an active trade relationship with Ming China, once the Mongol Yuan Dynasty was overthrown in 1368. Tosokawa can under 15 years. The time has come to unite Japan by force! Am I doing something wrong by just chain-warring the other damyos and taking all their land + money? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Otherwise I killed OPM's in the east to avoid AE with Ming but by the end I was annexing subjects in the west and just crossing my fingers than Ming didn't coalition me. Time to play as Ashikage :D. Thanks for the advice dudes I'll have to try Japan again.