Zen Temple
Asian Buddhist Minor civilization from The Asian Dynasties. A Trading Post or Inca Tambo at its holy site unlocks a unit and three technologies. Maps: Ceylon, Honshu, Hokkaido, Parallel Rivers, Silk Road and Yellow River. Its options accelerate shipments, improve hand infantry, reduce upgrade costs or provide fast anti-cavalry troops.
Settlement & allied options
Definitive Edition Sohei Naginata: Commerce Age, 140 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 5.25, cost 55 Food and 40 Wood, 30-second train time, limit 16. Its 13-damage hand attack deals 3.5× vs Cavalry and 2.5× vs Shock infantry; siege attack is 27 at range 6. Meditation (350 Wood, 350 Coin) grants 1,000 XP immediately. Master Lessons (150 Food, 150 Coin) gives hand infantry +10% damage. Meritocracy (300 Food, 300 Coin) reduces unit-upgrade costs by 20%.
Units, technologies & maps
Meditation advances a Home City shipment and is most useful early. Meritocracy can repay its cost before expensive upgrades. Master Lessons supports hand infantry and some hand shock units and pets. Sohei Naginata intercept cavalry, pressure buildings and raid workers, but avoid heavy infantry and artillery. These are Definitive Edition costs and values; older releases can differ.
Sohei Naginata protects against cavalry
The Commerce Age Sohei Naginata costs 55 Food and 40 Wood and trains in 30 seconds. It has 140 hit points, 20% hand resistance and 5.25 speed. Its 13-damage hand attack deals 3.5× damage against Cavalry and 2.5× against Shock troops; its 27 siege damage can pressure buildings. Use it as a mobile anti-cavalry screen, but do not treat it as a ranged unit or send it unsupported into concentrated fire.
Experience, infantry and upgrade-cost research
Meditation adds 1,000 Experience for 350 Wood and 350 Coin, researched in 10 seconds, helping advance the next Home City shipment when a valid card is available. Master Lessons increases Hand Infantry damage by 10% for 150 Food and 150 Coin. Meritocracy reduces eligible unit-upgrade costs by 20% for 300 Food and 300 Coin; it discounts upgrades, not the training cost of new units. Each technology takes 10 seconds and can solve a different timing or resource problem.
Holy-site access and map variants
A Trading Post or Inca Tambo built on a Zen Temple holy site unlocks its options; the Native Embassy is another Sohei Naginata training route. Zen Temple sites are listed on Ceylon, Honshu, Hokkaido, Parallel Rivers, Silk Road and Yellow River. Scout the actual map and defend the site before counting on the ally’s anti-cavalry unit or upgrade discounts.