Shogun 2 Shimazu Guide: Kyushu Opening and Katana Armies

Use the corner to simplify decisions

Scope: classic Sengoku. The official profile places Shimazu in Satsuma, already at war with Ito in Osumi and Hyuga, and initially at peace with Sagara to the north. That gives you a clearer first problem than a central clan surrounded by potential fronts: deal with the existing war before manufacturing several more.

Inspect the enemy’s army and your own recruitment options. Advance when you can defeat the force you expect, hold the captured settlement and afford replacement troops. Do not split a small opening army simply to color more of the map. Our beginner campaign guide provides a pre-war checklist.

Map-reading illustration, not a labelled screenshot of Satsuma or a prescribed opening route.

Recruit katana troops when the budget supports them

Shimazu’s legacy traits include lower katana samurai recruitment and upkeep, superior katana samurai and heroes, and increased general loyalty. Those advantages give sword infantry a useful role in the campaign, but they are not an instruction to build only swords.

Use affordable troops while the economy grows. Bring katana infantry in to win the melee engagements you choose, protect them from cavalry with spears and support the fight with archers. A unit recruited too early can delay a more valuable farm or leave too little money for another defensive force. Check food and projected upkeep before committing to a recruitment queue.

Sword-infantry and siege context. The screenshot does not identify a Shimazu unit or its bonus.

Secure Kyushu without exhausting the campaign

Treat the island as a defensible base, not a guarantee of safety. Once the immediate Ito threat is contained, weigh diplomacy and neighboring armies before choosing the next war. Keep enough troops and income to deal with unrest and unexpected landings while your main force advances.

Ports and fleets can support movement and trade, but each ship also has a cost. Build for an actual route or threat. Sending the entire army away without a reserve can undo the advantage of your starting geography. A balanced army composition is more useful than an expensive force stranded far from the next objective.

Harbor illustration; this is not a trade-node interface or proof of a specific income figure.

Plan the journey toward Kyoto early

The legacy campaign objectives include Kyoto, so unifying Kyushu is an intermediate goal. Before crossing into a wider conflict, consolidate income, keep food positive and decide how to reinforce the army beyond the island. Read Realm Divide preparation before turning a secure base into an uncontrolled conquest chain.

If you prefer inexpensive infantry over katana specialists, compare the Oda opening instead. If you play Complete Edition, check its campaign settings and current unit tooltips: the developer corrected infantry fatigue, so old exhausted-infantry assumptions are unsafe. This guide gives legacy strategic reasoning, not a claimed new-edition speedrun or tested fixed-turn script.

Sources and image credits

• Official Shimazu legacy profile: starting war, geography, objectives and traits.
• Complete Edition change list: edition-sensitive fatigue and campaign changes.

Classic SHOGUN 2 images: Creative Assembly / SEGA via the official Steam store. These illustrations do not establish Complete Edition mechanics.