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A young Shimazu Saito with members of the clan -
Saito and her men mourning one of their own after a battle -
Saito with her ninja followers -
The two opposing factions of the clan in Macau -
Fuma Sukuna leading the Shimazu ninja
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{{Era|Organizations}}{{WP-REAL}} | {{Era|Organizations}}{{WP-REAL}} | ||
{{Quote| | {{Quote|The Shimazu clan has worked alongside the Templars for generations. That's part of the reason why the Shimazu clan has been so prosperous... unlike the Assassins, who have degenerated into a criminal gang.|Shimazu Sei, c. 2023.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 8}} | ||
{{Faction infobox | {{Faction infobox | ||
|name = Shimazu clan | |name=Shimazu clan | ||
|image = ACFT - Shimazu clan mon.jpg | |image=ACFT - Shimazu clan mon.jpg | ||
|founder = {{Wiki|Shimazu Tadahisa}} | |founder={{Wiki|Shimazu Tadahisa}}<ref name="Wiki">{{WP}}</ref> | ||
|locations = [[Japan]] | |locations=[[Japan]] | ||
|parent = {{Wiki|Minamoto clan}} ({{Wiki|Seiwa Genji}}) | |parent={{Wiki|Minamoto clan}} ({{Wiki|Seiwa Genji}})<ref name="Wiki"/> | ||
|religion =[[Christianity]]<ref name="EP 37">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 37|Episode 37]]</ref> | |religion=[[Christianity]] {{c|select members}}<ref name="EP 37">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 37|Episode 37]]</ref> | ||
| | |active=c. 1196 – present<ref name="Wiki"/> | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Shimazu clan''' ( | The '''Shimazu clan''' (島津氏) is a [[Japan]]ese noble house which originated during the {{Wiki|Kamakura period}} in the 12th century and ruled a significant part of [[Kyushu|Kyushu Island]].<ref name="Wiki"/> Since the late [[Sengoku period]], the clan has worked with the [[Templars]] for generations, enabling it to accumulate a large amount of wealth and remain prosperous. | ||
Since | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Sengoku period=== | ===Sengoku period=== | ||
{{Quote|Ever since Saint Francis Xavier brought word of our heavenly Father to this land, and chose us to serve the Lord's gospel as his disciples... the Shimazu clan has sought to realize his vision as defenders of the world order.|A Shimazu clan member, 1725.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 37}} | |||
The Shimazu clan was the first Japanese clan to welcome [[Francis Xavier]]'s [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] mission following its arrival in the country in 1549.<ref name="Takahisa">{{WP|Shimazu Takahisa}}</ref> The clan's leader at the time, [[Shimazu Takahisa]], granted the missionaries permission to preach [[Christianity]] in his domains, hoping this would lead to more trade with the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]]. After a year had passed and no Portuguese [[ship]]s had arrived, however, Takahisa,<ref name="EOH">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – ''Shadows'' – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref> under pressure from local [[Buddhism|Buddhists]],<ref name="Takahisa" /> prohibited Christianity in his domains and expelled Xavier.<ref name="EOH" /> | |||
Despite this, some clan members continued to support Xavier, secretly a [[Templars|Templar]],<ref name="ACM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref> and helped him spread both Christianity and the Templar ideology in Japan. Even after Xavier's death, the clan continued to work alongside the Templars for generations, due to sharing their goal of finding [[Isu]] [[Piece of Eden|artifacts]] and using them to bring peace and order to the world.<ref name="EP 37" /> | |||
By 1585, one member of the clan, [[Shimazu Masujiro]], had traveled as far east as [[Awaji]], where he became a captain under the local Templar [[Imagawa Tomeji]]. Alongside his fellow captains, Masujiro patrolled the island and oppressed its people in an attempt to maintain the Templars' hold on the region, until they were all eliminated by the [[Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins|Kakushiba ''ikki'']] members [[Fujibayashi Naoe]] and [[Yasuke]].<ref name="Dismantling One by One">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]] – [[Claws of Awaji]]'' – [[Dismantling One by One]]</ref> | |||
===Edo period=== | ===Edo period=== | ||
