"Heraldry in Taiga Dramas" Topic

Taiga dramas from the Gempei period to Meiji Period have provided me with invaluable reference in regards to heraldry. Giving me a glimpse to the resources that Japanese filmmakers have. By comparing them to Japanese heraldry books I've managed to discover when they take artistic license to 'tweak' or embellish historical heraldry.

The current 'Gunshi Kanbe' gives an idea of the 'rudimentary' heraldry in 'backwater' territories like Harima compared to the main arena in the Kyoto area where large scale battles are waged by armies with 'state of the art' arms and tactics led by Oda Nobunaga.

Below is the heraldry for the Kodera. The lead character Kuroda Yoshitaka 'Kanbe' serve the Kodera. The Kuroda at this early stage of the Sengoku Period are shown without their own heraldry. They fight under the colors of their lord Kodera Masamoto.

The hata-jirushi type sashimono are worn only by samurai on foot acting as ashigaru squad leaders. All others wear sode-jirushi or ai-jirushi. The ai-jirushi are sewn on kote armoured sleeves or on sleeves of civilian clothing when not wearing armour. The elite mounted samurai would wear the sode-jirushi.

Taiga dramas use the hata-jirushi as a device to show clans with lineage. The lack of nobori is also an artistic device that the clan has not yet been touched by 'modern' warfare.

The Kodera fight small battles with their neighbors. Their most bitter rivals are the Akamatsu. They are equipped in the same way as the Kodera. All the Harima clans are shown similarly equipped.

From what I could make out, the characters at the top of the hata-jirushi are the same ones used by Takeda Shingen and the Ii Red Devils. The characters on the lower half are for 'matsu'.

In comparison are the contingents fighting for Oda Nobunaga.

Matsunaga Hisahide appears time and time again whenever a Taiga series has Oda Nobunaga as a prime character. His dramatic demise is often a subject of Japanese artists. A madman in long flowing white hair who rebels against Nobunaga. To deprive Nobunaga of his head as a trophy and the tea pot he owned that Nobunaga lusted after, he blows himself up in his castle keep, while laughing madly.

Wargamers who would like to build Nobunaga's armies might consider adding Matsunaga's contingent. Hisahide fought for Nobunaga against the Asai and the Asakura. He also took part in the siege of Ishiyama Honganji where he rebelled by leaving his position in the siege.

Araki Murashige is another Oda general who eventually rebelled against Nobunaga. Like Matsunaga he appears briefly in Taiga series. This time he is an important character in the series, showing his rise and fall in 'Gunshi Kanbe'. At first a friend who becomes the villain that will cripple Kanbe, leaving him with a permanent limp.

He is shown taking part in the campaign to subjugate Harima and taking part in the battles against the Ikko-ikki. His reasons for rebelling against Nobunaga is not always clear, but in the current series there is a scene of the Christian Murashige standing in a bloody field of dead and dying Ikko-ikki that shakes him to his very core.

Very interesting

Always a pleasure to read and study . Thanks for the update on the heraldry of Japan. Cheers

Do you have some recommendations for Gempei-era Taiga Dramas, EValerio?

I'm planning on doing my major Samurai gaming for the Gempei War, and have been struggling to find references for heraldry.

Completely agree, EValerio. Lion in the Stars, for the 2005 "taiga" on Yoshitsune NHK came up with this little treasure based on a fragment of a Taira hata-jirushi banner reputedly captured at Dan-no-ura and preserved in a Kamakura temple. The slogan reads "98,000 War Gods" and is a typical invocation suggesting these deities support the Taira!

Another example from the Yoshitsune drama – Minamoto "Kiso" Yoshinaka is shown using a golden sun disk emblem. Clear reference to him raising the "morning sun banner" after being declared Morning Sun Shogun by the court following his capture of Kyoto.

It's suggested that Go-Shirakawa invented this title in order to satisfy Kiso's provincial vanity which the court mocked behind his back…

Thanks a lot, both of you!

I've been thinking about how to ID the various branch families of the Minamoto and Taira, since there seems to be as much conflict inside the families as between the two families. I will probably be a bit lazy and just follow the example of the Yoshitsune drama.

Wiki: link

images: link

YouTube fansub: YouTube link

Thanks to Durruti.

