Rokugan Local Governance:
Demographics of Rokugan
In Legend of the Five Rings 5th Edition, we're given some new numbers for the Size and Population of Rokugan.
Rokugan is described as being 900 miles long by 600 miles wide. Obviously not all of this land is available for farming and living on, especially in areas like the Shinomen Forest. But we can use some Real-World comparisons to make up some broad numbers to work with.
Rokugan area: 900mi X 600mi = 540,000 square miles However, of that area, some is ocean, some is Shadowlands, and some are the uninhabited Plains above Evil and Shinomen Forest. If you remove the unpopulated areas, this comes out to be 260900 square miles.
Japan area: 145,937 square miles
Pre-Edo period Japan population (high estimate): 17 million (from 1600 Japan here - Using the 2006 numbers)
Rokgaun Population (high estimate) : (Japan population / Japan area ) X Rokugan Area = 30,391,881 people
During the Edo period, the Shinokosho, or four divisions of society, were composed of the Shi, being the warrior caste, the No, or farming peasants, Ko being craftsmen and artisans, and Sho being the merchant class. 8-10% of the population were of samurai class, 80-85% are believed to have been farmers, 5-8% are believed to have been merchants and craftsmen. The remaining 1.5% were Shinto and Buddhist priests, and another 1% were outcast. In this we will split the difference and give a samurai population of 9%. (From here)
The burakumin were not considered part of the Shinokosho. At the end of Edo period, the population of burakumin was considered to be approximately 1-3 million (from here) from a total population of 34 million (here), giving a percentage of the population of Burakumin of approximately 6%. This leaves a non burakumin population in Rokugan of 28,568,369.
Samurai population = 0.09 X 28,568,369 = 2,571,153 samurai.
Farmers = 0.82 X 28,568,369 = 23,426,062 farmers.
Merchants and Craftsmen = 0.065 X 28,568,369 = 1,856,944 merchants and craftsmen
Priests = 0.015 X 28,568,369 = 428,526 priests
Outcasts = 0.01 X 28,568,369 = 285,684 outcasts
Burakumin = .06 X 30,391,881 = 1,823,513 burakumin
Of course, not all samurai of fighting age. Using this demographic table for medieval populations from here...
Using this chart and an approximate Gempukku of age 17 and retirement at age 50, we get:
Pre-gempuku samurai: 35% = 899,904
Adult, non-retired samurai: 49% = 1,259,865
Retired Adults: 16% = 411,385
Of these samurai, we are told that approximately 2% of samurai are shugenja. Of those that remain, the percentage of the population that are non-bushi (courtiers) varies from clan to clan. With a normal demographic split, the women would be the non-bushi and there would be at least a 50/50 percent split between bushi and non-bushi without counting courtier/courtier couples. Given the variations between the clans, I'll average out to a 50/50 split between bushi and non-combatants of age. These non-combatants can be merchants, artisans, courtiers, wounded bushi no longer able to fight, or any other sort of non-combatant.
This means, from the samurai of age, there are in Rokugan:
Shugenja (2%): 25,197
Bushi (49%): 617,334
Non-Bushi/Non-Shugenja (49%): 617,334
Different clans have different percentages of bushi, non-bushi, and shugenja. Also there are the Imperial forces and Ronin in Rokugan which also are part of these numbers.
Given that, you can estimate military forces for each clan (7 great clans, + minor clans + ronin and Imperials) of approximately
617,334 Bushi / 8 clans = 77,167 bushi per clan, or, approximately:
77,000 bushi per clan
3000-3500 shugenja per clan
77,000 non-bushi/courtiers per clan
Some clans, like the Crab, will have bigger armies. while others will be smaller.
In AEG's L5R system, the following numbers were given in Way of the Dragon. The total for these armies is 1,920,000. If these army sizes remain in relatively the same ratio compared to each other, then
Crab: 300,000 or 15.6%
Crane: 150,000 or 7.8%
Dragon 200,000 or 10.4%
Lion: 500,000 26.0%
Phoenix: 100,000 or 5.2%
Scorpion: 200,000 or 10.4%
Unicorn: 270,000 or 14.1%
Minor Clans and Ronin (combined): 200,000 or 14.1%
That gives us final army sizes of 617,334 Bushi of fighting age X Ratio per Clan for total army sizes (Samurai Only) of:
Crab: 96,458 rounded to 96,500 samurai bushi
Crane: 48,229 rounded to 48,200 samurai bushi
Dragon 64,306 rounded to 64,300 samurai bushi
Lion: 160,764 rounded to 160,800 samurai bushi
Phoenix: 32,153 rounded to 32,200 samurai bushi
Scorpion: 64,306 rounded to 64,300 samurai bushi
Unicorn: 86,813 rounded to 86,800 samurai bushi
Minor Clans and Ronin (combined): 64,306 rounded to 64,300 samurai bushi
Remaining forces to make up the numbers from Way of the Dragon would likely be made of Ashigaru for most clans.
