Sashimono question

[AlexiosI]

Hi.

I’m building a small force of 28mm Samurai and Ashigaru for skirmish games like Ronin and Daisho and I have a question regarding sashimono since my knowledge of samurai warfare is quite basic.

Were sashimono used mainly in bigger battles? Or were they used a lot also in small engagements?

Is it more accurate a small force of samurais all with sashimono or without? Or a mix of the two?
Since my main opponents will be Ikko-ikki and Shoei Monks, I will probably build an Oda clan force of 1570-1580.

Sorry if the topic was alredy discussed.

Any help will be much appreciated!

[Cat]

We have vey little historical details.  The artwork is all from later periods.  Gamers tend to go for lots of sashimono (and rather uniform looking armour and clothing) for the same reason movie directors do — it makes it easier to tell one side from the other at a quick glance.

For skirmish gaming, i've been splitting the difference, I've given the samurai and some of the sergeant types sashimono.  Even that seems a bit formal for the sorts of small engagements in the game, but it looks pretty.  I even use a variety of colours for the sashimono within each clan so it's easier for the players to track which figure is which.

In the process of expanding the collection to handle much bigger skirmishes for Never Mind the Naginatas.  Will continue giving sashimono to the samurai, and to some of the new ashigaru so that there will be a sprinkling in most units for all of the above reasons.

[clibinarium]

I'd tend to agree with this assessment. My guess is that a samurai would have his attendants normally carry such things, and put the sashimono on when action is immiment, or for some reason when identification was important. I am not convinced that samurai wore the mon of their daimyo all the time, they may have been more personal, or for lower ranked samurai they may have been the mon of their direct master, rather than that man's master. A look at the known Takeda army mon variety shows a lot more variety than the four diamonds type.

I think its less likely than is generally depicted on wargames tables that ashigaru wore sashimono. I imagine that was limited to kashira (sergeants/leaders) more for the easy identification of them by soldiers and higher ranked leaders. Ashigaru often had mon painted on their body armour or helmets, especially if issued from their lord's armoury (or indeed on little streamer flags suspended from the arm, though this may have been more of a samurai practice, I am not sure).

All of this is just my impressions, I can't say I've looked into it in great detail.