Editing Kensei (section)

===Common Troops===
The common soldiery, found in all factions other than Kuroi-te and Hattori (unless those Hattori have joined the Kuge). Most come from the class of citizens called Heinin which represent the common workers of cities and the peasantry. Those fielded on foot are called Ashigaru, meaning "soldiers with agile legs". 

Ashigaru in the Sengoku era of real life Japan were technically part of the warrior caste and can arguably be called low-ranking Samurai, prior to the Sengoku era the term Samurai was even more loose and more often referred to cavalry warriors rather than any quality of nobility or armor, in the Edo period after the Sengoku wars ended Ashigaru were locked into the peasant social class). Smart lords don't just send their Ashigaru to die at whim leaving nobody to work their fields, but then again in theory you can afford a few untilled farms if you can take the farms of your neighbors. Ashigaru who perform excellently or are lucky enough to score a kill against an enemy VIP in battle can be promoted to Samurai or even adopted into the Daimyo's own clan as family, and in some clans can even petition for this promotion. Anyone can become an Ashigaru, and many did simply by deciding that working the fields was for the weak and decided to march to a battlefield and wait for one side to gain the upper hand and rush in to kill off the wounded or join a charge using looted gear and were absorbed into the army in the post-battle to earn wages and rewards. In some battles the opportunistic Ashigaru waiting from a hill outnumbered the actual Ashigaru enlisted men enabling the victor to effectively end with double the amount of troops they began with. 

* Hata-Jurushi
Flag-bearers.

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Image:Ashigaru Hata.jpg|Ashigaru
Image:Samura Hata.jpg|Samurai
Image:Kuge Hata.jpg|Kuge
Image:Buke Hata.jpg|Buke
Image:Sohei Hata.jpg|Sohei
Image:Otokodate Hata.jpg
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* Daisho Yumi
A Samurai Daisho, also called a Mono-gashira, is a Samurai with one or more units under his command who has been proven in battle. They conduct themselves honorably and have veteran status. This Daisho carries a bow. 

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Image:Daisho Yumi Samurai.jpg
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* Samurai Daisho
A Daisho carrying only a sword. 

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Image:Samurai Daisho 1.jpg
Image:Samurai Daisho 2.jpg
Image:Samurai Daisho.png
Image:Date Masamune.jpg|A special miniature produced during the second Kickstarter. Resembles the real life samurai Date Masamune. 
Image:Samurai Daisho Naginata.jpg
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* Cavalry Samurai Daisho
A Daisho on horseback.

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Image:Mounted Samurai Daisho.jpg
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* Daisho Teppo
A Daisho carrying a rifle.

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Image:Teppo Ashigaru Daisho.jpg|A Teppo Daisho Ashigaru.
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* Ashigaru Daisho
Also called Bugyo, they are Heinin who have impressed their lord and been put in command of one or more non-Samurai units. 

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Image:Ashigaru Daisho.jpg
Image:Daisho Ashigaru.jpg
Image:Sohei Daisho Ashigaru.jpg|A Sohei Daisho Ashigaru.
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* Kensei
The titular characters available, Kensei are samurai who have attained a reputation across all of Hymukai. Swordsmen at the highest level of skill, masters of the tea ceremony (a MASSIVELY important custom that simply involves preparing and sharing nutritious and delicious tea, symbolizing mastery in all aspects of life from grave to wisdom as well as spiritual fulfillment), artists, poets, writers, sages, and merciful in conflict due to the fact they only fight to '''preserve''' their own honor rather than increase it. Kensei are the ideal of Hymukai society with anyone attaining the title being known across the land, and many respect a hostile Kensei more than the Daimyo they serve. 
Kensei can be found in all walks of life, as likely to be sweeping steps at a Sohei shrine as in the role of an adviser to a Buke warlord, as likely wandering an Otokodate trade road as being a regular in the court of the Kuge. To be able to boast a Kensei in your army both increases your honor and claim to respect as well as gives you access to an INCREDIBLY skilled warrior who can deflect or cut flying arrows with their sword and slice a man clean in half with only their katana.

tl;dr gentleman high-level murderhobos
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Image:Kensei-Young.jpg
Image:Kensei-Middle Age.jpg
Image:Kensei-Old.jpg
Image:Kensei-Female.jpg|The special Indiegogo-only female Kensei model. 
Image:Nakano Kensei.png
Image:Nakano Kensei 2.png
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* Sensei

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Image:Sensei.png
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* Kyudo Hanshi Judan
The same as a Kensei, although their art and mastery in combat is with the bow rather than the sword. 