In the early 18th century, the head of the clan passed away without leaving a legitimate heir. The closest claimant to his legacy was an illegitimate daughter born overseas, who had grown up unaware of her true heritage. The young girl was subsequently brought to Japan, where she was given a new name, [[Shimazu Saito]], and a new purpose: to bring honor to her family.<ref name="EP 37" /> | {{Quote|Those Who Came Before left a legacy upon this Earth. Our calling is to use their divine power to restore peace and order to the world.|A Shimazu clan member talking about their mission, 1725.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 37}} | ||
[[File:ACFT - 18th century Shimazu Clan.png|left|thumb|230px|Clan members at Saito's induction into the Templar Order]] | |||
In the early 18th century, the head of the Shimazu clan passed away without leaving a legitimate heir. The closest claimant to his legacy was an illegitimate daughter born overseas, who had grown up unaware of her true heritage. The young girl was subsequently brought to Japan, where she was given a new name, [[Shimazu Saito]], and a new purpose: to bring honor to her family.<ref name="EP 37" /> | |||
After years of training alongside her friends, who had accompanied her to Japan, Saito became an efficient assassin for the clan and was [[Initiation into the Templar Order|inducted]] into the Templar Order. She was then informed of the Templars' search for [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]] and was tasked to find and retrieve a [[Southeast Asian Pieces of Eden|set]] of three such artifacts hidden throughout [[Southeast Asia]].<ref name="EP 37" /> | |||
After years of training alongside her friends, who had accompanied her to Japan, Saito became an efficient assassin for the clan and was [[Initiation into the Templar Order|inducted]] into the Templar Order | |||
Saito was accompanied on her mission by her friends and subordinates, all of whom were of mixed heritage and, thus, looked down upon by the clan's Japanese members. Believing this mission to be an opportunity to finally prove their worth to the clan and be recognized as full-fledged members, Saito and her companions embarked on a journey to [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] [[Macau]] to commence their search.<ref name="EP 37" /> | |||
====Search for Angkor==== | ====Search for Angkor==== | ||
{{Quote|This is the duty you were born to fulfil... To restore the might of the Shimazu clan. You must find the relics and achieve your family's purpose. Failure will not be tolerated.|Shimazu Saito being given her mission, 1725.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 37}} | |||
[[File:ACFT - Saito and Sun 2.png|thumb|180px|Saito and her followers with Sun]] | |||
Following their arrival in Macau in February 1725, Saito and her men quickly came into conflict with the [[British Brotherhood of Assassins|British Assassin]] [[Edward Kenway]], who had similarly journeyed to Macau to search for the Pieces of Eden.<ref name="EP 4">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 4|Episode 4]]</ref> They also learned about the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] navigator [[Hendrik]]'s discovery of a Piece in the lost [[Khmer Empire|Khmer]] city of [[Angkor]], and silenced him.<ref name="EP 3">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 3|Episode 3]]</ref> | |||
[[ | After Hendrik's death, his [[Hendrik's sea log|sea log]] was acquired by the businesswoman [[Lee Huiyin|Madam Lee]], until Saito managed to steal it during an attack on Lee's estate, the [[Mandarin's House]].<ref name="EP 11">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 11|Episode 11]]</ref> However, Saito soon discovered the journal to be encrypted,.<ref name="EP 12">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 12|Episode 12]]</ref> and she was later forced to give it to [[Sun (Hualien Trading Company)|Sun]], a business rival of Lee's, in exchange for his protection of Saito's followers.<ref name="EP 34">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 34|Episode 34]]</ref> This, combined with Saito's preferential treatment of her fellow mixed-blood subordinates over the Japanese ninja in her employ, eventually led the latter to desert and form their own faction, branding Saito and her loyalists as traitors to the Shimazu clan.<ref name="EP 20">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 20|Episode 20]]</ref> | ||
