Order of Kenchikuka

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The Making of Clan Kenchikuka

Ten Years Defending What We Worked so Hard to Build

In late 1999, an article was written in PC Gamer magazine revealing the upcoming gaming technologies to be featured in 2000. One of the pages showed a screenshot of the upcoming game, Shogun: Total War, and discussed the possibilities of it's 5,000 person battles, each character with it's own A.I. As Adam Emery read these words, he knew he was seeing history in the making. Months went by before PC Gamers preview on the game came out, but Adam began following the progress of the game from this time forward.

Once the preview article came out in early 2000, Adam went to his computer and did a search for Shogun: Total War. One of the first things listed was TotalWar.org. It was first, so out of curiosity, he clicked the link, and was taken to the site we all know so well, but in a more rudimentary form. He clicked the forums button and came to their relatively Spartan forums page. After reading a bit, he learned that EA had launched their site for the game, and were now taking submissions for Clans and players. Now this intrigued Adam, as he had never heard of a “Clan” before. So he did a bit of research, and there was apparently going to be “Strategic Clan Gaming” for the game, as well as a strategic multiplayer component. He therefore registered on The Org (was something like the 100^th member to sign up), and registered at EA as Shimazu Asaji (and was consequently the 34^th player to sign up). However he had yet to find out about the clan thing. So he went back to The Org, placed some posts, and waited.

The next day, the early members of the org had voiced their opinions about what the “Strategic Clan Gaming” aspect of the game might be (We were still a month or more away from the game being launched). According to them, there would be a strategic “risk-like” component of the game that would allow clans to compete for world domination. Adam was thrilled. All of his years playing “Diplomacy” and “Risk” were now going to be realized in a video game that allowed for 5000 person battles. It seemed to good to be true – and would never come true unless he had a clan. But what could he name it that would blend with the Japanese theme of the game? Well – anything – he figured, as long as it was a Japanese word. So he went to Babel fish, and typed in “Architect” in the translator. He was an architect at the time, and it seemed fitting for the beginnings of a new clan, as they would be building something together, something more grand and far reaching than just a website. And the word “Architect” implies legacy, lasting, creation, construction – all things that a great clan requires to blossom.

The word for “Architect” in japanese was simply, “Kenchikuka”.

So the name was established, and was duly registered at EA as its 11^th clan (There eventually were thousands). But a site was still required. Adam had been dabbling in websites for a few years, and felt that in order to accrue the best membership, it would be essential to build a world class website. So on a Thursday afternoon, he sat down, and came up with the design that would stand for the next year or so. It was simple and zen-like in its black and gold coloring, and tried to evoke the quiet presence of distant mountains and…castles – the basis for the “Kenchikuka” of the time period.

Original Screenshot from May 25^th 2000
Click here to see the archived version

Having been an avid roleplayer, Adam felt that a strong role-playing component would be important to the clan, so he came up with a story for Shimazu Asaji as well as a story for the clan, (both are below) and expected other applicants to the clan to do the same. And on May, 26^th 2000 , Clan Kenchikuka's site was launched and a post directing other members to the site was placed on the The Org.

The story of Damiyo Shimazu Asaji – Adam Emery
May 24^th 2000

Shimazu Asaji was born the son of a powerful warlord, and considered to be an excellent leader at even a very young age. Often seen leading his group of friends in battles against the servants, Asaji was considered destined for greatness as a warrior. Yet when he wasn't brandishing his Katana, or practicing Kyudo, he diligently watched his father's workers build dams and walls. He took to drawing his surroundings and his skill as a designer and architect increased at a dramatic pace.

As Asaji matured his ideas became obsessions. He used his skills as a leader to gain his father's support for his fantastic building projects. Soon their land was fortified with castles of such elegance and beauty that they became natural targets for their neighbors. Yet, as his castles had been so expensive to build, there was little money for the defense they needed. One by one, his beautiful castles were taken away.

Now Asaji stands poised, ready to take revenge on the defacers of his vision. Those that have soiled his creations with their presence will pay. He calls upon all lords and warriors to join with him to regain his castles. He promises to reward those that join him with structures of unparalleled beauty and grace.

The original history of Clan Kenchikuka

Clan Kenchikuka, founded by Shimazu Haijiko, is a relatively new clan considering it is only two generations old. Although Haijiko managed to expand the Kenchikukan territory rapidly in the first few years of his reign due to brutal warfare , the Kenchikukan troops were battered and neded rest. Realising that pushing on would mean defeat , Haijiko decided to try diplomatic conquest. Using friends of his son Asaji to get in contact with local lords, Haijiko soon had a network of secret and public alliances. Through diplomacy he managed to gain valuable and loyal allies - but he also made a lot of enemies.

