Yamabushi
Yamabushi is Japanese Heavy Infantry available from the Commerce Age through Shogun Tokugawa. It has a strong bonus against Cavalry and Shock troops, making it a close-range defensive unit.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Shogun Tokugawa
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 9 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 140 hit points · 10% ranged resistance · 5.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 9 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 5.0x vs. Cavalry; 3.5x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 35 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Yamabushi has 140 hit points, moves at 5.0 speed and has 10% ranged resistance. It occupies one population, costs 45 Food and 40 Wood, and takes 30 seconds to train. Its attacks deal 9 hand and 35 siege damage, with bonuses of 5.0× against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Use Yamabushi to protect ranged units, artillery or workers from mounted attacks. The unit must reach targets to apply its bonus, so keep it with support and avoid exposing it to ranged fire. Its siege attack can pressure a structure when the frontline has created an opening.
Japanese melee infantry and age upgrades
The Yamabushi is Japanese Commerce Age heavy infantry trained by Shogun Tokugawa, and a related Konsha Yamabushi can be obtained through the Consulate when Japanese Isolation is selected. The ordinary unit costs 45 Food and 40 Wood, trains in 30 seconds and occupies one population. It has 140 hit points, 10% ranged resistance, speed 5.0 and line of sight 12. Its 9-point hand attack fires every 1.5 seconds and has a five-times multiplier against Cavalry and 3.5 against Shock Troops. It also deals 35 siege damage at range 6 every three seconds. The large cavalry multiplier gives it a clear defensive purpose, while the siege attack lets it help damage a building after the battlefield is safe. Yamabushi have no ranged weapon, so the army must get them into melee range. Their speed is higher than many heavy infantry units, but a Skirmisher-type formation can still damage them while they approach. Use terrain, friendly ranged units or a cavalry screen to force a favorable engagement. They can protect Yumi Archers from a cavalry charge, and their ranged resistance makes them somewhat more resilient to incoming volleys than a unit with only hand resistance; it does not make them safe under focused fire. Against infantry that can kite, keep the Yamabushi close to the rest of the formation rather than pursuing alone. The Japanese may obtain the unit through the Consulate’s Japanese Isolation choice or from Shogun Tokugawa. The Consulate version, Konsha Yamabushi, starts with 10% more hit points and damage than the regular profile and uses Export; its initial access and upgrade details are specific to that version. The standard unit’s Fortress, Industrial and Imperial Age upgrades are automatic: Disciplined adds 20% hit points and damage, Honored adds 30%, and Exalted adds 50%. Those age improvements help a surviving group remain relevant, but they do not change its melee-only role. A Yamabushi uses one population, which makes it possible to field a substantial screen without crowding out the whole army. The 45 Food and 40 Wood cost also competes differently from Coin-heavy units, so it can complement Japanese resource plans. Still, the unit should not be added simply because its Cavalry multiplier is large: if the opponent is investing in ranged infantry, use Yumi Archers or other ranged units to answer that threat while the Yamabushi protects them. Samurai provide stronger siege and a different melee profile, and can replace the Yamabushi when breaking a building becomes the priority. The Onin War Home City Card can improve its siege contribution, which creates a late-game option for mobile pressure. The Yamabushi is similar in battlefield job to a Pikeman, but its higher cavalry multiplier, 10% ranged resistance and population profile distinguish it. It is most useful as an inexpensive Japanese anti-cavalry bodyguard that can punish units entering melee range. Keep it near the units it protects, focus cavalry and Shock Troops, and allow other parts of the army to handle light infantry. Version and access notes matter: the Asian Dynasties unit, the Definitive Edition profile and the Consulate Konsha variant should not be treated as one identical set of rules.
Consulate option and the Japanese frontline
The Konsha Yamabushi is the Consulate counterpart and starts with 10% more hit points and damage than the regular Yamabushi. Japanese Isolation is required, and the unit costs 65 Export in the current profile. It retains the same 5-times Cavalry and 3.5-times Shock Troop multipliers, making it a practical early screen for Yumi Archers when the selected isolation alliance supports it. Later, Shogun Tokugawa can provide the regular unit for a mobile force. The ordinary Yamabushi automatically receives the Disciplined, Honored and Exalted upgrades with age advancement, while the Konsha variant also improves without changing its name. Keep the two profiles separate when comparing costs and starting strength. Against ranged infantry, move behind cover or let Yumi Archers answer the threat; the Yamabushi’s job is to stop cavalry and help the formation survive a melee charge.
Screen the Japanese ranged line
The Yamabushi’s one-population cost makes it practical to keep several beside Yumi Archers, but its melee range still requires careful positioning. Use the ranged line to weaken units approaching the formation while the Yamabushi protects against Cavalry; avoid sending the club infantry ahead where it can be isolated.
Japanese anti-cavalry infantry through Tokugawa
Yamabushi are heavy infantry available through Shogun Tokugawa from the Commerce Age. Their nine-damage hand attack carries a 5× bonus against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops, giving them a strong defensive function when mounted enemies threaten ranged units or artillery. They move at five speed and occupy one population, so they can accompany the main force, but their 140 hit points and 10% ranged resistance leave them vulnerable while crossing open ground. Keep them near the units they protect and use terrain or a frontline engagement to reach the target.
Production, siege and support
Each Yamabushi costs 45 Food and 40 Wood and takes 30 seconds to train through the Tokugawa access route. Their 35-damage siege attack gives them a secondary way to exploit an opening against a building, but it should not distract from their anti-cavalry role. Since their access depends on the chosen Japanese setup, confirm that Shogun Tokugawa is available before planning repeated production. Pair Yamabushi with ranged infantry or artillery that benefit from their protection, and avoid sending them alone into a ranged formation. They can guard a retreat or counter a cavalry dive, but faster enemy units may still disengage before the infantry can pursue.