As I am up to my eyeballs with Sengoku Period research, I am not on the same level of preparedness with earlier periods. The template I prepared for the Minamoto and Taira is all I have at the moment. But even the unfinished one may be of help.

The head of the Genji Minamoto Yoritomo did not have a crest on his banners and flew 'no symbol white banners'. In 1184 Genji forces fought each other. Kamakura Genji led by Minamoto Yoshitsune flew Yoritomo's all white banners. He fought his cousin Minamoto Yoshinaka, head of the Kiso Genji, who flew white banners with the gold disc emblem.

The 2012 Taiga series 'Taira no Kiyomori' features the Hogen Rebellion. I don't know where I put away my copy of it at the moment. The Taira and the Minamoto fought together against their own family members. Taira against Taira, Minamoto against Minamoto.

I'll try and find out what the warring factions did to tell friend from foe.

Awesome, EValerio! I'd like to use those Genpei templates if I may.

I think it bears mentioning that for the early samurai in particular (with the exception of the 13th Century Yuan Invasions because we have the wonderful picture scroll painted under the direction of one of Japanese participants) there's no hard evidence except for red and white hata-jirushi streamers flown by the antagonists in the Genpei conflict.

Much of the mention of mon and other decoration comes from much later sources as a visual shorthand to provide clarity to an audience for war tales and picture scrolls etc. A participant on the Samurai Archives site extremely knowledgeable on Genpei and the early samurai in general ("Tatsunoshi") has just informed me that unfortunately historians believe the Taira "98,000 War Gods" banner is probably a fake relic produced by monks during the Muromachi era (so not only medieval Christian monks in that line of business..)

But for gaming and modelling I'd go for it no problem at all (I'm also involved with a graphics mod for the Total War:Shogun 2 Genpei DLC).

Both Ritta Nakanishi ("History of Japanese Armor, Vol 1 – Yayoi to Muromachi") and John Dower ("The Elements of Japanese Design") mention Yoritomo retaining the "no symbol white banner" whilst instructing vassals to paint emblems/mon on theirs but I can't make out the primary source for this – not that it matters for gaming :) . In a future post I'll try to come up with some examples of this I've found like the Hatakeyama mon Nakanishi illustrates.

As a last note, in addition to the taiga dramas, there are a few Japanese movies set in the 12th century that also use this visual shorthand. A couple show Yoritomo using the "Hachiman Daibosatsu" invocation to the Minamoto war god on his banner (perhaps they stretch this as qualifying as "no symbol" as there is no mon?)

EValerio, this is the same slogan used on the top of your Akamatsu banner.

Durruti, you can use the template.

Episode 10 of 'Gunshi Kanbe' "The Mouri's Arrival" was one I couldn't wait to see. An episode where even brief glimpses of different armies might provide information. It did not disappoint.

1576, Harima is in chaos as a massive Mouri fleet lands 5,000 troops. The attack is timed with Ishiyama Honganji rising up against Oda Nobunaga.

The Mouri is under the leadership of Mouri Terumoto, but still young and inexperienced, command is delegated to someone else. The Mouri army flies the white flags belonging to its late founder, the great Mouri Motonari.

White Mouri flags flown by Terumoto's troops made me look at my files on Mouri heraldry. Japanese heraldry books show Terumoto's heraldry as red flags. All the great Mouri commanders that came after Motonari show red heraldry. Mouri heraldry may have switched from white to red when they submitted to Hideyoshi and adopted Hideyoshi's red colors. The Mouri were some of Hideyoshi's capable generals. They adopted Hideyoshi's nephew who became Kobayakawa Hideaki. Hideyoshi's heraldry of white pawlonia on red were flown by some Mouri commanders.

The large Mouri army got even bigger as they were joined by the Harima Ikko ikki. The Ikko ikki at Harima and Ishiyama Honganji are shown with some identical banners.

The hata-jirushi on the left is pristine and graceful, flown at Ishiyama Honganji. The other hata-jirushi is flown by the Harima Ikko ikki. It is hastily and crudely written. The ink has spread through the fabric, smeared by constant handling and by the weather. The sashimono is also crude.

Kanbe's senior retainer infiltrates the Ikko ikki to gather military intelligence, wearing one of the sashimono illustrated above.

As Harima is reeling from the Mouri invasion. Oda Nobunaga is in the fight of his life. Leading his troops personally, cutting deep into fanatical mobs of Ikko ikki.

