Quote Originally Posted by frogbeastegg View Post
Black provinces are ones you have exempted from taxation. They have an increase in happiness, and bring you no money. If the province is deeply unhappy the happiness bonus from tax exemption will still not be enough to prevent revolt.

Have you tried checking for enemy agents promoting unrest in these problem provinces? Send a ninja or metsuke scuttling around the map in that area, see if anyone shows up. Then try assigning them to the castle on the 'free' mission for a few turns, in case there's an agent which passed the sight check and wasn't noticed during the casual scouting. You are not 100% guaranteed to spot enemy agents this way, but the chance should be very high unless your people are low level and the enemy high level.

Is your daimyo dishonourable? There's a happiness penalty for having less than 3 points of honour.

Booting out enemy army remnants can be important as well; your people grow unhappy if an enemy army is ravaging the countryside.

I take expansion slowly and steadily, keeping my army in place in newly conquered castle for a few turns. That lets some of the unhappiness pass whilst repression is high. I can then add in agents, a garrison, temporary tax exemption, and happiness buildings if I feel I will need them once the big army moves on. Repairing the castle and other damaged buildings is a high priority; I issue the order the turn I take over. I aim to keep 100% religious unity in all provinces and at all times; the monks/missionaries are sent in as soon as I spot a province which doesn't completely follow my chosen religion.

I confess I don't see many happiness problems, even though I play on the highest difficulties. Thanks to these methods I have not seen a single revolt in any of my games.
Hmm. Im pretty sure I dont have any tax-exempt provinces...maybe it's a bug? I can check when I get home from work.
I've got a Metsuke in each of my 'problem provinces', and still end up with this issue. One of them, I think Buzen, is 100% Christian, and I'm a Shinto/Buddhist clan. I have a fully upgraded temple complex AND a monk, and the religion hasn't changed at all. What gives? Is it because of the Nanban trade port? I'd happily destroy it, as I dont need/use it, but I'd be afraid I couldn't build another one later if I needed to.

My Daimyo is full on the honorable bar, and actually gives a happiness increase when he visits a province. And yes, i usually keep a garrison in an unhappy, newly-conquered province. But Buzen especially has been giving me constant headaches. I'd let the curs keep it except that I need the port and farms there.

And this is just on Hard.