were massive flags used in feudal Japan to identify a ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' or equally important military commander on the field of battle. They came into prominence during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. While many were simply large flags, not very different from ''

sashimono ''Sashimono'' (指物, 差物, 挿物) were small banners historically worn by soldiers in feudal Japan, for identification during battles. Description Sashimono poles were attached to the backs of the chest armor (''dō'') by special fittings. ...

'' or ''

hata-jirushi ' were the most common of war banners used on the medieval Japanese battlefield. The term can be translated to literally mean ''symbol flag'', ''marker banner'', or the like. Unlike the later ''nobori'', which were stiffened, these banners were s ...

'', most were three-dimensional figures, more like kites, and in the shape of bells, gongs, umbrellas, or streamers. While these standards took many forms, they all fall into two broad categories: the ''ō-uma-jirushi'' and the ''ko-uma-jirushi'', the great standard and the lesser standard respectively. Poorer ''daimyo'' had just one, the lesser standard, while wealthier ''daimyo'' had both. In 1645, the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

formalized this, allowing ''daimyo'' with an income above 1300 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

'' to have a ''ko-uma-jirushi'', and ''daimyo'' earning more than 6000 ''

'' to have an ''ō-uma-jirushi'' as well. The ''ō-uma-jirushi'' was the nucleus of action on the battlefield, and while it aided the organization and morale of friendly troops, it also attracted the attention of enemy warriors. The carrier of the ''uma-jirushi'', therefore, was arguably the most dangerous position to be in on the field. The ''ō-uma-jirushi'' was sometimes held in a leather bucket attached to the carrier's belt; the especially large ones would often be securely strapped into a carrying frame on the warrior's back. The carrier was provided with ropes to steady the standard in the wind, or while running. In the mid 1600s, a monk called Kyūan completed a text called ''O Uma Jirushi'', a comprehensive illustrated survey of the

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

of his time. This text describes the heraldry of most, if not all, of the major samurai families of the battles of the

. The text still survives today, and remains one of the chief sources of heraldic information available today on this period in Japan.

Photo gallery

Arima Toyouji Large Battle Standards.jpg, Arima Toyouji Large Battle Standards: black square on white base (right), triple black feather balls (left) Hori Naoyori Battle Standards.jpg, Hori Naoyori Battle Standards: white diamond on vermilion windsock (right), gold pouch (left) Ikoma Takatoshi (1611-1659) Banner and Battle Standard.jpg, Ikoma Takatoshi Banner (right) of triple white half-wheel crests on black ground; Ikoma Takatoshi Battle Standard (left) of white bag with black feather ornament Matsudaira Mitsunaga Large Battle Standards.jpg, Matsudaira Mitsunaga Large Battle Standards: gold plaited paper on bamboo broom design (right), gold club over light blue curtain (left)

References

*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). ''The Samurai Sourcebook''. London: Cassell & Co. *Turnbull, Stephen (2002). ''War in Japan: 1467–1615''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

External links

Guns Scrolls and Swords exhibit
at the Harold B. Lee Library, includes full text PDFs of an anonymous ''Hata Uma–Jirushi Ezu'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Uma-Jirushi Military communication in feudal Japan Flags of Japan Japanese heraldry Samurai weapons and equipment