I want to make a Shigenjo that uses unarmed attacks as his main form of attacking and to be able to qualify for ki strike. Can I take the alternate trait for claws and use them instead of the unarmed attack? Or are claws not considered unarmed attacks
Claws are not unarmed strikes. But you could look into Feral Combat Training.
Claws are not considered unarmed strikes, however, Tengu with the claws alternate racial trait are considered to have the improved unarmed strike feat for the purposes of prerequisites. That causes some weirdness, such as a Tengu with no monk levels but sufficient skill ranks and so forth qualifying for Snake style and Snake fang, but unable to use their claws to perform the retaliatory attack Snake fang allows them.
So I can use Feral Combat Training on my claws and use them for ki strike?