==== | ====Civil war==== | ||
{{Main|Shimazu clan civil war}} | {{Main|Shimazu clan civil war}} | ||
In time, the conflict between the Japanese ninja, led by [[Fuma Sukuna]], and Saito's faction escalated into a civil war, with members from both groups frequently clashing | In time, the conflict between the Japanese ninja, led by [[Fuma Sukuna]], and Saito's faction escalated into a civil war, with members from both groups frequently clashing on the streets of Macau.<ref name="EP 30">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 30|Episode 30]]</ref> After Sukuna managed to secure an alliance with Madam Lee,<ref name="EP 27">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 27|Episode 27]]</ref> he enlisted the help of Edward Kenway to eliminate Saito, who was serving as Sun's bodyguard aboard his [[Sun's floating gambling hall|floating gambling hall]].<ref name="EP 31">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 31|Episode 31]]</ref> Sukuna and his men also infiltrated the ship, having been tasked by Lee to assassinate Sun and recover Hendrik's sea log, and in the process killed most of Saito's subordinates.<ref name="EP 33">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 33|Episode 33]]</ref> | ||
[[File:ACFT - Saito facing Fuma Sukuna.png|left|thumb|250px|Saito confronting Fuma Sukuna and his men]] | |||
However, Edward went back on his deal with Sukuna and, rather than kill Saito, he formed an alliance with her, believing he needed her skills to find the Pieces of Eden.<ref name="EP 34" /> Edward and Saito subsequently fought against both Sukuna's ninja and members of the [[Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins]] in order to secure Hendrik's sea log.<ref name="EP 37" /> The Chinese Brotherhood's [[Mentor]], [[Xiao Han]], was the one to ultimately claim victory, obtaining the sea log after killing Sun,<ref name="EP 38">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 38|Episode 38]]</ref> and later decided to seek an alliance with Madam Lee, who agreed to work together to find the Pieces.<ref name="EP 40">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 40|Episode 40]]</ref> | |||
Meanwhile, with all of her subordinates dead, Saito sought revenge on Sukuna and his followers and joined Edward's organization, the [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]].<ref name="EP 40" /> She helped them in their search for the Pieces of Eden and traveled alongside them to the [[Philippines]] to look for additional leads.<ref name="EP 41">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 41|Episode 41]]</ref> | |||
====Conflict in the Philippines==== | |||
{{Dialogue|Saito|Curse you! I walk no one's path but my own! All that the Shimazu clan possesses will be mine...!|Sukuna|A grand vision, for a trembling weakling.|Saito vowing to take over the Shimazu clan, 1725.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 85}} | |||
Sukuna and his men also journeyed to the Philippines, where they employed the services of a group of Japanese [[Mercenary|mercenaries]] and sent them to hunt down Saito.<ref name="EP 65">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 65|Episode 65]]</ref> However, the mercenaries, including their leader [[Nagamasa]], resented the Shimazu clan for shunning them and their families in the past due to their mixed heritage. As a result, when Nagamasa and his men encountered Saito, she convinced them to defect to her side.<ref name="EP 80">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 80|Episode 80]]</ref> | |||
[[File:ACFT - Nagamasa watching the duel.png|thumb|180px|Saito dueling Sukuna]] | |||
With the mercenaries' help, Saito and her fellow Zhang Wei Union members battled Sukuna and his ninja followers, luring them into an ambush.<ref name="EP 83">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 83|Episode 83]]</ref> Despite being aided by the [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]'s [[Rattan Shield Company]], which had been deployed on Madam Lee's orders, the ninja were ultimately defeated and killed, with Sukuna himself perishing at Saito's hands.<ref name="EP 85">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 85|Episode 85]]</ref> | |||
