1600 AD
Largest Nation Status

Tokugawa is pleased by the latest publication from Toynbee, who writes, "The Glorious Japanese." A very wise man, that Toynbee.

Smoke whirls
After the passage of a train.
Young foliage.

1680 AD
Palace

Tokugawa decides to move the capital from Kyoto to nearby Beijing, as Beijing is more centrally located.

Crossing half the sky, 
on my way to the capital,
big clouds promise snow 

The new Palace will not have the venerable culture of the original. Kyoto will gain culture more slowly in the future. Don't move your Palace without consideration. (We are purposively avoiding a City Culture Victory.) 

1690 AD
Simply Unreasonable

Caesar demands Steel. Caesar refuses to negotiate this demand. Tokugawa cannot and will not give the strength of Steel to Caesar. Rome declares war.

Thus spring begins: old 
stupidities repeated, 
new errs invented 

War was probably inevitable. Rome has and will be belligerent the entire game.