“Father, you say we are the Bear clan, but what is The Bear?” asked a young Minimoto girl while she and her father ate supper. 

Outside, barreling past the house, an unstoppable barrage of metal and flesh crashed into a yet unseen attacker. Akasuki rained blow after blow down on the interloper, allowing it no defence and no chance of survival. Throughout this bloody combat, Akasuki bellowed and snarled like a mother bear defending her cubs, with that terrifying sound dropping to a low growl once she eliminated the threat standing over its mangled body.  The father looked up from his soup and pointed toward the victorious samurai.

“There. That is The Bear.”

The Hoshi family, while so entwined with the Minimoto as to be near indistinguishable, maintain their own Ashigaru and those living higher up the Iron Mountains are close to the Kami and Spirits of the mountains. The Hoshi have access to Minimoto blacksmiths and all the benefits this bestows upon their weapons and armour. The Ashigaru’s connection to the spiritual and the cold of the peaks can cause their enemies to freeze and slow while they wield their Yari to trip opponents before finishing them off.

It is the aspiration of all the Hoshi’s Ashigaru to walk the mountain peaks unhampered. When they can do this and not be killed by the freezing temperatures, bears or Kami, the Ashigaru ascend to the extremes to guard the Hoshi Family, rarely descending again.

Like most Miniomoto Ashigaru, these new troops from the Hoshi family offer good Armour, Defence from opposed Ki and extra benefits for holding a point alone, including Aware to prevent any surprises.

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Odamu is typical of the Hoshi family. Their ways are old, uncorrupted by what others deem new or modern. Visiting them is to journey back in time regarding speech, manners, food, and attire. Hoshi Odamu is no exception. He wears armour most newer samurai have never even seen! However, his close relationship and proximity to the Minimoto clan ensures his blades and garb are still the most exemplary in Jwar. Because he has the blessings of the Bear Mon, he is at home fighting alongside his Minimoto allies. He has, over some time, developed a deep and heartfelt affinity for the great bears that call this place home. He feels it almost spiritually, a meeting of minds when both bear and Odamu are near one another. He cannot speak their tongue but has connection enough to lead these ferocious beasts into battle. He likes the wilds and spending time with the bears, following them into areas so cold and remote that another person would perish in moments. Not so Odamu; Hoshi's blood warms his veins, and the Hoshi are famed for enduring extreme cold and foul weather.

Finest Steel players will welcome this new samurai. Odamu is a challenging prospect on the field. Not only does he have a high number of Wound Boxes - as well as Armour 4 - but he punishes any would-be aggressors with Held, and often also Slow. But this is where it gets interesting: he also deals damage in return when wounded! With Armour (4) and the ubiquitous Just a Scratch card, this often deals more damage than Odamu takes!

Blister contains one miniature, 30mm base and full colour profile card.

While he has not yet progressed to making weapons, Kinzoku is considered a master armour smith. The Armor Smiths most often accompany the Minimoto Army to war as they both maintain the army's gear, but they also choose the worthy unblessed to gift with a new suit of armour, allowing them to truly become Ashigaru.

Bushido is a game of savage battles, of cunning stratagems and last-ditch defences, and where debts of honour are paid in blood.

In Bushido, the fate of the world hangs not on armies but on individual heroes, people of extraordinary capacity, attuned to the all-permeating life force known as Ki. This force is the fabric of the Bushido universe, and those with the appropriate training or natural talent can tap into this energy source and gain seemingly superhuman powers. In the world of Bushido, the delicate tapestry of Ki – and thus the universe itself – is threatened by the forces of imbalance, and it is up to you to protect it – or help rip it apart.

In a game of Bushido, nothing less than the fate of the universe is at stake. Are you ready for the challenge of the Way of the Warrior?

Note: this product is made of resin. Box contains:

• 10 miniatures and bases
• 30 full colour cards
• 1 token set
• 1 rules booklet (Full colour, A5 sized, unabridged)

The Hoshi and the Minimoto families are so intertwined as to be almost one. Many a Hoshi daughter has descended from the frozen peaks above to marry a Minimoto, son. Equally, many a Minimoto has risen from below to take their place in a Hoshi household. Sora is an excellent representation of this, a fine blend of both Houses. He carries the bear’s blessing in his large frame and stalwart manner, but it is Hoshi blood that allows him to withstand the fierce winds and freezing snows that blanket the Iron Mountian’s peaks. While still an ashigaru, he is tipped to join the ranks of the guards who protect the ice maidens. Only the very best are given this posting, as it means living in the high places of the world, in gale-force winds, blizzards and whiteouts that can last for days, weeks even. Sora has embraced the best of his lineage and has become a blizzard warrior of some renown.