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Image:Kyudo Hanshi Judan.png
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* Geisha
Geisha are women trained in ways of satisfying the various desires of men. Many function as prostitutes, while others are paid dancers, musicians, poets, and even take on roles such as administering medicine required regularly or in the preparation and presentation of tea. Many lords bring Geishas with them to relieve their minds from the stress of command and battle, to increase the morale of their forces, or to confide their worries and concerns to. Not all can be trusted however, as many function as spies and assassins for their enemies. Still others are absolutely loyal, willing to fight and die for their masters. 

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Image:Geishi Loyal.jpg
Image:Geisha Assassin.jpg
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* Spy
What did they expect? 
Spies are used both offensively and defensively, either infiltrating the armies or cities of their masters to conduct counter-intelligence or to pose as those unlikely to arouse suspicion like a traveler or monk and blend into enemy camps among drunk and loud-mouthed warriors. Many are kept close by their lords, as a Spy usually the only defense between them and an assassin. 

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Image:Spy.jpg
Image:Spy 3.png
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* Kabukimono
Kabukimono are lordless Samurai, known as Lunatics and Deviants as well. They contrast between an extremely refined lifestyle by wearing elaborate hairstyles and clothing, and a poor lifestyle by ceasing to shave, being constantly intoxicated, and having absolutely no tact or humility. They challenge everyone they can to martial duels, robbing those who refuse and those who lose. Often these men gather gangs to themselves and represent the bulk of the disorder and misconduct in a village or city.

They do not yet have models. 

* Kagemusha
Body doubles for important individuals, either to prevent assassination or to go about their duties while the actual individual is preoccupied with more pressing ones. 

Kagemusha are represented by the model they are imitating, and thus can by anything fitting.

* Shinobi/Kunoichi
Master Ninja, trained to assassinate enemies. Shinobi are male, Kunoichi are female. All factions will hire their services, although only Kuge will hire them in bulk and field them against regular troops. They may lie in wait on the battlefield for their target, or infiltrate the enemy's own army. Some will cause disarray in the enemy's ranks by shouting that their commander is dead before the assassin actually does kill him in order to cause panic. Kuge have more incentive for taking one than other Clans since taking a Shinobi or Kunoichi allows them to basically merge with the Hattori faction in the same army. 

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Image:Shinobi-Young.jpg
Image:Shinobi-Middle Age.jpg
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* Ashigaru
Yari Ashigaru are Heinin soldiers who wield Wakizashi, given simple armor to cover themselves with and the banner of their lord to march with. They are equipped with a Hata-jirushi, a suit of light armor. 

* Yari Ashigaru
Ashigaru with a Yari, a type of spear.

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Image:Yari Ashigaru.jpg
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* Heishi
Heishi are the step below Ashigaru, not trusted yet to be disciplined in the face of the enemy and as a result not as well geared (although some are simply because their lord is too cheap or underarmed to provide it). They are only given a Hara-ate for armor, which covers their abdomen. They are given naginata to fight with.

In real life, Heishi were conscripted soldiers used by the forces loyal to the Imperial Court during the Yamato Period, a term which refers to several smaller periods of Japanese history called the Kofun Period (starting at the dawn of recorded Japanese history via Korean envoys sometime around 250 AD) and Asuka Period (ending in 710); both are grouped as "Yamato" due to that being the location of the Imperial Court at the time (the exact location of the original Yamato is unknown and a matter of intense archeological debate, other cities called Yamato were established later), ending when the capital was moved to Nara. 
Real life Heishi are quite archaic, and represent a very primitive or at least traditional army. The actual word Heishi literally translates simply to "soldier" in English, and doesn't refer to any specific type of soldier. The weapons the Kensei Heishi are equipped with are called Nagamaki, a long-handled katana without a standardized measurement system for make. Nagamaki were an anti-cavalry weapon for infantry that were technically a type of No-Dachi, although usually used by samurai rather than peasant soldiers much less poorer equipped ones which may further support the idea of being based on early conscripted soldiers. 

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Image:Kensei Heishi.jpg
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* Yumi Ashigaru
Ashigaru armed with bows.

