Shimazu clan
The Shimazu clan (Japanese: 島津氏) is a Japanese noble house which originated during the Kamakura period in the 12th century.
Since at least the time of the Tokugawa shogunate, the clan has been working alongside the Templar Order for generations, enabling it to accumulate a large amount of wealth and remain prosperous. However, by the 21st century, relations between the clan and the Templars have soured, due to numerous members of the clan going against the Order's goals.
History
Sengoku period
At some point following Francis Xavier's arrival in Japan in the 16th century, he came into contact with the Shimazu clan and enlisted their help with his mission to spread Christianity and the Templar ideology across the country. Since then, the clan has been working alongside the Templars for generations, sharing their goal of finding Isu artifacts and using them to restore peace and order to the world.[1]
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.[1]
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 before being tasked to search for the lost Khmer city of Angkor, an alleged Isu site, and retrieve its treasure. 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 search for leads to Angkor's location.[1]
Search for Angkor
Following their arrival in Macau in February 1725, Saito and her men attempted to eliminate everyone connected to Angkor to keep the lost city's existence secret, including the Dutch East India Company navigator John Young, who had bragged about finding it;[3] the Dutch explorer Hendrik, who had actually discovered it; the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who was also on the city's trail and had defended Young;[4] and the merchant Madam Lee, who had acquired Hendrik's sea log containing information on Angkor's location.[5]
While the ninja in Saito's service only managed to kill Hendrik, Saito herself successfully stole his sea log from Edward during a confrontation at the Mandarin's House.[6] However, she was later forced to give it to the businessman Sun in exchange for his protection of Saito's subordinates.[7] 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 men as traitors to the Shimazu clan.[8]
Shimazu civil war
- 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 with each other on the streets of Macau.[9] After Sukuna managed to secure an alliance with Madam Lee,[10] he enlisted the help of Edward Kenway to eliminate Saito, who was serving as Sun's bodyguard aboard his floating gambling hall.[11] 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 all of Saito's subordinates.[12]
However, Edward ultimately 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 Angkor.[7] 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.[1] The Chinese Brotherhood's Mentor Xiao Han was the one to ultimately claim victory, as he secured the sea log after killing Sun,[13] though he later decided to seek an alliance with Madam Lee, who agreed to work together to find Angkor.[14]
Meanwhile, with all of her subordinates dead, Saito sought revenge on Sukuna and the Japanese members of the clan and joined Edward's organization, the Zhang Wei Union.[14] She helped them in their search for Angkor and traveled alongside them to the Philippines to follow up on a lead they had found.[15] Sukuna and his men, accompanied by the Chinese Assassins and Admiral Jeong, also journeyed to the Philippines, recruiting several of the Japanese settlers in the region to strengthen their ranks.[16]
Modern times
The Shimazu clan remained a prominent noble family well into the 20th century, when Saito's descendant Shimazu Sei was born.[8] 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.[17]
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 found in Southeast Asia.[18]
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.[19] In time, Sei started to bond with Noa and even struck a deal with him, promising him his freedom in exchange for his cooperation.[20]
Members
- Edo period
- Modern times
Behind the scenes
While never mentioned in the 2021 novel Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu written by Olivier Gay, 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.
Gallery
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Shimazu Saito and her men mourning one of their own after a battle -
Saito and her ninja followers -
The two opposing factions of the clan in Macau -
A confrontation between the two factions -
Fuma Sukuna with his ninja followers
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 37
- ↑
Shimazu clan on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 2
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 3
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 10
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 11
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 34
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 20
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 30
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 27
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 31
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 33
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 38
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 40
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 41
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 65
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 22
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 42
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 1
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 7
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