After achieving vengeance for her late friends, Saito set her sights on taking over the Shimazu clan and exacting retribution on the other clan members who had mistreated her. Nagamasa and his men agreed to aid her in her mission and joined the Zhang Wei Union in their search for the Pieces of Eden, believing that the artifacts' power would allow them to accomplish their goal.<ref name="EP 86">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 86|Episode 86]]</ref> | |||
===Modern times=== | ===Modern times=== | ||
====Shimazu Sei's mission==== | |||
{{Quote|I'm sure it comes as no surprise that many of our brethren are skeptical of your family's value to the Order. Make no mistake. This is a test of your clan's loyalty and worth to the Templars. You will not be granted another like it, Supervisor Shimazu.|A Templar higher-up cautioning Shimazu Sei, c. 2023.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 42}} | |||
The Shimazu clan remained a prominent noble family well into the 20th century, when Saito's descendant [[Shimazu Sei]] was born.<ref name="EP 20" /> As a member of both the clan and the Templar Order, Sei enjoyed a wealthy upbringing, though she was always encouraged to focus on her education and later her career, as to not bring dishonor to her family. Eventually, Sei graduated from {{Wiki|Harvard Medical School}} and became a respected [[doctor]] for the Templars' front company, [[Abstergo Industries]].<ref name="EP 22">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 22|Episode 22]]</ref> | The Shimazu clan remained a prominent noble family well into the 20th century, when Saito's descendant [[Shimazu Sei]] was born.<ref name="EP 20" /> As a member of both the clan and the Templar Order, Sei enjoyed a wealthy upbringing, though she was always encouraged to focus on her education and later her career, as to not bring dishonor to her family. Eventually, Sei graduated from {{Wiki|Harvard Medical School}} and became a respected [[doctor]] for the Templars' front company, [[Abstergo Industries]].<ref name="EP 22">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 22|Episode 22]]</ref> | ||
However, by the early 21st century, relations between the clan and the Order had severely soured. Because numerous clan members had clashed with the Templars' vision in the past, the Order began to doubt the clan's loyalty and value to their cause. To salvage her family's reputation in the Templars' eyes, Sei was tasked with leading the search for a Piece of Eden that Edward Kenway had encountered in Southeast Asia.<ref name="EP 42">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 42|Episode 42]]</ref> | |||
However, by the early 21st century, relations between the clan and the Order had severely soured. Because numerous clan members had clashed with the Templars' vision in the past, the Order began to doubt the clan's loyalty and value to their cause. To salvage her family's reputation in the Templars' eyes, Sei was tasked with leading the search for a | [[File:ACFT - Noa making a deal with Shimazu Sei.png|left|thumb|250px|Sei making a deal with Noa Kim]] | ||
Operating out of the ''[[Exitus]]'' research vessel, Sei had one of Edward's descendants, the [[Korea|Korean]]-[[United States|American]] student [[Noa Kim]], abducted and placed in the [[Animus]] in order to relive Edward's [[Genetic memory|genetic memories]].<ref name="EP 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 1|Episode 1]]</ref> In time, Sei started to bond with Noa and even struck a deal with him, promising him his freedom in exchange for his cooperation.<ref name="EP 7">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 7|Episode 7]]</ref> | |||
After Edward's memories revealed the whereabouts of a Piece of Eden—a [[crescent amulet]]—in the [[Strait of Malacca]], Sei contacted her superiors to update them on her mission's progress. However, she was taken aback when the Templar higher-ups ordered Noa's termination, believing the test subject had outlived his usefulness.<ref name="EP 74">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 74|Episode 74]]</ref> | |||
Although the Templars assured Sei that she had done a great service to her family and the Order and informed her that she would be re-assigned to another project, Sei refused to let things end there, believing Noa still had his uses.<ref name="EP 74" /> She consequently made a deal with the Assassin [[Nathan Zhang]] to ensure Noa's safety,<ref name="EP 75">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 75|Episode 75]]</ref> and convinced her superiors to keep Noa alive for the time being so that he could recover the crescent amulet from the [[Ourang Medan|SS ''Ourang Medan'']]'s wreck.<ref name="EP 76">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 76|Episode 76]]</ref> | |||
