The second of Japan’s "Great Unifiers," Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought Japan under one rule in the chaos of the Sengoku period. Beginning his career as a lowly footsoldier, Hideyoshi rose to become one of Oda Nobunaga’s most trusted retainers and a fearless warrior, as well as a patron of the arts. Upon Nobunaga’s betrayal and death, Hideyoshi avenged his former lord and continued the work of conquest, extending his sights out to the Korean peninsula and beyond.

• Attributes: Militaristic, Cultural
• Unique Ability - Great Unifier: Land Units deal increased damage when attacking opposing civilizations' Units, but take increased damage from opposing civilizations' Units when defending. Your Units heal additional HP if on a Culture Building or Wonder. Increased Production towards Culture Buildings, increased further in Cities not founded by you.
• Agenda - Kampaku: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have a minimum amount of Land Units and overall Culture yield. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that don't meet these minimums.

By the light of the moon, in carefully cultivated gardens and elaborate villas, the poets of Heian Japan wrote their tales. The Heian period begins with the establishment of Heian-kyo (today Kyoto) in 794 CE, and marks the last era of classical Japanese history. It was a time of refinement, when men and especially women of the court cultivated literature into a high art; it was also a time of rural neglect and decay, when the countryside grew increasingly restless, riven with tensions between ambitious clans. This tension was to erupt in a revolt in the early 12th century, and the subsequent rise of the shogunates that were to dominate Japanese history for centuries afterward.

• Apex Age: Antiquity
• Unique Ability - Pure Land: 
  • Tier 1, Antiquity Age (Apex): Increased Culture on Improvements on Breathtaking tiles.
  • Tier 2, Exploration Age: Further increased Culture on Improvements on Breathtaking tiles.
  • Tier 3, Modern Age: Further increased Culture on Improvements on Breathtaking tiles. Cities receive a set amount of Tourism per Breathtaking tile once they contain a minimum number of them.

The Sengoku period was a war of all against all, when fortunes of samurai and daimyo were made and lost, and the source of many of the classic tales of feudal Japan. Beginning in the late 15th century and as feudal power grew, regional lords and clan leaders fought over control of the imperial throne, using European guns, ninja clans, temple armies. The period featured such figures as Hattori Hanzo, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu, securing the shogunate in 1603, ended the conflict, and established a centuries-long peace.

• Apex Age: Exploration
• Unique Ability - Shogunate: 
  • Tier 1, Antiquity Age: Increased Culture and Science per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Mountains; Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Resources.
  • Tier 2, Exploration Age (Apex): Further increased Culture and Science, and increased Influence per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Mountains; Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Resources.
  • Tier 3, Modern Age: Even further increased Culture and Science, and further increased Influence per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Mountains; Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Resources.