Naginata Ashigaru
Even an anthole may collapse an embankment.
— Japanese saying
In game[edit | edit source]
Naginata Ashigaru — Vital statistics | ||||||||
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Highly versatile medium infantry unit, capable of dealing heavy splash damage and taking apart anything except heavy cavalry or missile cavalry on flanking manoeuvres.
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Prereq: | Build time | HP | LOS | Attack | Attack speed | Movement speed |
Upgrade of | |
10s (150t) |
170 | 8 | 22 | 2.1s (32t) |
30 | |||
Cost | Created from | Armour | Weapon range | Specialty | ||||
Base | Ramp | Pop | ||||||
1 | 3 | Melee |
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Overall strategy[edit | edit source]
Consisting of light polearm infantry, Naginata Ashigaru may not be as good as the Southern European Espadachines, yet their main draw lies in several areas: firstly, they can be recruited one age earlier than the Armoured Militia which are recruited by China, Hungary, Mongolia and Turkey. The second is that like most polearms units, they also can inflict brutal amounts of splash damage if left alone to their own devices. Lastly, their fairly cheap cost means that although weaker than most other factions' medium infantry, you can create massive numbers of these units to bulk up your numbers and to assist your costlier albeit stronger samurai units.
Thus far, the only issue you might be facing with these units could well be the fact that they are very fragile, if attacked by more heavily armoured units.
Unit summary[edit | edit source]
- by the Numbers — Although weak, Naginata Ashigaru have a cheap cost, encouraging players to train these units in formidable numbers.
- Sitting Ducks — Although Naginata Ashigaru have a ferocious attack that makes them dangerous infantry counters, their weak armour and slower walking speed make them fair game for better-equipped cavalry archers and Knights.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
Ashigaru in Rise of Kings: Chronicles do not wear jingasa, because jingasa were not standard issue until the mid-16th century CE, well after the historical period covered. Japanese mercenary artillerists however may be seen wearing the jingasa.
History[edit | edit source]
Although the common perception of Japanese and foreigner alike often assumes that the samurai (or also saburai) were the lynchpin of Japanese military might, it was actually the humbler ashigaru which formed the rank and file of pre-Tokugawa Japanese armies. The ashigaru were originally infantry levies (mostly armed with bows) recruited wherever possible to make up numbers where the bushi or samurai classes were deficient, but as the size and intensity of wars in Japan increased, so did their importance — by the Early Modern Era, ashigaru were often trained semi-professional warriors armed and salaried by the local strongman who recruited them to do his bidding.