I've recently been flicking through the New Dawn rulebook (the edition before Risen Sun). This had a lot more background in it than Risen Sun (a separate Risen Sun background book is supposedly in the works) and contains a lot of hints about clans and factions that we either haven't seen yet or have met only briefly.
I thought I'd collate all of this background for the benefit of those who don't have access to New Dawn and idly speculate about how these Clans may make an appearance in the game.
Major Clans
Horse Clan
Based in the trade city of Ataka , the Horse Clan are unusual in that they are not led an individual family, but a collective of Horse lords. They are generally supportive of the ruling clan, a position which cost them dearly in the Dragon Wars, when the Kage Kaze Zoku were commissioned (presumably by the Takashi) to poison the majority of their horses. This effectively removed them from the conflict thereby costing the Shiho one of their key allies. Unlike many strongholds, Ataka is not fortified in any way, as the sweeping plains that surround the city favour the Horse clan's preferred means of warfare. Traditionally this made it difficult for armies to approach the city for they would be subjected to ruthlessly effective hit and run cavalry attacks. However, it is inferred that the damage to the breeding stock of the Horse Clan has made it challenging to patrol the plains around Ataka. The Takashi may yet come to regret their part in this, given the emerging threat of the Savage Wave in the west.
The Horse lords of Ataka have yet to make an appearance in miniature form and this is logical given that Bushido is largely a foot based skirmish game. Cavalry does exist as a trait, although a horse based model is something that the designers have said they would want to take care with. Again, this is understandable. They did however recently confirm that they were looking at a mounted character, but it was not for the faction that you would think. This doesn't necessarily mean that this character wouldn't be a member of the Horse clan as they are not a faction in the game. Perhaps some of their number may lend their support in the form of Ronin, which would at least enable a range of factions to utilise any cavalry models that are released.
Carp Clan
The Fujiwaro family of the Spice Isles form the Carp Clan which is led by three sisters, Satsuko, Shigeko and Shizuka. If the Horse Clan are the cavalry of the Prefecture, then the Carp Clan represent Jwar's primary navy. They were supportive of the Takashi clan during the rebellion and fought in the Battle of Hendai (the largest and most decisive battle in the Dragon Wars). Nothing suggests that their support for the Dragon has waned, but the geographic location of the Spice Isles means that their day to day involvement in the land based affairs of Jwar are limited. It is said that they control the southern waters and therefore, their contribution is probably nautical based, patrolling coasts for any pirate activity by the Jung with whom they are seafaring equals.
It is therefore a little odd that the one member of the Fujiwaro family that has appeared in the game so far, is actually part of the Jung faction. The background for Fujiwaro Ran (the Juhin of Jung Mari) states that she has betrayed her sisters to join the pirates for reasons unknown. However, her presence in the game does at least give us an indication of what other Fujiwaro models would look like, which can be summed up as an agile, nimble combatants. Perhaps a future Fujiwaro character would be allied to the Taskashi, assigned to lead the Prefecture's efforts in hunting down the Jung. Naturally, the rules for any such model should probably reflect a degree of antipathy towards Ran should their paths ever cross.
Minor Clans
Hare Clan
If there is one ally that the Takashi can rely on without question, it's the Hare Clan led by the Satou family. Based in the city of Kobe which is situated between Ryu and Eddo, they specialise in schooling and strategy. They aren't mentioned much in the Dragon Wars but presumably their strategic thinking played no small part in the battles that led to the downfall of the Shiho. The head of the family is Satou Makoto.
We have already seen a few of the Hare Clan within the game. Satou Iiju is a ward of a Takashi family who is in charge of the Household Guard while (truth be told), Satou Kioshi and Atsushi were retrospectively added to the Hare Clan in Risen Sun. While these three characters are quite diverse, they all have the Strategy trait which means they receive a small boon whenever the controlling player wins the strategy roll at the start of the turn. Presumably this will remain a feature as more members of the Satou family are introduced.
Peacock Clan
A classic example of how all manner of intrigue can be inferred by a short line of text, the Ikeda family of the Peacock Clan may prove key to how the conflict develops between the once strong alliance of the Takashi and Minimoto families. Much like the Horse Clan, they generally lend their support to whichever family is the ruling clan, presumably because their city, Kita, is not too far from Ryu. However, Ikeda Nobu's heir (not named) has recently been wed to the daughter of Minimoto Hiroki (also not named) forming an alliance between Peacock and Bear and providing the Minimoto with a foothold on the southern coast. This may seem innocuous, but it prompted the Dragon to withdraw all members of their family from Kita.
This is one of the families I'm most intrigued to see introduced to the game. The Clan's title suggests an element of haughtiness, cunning and perhaps a dress sense that is a little ostentatious. Combine this with the Bear Clan's skill at forging weapons and armour and you could see some very stylish fighters join the Minimoto faction, that may be faster and more agile than their northern allies. I've included the image below partly in jest, but I have to say, that a human version of Lord Shen would not be too wide of the mark.
Jaguar Clan
One of the many ways in which the Ito have earned the ire of the other major clans was to grant Clan status to the Mori family, the indigenous inhabitants of Izu. What little we know of them is that they were already worshippers of Orochi before Ito came to the island and probably introduced their new masters to the serpent deity. Upon being bestowed with clan status they chose the Jaguar as their mon, it being reflective of their jungle home (and because Snake was already taken).
Given that Ito were one of the first Bushido factions and with a fairly extensive range of models, I'm surprised that the Jaguar Clan have yet to be introduced to the game. I guess it will be challenging to define them in a way that is different to the recently released Wolf Clan, but my thoughts are that rather than hunting by pack, the Jaguar will hunt by stealth. Camouflage is therefore likely to be a common trait of the Mori and they will likely share the speed and quick refelxes of their major clan.
Swan Clan
The Suzuki family of the Swan Clan are not based within Jwar at all, but hold lands in the neighbouring Prefecture of Nara. They probably wouldn't feature in Jwar politics were it not for the marriage between Takashi Hiro and the daughter of Suzuki Osamu.
I don't expect the Swan Clan to feature heavily in the game, but if they do, then the obvious character to introduce will be Takashi Hiro's bride with perhaps a Suzuki retainer as her bodyguard. I'm sure that GCT don't like to openly copy styles from other games, but it's hard not to think of the Crane Clan from L5R as being an appropriate influence here. The trick would be for her playstyle not to overlap with that of Takashi Oka too much (a character that basically is a Crane Clan model already).
Whale Clan
I would guess that the Yoshida family who rule the Island of Amakusa are another more primitive tribe. They were awarded clan status in ages past by the Prefecture of those times for their role in repelling a barbarian invasion. A small but experienced armada of Yoshida boats harried the invaders as they crossed the seas towards Jwar Isles and bought the Prefecture sufficient time to prepare their defences. Amakusa itself is a frozen landscape with little farm lands, so the Whale Clan rely on yak herds for their survival. The Yoshida largely keep to themselves and only make an appearance at court when they know not to do so would be the cause of great offence.
So yeah... Yak farmers who know how to sail. I like their background though, so I'd be keen to see some art for them at least. I envision some sort of Mongolian sailor which would be an interesting look. How they'd feature in the game is anyone's guess, but mine would be a Whale Clan exile, perhaps one who earns his coin smuggling for the Silvermoon Syndicate.
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