Go Figure Felix world of miniature figure modelling : Medieval Forge Miniatures Samurai (Part 1)

Here is my two in one review of Medievial Forge Minaiatures 75 mm of Imagawa Yoshimoto and Minamoto no Tametomo. They were both sculpted by Ableev Nikita and were released in 2024. Please note this review is based on the product shots for sculpted detail and historical accuracy. I did not purchase the figure kits, so there are no detail and close up pictures of the resin parts.

First up is Imagawa Yoshimoto.

This sculpt master was shown on social media in March 2024 and was released in May.

Detail of the release

Title: Imagawa Yoshimoto

Manufacturer: Medievial Forge Miniatures

Scale: 1/24 75 mm

Sculptor: Ableev Nikita

Material: light grey resin

Price from: 49.50 € to 69.95 €

From the product shots, Yoshitmoto is wearing his armour, carrying a tachi on his right hand. The kit product shots show two different sets of left arm. One of the set with the left hand is holding a Gunbai Uchiwa (war fan) and the other set is a raising left arm with a trophy head in his hand. It also shows a choice of two different head, a regular head without the face mask and the other with a face mask.

Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, 1519 – June 12, 1560) was a Japanese daimyo (feudal lord) of the Sengoku period of Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as the number one Daimyo in the Tōkaidō (海道一の弓取り, Kaidō-ichi no Yumitori). He was the brother-in-law of Takeda Shingen and Hojo Ujiyasu through marriage to his sister. He was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaido region, a daimyo so powerful that he was known as "the best archer in the Tokaido region."

Yoshimoto was known for his diplomatic skills and was a good civic administrator. His appearance is an unusual one, donning the fashion practices of Japanese women during this age. He blackened his teeth and wore makeup.

He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become Shogun. He was killed in the village of Dengakuhazama in Okehazama (The Battle of Okehazama桶狭間の戦い, Okehazama-no-tatakai) by Oda Nobunaga (織田信長). He was 42 at the time of the Battle of Okehazama.

Imagawa Yoshimoto’s armour

The figure kit's armour kind of resemble the Haramaki (腹巻) armour once own by the the Hozoji Temple in Japan which is said to have been worn by Imagawa Yoshimoto. If this is true, it would be the only surviving piece of armour connected to Yoshimoto.

This Haramaki also looks like the one Imagawa Yoshimoto gave to Takechiyo (Tokugawa Ieyasu) when Takechiyo celebrated his Genpuku ceremony at the age of 14, Yoshimoto Imagawa gave him the Kurenai Ito Odoshi no Haramaki. Tokugawa Ieyasu was held hostage in Sunpu under the Imagawa clan from the age of eight. When Ieyasu was called Takechiyo, he received the education appropriate for him to become a military commander from the Imagawa clan. This Takechiryo Red odoshi Haramaki was restored in the possession of Shizuoka Sengen Shrine collection in 2018 and was on display at the Shizuoka City Museum of History.

Takechiryo Haramaki armour was restored by Shizuoka Sengen Shrine

The restored and a replicate armour was displayed at the Shizuoka City Museum of History

Imagawa Yoshimoto's kabuto

The black and gold kabuto with a dragon maedate of Imagawa Yoshimoto, and the two-piece armour painted in Buddhist red with navy odoshi lacing on the Do.

In 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto was killed in the Battle of Okehazama. Okabe Motonobu, the lord of Nagashima Castle, negotiated with Oda Nobunaga, requesting to exchange Yoshimoto's head for his own withdrawal from Nagashima Castle to be allowed to take it back to Suruga Province for burial. After Oda Nobunaga agreed, Nagashima Castle was opened.

During the early summer, the head of Imagawa Yoshimoto had severely decayed, and on the way, passing by Toko-ji Temple (東向寺), Okabe Motonobu buried the head there, while the kabuto was kept by the Okabe family and later dedicated to the Sannomaru Shrine (三の丸神社), Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture.

The Sannomaru Shrine, has lost its decorations and neck guard, and the dragon maedate has been broken off, likely due to destruction by the Oda army.

Statues of Imagawa Yoshimoto

There are statues of Imagawa Yoshimoto and Oda Nobunaga which stand at Okehazama Historic Battlefield Park (桶狭間古戦場公園) in Nagoya city. The park is located at 3-chome, Okehazama-Kita, Midori-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Perfecture

On Tuesday May 19, 2020, a bronze statue of Imagawa Yoshimoto in armour had been installed at the north exit of Shizuoka Station (静岡駅, Shizuoka-eki) Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan to celebrate the 500 anniversary of Yoshimoto’s birth.