Mouri Motonari: Chikai no Sanshi

Mouri Motonari: Chikai no Sanshi (毛利元就 誓いの三矢, literally Mōri Motonari: Oath of the Three Arrows) is the third entry of Eiji Fukuzawa's Eiketsuden series, a series of simulation games that portrays the titular historical figures in a heroic image. At the time of the game's release, a similarly themed Taiga drama was being broadcast. It is the only title in the series to not have multiple endings.

The title surrounds the lives and conquests of Motonari Mōri and his grandson. Time passes through fixed intervals in this title and several characters visually age throughout the story. Players can witness the childhood names for several daimyo and may see them grow into adulthood. In Motonari's case, he ages from a child to an elderly man and dies within the story. Following his death, the player finishes the game with Terumoto. The story modestly follows historical events until Terumoto leads the clan.

Character designs were made by Hitoshi Natsume who later worked for visuals on the first two Kessen titles.

Gameplay
For an overall evaluation of the general gameplay, please view the Eiketsuden series article. The following lists the unique traits found within this entry.

Exploring
After the obligatory story scenes for each chapter, the player can actually control the main hero by using the mouse to hover and left click on areas of interest. In the home console versions, a cursor is placed on the screen to represent the mouse. The player can use the directional pad to move it to select objects with the confirm button. Through this method, the protagonist may choose to talk with their fellow vassals or people living within their territory. Chatting with people may reward the ally army with random stat boosts, additional gold, or items. The main hero can choose to leave an area by pressing the cancel button. During the bird's eye view of the city, the player may visit a single building by highlighting on its name and confirming their choice.

Each city has a different build, but each has a market place for buying goods and a bar for chatting with the common folk. The player may also choose to check their entire inventory by stopping by the local storehouse in the area. One house of a person residing in the area can be checked as well. Cities may have a temple which might lead to an opportunity of increasing the main hero's luck with enough visits. A castle is stationed in each city, which has three rooms reserved for the Mōri clan. One room is set aside for their vassals, another for the living room for the family members residing in the area, and a gathering place within the castle itself.

Advanced cities come with training grounds for leveling up the ally army. Each training session has a mandatory fee from both participants and a limit of ten turns per match. During these duels, the player may order their unit to attack normally (press up) or use one of their special attack (press down and select a skill in the menu). They can also omit the special text conversations (right) or let the unit fight at their discretion (left). If the player's character wins the match, the player gains the collective payment for themselves. One victory may lead to the choice to challenge another stronger opponent. A single character may choose to fight six consecutive battles before the competition forfeits and rewards the character with a special item. Enemy units are randomized based on the ally unit's class, so there is some danger if the unit faces their opposite unit type. For two chapters in the game, the elongated training sessions is the only method of recruiting two members for the ally army.

Four rules must be kept in mind with these sparring sessions. One, a level limit is set to bar the strongest members from participating. Any character who exceeds the particular level set in the chapter will need to wait for their chance later. Two, the player has the option to throw in the title if their character is on the verge of defeat. They will lose the gold they bet in the match, but the participant will be safe. Three, stalemates occur when the player's character exceeds the time limit. Earned experience is kept but gold will not be earned. Four, losing a match punishes the participant by lowering one of their stats by one point.

Crafting studios are found in select cities, an area which utilizes the various blacksmiths, medicine makers, and other inventors who join the main hero. By using old equipment, raw items, and scrolls, the player can create hardy equipment and healing items for their army to use in battle. Each entry has its individual leveling systems and its own experts. These craftsmen are scattered in the villages found on the battlefield or within the city dwellings in ally territory. Occasionally, the player is required to perform a few tasks to gain their trust and service.

During the creation stage, an item has a recipe listed with the necessary ingredients for it in the upper right hand corner. Red items are not in the player's inventory; white items are available. Items with available ingredients require no gold for their creation. However, items with missing components might require additional funding for a finished product. The desired item cannot be made if the merchants in ally territory do not carry the ingredients.

Aside from exploring the city, the player can change their army's equipment and select which items they desire to use in battle. If the player is lost on what to do next, open the action menu (undefined in PlayStation port) and press left. The text bubble that appears gives the precise measures needed to proceed with the story. Directions mentioning the need to march into battle means the exploration part of the chapter has nearly concluded, so be fully prepared before selecting to go further. This menu doubles as the place for saving or loading data.

Battle
Every character fits one of the following unit types. Each unit type has its own properties, abilities and promotion benefits unique to their class. Units can be promoted when they max out their starting job class and use the appropriate promote item in battle. Promotion items can either be bought/found in the castle cities, earned through completing side quests or received by visiting villages during battle.

Players can use most job classes by proceeding through the main story. Cart driver and musician units can only be gained by successfully completing the side objectives for their recruitment.

