Master Weaponsmiths (TWS2)

Master Weaponsmiths (TWS2)
Chain	Smith Type
Requires	Buildings: Weaponsmith Resources: Iron
Enables	-
Spawned Defence Forces	-
Basic Building Statistics	+4 melee attack for warrior monks, kisho ninja and siege weapons recruited in this province +4 melee attack for samurai recruited in this province +4 melee attack for ashigaru recruited in this province
Clan Effects	-
See main article; FotS Buildings

Description

The sword gives form to the master's wit.

There are specialist blacksmiths in this province. They may be ordered to follow one of two paths: that of the sword, or the way of the armourer. These specialists will greatly improve the melee attacks of the clan's units, or their armour in battle.

Iron working has always been a much-appreciated skill in Japan. The art of forging swords is a delicate and time-consuming business, and skilled swordsmiths were both honoured and sought after as retainers. Armourers, on the other hand, sometimes fared less well in terms of social status because their craft used leather, and tanning was a job for social outcasts as it involved handling dead animals. Some armourers would sign their work, and produce complex family histories to elevate their status. Nevertheless, the products of their labour, such as the elaborate and beautiful o-yoroi, are still valued today. King James I of England was sent gifts of samurai armour by the Tokugawa shogunate; the armour is still in the Royal Armouries collection.

Finally, armour was expensive, and this often meant that suits of armour re-used pieces from older sets. This makes dating particular pieces of armour tricky, because it was not uncommon for older maker's marks to be erased and the refurbisher's mark to be put on instead.