====Sei's defection==== | |||
{{Quote|This is quite the secret the Shimazu clan's been keeping from the Templars all this time. It certainly calls into question whether we can really trust them at all.|Abstergo questioning the Shimazu clan's loyalty to their cause, c. 2023.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 113}} | |||
Following Noa's successful retrieval of the amulet, Nathan and his men attacked the Abstergo ship, allowing Noa, Sei, and her bodyguard [[Yuki]] to escape with the amulet during the confusion. The trio were then brought by Nathan to a [[Zhawang Corporation]] safehouse in [[Singapore]], where Sei relived Saito's memories to find another Piece of Eden that could help Noa recover from the amulet's effects.<ref name="EP 79">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 79|Episode 79]]</ref> When Sei began to suffer from the [[Bleeding Effect]], Noa took her place in the Animus,<ref name="EP 87">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 87|Episode 87]]</ref> and his genetic memories ultimately revealed the location of a Piece of Eden in [[Myanmar]].<ref name="EP 92">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 92|Episode 92]]</ref> | |||
[[File:ACFT - Sei's betrayal.png|thumb|230px|Sei being confronted about her betrayal of the Templars and the Shimazu clan]] | |||
While attempting to retrieve the [[Lantern (Piece of Eden)|artifact]] from the [[Shwedagon Pagoda]], Sei was subjected to a series of illusions meant to test her will and determine whether she was worthy of claiming the Piece of Eden. Confronted by apparitions of [[Mitsuko Nakamura]], a Shimazu clan elder, and Yuki, Sei was reprimanded and mocked for her betrayal of the Templars, an act which would backfire on her family. Fortunately, with encouragement from a vision of Saito, Sei regained her resolve and, just like how her ancestor had learned to master her fate, she resolved to forge her own path and fight against any who opposed her, even her own family.<ref name="EP 99">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 99|Episode 99]]</ref> | |||
Following her eventual capture by Abstergo, Sei was forced to become an Animus [[Animus Project|test subject]], reliving Saito's memories to help the Templars find another Piece of Eden.<ref name="EP 105">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 105|Episode 105]]</ref> After learning that the [[Lotus disk|artifact]] had been buried with Saito, Abstergo recovered it from her grave, although this discovery caused the Templars to further call the Shimazu clan's loyalty into question, due to having kept this secret from them.<ref name="EP 113">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 113|Episode 113]]</ref> | |||
==Members== | ==Members== | ||
;Sengoku period | |||
*[[Shimazu Masujiro]] | |||
*[[Shimazu Takahisa]] | |||
;Edo period | ;Edo period | ||
*[[Fuma Sukuna]] | *[[Fuma Sukuna]] | ||
| Line 55: | Line 85: | ||
==Behind the scenes== | ==Behind the scenes== | ||
While never mentioned in | While never mentioned in [[Olivier Gay]]'s 2021 novel ''[[Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu]]'', the Shimazu clan historically ruled the Satsuma domain, which sided with [[Mutsuhito|Emperor Meiji]] in the [[Boshin War]]. In the novel, the Templars also sided with the Emperor. | ||
Historically, the Shimazu clan was one of the few Japanese clans to initially welcome Francis Xavier's Jesuit mission, although the clan's leader, Shimazu Takahisa, soon ended his support of the Jesuits due to pressure from local Buddhists and forbade the conversion of his subjects to Christianity under penalty of death.<ref name="Takahisa" /> In the ''Assassin's Creed'' universe, it would appear that several clan members disobeyed Takahisa and secretly continued supporting the Templars, resulting in the clan's longtime affiliation with the Order. | |||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<tabber> | |||
|-|General= | |||
<gallery widths="180" position="center" captionalign="center"> | <gallery widths="180" position="center" captionalign="center"> | ||