Blister contains one miniature, 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Important: this model is included in the Faction Starter Set.

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base, enhancement card and full colour profile card.

Important: this model is included in the Faction Starter Set.

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Important: this model is included in the Faction Starter Set.

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Important: this model is included in the Faction Starter Set.

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Important: this model is included in the Faction Starter Set.

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Life in the peaks of the Iron Mountains is harsh and unforgiving. It is a place of snow, ice, and blizzards, not one of second chances or mercy for the weak. There are but a handful of beings or beasts that can live in such an ungodly place and thrive. One such creature is Yuyokuma, a bear of prodigious size and strength with a shared soul affinity with the Minimoto clan, who worship bears as their ancestors did.

Like many Minimoto models, Yuyokuma asks your opponent just one thing: can you deal with this? The big bear automatically knocks down his melee opponents, has superb melee statistics and traits and is tough to kill in return. He will likely also inflict penalties from Frightened and Prone Markers in addition to having Melee Pool 4 as his base. This bear embodies the Minimoto’s ferocity and fighting spirit and is at home in any Minimoto themed Warband.

Blister contains one miniature, 50mm base and full colour profile card.

Those that follow the way of Michi will often spend hours in meditation, waiting for a sign from their ancestors of the correct path they should follow or the right choice to make. In times of peril the ancestor spirits have been known to manifest in physical form. Their presence guiding the hands, minds and blades of the living, gifting them their infinite insight and knowledge gathered from their timeless vigil and granting them the courage to stay on the path. Of course this comes at a great price to the spirit for once you have left the heavens you may never return…

This model can be fielded as part of a warband affiliated with the following factions:

• Ito Clan
• Minimoto Clan
• Prefecture of Ryu
• Shiho Clan

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Hisoka is undoubtedly and completely mad. He spends much time alone in the mountains and how he survives is a mystery, when he does venture to the lower climbs his bare chest makes even the hardiest of Minimoto shiver. He does however fight for what he believes in and his knowledge of the land and surviving the wilderness is very useful to the Minimoto, whilst his resilience and hardiness leaves the peasants of the Ro-Kan in awe.

This model can be fielded as part of a warband affiliated with the following factions:

• Minimoto Clan
• Temple of Ro-Kan

Blister contains one miniature, 30mm base and full colour profile card.

The element of Metal encompasses not only the substance itself, but the fact that metallurgy and blacksmithing is needed to refine metal from simple ores. Metal is also the element of cogs and gears and represents advancement and technology. The Kami often take shapes of finished products of the smiths' art rather than amorphous masses of the element because of this, even when appearing to a Monk of Ro-Kan, the Kami will be a finished katana or system of gears.

The temple has another supporting Kami, its ability to aid in melee is certainly useful for them, aiding in bypassing enemy defences, at which they have struggled. The Kami is also a good combatant in its own right, and with four Ki it can engage a few times before being removed.

This model can be fielded as part of a warband affiliated with the following factions:

• Temple of Ro-Kan
• Minimoto Clan*

Note: to use these models in a Minimoto Warband you must include a Blacksmith model that allows them to be taken.

Blister contains two miniatures supplied with two 30mm bases and full colour profile card.

Karu is the leader of a small but noble samurai family. His dedication to protecting his lands and following the honourable path may have gone entirely unnoticed by the world until three princesses of the imperial house were ambushed on his lands. After giving them aid and helping them on their way, Karu left to follow them to aid in their quest, not knowing if he will even be able to find them again.

Karu is a powerful samurai and his great Zanbato can do immense damage. The combination of Tireless and Bansai means he can charge into combat and still out activate the enemy. His Ki Feat allows for damaging or even killing multiple enemies at once.

This model can be fielded as part of a warband affiliated with the following factions:

• Ito Clan
• Minimoto Clan
• Prefecture of Ryu
• Silvermoon Syndicate
• The Descension

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Important: this model is included in the Brotherhood themed box set

This model can be fielded as part of a warband affiliated with the following factions:

• Cult of Yurei
• Ito Clan
• Minimoto Clan
• Prefecture of Ryu
• Shiho Clan
• any Warband that includes Hiroto

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.

Tenchi, Seishin na Goei are an ancient order of highly skilled warrior women sworn to protect not only the bodies of the lords of Ryu, but also their souls. Offering their lives in service of their clan, fearless in the face of death and cold steel for those that oppose the Takashi.

This model can be fielded as part of a warband affiliated with the following factions:

• Ito Clan
• Minimoto Clan
• Prefecture of Ryu
• Shiho Clan

Blister contains one miniature supplied with a 30mm base and full colour profile card.