"Clan Tokugawa Colors?" Topic

Hi all, I'm doing up a vignette of a samurai siege, and am really not an expert in the period. Was clan Tokugawa known for favoring any particular colors for their troops? This would be for before Ieyasu became shogun. I very much appreciate any advice those more experienced in the period can give me.

Not that I've ever read about. If a daimyo used certain colors it's usually mentioned and 'uniforms' didn't appear until after the Sengoku was done. Ii clan (Tokugawa vassals) were well known for red armor (probably just the lacquer) and I think Date Masamune had a unit with golden hats.

That said there are pretty good details on the crests (mon) and flags and what colors they were for the major players- but I've never seen anything that correlates banner colors with colors of armor, lacing, etc.

Samurai are pretty colorful. I stick with similar colors in a unit, with a contrast color for accents (for example on a unit with cool colors predominant, I'll use red or orange red for the ties around wrists, the cords that cross over the shoulder, knots on the back, and ties on the suneate shin armor).

Hi, I don't think there are any recorded special features for the tokugawa, the banners are mostly white in screen paintings, I imagine that the men who carried his banners would have better quality kit than regular ashigauru as they were household troops in his personal hatamoto.

may I suggest using ones with the same style of armour and perhaps paint them black or brown with gold features such as gold jingasa hats and gold crests on their breast plate, alternatively if you want them to look really wealthy use all gold armour.
Remember that even before he became shogun he was hugely wealthy and he would probley want his hatamoto to look impressive.

Clavell claimed that Tokugawa's troops wore brown and Ishida's wore grey.

Probably not historically accurate, but at least everyone who's seen Shōgun would recognize them.

Thank you all, those responses definitely give me some good ideas to go on. I'll have the vignette in the Architects of War painting competition at Historicon, for anyone interested in seeing what I end up settling on.

In his younger years Ieyasu led his personal troops from the front. After Mikatagahara the bulk of the fighting were led by commanders loyal to Ieyasu.

As in many armies led by powerful daimyo, they consist of many clan or contingents led by veteran commanders, so the whole Tokugawa army would be a very colorful spectacle on the battlefield. When the Tokugawa troops go into battle, Ieyasu's very own troops often do not engage in combat, unless Ieyasu's HQ is threatened as in Mikatagahara. The Shimazu threatened Ieyasu's HQ at Sekigahara and the Sanada at the siege of Osaka.

Ieyasu's HQ would be a forest of white banners bearing the Tokugawa mon. Except at Sekigahara where he flew all white banners at his HQ. He had passed on his personal banners with the Tokugawa mon to his heir Hidetada.

Ieyasu would be protected by samurai bodyguards with Gold fan sashimono. He would be served by mounted tsukaiban wearing sashimono with the character 'Go', in at least two versions (black 'Go' on white, and white 'Go' on black).

In many of Ieyasu's battles and sieges, specific contingents with well-known commanders are mentioned. In this instances, Ieyasu's own personal troops with white sashimono did not go into action.

Check here for examples of some of the best known Tokugawa contingents:
link

In the front rank of the Tokugawa are the Ii 'Red Devils' clad in red-lacquered armour and red banners. The rare example of a 'uniformed' contingent. Once they were formed they almost always led the Tokugawa attack. The first to engage the enemy, the first through a breach in a castle wall.

The other 'color' Tokugawa unit was the 'Yellow' regiment of Doi Toshikatsu which served under Ieyasu's heir Hidetada. Banners were all yellow, but not uniformed armour.

Before the formation of the 'Red Devils', the contingents of Honda Tadakatsu, Sakai Tadatsugu, Ishikawa Kazumasa, and Sakakibara Yasumasa are mentioned fighting as vanguard. The Ishikawa were the Tokugawa vanguard during the march to Nagashino, and Sakai Tadatsugu detached from the main Tokugawa army to attack the Takeda rear.

Examples of Honda and Sakakibara ashigaru armour bear respective mon, with examples of brown lacquered Sakakibara armour. Honda Tadakatsu's banners may have evolved through the years. His last banners depicted in the Sekigahara screens is the most famous, BUT his banners at the earlier battle of Anegawa appear different. Below is an example of how the Honda banners may have evolved.

Another bodyguard unit is that of The Okubo with their butterfly sashimono. At Mikatagahara they were part of the vanguard of Honda Tadakatsu and were the color guard for Ieyasu's Golden Fan standard during the fighting retreat.

Accompanying Ieyasu in all his battles until his death at the siege of Fushimi Castle was Torii Mototada. His unit would be placed at the head of Ieyasu's HQ.

Scroll down to see Sakakibara and Torii Mototada here:
link

Also in the second link are the various Matsudaira contingents who served the Tokugawa.

As always, your samurai art is beautiful, EValerio. Are you any closer to that book of Samurai?

I remember reading, think it was in Killer Katanas, that the Date issued bullet-tested armor to all their troopers. From what I remember, that armor was black lacquered, and most of the visible cloth was likely to be indigo blue, though I could also make a case for earth tones on the cloth.

Samurai, of course, would likely have fancier cloth under the armor, if not fancier (ie, more colorful) armor.

Oh nice, thank you!