ACFT - Shimazu clan battle.png| | ACFT - Young Saito and Shimazu clan.png|A young Shimazu Saito with members of the clan | ||
ACFT - Shimazu Clan.png|Saito | ACFT - Shimazu clan battle.png|Saito and her men mourning one of their own after a battle | ||
ACFT - Shimazu Clan.png|Saito with her ninja followers | |||
ACFT - Shimazu clan factions.png|The two opposing factions of the clan in Macau | ACFT - Shimazu clan factions.png|The two opposing factions of the clan in Macau | ||
ACFT - Japanese ninja deserting.png|A confrontation between | ACFT - Fuma Sukuna commanding the ninja.png|Fuma Sukuna leading the Shimazu ninja | ||
ACFT - | </gallery> | ||
|-|Military= | |||
<gallery widths="180" position="center" captionalign="center"> | |||
ACFT - Shimazu ninja 1.png|A group of Shimazu ninja | |||
ACFT - Shimazu horsemen.png|Two Shimazu clan [[Horseman|horsemen]] | |||
ACFT - Shimazu sniper.png|A Shimazu clan [[sniper]] | |||
ACFT - Japanese ninja deserting.png|A confrontation between Saito and Fuma Sukuna's followers | |||
ACFT - Shimazu ninja 2.png|Sukuna's ninja followers | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
</tabber> | |||
==Appearances== | ==Appearances== | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' {{1st}} | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' {{1st}} | ||
*''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]] – [[Claws of Awaji]]'' | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Scroll box|content={{Reflist|2}}}} | ||
{{Templars nav}} | {{Templars nav}} | ||
{{ACFT}} | {{ACFT}} | ||
[[Category:Shimazu clan]] | <!--[de:Shimazu-Klan] | ||
[fr:Clan Shimazu]--> | |||
[[Category:Shimazu clan| ]] | |||
[[Category:Organizations]] | [[Category:Organizations]] | ||
[[Category:Templar-affiliated groups]] | [[Category:Templar-affiliated groups]] | ||
Latest revision as of 22:15, 11 May 2026
The Shimazu clan (島津氏) is a Japanese noble house which originated during the Kamakura period in the 12th century and ruled a significant part of Kyushu Island.[1] Since the late Sengoku period, the clan has worked with the Templars for generations, enabling it to accumulate a large amount of wealth and remain prosperous.
History[edit | edit source]
Sengoku period[edit | edit source]
The Shimazu clan was the first Japanese clan to welcome Francis Xavier's Jesuit mission following its arrival in the country in 1549.[3] The clan's leader at the time, Shimazu Takahisa, granted the missionaries permission to preach Christianity in his domains, hoping this would lead to more trade with the Portuguese. After a year had passed and no Portuguese ships had arrived, however, Takahisa,[4] under pressure from local Buddhists,[3] prohibited Christianity in his domains and expelled Xavier.[4]
Despite this, some clan members continued to support Xavier, secretly a Templar,[5] and helped him spread both Christianity and the Templar ideology in Japan. Even after Xavier's death, the clan continued to work alongside the Templars for generations, due to sharing their goal of finding Isu artifacts and using them to bring peace and order to the world.[2]
By 1585, one member of the clan, Shimazu Masujiro, had traveled as far east as Awaji, where he became a captain under the local Templar Imagawa Tomeji. Alongside his fellow captains, Masujiro patrolled the island and oppressed its people in an attempt to maintain the Templars' hold on the region, until they were all eliminated by the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke.[6]
Edo period[edit | edit source]
In the early 18th century, the head of the Shimazu clan passed away without leaving a legitimate heir. The closest claimant to his legacy was an illegitimate daughter born overseas, who had grown up unaware of her true heritage. The young girl was subsequently brought to Japan, where she was given a new name, Shimazu Saito, and a new purpose: to bring honor to her family.[2]
After years of training alongside her friends, who had accompanied her to Japan, Saito became an efficient assassin for the clan and was inducted into the Templar Order. She was then informed of the Templars' search for Pieces of Eden and was tasked to find and retrieve a set of three such artifacts hidden throughout Southeast Asia.[2]