In Legend of the Five Rings 5th Edition, we're given some new numbers for the Size and Population of Rokugan.
Rokugan is described as being 900 miles long by 600 miles wide. Obviously not all of this land is available for farming and living on, especially in areas like the Shinomen Forest. But we can use some Real-World comparisons to make up some broad numbers to work with.
Rokugan area: 900mi X 600mi = 540,000 square miles However, of that area, some is ocean, some is Shadowlands, and some are the uninhabited Plains above Evil and Shinomen Forest. If you remove the unpopulated areas, this comes out to be 260900 square miles.
Japan area: 145,937 square miles
Pre-Edo period Japan population (high estimate): 17 million (from 1600 Japan here - Using the 2006 numbers)
Rokgaun Population (high estimate) : (Japan population / Japan area ) X Rokugan Area = 30,391,881 people
During the Edo period, the Shinokosho, or four divisions of society, were composed of the Shi, being the warrior caste, the No, or farming peasants, Ko being craftsmen and artisans, and Sho being the merchant class. 8-10% of the population were of samurai class, 80-85% are believed to have been farmers, 5-8% are believed to have been merchants and craftsmen. The remaining 1.5% were Shinto and Buddhist priests, and another 1% were outcast. In this we will split the difference and give a samurai population of 9%. (From here)
The burakumin were not considered part of the Shinokosho. At the end of Edo period, the population of burakumin was considered to be approximately 1-3 million (from here) from a total population of 34 million (here), giving a percentage of the population of Burakumin of approximately 6%. This leaves a non burakumin population in Rokugan of 28,568,369.
Samurai population = 0.09 X 28,568,369 = 2,571,153 samurai.
Farmers = 0.82 X 28,568,369 = 23,426,062 farmers.
Merchants and Craftsmen = 0.065 X 28,568,369 = 1,856,944 merchants and craftsmen
Priests = 0.015 X 28,568,369 = 428,526 priests
Outcasts = 0.01 X 28,568,369 = 285,684 outcasts
Burakumin = .06 X 30,391,881 = 1,823,513 burakumin
Of course, not all samurai of fighting age. Using this demographic table for medieval populations from here...
Using this chart and an approximate Gempukku of age 17 and retirement at age 50, we get:
Pre-gempuku samurai: 35% = 899,904
Adult, non-retired samurai: 49% = 1,259,865
Retired Adults: 16% = 411,385
Of these samurai, we are told that approximately 2% of samurai are shugenja. Of those that remain, the percentage of the population that are non-bushi (courtiers) varies from clan to clan. With a normal demographic split, the women would be the non-bushi and there would be at least a 50/50 percent split between bushi and non-bushi without counting courtier/courtier couples. Given the variations between the clans, I'll average out to a 50/50 split between bushi and non-combatants of age. These non-combatants can be merchants, artisans, courtiers, wounded bushi no longer able to fight, or any other sort of non-combatant.
This means, from the samurai of age, there are in Rokugan:
Shugenja (2%): 25,197
Bushi (49%): 617,334
Non-Bushi/Non-Shugenja (49%): 617,334
Different clans have different percentages of bushi, non-bushi, and shugenja. Also there are the Imperial forces and Ronin in Rokugan which also are part of these numbers.
Given that, you can estimate military forces for each clan (7 great clans, + minor clans + ronin and Imperials) of approximately
617,334 Bushi / 8 clans = 77,167 bushi per clan, or, approximately:
77,000 bushi per clan
3000-3500 shugenja per clan
77,000 non-bushi/courtiers per clan
Some clans, like the Crab, will have bigger armies. while others will be smaller.
In AEG's L5R system, the following numbers were given in Way of the Dragon. The total for these armies is 1,920,000. If these army sizes remain in relatively the same ratio compared to each other, then
Crab: 300,000 or 15.6%
Crane: 150,000 or 7.8%
Dragon 200,000 or 10.4%
Lion: 500,000 26.0%
Phoenix: 100,000 or 5.2%
Scorpion: 200,000 or 10.4%
Unicorn: 270,000 or 14.1%
Minor Clans and Ronin (combined): 200,000 or 14.1%
That gives us final army sizes of 617,334 Bushi of fighting age X Ratio per Clan for total army sizes (Samurai Only) of:
Crab: 96,458 rounded to 96,500 samurai bushi
Crane: 48,229 rounded to 48,200 samurai bushi
Dragon 64,306 rounded to 64,300 samurai bushi
Lion: 160,764 rounded to 160,800 samurai bushi
Phoenix: 32,153 rounded to 32,200 samurai bushi
Scorpion: 64,306 rounded to 64,300 samurai bushi
Unicorn: 86,813 rounded to 86,800 samurai bushi
Minor Clans and Ronin (combined): 64,306 rounded to 64,300 samurai bushi
Remaining forces to make up the numbers from Way of the Dragon would likely be made of Ashigaru for most clans.
