New Japanese leader: Empress Koken

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Empress Koken (Koken Tenno)

Being the one of the eight empresses in Japanese history, Koken Tenno, also named Shotoku Tenno in her second ascension to the thone, has got a bad rap from the historians.
Her reign was in Nara era, a period where Chinese and Buddhist influence was dominant. Koken was a pious Buddhist and dedicated a great effort in promoting the status of Buddhism. History says she favored a Buddhist monk so much that she would let him succeed the throne, leading to instability in the court that eventually lead to her end.
Her legacy lead to the fusion of traditional Shinto and Buddhism and the high status of monks in Japan.

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Leader Ability: Tenpyo Bunka
Tourism affecting her will be added into her faith production. When she sends a trader to a civ with a religion, every time that trader returns to her city, she gains an amount of faith equal to a holy site prayer (equal to 15% of production in the starting city). She gets the warrior monk belief as a bonus belief once she gets a religion.

Note: Tenpyo Bunka (てんぴょうぶんか) or Tenpyo culture, is a term describing the fusion culture developed in Nara Era. It was a mixture of Tang Chinese culture, Buddhist and traditional japanese culture. The spread of Buddhism creates a golden age of religious art and spirituality, solidifying the status of Buddhism mixing Shinto for the rest of Japanese history.

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UB: Jingu (literally god’s palace)
Unique building replacing the temple, each has 2 slots for relics, +2 more faith than normal temples. It provides an “oracle” when a holy site prayer is completed. The oracle can be one of the following:

1, Hachiman's valiancy: Provides +5 ranged strength for all ranged units.
2, Manjushri's wisdom: Provides +1 access level to 2 random civilizations, even she has never met before.
3, Busshari: Provides a relic, and the oracle function in this Jingu will stop for 15 turns.
4, Bless of Oogetsuhime: Provides +1 food per farm land in the entire country.
5, Fudomyoo's wrath: Grants +20 theological combat strength to all religious units.
6, Amaterasu's Glare: Reveal a city of another civ that has not been discovered before, also reveal a strategic resource, even when not having the corresponding technology.

Only 1 oracle can be activated at the same time, getting another oracle will end the effect of the previous one, except for the one that grants you a relic. These 6 types of oracles will not repeat themselves in the same Jingu. Also, this function will no longer be available after the civic Enlightenment.

After reserch of cultural heritage civic, the faith from holy site prayer is added into tourism for 5 turns

Note: The Jingus were shrines and temples for the traditional Shinto gods. Much like the Greeks, Japanese rulers believed that the Gods granted them oracles through the priests. These oracles have far greater political and religious influence. In Koken’s reign, there was even an incident in which a fake oracle stated that she should abdicate the throne to a buddhist monk. Koken favored that monk so much, and she was happy to hear this oracle. However, it had been proved to be a false one. This was the "Usa Jingu oracle incidence" which shook her reputation and authority.

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Leader Agenda: Kentoshi (Ambassadors to Tang Dynasty)
She likes Civs with high tourism output, dislikes the contrary.

Note: Nara era was heavily influenced by Chinese Tang Dynasty. Starting from AD630, Japan has been sending ambassadors to learn the culture, religion and technologies from China. The influence was so great that "Chinese culture" became a popular subject that every Japanese rulers were eager to learn. The most noticeable influence nowadays was the use of Kanji (chinese characters), architecture and spread of Buddhism.

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Favored Victory type:
Obviously a religious one.
Domination is possible as she can spam warrior monks starting from early game.
Cultural victory is also reasonably strong as she can produce free relics, but it needs a little luck.

Weakness:
Science is the least encouraged victory here, although the growth from one of the oracles may help building population to maximize science. There is no direct boost of science output.

Also, in later ages, the military might of warrior monks will be shadowed by stronger technological units. Her lack of science output makes her fall behind in technology and greatly weakened. Also, unit and buildings are less efficient as you have to occasionally build holy site prayers. Religious Civs with mid-game military capabilities like Spain can be tough for her.

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Playstyle:
She retains the Japanese civilization ability and the electronic factory UB, but not the samauri.

Empress Koken is a unique religious player. She benefits faith bonus from contacting the others and tries her luck on oracles.

Much like Gandhi’s ability, she has a passive faith bonus in discovering new civs. But the difference is that she gains ONLY from players having tourism output. The higher tourism others are pressuring her, the higher faith output she will get. Therefore, her faith output will keep increasing over time. This counters Civs with intertwining cultural-religious playstyle, like Jayavarman VII, Cleopatra, etc. The faith output normally cannot catch up the cost of religious units in later era. Koken has no such problem.

In a more active way, Koken can send trade routes to further boost her faith. Shorter route is more favorable, as the bonus is gained after the trader returns to the starting cities. The Jingu unique building is a lucky draw type of bonus. It can help in growth, gaining information from others, seeking for a better future city location, etc.

The bonus cannot exist together and will cease to function after all the 6 types of bonus in the same Jingu are already used. Therefore, the oracle itself decides the strategy of Koken, rather than the other way round, as we want to maximize the use of every oracle. Going to expand, gaining diplomatic relationships, launching holy wars… all depends on the oracles.

To compensate the loss of samurai, Koken gets the warrior monk, which she can purchase in great amount with her faith output. These monks secure her territory, or can even be aggressively used to make early religious conquests.

Overall, Koken is the strongest at early-middle game, where her uniques all come in hands. In later eras, her strength in religion continues and is flexible in changing to cultural game if things aren't well in religion route.