Unaware of increasing hostility towards him and his allies , Haijiko spent a great deal of time with his son Asaji who was always full of ideas for great building projects. Building great castles across their lands the Kenchikukans were envied by their neighbours and the inevideble war came. However, due to the costs constructing the castles, the Kenchikukans treasury was empty. They did not have the neccessary resource to mount a defensive force.. Haijiko summoned his allies and ordered Asaji to prepare the defenses.

The Battle of Five Castles

Asaji realized his position was precarious. Neither could he defend all the castles nor could he command all the troops effectively. He divided his troops among his personal military staff. General Indreju, being an important ally, was ordered to move to the northern castle with an army of archers and spearmen. Asaji's nephew Jebu was ordered to take his band of warrior monks and hold the eastern regions. Leaving the defense of the main castle to Heusosi, Asaji moved South to face the enemy stationed there. While moving south Asaji encountered a war-beaten group of samurai commanded by a ronin called Satake. Satake swore loyalty to Asaji and linked up with his troops. On all fronts except the main castle territory was lost , regained and lost once again. Faced with a depleting force of Samurai , Asaji called back all of his generals to the main castle from where they effectively counter attacked in groups lead by Asaji himself , Heusosi , Satake , Indreju and Jebu. After retaking some castles in the direct vicinity Asaji sent out word to all lords that whoever would join the cause of the Kenchikuka would be rewarded..

Within hours, members of the org were sending application e-mails to the clan. Each application containing a story detailing the history of their character….attached are a few examples received from our original members in the first month:

Indreju – Aaron Montgomery
May 24, 2000

It has been rumored by some that Shimazu Indreju is in fact a descendent of a past lover of Bishamon, a maid that he found too beautiful to resist. While the General may deny any relation, his mastery on the battle field would definitely do the justice to the rumors of being related to one of the God's of War. Having helped Shimazu Asaji in many previous battles, and gaining much honor in the defense of the Shimazu lands, he has asked for leave to remove the Imagawa from the remaining states they control on Kyushu . The unification of Kyushu under the flag of his Daimyo has been his goal for the last few years as his military sense has warned him of the upcoming stress on the people of Japan.

Indreju's real passion however isn't for battle, for he takes Sun Tzu's words to heart that a General first seeks victory and then seeks battle. For Shimazu Indreju, victory is a unified Japan and the tranquility of his famed gardens. The relatively small area that he calls home is one of the truly wonderful gardens to be found in Japan , perhaps only being paralleled by the Imperial Palace.

- "The Tranquility found in my gardens far surpasses any glory to be found on the battle field." –Indreju

Joram Oosterheert – Satake
June 3^rd, 2000

Being named after a grandparent who served Yoshitsune Minamoto during the first struggles for the Shogunate , Satake is born samurai. Having abandoned the Minamoto cause after the seppuku of Yoshitsune, ordered by his brother Yoritomo , Satake's family had to give up great portions of land conquered on the Taira clan and had little actual power left. Knowing that they had fallen from grace of the Minamoto clan , the family settled in their hometown of Akita where they focussed on the arts of Bushido. Recently the family has had wars with daimyo's who all wanted the fortress of Akita . The wars have worn down the loyal armies and ultimate defeat is at hand. Being the youngest son , Satake is order by his father to take 1,000 men and break out before the siege commences. His father and brother remain in the castle to defend it to the last. Knowing Satake will not see his family again , Satake leaves. Fighting a way through the landscapes Satake remembers his father's final will , for Satake to find a daimyo who will accept his pledge of eternal loyalty in return for the reinstallment of his family in Akita . Satake realises they will never have complete control over Akita again , and sets for the homelands of Asaji Shimazu.

Asakura Momotaro – William McDonald
June 13^th, 2000

The Ogiya were a samurai family, imperial guards assigned to the patrolling and policing the Kamogawa River district in Kyoto . This area was well renowned for its expensive Geisha residences and rice warehouses to which the Ogiya controlled with an iron grip. In 1520, there was an assassination attempt on the Ashikaga Shogun while he was attending a river festival. Despite requests to traditionally commit seppuku, the shogun forbid the Ogiya from doing so because he knew Ogiya Momotaro over the years had grown to be a highly powerful and respected leader. If Momotaro were to die then his family and many geisha would follow him to the grave. The shogun valued the fine skills of his most favourite geisha and decided instead to banish the retainer and his family to the province of Tosa ..

That was ten years ago.

Today the waring clans of Japan are rising, and civil war is inevitable. It would be very easy for this old hawk to spend his retirement on the beaches of Shikoku , but it is now time for one to take sides and return honour to those clans that have suffered.

