1:72nd scale ROFUR-FLAGS. Japanese Samurai 16th

Des Drapeaux, Etandards et Fanions

1:72nd scale High Quality
Banners, Colours, Flags, Standards, Pennons, Guidons

Japanese Samurai 16th - 17th century
updated March 10th, 2008

1/72 Stickers for ZVEZDA boxes Flags and Arquebusier´s Shields
To be fixed on shields and flags

Although the flags of this series are especially sized to fit the ZVEZDA samurai´s plastic flags, they may also easily be fitted at any other pole by folding them in the middle. To exactly fix the printed flag on to the ZVEZDA plastic flag, just cut the paper flag along its middle axis.

How to use the samurai flags and arquebusier shield decor
How to convert further standard-bearers

Painted Samurai (by Thomas Willers)

Towards the end of the 15th century begins a period of more than 100 years steady fighting within the Japanese territory.
Less mighty noble families turned against the traditional regional rulers as well as against other clans of their own level. These often originally poor warriors, who sometimes reached high ranks, aimed at the office of the highest military commander: The Shogun.

1603 the Tenno named Tokugawa Ieyasu as the Shogun of Japan, but the Rebel Toyotomi Hideyori claimed this office for his own family. During a period of about 20 years, the two men and their followers campaigned against another. Toyotomi at last fortifyed himself with an army in the castle of Osaka, where he was besieged and overwhelmed by the Tokugawa-forces during the Osaka-campaign of 1614/15.

The ZVEZDA Sets 8017, 8025 and 8029 contain Samurai and Ashigaru Infantry of the period reaching from the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th century. This is the time of the various more or less wellknown samurai-stories. The endless fightings between the Japanese noble families had been an opportunity for many a simple warrior or samurai to distinguish himself on the battlefield and gain a command as a general.

The Shimabara-Rebellion. Aufstand der christlichen Rebellen 1637/38.
Since the midth of the 16 century, due to mainly portuguese missionaries, the Christian religion spread within Japan. At the beginning of the 17th century already some districts had predominantly been inhabitated by settlers of christian confession. Whereas under the rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu the Christians had been tolerated for more tactical reasons, his successor suppressed them brutally.

In December 1637 the 16 year old Amakusa Shiro managed to organize the uprising of nearly half of the christian peasant people - about 23000 - of the Shimabara peninsula district. The Rebellion swept over to the neighbourous Amakusa Islands.
As the Rebels did not succeed in taking the strategically important fortifications of Shimabara and Tomioka, most of them fled and retreated to the half rotten castle Hara located on Shimabara peninsula.
Several times the Shogun lead his armies in vain against Hara fortification, at last the castle was besieged by forces of 120 000 men.
In April 1638 the nearly starved christian defenders desperately tried an unsuccesful assault. The castle then was stormed and all occupants but one man were slain. After this massacre all resistance against the Tokugawa regime had ceised and the office of Shogun was dominated by the Tokugawa family for about 200 further years.

Painted Samurai ( by Thomas Willers)

Samurai, Ashigaru etc.: Japanese Terminology

samurai books / websites

1/72-145 - 1/72-151 Flags and shield decorations are especially designed and fitting for figures of ZVEZDA Samurai set 8017 . The set contains 1 flag-bearer with company-flag (nobori), 6 gunners protection shields and 24 back flags (sashimono) for samurai and ashigaru.

Please note: With Japanese names, the family name ist the first one, followed by the personal name. So "Tokugawa Ieyasu" means Ieyasu of the Tokugawa family!

1/72-145: Samurai flags 1600-1638 (1). Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun of Japan 1603-1616

2 personal standards, 2 company flags (nobori), 6 gunners shield decorations, 25 Samurai back flags.