Alright folks, today we're going to take a look at the Yoritomo Sensei.  Many Lion players, (or seasoned ones at least) don't need a good explination why not to use this sensei.  For those of you who don't know many good reasons why not to use this sensei, I'll give you a few.  What's that sensei do again?

-Yoritomo Sensei
+0 Province Strength
+0 Gold Production
+0 Family Honor
All Clans*Sensei
Gold-producing Holdings cost 1 less Gold, to a minimum of 1, for you. Your Stronghold produces 1 less Gold when bowing to pay for a Personality.

So, how is this good you think? Well, let's take a look at what it does.  Holdings cost 1 less gold for you, meaning with the Lion Clan 3 Gold Scheme, you can use many of those powerful holdings which cost 4 gold.  Well, that's great and all, but which holdings can be brought out for 4 gold?  There are many holdings in the game of Legend of the Five Rings which can be brought out for 4 gold.  However, very few of these are well used by members of the Lion Clan.  The three holdings which I think benefit the Lion Clan most are Kabuki Theatre Troupe, The Hiruma Dojo, and Sanctified Temples.  These are all very solid holdings and all can be brought out for 4 gold.  The Yoritomo Sensei allows them to be brought out for three gold, which nicely fits our stronghold's gold production.  Okay, you don't need to tell me why to use The Hiruma Dojo, it's a given!  Most of our samurai can come off the box with that thing.  Right you are. But why would we need holdings like Kabuki Theatre Troupes and Sanctified Temples?  Suprisingly I get that a lot from the new Lion players.  Sanctified Temples can be key to many Lion decks.  They provide a solid defense against honor, and can be used to produce 2 gold.  Not a whole lot, but one Sanctified Temple *does* pay for that two honor.  This way, you don't just throw the game when you hit negative honor.  The only Lion personalities which come out in negative honor are Matsu Daoquan, and Ikoma Ryozo.  Both of these have three personal honor, but they aren't great personalities.  I suppose you *could* add them to your deck, but if you're a Jade Lion like me, it hurts to mention their names.  Back to the subject anyways.  Kabuki Theatre Troupes are a little more stable than the Sanctified Temples.  They bow to produce one honor, much like Hawks and Falcons which we see in many Lion Decks.  They can also bow for 2 gold, and again this isn't excellent, but here's the kicker: You can reduce a Gohei or a Morishigi off one of these, and with the Yoritomo Sensei you can replace those Hawks and Falcons while keeping your gold stability within reasonable levels.

OVERVIEW:

-Allows Kabuki Theatre Troupes, Hiruma Dojos, and Sanctified Temples to come off your box.

-Gives greater flexibility to your overall gold scheme, (Copper Mines come off Smal Farms!)

Thanks for reading, I hope you find a use for this card in the near future.