Japan, 1542, a country in turmoil. The last shogunate has collapsed, leaving a nation divided into numerous factions, each led by a daimyo, a feudal warlord. Each daimyo is out to scheme, murder, and wage war to become supreme ruler. The emperor is powerless, a puppet of whichever faction controls Kyoto. Into this melting pot come the first European explorers; bringing guns, religion, and disease. Out of this chaos will emerge only one daimyo, he who will master all the varied skills that make up the art of war; Politics, economics, subterfuge, strategic warfare, and battlefield tactics.