Saito was accompanied on her mission by her friends and subordinates, all of whom were of mixed heritage and, thus, looked down upon by the clan's Japanese members. Believing this mission to be an opportunity to finally prove their worth to the clan and be recognized as full-fledged members, Saito and her companions embarked on a journey to Portuguese Macau to commence their search.[2]
Search for Angkor[edit | edit source]
Following their arrival in Macau in February 1725, Saito and her men quickly came into conflict with the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who had similarly journeyed to Macau to search for the Pieces of Eden.[7] They also learned about the Dutch navigator Hendrik's discovery of a Piece in the lost Khmer city of Angkor, and silenced him.[8]
After Hendrik's death, his sea log was acquired by the businesswoman Madam Lee, until Saito managed to steal it during an attack on Lee's estate, the Mandarin's House.[9] However, Saito soon discovered the journal to be encrypted,.[10] and she was later forced to give it to Sun, a business rival of Lee's, in exchange for his protection of Saito's followers.[11] This, combined with Saito's preferential treatment of her fellow mixed-blood subordinates over the Japanese ninja in her employ, eventually led the latter to desert and form their own faction, branding Saito and her loyalists as traitors to the Shimazu clan.[12]
Civil war[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Shimazu clan civil war
In time, the conflict between the Japanese ninja, led by Fuma Sukuna, and Saito's faction escalated into a civil war, with members from both groups frequently clashing on the streets of Macau.[13] After Sukuna managed to secure an alliance with Madam Lee,[14] he enlisted the help of Edward Kenway to eliminate Saito, who was serving as Sun's bodyguard aboard his floating gambling hall.[15] Sukuna and his men also infiltrated the ship, having been tasked by Lee to assassinate Sun and recover Hendrik's sea log, and in the process killed most of Saito's subordinates.[16]
However, Edward went back on his deal with Sukuna and, rather than kill Saito, he formed an alliance with her, believing he needed her skills to find the Pieces of Eden.[11] Edward and Saito subsequently fought against both Sukuna's ninja and members of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins in order to secure Hendrik's sea log.[2] The Chinese Brotherhood's Mentor, Xiao Han, was the one to ultimately claim victory, obtaining the sea log after killing Sun,[17] and later decided to seek an alliance with Madam Lee, who agreed to work together to find the Pieces.[18]
Meanwhile, with all of her subordinates dead, Saito sought revenge on Sukuna and his followers and joined Edward's organization, the Zhang Wei Union.[18] She helped them in their search for the Pieces of Eden and traveled alongside them to the Philippines to look for additional leads.[19]
Conflict in the Philippines[edit | edit source]
Sukuna and his men also journeyed to the Philippines, where they employed the services of a group of Japanese mercenaries and sent them to hunt down Saito.[20] However, the mercenaries, including their leader Nagamasa, resented the Shimazu clan for shunning them and their families in the past due to their mixed heritage. As a result, when Nagamasa and his men encountered Saito, she convinced them to defect to her side.[21]
With the mercenaries' help, Saito and her fellow Zhang Wei Union members battled Sukuna and his ninja followers, luring them into an ambush.[22] Despite being aided by the Qing Empire's Rattan Shield Company, which had been deployed on Madam Lee's orders, the ninja were ultimately defeated and killed, with Sukuna himself perishing at Saito's hands.[23]
After achieving vengeance for her late friends, Saito set her sights on taking over the Shimazu clan and exacting retribution on the other clan members who had mistreated her. Nagamasa and his men agreed to aid her in her mission and joined the Zhang Wei Union in their search for the Pieces of Eden, believing that the artifacts' power would allow them to accomplish their goal.[24]
Modern times[edit | edit source]
Shimazu Sei's mission[edit | edit source]
- "I'm sure it comes as no surprise that many of our brethren are skeptical of your family's value to the Order. Make no mistake. This is a test of your clan's loyalty and worth to the Templars. You will not be granted another like it, Supervisor Shimazu."