Nobunaga looks magnificent in black namban gusoku (Barbarian armour) and now flying black banners. He looks like Darth Vader on the battlefield.

The umbrella O uma-jirushi and the horo are in Japanese heraldry books. Though seen briefly, it was nice to see Nobunaga's black and red horo Horse Guards depicted accurately this time.

The yellow flags with black Oda mon has been used repeatedly in other series. These were used by his sons, as Nobunaga used the coin motif. The black flags are not in my files, but it's use is very effective visually.

Nobunaga starts out looking very much like a heroic figure. With old battered armour under bright yellow flags. He then evolves into a cruel dictator. Later on he is a frightening presence surrounded by black heraldry.

In a chilling scene from the latest episode Oda troops with the black sashimono execute women and children of Araki Murashige.

In the thick of the fighting with the Ikko ikki, Nobunaga's men are cut down by ikko ikki arquebusiers. Nobunaga is hit in the leg and shot off his horse. Wounded and alone Nobunaga faces a screaming ikko ikki mob.

Volleys of arquebus fire cut down the Ikko ikki, as a new contingent make their first appearance on the battlefield. Waving red banners, they rescue Nobunaga. The commander, the former Tokichiro Kinoshita offer himself as a replacement for Nobunaga's horse. With this new contingent Nobunaga rallies the Oda and counterattacks, limping but leaning on Tokichiro.

Tokichiro started out as an ashigaru, but has been rewarded many times for his accomplishments. Given the right to have his own castle and the authority to raise his own troops. His new name from two Oda generals he admires. SHIBAta Katsuie and Niwa NagaHIDE.

Heraldry books and O Uma-jirushi record Toyotomi Hideyoshi's flags in gold. This is the final set he owned, when he was at the height of his power. The red banners represent his first heraldry while serving Nobunaga. His relatives who were some of his generals continued to use the red flags.

Back in Harima, the Kodera are in a panic at the size of the Mouri and consider retreat into their castles as the only option.

With barely a thousand men, Kanbe attacks. Taking advantage of early morning fog, Kanbe leads his men into the sleeping ranks of the Mouri. With numbers on their side the Mouri expect to win. As the fog lifts Kuroda reinforcements arrive. Battle cries, war drums and hundreds of Kodera banners force the Mouri to abandon the field. Their huge fleet sail away from Harima in defeat.

Kanbe's reinforcements are every old men gathered from the surrounding villages. Each wave a hastily made banner to wave over their heads while screaming at the top of their lungs. Since the number of banners were so many they gave the impression of a very large army approaching the battlefield.

The large numbers of Kodera banners show no uniformity. Something I just noticed is the addition of blue on the lowest edge of the flags. Perhaps this identifies the Kuroda apart from the rest of the Kodera army.

As always, the work you put into those banner templates is awe-inspiring!

How's that book on Japanese heraldry going?

Most of the sets are done for the period and campaigns of Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, including the Hojo and Imagawa. Taiga dramas like Furin Kazan and Gunshi Kanbe make me review what I have.

While major clans from the Shimazu to the Date display 'modern' heraldry, smaller clans stuck between the major powers often display 'older' forms of heraldry that would not seem out of place in the Genpei Period. From Furin Kazan, some clans are shown flying identical banners, with no attempts to tell them apart.

I've had to 'remove' or 'merge' certain sets of Shinano warlords. Neighboring clans who shared the same crest often flew the same color flags. This is also shown in Gunshi Kanbe, during Hideyoshi's campaign in Harima.

At the moment, when time permits, I am illustrating battle scenes for Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. Wouldn't you know it? I am now wondering whether Kakizaki's wonderful grasshopper on blue uma-jirushi and white radish in red sashimono are '20th century' inventions. Just an example of what stops me in my tracks while working on the book.

This is great mate thank you. Very interested in the Takeda vs Uesugi battle scenes.

Evalero do you happen to know how a mon would be placed on a tripple sashimono? Would it be on all three on every side? Or just on the outside etc? Do you know if they represent anything specific? Or was it entirely dependant on who was using them?

Thanks

Carlos,

Whatever design you have on the left side, do the reverse or mirror image of it on the right side. This applies on nobori, uma-jirushi and sashimono.

For double or triple sashimono, whatever design you have on the left side of each of the flag, have a mirror image of it on the right side of each sashimono. I haven't come across sashimono where the left side is a totally different design on the right side.

