Prefecture of Ryu

Samurai culture has both military and feudal culture.  Everyone fits into the social pyramid where a leader had his trusted supporters under his command. They in turn had their own respective supporters under their command, and so on and so on. The Takashi retainers are all capable warriors in the service of a Takashi Samurai of a higher rank, willing to lay down their lives in service.

All lords maintain a healthy number of household guards, training warriors to keep them safe from their enemies. The Takashi guard’s body may not be as honed as that of the Ashigaru who constantly train and drill. This does not mean that their eyes are not sharp as blades and their ears keen as hawks, skills developed over the years watching for threats to their lords and ladies.

Blister contains one model, one 30mm base and one full colour profile card.

A ward is a member of a noble clan who has been taken in by another clan to be raised for a time. The practice varies, with it sometimes being undertaken voluntarily - to help prospective heirs learn the customs of other clans as part of their education. It can also be involuntarily, with the "ward" actually being a "hostage" for his or her clan's good behaviour or until a ransom is paid. Sometimes, as part of marriage alliances, one of the betrothed is taken as a ward so he or she can get to know his or her future spouse.

The ronin of the Shiho remain a thorn in the Takashis' side. Without a fixed army the Takashi have found it almost impossible to hunt down and destroy the remaining rebels in the field, these cowed dogs hide in the woods and hills of the Dragon's lands. The solution has been somewhat answered in the excellent tracking and scouting skills of Atsushi, a former Satou family retainer now sworn to the Takashi. With his faithful hound Shinobu, rooting out those hiding in the dark, eager to savage any at the utterance of a single word from his master.