Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Adventures in the Far East => Topic started by: tumeveumevla on February 13, 2021, 12:56:18 PM
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question of a neophyte.
Did the troops of the clans of the 1600 period have uniform colors for the differentiated?
seb
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Short answer: no.
But if you're doing a skirmish force it's not inconceivable that ashigaru could be uniformed, if it makes painting them easier. By 1600, all ashigaru are professional soldiers, so their lord *could* issue them with clothing, but probably wouldn't have. And you couldn't really apply this beyond a small skirmish force anyway.
Armour could be bought in bulk and issued, so the sleeves of ashigaru armour in a skirmish force could be the same colour. But the main identifying feature would be a clan mon painted on the chest of the armour, and on the conical helmet. Otherwise clothing colours would be all different.
Contrary to an-oft shared image online, there was no such thing as 'clan colours.'
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The "Red Devils" of Ii Naomasa (a general under Tokugawa Ieyasu) were noted precisely because he "uniformed" his entire contingent in red lacquered armor - it was most unusual to otherwise see troops in one particular color. The distinguishing "uniform" characteristic by the Sengoku period is the sashimono back banner. Contingents would have a uniform color and a Mon on their sashimono. Large forces, such as the Takeda, could have several contingents each differentiated by differently-colored sashimono (often with the same Mon, which could also sometimes be in different colors - like "facings" on Napoleonic French or British uniforms, to distinguish different regiments). At this time, the two most common colors for armor were black or red lacquered. Ashigaru armor was often issued from stores, but there could be shortages (e.g. some men could be missing the jingasa war hat, or the armored sleeves - first come, first served - or these could be in different colors and styles) and different styles depending upon when and where obtained for the stockpiles (and some armor could be scavenged on the battlefield).