Main army

 * Motonari Mōri
 * Hiroyoshi Shiji
 * Hirotoshi Fukuhara
 * Michiyoshi Kuchiba
 * Naritada Kodama
 * Yoshitake Iida
 * Motosuke Kunishi
 * Masakiyo Seiki
 * Kagetsuna Andō
 * Narikata Kodama
 * Sadatoshi Fukuhara
 * Motoharu Kikkawa
 * Takamoto Mōri
 * Munekatsu Nomi
 * Takakage Kobayakawa
 * Hirotada Shiji
 * Terumoto Mōri
 * Mototake Kunishi
 * Motoyoshi Kodama
 * Michifusa Kurushima
 * Hotaru
 * Ekei Ankokuji
 * Hiroie Kikkawa

Additional allies

 * Takashige Amano
 * Motozumi Katsura
 * Heizō
 * Tatsuyoshi Saitō
 * Nobunao Kumagai
 * Takaie Shishido
 * Mitsukage Kagawa
 * Ran
 * Ryūzō Kunitomi
 * Yoshimitsu Murakami
 * Takasuke Miyoshi
 * Motosuke Nojiri
 * Hirohide Asomema
 * Hirosuke Hiraga
 * Takamichi Yamanouchi
 * Kyōshirō
 * Naoyuki Koi
 * Yaichi Wada
 * Sai'ie
 * Michiyasu Kurushima
 * Fusayasu Sugimori
 * Shigesuke Shigi
 * Masayoshi Yoshimi
 * Chōsuke
 * Kenichirō Masaki
 * Fujikane Masuda
 * Tanekio Mizawa
 * Hisasuke Mitoya
 * Harutsuna Yuhara
 * Yuugen Tsuchiya
 * Tanezane Akizuki
 * Yoshinari Ichidō
 * Takeyoshi Murakami

Mōri clan

 * Hiromoto Mōri
 * Sugi no Kata
 * Okimoto Mōri
 * Fuji no Kata
 * Kōmatsumaru Mōri
 * Okata (Myōhime)
 * Kikuhime
 * Mototsuna Aio
 * Aio no Kata
 * Hiromitsu Katsura
 * Hirohide Saka
 * Suguru Watanabe
 * Muneharu Shimizu
 * Takamoto's wife
 * Kayō Watanabe

Kikkawa clan

 * Kunitsune Kikkawa
 * Tsuneyo Kikkawa
 * Mototsuna Kikkawa
 * Okitsune Kikkawa
 * Nobutada Oda
 * Motoharu's wife

Kobayakawa clan

 * Masahira Kobayakawa
 * Takakage's wife

Forces in Aki Province

 * Motonao Kumagai
 * Motoyoshi Shishido
 * Okisada Amano
 * Motoshige Takeda
 * Mitsukazu Takeda
 * Nobushige Takeda

Ouchi army

 * Yoshioki Ōuchi
 * Yoshitaka Ōuchi
 * Shigenori Sugi
 * Naonobu Kurata
 * Fusanobu Kurata
 * Okifusa Sui
 * Okimori Naitō
 * Fusahide Era
 * Harukata Sue
 * Takakane Hironaka
 * Taketō Sagara
 * Masaoki Sugihara
 * Takatoyo Reizei
 * Katatane Shirai
 * Takayasu Hiraga
 * Fusakiyo Miura
 * Nagafusa Sue
 * Takayo Naitō
 * Fusanaga Miyagawa
 * Takayasu Sugi

Amago army

 * Tsunehisa Amago
 * Hisayuki Amago
 * Kunihisa Amago
 * Haruhisa Amago
 * Masahisa Amago
 * Yoshihisa Amago
 * Hidetsuna Kamei
 * Hisakio Akana
 * Yukikiyo Ushio
 * Tanekiyo Misawa
 * Hisasuke Mitoya
 * Mitsuyuki Yamanaka
 * Tachihara Hisatsuna
 * Takakane Fusaya
 * Takatsura Eda
 * Shinemitsu Honjo
 * Masayasu Matsuda
 * Shikanosuke Yamanaka
 * Hisanobu Uyama
 * Iorinosuke Akiage
 * Sanaenosuke Ueda
 * Hyōgosuke Yokomichi

Other Western forces

 * Sōrin Ōtomo
 * Yoshinaga Ōuchi
 * Yoshimune Ōtomo
 * Akihaya Uzuki
 * Chikanori Shiga
 * Dōsetsu Tachibana
 * Chikakata Tawara
 * Chikahiro Tawara
 * Akitada Yoshihiro
 * Toyotsuna Ushinomiya
 * Michinao Kōno
 * Kinhiro Saionji
 * Akitane Takahashi
 * Naoie Ukita

Oda army

 * Nobunaga Oda
 * Nobukatsu Oda
 * Nobutaka Oda
 * Katsuie Shibata
 * Kazumasu Takigawa
 * Narimasa Sassa
 * Nobumori Sakuma
 * Toshiie Maeda
 * Nagahide Niwa
 * Yoshitaka Kuki
 * Motochika Mimura
 * Hideyoshi Hashiba
 * Hidenaga Hashiba
 * Koroku Hachisuka
 * Kiyomasa Katō
 * Masanori Fukushima
 * Kanbei Kuroda
 * Mitsunari Ishida
 * Mitsuhide Akechi
 * Hidemitsu Akechi
 * Toshimitsu Saitō

Tokugawa clan

 * Ieyasu Tokugawa
 * Tadakatsu Honda
 * Naomasa Ii
 * Yasumasa Sakakibara
 * Tadatsugu Sakai
 * Kazumasa Ishikawa
 * Hanzō Hattori

Others

 * Yoshimoto Imagawa
 * Yoshiaki Ashikaga
 * Kennyo Honganji
 * Kyonyo Honganji
 * Fujitaka Hosokawa
 * Junkei Tsuitsui
 * Shino

Allusions

 * Many of these game's sound effects for towns and scenery would later be reused in Oda Nobunaga Den and Sengoku Musou 4.