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Image:Yumi Ashigaru.jpg
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* Katana Samurai
Samurai armed with swords and Hata-jirushi. Not exactly rare as far as Samurai go, although they cost more for a lord to field than Ashigaru. On the plus side, a massacre against you means you still have a backup plan!

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Image:Katana Samurai.jpg
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* Katana Cavalry
Samurai on horseback armed with Katanas. Many generals ride with them, plunging into the flanks of enemy formations unexpectedly to route them and end the battle. 

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Image:Kiba Musha.jpg
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* Light Cavalry Yari
Samurai on horseback armed with spears and naginata, the most skilled horsemen among the mounted Samurai forces. They rely on hit and run attacks during the battle.

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Image:Yari Kiba Musha.jpg
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* Yumi Samurai
Samurai armed with bows. 

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Image:Yumi Samurai.jpg
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* Ashigaru Slings
Also called Mizumata and Ishitsubute Ashigaru, they are Ashigaru armed only with slings. They are rarely fielded, and usually serve to disrupt enemies moving into melee range while avoiding any actual confrontation. 

According to historian Suzuki Masaya, in battles from the mid-fourteenth to the mid-fifteenth centuries out of 554 examples, the percentage of casualties caused by arrows was 86%, sword cuts 8.3%, rocks 2.7%, spears and stab woounds 1.1%. From the mid-fifteenth to the mid-sixteenth centuries 1461 examples are analyzed with arrow wounds at 41.3%, guns 19.6%, spears and stab wounds 17.9%, rocks 10.3%, and 3% for swords. So in total Ashigaru with slings dealt more damage than Yari Ashigaru prior to guns reaching Japan, and more than swords afterwards. In addition, the general Oyamada Nobushige who served the Takeda clan had a special unit numbering between 300-800 men specifically for the purpose of throwing rocks, albeit with a sling attached to a staff. Unfortunately accounts of actual tactics regarding slings are rare, although skipping stones was a well-known pastime for all classes of society. 

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Image:Ishitsubute Ashigaru.jpg
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* No Bushi
No Bushi are archers who rely on skirmish tactics, harassing enemy positions and softening up foes before engagement. They come from all social backgrounds and are put into units based on skill alone. 

They do not yet have models.

* Kuro
Peasants not provided any gear, armed only in cloth and farming equipment. They have no discipline or tactics other than to swarm enemies.

Kuro directly translates to "black" in Japanese, and is most likely a reference to the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System created by Prince Shōtoku in the year 603 based on the Chinese concept of the elements. Each social position in Japan was assigned a color, and could not wear colors of a higher rank (similar to the Roman rule of only Patricians wearing purple). Peasants were assigned the color black as their only allowed dye, and although the ranking system was succeeded by other systems and eventually forgotten starting around 647 the cultural symbolism of the colors remained; black is a color of peasantry and the lower classes, but also piety and humility which is why the priestly colors of Japan often includes black. Putting aside the Ikko-Ikki, peasant rebellions happened often throughout Japanese history and peasant militias formed to defend their own villages in times of war when the concerns of their lord were elsewhere, although some Daimyo were eager to use a new source of soldiery when pressed and would send these militias as Ashigaru. 

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Image:Kensei Kuro.png
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* Onna Komuso
Onna Komuso are highly-trained Batsudo warrior nuns who protect peasants and the roads from bandits while on pilgrimage from shrine to shrine. 

They do not yet have models.

* Bo Hiya
Bo Hiya are Samurai armed with explosive projectile guns.

Use of simply incendiary arrows in Japan dates back to the 6th century in Korea although they were fired by Yumi Ashigaru. The Japanese used gunpowder to fire incendiary arrows for naval combat against the Mongols in the 13th century, but the introduction of matchlock guns by the Portuguese in 1543 resulted in an advancement of the concept to fire a giant winged iron arrow called a "bo hiya" like a rocket, the actual gun itself called a "hiya zutsu" which had the fuse wrapped around the shaft. Hiya zutsu were used often against infantry and were a favored weapon in naval combat due to their ability to light ships on fire; Wako Pirates in particular began using them extensively since they enabled their ships to match the destructive power of the vessels of Samurai clans.

* Taiko
Large drums used both ritually and to command troops or maintain morale in war.

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Image:Taiko.jpg
Image:Undead Taiko.jpg|A Kuroi-te Taiko.
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