The helmet is a vermilion lacquered Etchu-style helmet. It is simply constructed, lacking any attachment devices for
ornaments such as crowns. A flaps hang from the half-cheek armor with a hinge
in the center. The cuirass is a simple, two-piece Buddhist cuirass with no
decoration, making it rugged and practical for combat. The gauntlets are of the
Bishamon type, with sleeves attached to the upper arms, and hinges on the
sleeves to improve the fit to the arms. Even though it is armour passed down
through a daimyo family, the armour used by the first generation in actual
battles, covered in the dust of war, is simple and purely functional like this
item.
Ii Naomasa's armour, worn at Sekigahara.
Vermilion lacquered, dark blue thread-laced, two-piece
cuirass armour.
Collection of Hikone
Castle Museum
The striking, bright red set of armour worn by Ii Naomasa
remains in the Hikone Castle Museum彦根城博物館.This armour was exceptionally heavy at the time, weighing 27 kilograms. The
average samurai armour was 15-18kg. The reason for the excessive weight was the
thickness of steel, and amount of urushi lacquering coated over it. It was
built to withstand matchlock gun shot at relatively close range.
Unfortunately, during the Shimazu clan's retreat, as the Ii gave chase, some lower
ranked Shimazu troops formed a human barrier to slow the pursuers down, giving
their lord time to escape. One such group fired upon Naomasa as he neared, one
of the shots hit him in the shoulder, right between the outer edge of the upper
cuirass and the sode, the outer protectors, the only opening in his armour.
Although he survived being shot, he died prematurely nearly two years later
from what is believed to have been the wounds suffered at Sekigahara.
Incidentally, Tokugawa Ieyasu personally attended to his friend's wounds at
Sekigahara, and the medicine Ieyasu gave to Naomasa also remains in
Hikone.
The helmet is a bowl-shaped design with slight stripes on
the top plate, and features an additional visor below the lowered visor. Horns
are attached to the left and right sides of the helmet bowl, and a long,
gold-leafed visor is inserted, but otherwise it is a practical piece of armuor
with no other noticeable decorations.
Although it has been said to be the armour of the first Ii
Naomasa, historical records suggest it is more appropriate to consider it as
the armour of the second Ii Naotaka. The cuirass is made of two pieces of iron
plates joined together horizontally in a series of arc shapes, joined at the
right side of the torso. The helmet is head-shaped, and the crest is a
gold-leafed Tensho-style side crest. It also has a throat guard, making it more
formalized.
Progress is being made. This armour is also said to have been laced with
black thread during the Edo period. Another
piece of armor used by Naomasa is the aforementioned armour without the Tensho
(designated cultural property of Hikone
City).
The flags and banners
of Ii Naomasa
Flag used in the battle of Sakgahara
The banner used
by Ii Naomasa was a red-based banner with a gold well-frame crest, which would
have been highly visible on the battlefield.
In the Ii family,
the banner indicating the general's location was called a "Matoi."
According to one theory, the Matoi was approximately 240 cm tall.
The character
"井" (I) inscribed on
Ii Naomasa's banner is called "igeta" (井形), and this character is also used as the Ii
family crest.
Besides the
theory that this "井"
originates from the character "井"
in Ii's name, there is also a theory that it comes from the fact that the
birthplace of Ii Tomoyasu, the first head of the Ii family, was a well.
The Horse Banner
(horse flag): used by Ii Naomasa along with his "matoi" (fire banner)
was a "gold-leafed fly-catching horse banner."
This horse banner
is said to have been used by Ii Naomasa in battles such as the Battle of
Sekigahara and the Winter and Summer Sieges of Osaka. It was placed beside the
general (Ii Naomasa) along with the matoi to assert his presence.
There are various
theories about the origin of the "fly-catching" design, but it is
speculated that it symbolizes a wish for the capture of the enemy general's
head.
Sashimono (Back Flag): The individual samurai wore small
flags, known as sashimono, attached to their backs. For the Ii clan,
these were typically plain red, or white with a red/black clan crest to
differentiate their units on the battlefield.
Nobori (Banner): Their larger battle banners were also famously bright red.
Ii Naomasa Flags and Banners Paintings by Emmanuel Valerio
About figure sculptor Emmanuel Valerio:
Emmanuel Valerio is a proficient sculptor, painter and
author. He is very knowledgeable on the subject of Samurai. We live in the
same city. In 1997, with his sculpt of a 120mm Samurai archer "Defender of
Kyushu" won gold in SCAHMS California show both best medieval award and
best of show award.
He indicated he sculpted all his masters in Milliput using
just a tooth pick. Some years ago he mentioned on the miniature page forum he
was resculpting the Fort
Dequense figure for himself
to depict a Samurai is undoubtedly a “Red Devil” commander, but I still have
not seen the finished figure yet.
In recent years he does paintings on Samurai Heraldry,
Battle Flags and Standards.
Some figures and kits sculpted by Emmanuel Valerio
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