No aru taka wa tsume o kakusu.

"A clever hawk hides its claws."

Momotaro pledges his support to the Shimazu who too have tasted the bitter taste of defeat. It is time to show our claws!

Shimazu Miyamoto - Robert Tofte
June 15^th, 2000

Miyamoto was born as a peasant. It was his boyhood dream to become a samurai, and he trained vigorously with the sword all his child hood. At 13 years of age, he killed for the first time, it was a samurai who was spotting his dreams and his upbringing. He killed the samurai with a homemade wooden sword in a duel. Fearing death, the punishment for a capital crime, he left the village and fled to the mountains, living of roots and small animals for 3 years, in a state of mind like a wild animal.

A lone wandering monk finds him one day, as he is on the brink of dying from starvation and malnuitrion. Nursing him to better health and teaching him about the way of man, Miyamoto slowly becomes aware that he has been living as an animal, and that life can be better. After spending a couple of years with the monk, Miyamoto decides to pay back the monk by doing service as a ronin, in the family the monk is originating from. As an act of kindness and reward for Miyamotos devotion, the monk bestowes upon him his family name ....Shimazu!

Having spent a couple of years in service, Miyamoto rises in grades. It seems clear though, that the lack of proper upbringing, has left him without the proper stratetic knowledge, commonly known to a man in such a position. Miamoto's determination, devotion and swordsmanship keeps him well respected though.

Magyar Khan - Joska Paszli
June 25^th, 2000

A long time has passed since the second Mongol assault on Hakate in 128. It was here that a small group of high-rnaking Mongol officers survived the typhoon which destroyed the Mongol fleet. Sheltered in the Japanese forests, these officers were able to survive. After several years they revealed themselves to a Japanese rebellion leader. This leader was convinced of the Mongol warfare supremacy and enlisted the Mongol officers. Although the rebellions were small in numbers, they were able to give the Kamakura Shogunate real headaches. The Shogun at that time sought peace more often than war and listened to the demands of the rebels. Proving themselves in the revolts, the Mongol officers were granted high military status and became well known figures on the island of Kyushu .

Centuries after this, Sübeetey was born as a descendent of one of the Mongol officers. At a young age he listened to the stories of the old Mongol empire and from that time he was willingly to relive this glorious period of the invincible, devil's horsemen. Clearly overloaded by warfare talents he becomes an high officer at an early age. Although not a member of a samurai-class his unequaled ability of putting almost every battle into a victory gives him the unrevealed status of the Daimyo's most favorite dog of war.

An battle-reports from a enemy who survived the battle at the Hakata plains stated this: “……at one time in the battle it seems there were more arrows in the air than raindrops. The thousands of whistlin' sounds came from all sides, creating chaos and havoc in the hearts of our troops. For a short moment the air was black and shortly after this the ground red. In this horrific display of colors I saw Sübeetey looking down from the hill, it seems he smiled. The arrows made place for a loud sound from his battle-drums. Surrounded with his horse archers it seems he wanted to whitdraw, and just when our men gained some confidence his heavy cavalry doomed up behind us…...”

By the end of our first months, With so many new players coming in, a structure needed to be created to manage all of the players. So Adam turned to William McDonald (Asakura Momotaro) to help come up with a structure that made sense of all of the clan mates. He did some outstanding research and came up with the following breakdown of traditional Japanese military and beaureaucratic responsibilities:

Which translated to the following structure when initially applied to the clan.

In addition, Momotaro came up with the following brilliant work on the honor and responisiblities of being a Kenchikua:

The Honor of Clan Kenchikuka
Asakura Momotaro

The year is 1547, for the past forty years the country has been in the midst of a terrifying civil war and slowly but surely the decaying and fragmented Ashikaga Shogunate is losing its economic power and military dominance to wealthy and influential provincial lords. Turmoil and destruction have cast a dark and fearsome shadow over the entire nation as these Daimyo battle for control.

Many gifted warriors have been drawn to these wealthy Daimyo in search of riches and rewards beyond their dreams. Some are drawn to follow a Daimyo for religious or family reasons and others for the taste of battle.

Why do brave men choose to follow the Shimazu Daimyo, Asaji?

In 1537 while meditating in his favourite Zen Buddhist garden Asaji came across a novel yet revolutionary idea. Since the time of waring Taira and Minamoto Clans, warriors of the nation have developed and refined a code of practice termed Bushidō. Simply meaning ‘the way of the warrior', this individual code places life's importance on one's clan, the practice of military techniques and spiritual development intended to transcend death.