The designs for triple sashimono are varied, depending on the clan. Most are smaller versions of the nobori. Some rare designs have the center one different from the outer ones. Check out Takayama Ukon here:
link

Thank you very much for the information.

It's surprising to see the written standards reversed on the back side, I would have expected those to be readable on both sides!

In Japanese film and TV where banners are against the sun, the sun shine through the fabric. The designs painted on seep through the other side of the fabric. In 'Yoshitsune' I thought for a moment that Minamoto Yoshinaka flew BLACK discs on his white hata-jirushi. As it turned out, as the sun shone through the fabric, the gold disc blacked out the sun, making it appear black.

In the BBC Production of the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu, I have photos of behind the scenes. There is a scene of Ishida Mitsunari's banners rising above his maku tent, an uma-jirushi is in the foreground. The uma-jirushi is in reverse while the maku tent shows the correct side. In today's samurai festivals, banners displaying modern day logos of Japanese corporations sponsor the festivals. Some photos show English letters in reverse as the banners show the 'wrong' side as they are blown by the wind.

BUT, I've seen the rare exception. Kanbe's senior retainer who infiltrated the Ikko ikki wear an Ikko ikki sashimono that is written correctly on BOTH sides. The sashimono is heavy and blocks out the sun. A length of clothe had religious slogans written twice, side by side. The clothe was then folded and sewn together. Both sides now had religious slogans written correctly. This, however is not the type that samurai armies wore on the battlefield.

Thanks again, Evalerio! Would you have the text for the inscription on the Mouri hata-jirushi that is in the middle?

Skeptic,

This is what's written on the Mouri hata-jirushi. Based on two Japanese heraldry books in my collection. Had to use a magnifying glass, but made every effort to copy the 'handwriting'.

Thanks to Bethetsu and the good people at Samurai Forum, here's the translation:

頂禮(礼)正八幡大菩薩
南無九万八千軍神二千八百四天童子十
皎命摩利支尊天王
Invocations to
Hachiman八幡,
the 98000 軍神 Military gods and the 2800
4 Heavenly Dôji 10 天童子十(?),
the Hindu deity Marishi 摩利支 no Mikoto(!shinto term) heavenly king

Wouldn't you know it? I am now wondering whether Kakizaki's wonderful grasshopper on blue uma-jirushi and white radish in red sashimono are '20th century' inventions. Just an example of what stops me in my tracks while working on the book.

Might I be so bold as to make a suggestion? Instead of having these concerns stop you in your tracks in the writing of your book, why not present such mon of suspicious pedigree as such? In other words, you could either (A) organize such mon in a chapter of their own perhaps under the heading of "Apocryphal Mon" or (B) present them as individual case studies within their parent clan chapters if there are not enough to justify an entire chapter.

Just my two yen worth…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Many thanks, EValerio!

Through the course of sorting out how to present the sets, I've streamlined them as much as possible. The sets are presented in historical chronological order as they appear on the stage, when each personality or clan make an 'impression'. Sometimes it is their 'exit' that I present them (Matsunaga Hisahide as an example).

With the presentation of each set, I state the sources, the history, any doubts on the sources, speculations, etc. A sample is seen here. I'm in a way doing a dry run on a book the could tell Oda Nobunaga's story. An idea of the chapters of the Harima Campaign and the Battles with the Mouri. What you see here is a small sample, as I've only shown the clans and battles as they appear in the series which concentrates on Kuroda Kanbe with Hideyoshi. And I haven't gone into a lot of detail, as it is about a TV show.

Some of the questions and discussions here have helped in sorting them out, pointing out things I never thought of or took for granted. If I can, explain the type of banners and their meaning or function, where and how they were displayed on the battlefield. Where I have clans that displayed only one HQ nobori, while another could have as many as thirty. Sadly, information is not there for many of the sets.

Right now the Kakizaki set stay together, but I am mentioning that I haven't found any depiction of the suspect flags on contemporary sources…YET. That the style of artwork does not match Sengoku period Kakizaki.

Where I have questions or doubts, I mention them as I present each set. Give directions as to where to look. I give as much detail as I can find.

I suspected that you were covering your bases *somehow* in an appropriate and scholarly fashion. Now. Finish that book and get it published, as were all DYIN' HERE!!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Thats for an explanation of your approach Evalerio.