"Upcoming Steel Fist Transfers" Topic

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excellent idea! I'm surprised there aren't more Samurai decals out there

Good idea. Looks like at the moment they are gearing up for Sekigahara. That's good: I could use some Ii Clan mons and calligraphy. Banzai, Ii Red Devils!

Great !!! I can stop painstakingly making my own as I have been doing till now. Allthough my intrest lies a little earlier (Oda etc. period). Luckily I can use both represented sets (Ishida Mitsunari was a Oda retainer). Being from Citadel Six make one can be ensured of a good quality. Now continue with painting the remaining odd 600 Ashigaru/Samurai with a new "élan".

HAI!

Just a bit of info regarding Ishida Mitsunari. Japanese artwork depicting the earliest example of Mitsunari's heraldry I've come across is at the Battle of Shizugatake. He wears a sashimono with his mon and fought as a footsoldier not leading troops.

Ishida Mitsunari is currently one of the characters in the Taiga drama 'Strategist Kanbe', the story of one of Hideyoshi's finest strategists Kuroda Yoshitaka. Mitsunari is depicted as Hideyoshi's page as Hideyoshi rose in rank as one of Oda Nobunaga's commanders.

To Carlos,

A very nice detail in this current Taiga drama is the depiction of early heraldry and the look of samurai armies during the early Sengoku period. While the Oda and the Mouri display complete sets of flags and well-equipped armies, minor clans like the Kuroda in the early years look very different.

Kuroda ashigaru are depicted fighting without armour so don't have sashimono. They go into battle wearing the clothes they wear working on the fields. Only foot samurai serving as platoon commanders wear a small hata-jirushi as sashimono which appear to act as a unit's standard. Mounted Kuroda samurai are without sashimono. There are no uma-jirushi or nobori, only a few hata-jirushi with two blue horizontal stripes at the top. The Kuroda do not display the Kuroda mon yet. For identification Kuroda samurai and ashigaru wear a small piece of white cloth sewn on the upper arm with two blue horizontal stripes. Neighboring clans of the Kuroda, both allies and foes are depicted in identical style of early heraldry and poorly- equipped troops. I've come across the use of arm patch heraldry with even the most well-equipped armies like the Takeda.

The two horizontal stripes displayed on the Kuroda arm patch and hata-jirushi will appear on the sashimono of Kuroda Yoshitaka's final complete heraldry.

Latest episodes show the Kuroda evolving, their ashigaru getting better equipped. The next exciting episodes depict the ikko-ikki and the siege of Ishiyama Honganji.

Not meaning to hijack this topic however EValerio do you know what Kanji was on the Ikko Ikki Hato Jirushi/Nobori?

Were they similar to Kato Kiyoamsa's Hail the divine lotus?

If this is the case that the banners used Kanji ie Hanzi,I can use the calligraphy I learned as a child to good use.

Nice, more transfers for 28mm is great. I'm especially happy about finding a new source for Tokugawa transfers, as I paint up several units of the Tokugawa clan and it's one of the more time consuming to try to do as freehand.

To Wansui,

Yes to Kato Kiyomasa's banner "Hail to the Divine Lotus", also used in Ikko ikki banners. The difference is in the 'handwriting', and presentation. In Japanese cinema, Ikko ikki banners are very crude, the banners look like rags. There is no 'uniformity' as banners were created by many individuals of varying skills. Banners by the Ikko ikki commanders are of better quality, and gets progressively crude as you go down to the common footsoldiers.

Thanks Evalerio, your illustrations and advice have proven to be invaluable.

I see so I can afford to be sloppy when writing Kanji.

Any chance you have the name of the drama so I can observe what the Ikko Ikki wrote?

That drama sounds really intresteing Evalerio. Will have to try to get hold of it.

I am past the point of no return when it comes to painting much of anything freehand any more due to age, so the more decals for my eternally growing Sengoku samurai army is a very good thing…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Just ordered some of the decals and miniatures, I'll post a review when I've got them and painted some up.

Which decals and minitures did you pick up?

All of the decals. :P
And some hatamoto and the big Hosokawa set.

Sounds good mate. I love the Guy with the withered bearded mask and the nodichi from that set.

Me too, it was pretty much that model that made me buy the set. He'll stick out a lot among the normal soldiers.

Yes to Kato Kiyomasa's banner "Hail to the Divine Lotus", also used in Ikko ikki banners. The difference is in the 'handwriting', and presentation. In Japanese cinema, Ikko ikki banners are very crude, the banners look like rags. There is no 'uniformity' as banners were created by many individuals of varying skills. Banners by the Ikko ikki commanders are of better quality, and gets progressively crude as you go down to the common foot soldiers.

Senor,

I would buy a decal sheet of Ikko-Ikki slogans, as (1) I am long past the point of skill for painting calligraphy in an even remotely legible fashion, and (2) I would use them for other projects especially sci-fi models that I kit bash on a regular basis.

Seriously. I am set to order all the current sheets as soon as I get paid by a client next cycle 'round, so the more the merrier, oh, and yes, i would love to see a set that covers the sashimono of daimyos of note, especially Sakai Tadasugu:

I can manage to hit the lacings on a suit of armor on a 28mm figure fairly well still without making too appalling a mess, but beyond that, I need all the help I can get!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net