- ―A Templar higher-up cautioning Shimazu Sei, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
The Shimazu clan remained a prominent noble family well into the 20th century, when Saito's descendant Shimazu Sei was born.[12] As a member of both the clan and the Templar Order, Sei enjoyed a wealthy upbringing, though she was always encouraged to focus on her education and later her career, as to not bring dishonor to her family. Eventually, Sei graduated from Harvard Medical School and became a respected doctor for the Templars' front company, Abstergo Industries.[25]
However, by the early 21st century, relations between the clan and the Order had severely soured. Because numerous clan members had clashed with the Templars' vision in the past, the Order began to doubt the clan's loyalty and value to their cause. To salvage her family's reputation in the Templars' eyes, Sei was tasked with leading the search for a Piece of Eden that Edward Kenway had encountered in Southeast Asia.[26]
Operating out of the Exitus research vessel, Sei had one of Edward's descendants, the Korean-American student Noa Kim, abducted and placed in the Animus in order to relive Edward's genetic memories.[27] In time, Sei started to bond with Noa and even struck a deal with him, promising him his freedom in exchange for his cooperation.[28]
After Edward's memories revealed the whereabouts of a Piece of Eden—a crescent amulet—in the Strait of Malacca, Sei contacted her superiors to update them on her mission's progress. However, she was taken aback when the Templar higher-ups ordered Noa's termination, believing the test subject had outlived his usefulness.[29]
Although the Templars assured Sei that she had done a great service to her family and the Order and informed her that she would be re-assigned to another project, Sei refused to let things end there, believing Noa still had his uses.[29] She consequently made a deal with the Assassin Nathan Zhang to ensure Noa's safety,[30] and convinced her superiors to keep Noa alive for the time being so that he could recover the crescent amulet from the SS Ourang Medan's wreck.[31]
Sei's defection[edit | edit source]
Following Noa's successful retrieval of the amulet, Nathan and his men attacked the Abstergo ship, allowing Noa, Sei, and her bodyguard Yuki to escape with the amulet during the confusion. The trio were then brought by Nathan to a Zhawang Corporation safehouse in Singapore, where Sei relived Saito's memories to find another Piece of Eden that could help Noa recover from the amulet's effects.[32] When Sei began to suffer from the Bleeding Effect, Noa took her place in the Animus,[33] and his genetic memories ultimately revealed the location of a Piece of Eden in Myanmar.[34]
While attempting to retrieve the artifact from the Shwedagon Pagoda, Sei was subjected to a series of illusions meant to test her will and determine whether she was worthy of claiming the Piece of Eden. Confronted by apparitions of Mitsuko Nakamura, a Shimazu clan elder, and Yuki, Sei was reprimanded and mocked for her betrayal of the Templars, an act which would backfire on her family. Fortunately, with encouragement from a vision of Saito, Sei regained her resolve and, just like how her ancestor had learned to master her fate, she resolved to forge her own path and fight against any who opposed her, even her own family.[35]
Following her eventual capture by Abstergo, Sei was forced to become an Animus test subject, reliving Saito's memories to help the Templars find another Piece of Eden.[36] After learning that the artifact had been buried with Saito, Abstergo recovered it from her grave, although this discovery caused the Templars to further call the Shimazu clan's loyalty into question, due to having kept this secret from them.[37]
Members[edit | edit source]
- Sengoku period
- Edo period
- Modern times
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
While never mentioned in Olivier Gay's 2021 novel Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu, the Shimazu clan historically ruled the Satsuma domain, which sided with Emperor Meiji in the Boshin War. In the novel, the Templars also sided with the Emperor.
Historically, the Shimazu clan was one of the few Japanese clans to initially welcome Francis Xavier's Jesuit mission, although the clan's leader, Shimazu Takahisa, soon ended his support of the Jesuits due to pressure from local Buddhists and forbade the conversion of his subjects to Christianity under penalty of death.[3] In the Assassin's Creed universe, it would appear that several clan members disobeyed Takahisa and secretly continued supporting the Templars, resulting in the clan's longtime affiliation with the Order.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (first appearance)
- Echoes of History (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows – Claws of Awaji
References[edit | edit source]
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