Shimazu Asaji was to be the first Daimyo to extend the philosophies bushidō to form a new set of code called Shimazu no Tōsotsudō. Faced with a large number of Taisho of all different skills and ideologies trying to enter his Clan, Asaji decided that they must follow a code that would bring out the best in their abilities as commanders of his armies. While the practice of the old ways were still important his generals and chief advisors would adopt and practice Tōsotsudō ‘the way of the leader' to bring strategic success to his Clan Kenchikuka.

The Way of the Shimazu leader

Honor and respect all those who fly the Shimazu banner no matter what age, skill or region that they may hail from.
Listen constructively, to all members, they have been chosen for a reason and share many various experiences on life and on the battlefield.
The Shimazu strength comes from its network of gifted leaders, teamwork is paramount for the success of the Clan, work together and anything can be yours.
Confidence builds success; leaders must empower and build confidence among all members.
The Clan exists through the efforts of the committed and dedicated, leaders take responsibility for your actions and realize that your efforts are essential for the Clans survival.
Leaders take charge of your destiny; they look at all alternatives and avenues in life as well as the on battlefield.
Leaders of the Shimazu relish in being part of a Clan that prides itself on being a successful, interesting, dynamic, resourceful and enjoyable.
My army is like the cool winters wind scattering leaves and leaving only bareness and defeat upon those that defy my name. My command is absolute, trust those that I delegate, feel honored to be part of the Kenchikuka.
Those who follow Bushidō and Shimizu no Tōsotsudō, they will encounter an enlightened path to victory. Following the teachings of Shimazu Asaji can only bring harmony and wisdom to those seeking a united effort under the Kenchikuka banner.

So the beginnings of Kenchikuka were underway. The game had been launched on June 8^th of 2000, the clan was in good hands. Momo had taken charge of much of the clan organization, leaving Adam to concentrate on the site, and playing the game.

During this time, one might say Kenchikuka had its first golden age. Clan Kenchikuka was rated number one on EA's servers. Our foremost warrior of the time, Magyar Khan, was also rated number one on the servers. We were quite literally, the cream of the crop.

However, as we were doing quite well, the fold of applicants was becoming a deluge. The site soon became too unbearable to maintain, and Adam began the task of learning to program dynamic sites, meaning sites which have information that comes from a database. This was a grueling task for a former architect. But with some diligence, after about a month, Adam had a new site running based on a database. From that point forward, he left the site primarily in Momo's hands and turned to his new profession of web development.

After an absence of several months from the Kenchi community, now we're in September, he came back to the site's bulletin board only to discover that the clan was in crisis. Momo had laid the law down a bit to zealously, and many of the clan's members had fled. Asaji stepped into the middle of power struggle, and in a raucous ICQ session, had it out with Momo and some of the other members. He let it be known that if the clan was going to follow its present path, the site would be taken down, and Kenchikuka would be closed forever.

In a surprising show of support, the other clan members present all refused to let the site die, and decided to abandon Momo, and follow Asaji once again. So Adam once again took the reins of the clan for a month or so, cleaned up the database, added a flash front end to the site, and then proceeded to get busy again – and left the clan for what he felt would be the last time. Even though he continued to reregister the domain name….

Two years went by.

In November of 2002, while absently browsing the internet, Asaji decided to type in “Kenchikuka” And lo and behold, new items appeared on a bulletin board run by someone named Baz, though Tera's name was familiar, as was Satake's. On further inspection, it seemed that the clan had abandoned it's site as it was unmanageable, and had reverted to a free bulletin board.

Well, Adam couldn't let this be the case. The clan, who's motto had always been, “Defending what we've worked so hard to build”. Had abandoned it's ruined “castle” as we called the site, and was now living in electronic squalor – not even using their own domain name! Adam, who had now been a programmer and designer for several years, redesigned the site with a medieval theme, and rebuilt the system from the ground up to include many new features such as an integrated bulleting board, polls, news and news mailings, dynamic picture uploads, etc. The goal of all this was to ensure that even if he left, the clan – and site – would be able to survive without his assistance. The new – completely autonomous website was launched January 14^th, 2003

Screenshot of the January 2003 Site. (Current)

True to form, within a month or so, Adam once again returned to work that took him away from Kenchi. But the new web systems held. And Baz, the clan's itinerant leader of the past year and half was able to hold down the fort.

Clan Kenchikuka, Totalwars oldest clan, has been around now for almost 4 years. Like many dynasties, people have come and gone, power has waned and waxed, and coups have taken place. But the clan, and what it stands for have always been unique. There is no bluster in Clan Kenchikuka. There is no false pride. There, instead, is a feeling of being a part of something great, something bigger than just another clan. One might say that Kenchikuka, is the "Camelot" of Total War. Thus making Baz the Arthur that has finally brought to the clan peace and prosperity…..