We were hoping to have this up last month but Salute and BKC delayed things slightly. This is the current list that our sculptor will be working from to upgrade our current Samurai range with new sculpts and codes. Have a read and let us know if you think we're missing anything.
Also, we've not settled on which personalities to go with yet. Really these need to be the most visually distinctive, rather than a series of similar helmeted chaps wearing the same gear!
Ashigaru with:
Arquebus - 2 poses
Longbow - 2 poses
Naginata - 2 poses
Spear - 2 poses
Armed Peasants with:
Arquebus - 2 poses
Longbow - 2 poses
Naginata - 2 poses
Warrior Monks
Sohei (10th-14th C.) – 3 poses (naginata/katana)
Ikko-Ikki (16th-17th C.) – 3 poses (naginata/arquebus/spiked club)
Ninjas – 3 poses
Samurai with:
Katana - 2 poses
Longbow - 2 poses
Naginata - 2 poses
Spear - 2 poses
Mounted Samurai with:
Longbow – 2 poses
Naginata – 2 poses
Spear – 2 poses
Foot Command
Officer, Conch shell blower and Nobori (larger sashimono-type) banner-man (open handed?)
Ashigaru banner-man, open handed x 1
Taiko drum and a couple of drummers
Mounted Command
Mounted General and standard bearer (open handed)
Seated General x 1
Standing General x 1
Banners
Sashimono banner - Small and Large
Sashimono banner, empty frame - Small and Large
Uma-Jirushi banner, empty frame
Nobori banner, empty frame
Horse-hair ball standard
Pavise, small
Bamboo pavise, large
Maku screen
Artillery crew – 4 poses
Emplaced gun
Casualty – 1 pose
Civilians – 4 poses
Personalities
Takeda Shinden?
Ishida Mitsunare?
Date Masamune?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi?
Honda Tadakatsu?
Uesugi Kenshin?
Great looking list!
For personalities, I'd say Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were two of the biggest personalities of the era and we'll worth representing. I'd also give a shout out to Uesugi Kenshin as an interesting character to model and as a rival to Takeda Shingen.
Will the artillery crew include guns? Cannon didn't really come into action until the end of the Sengoku Jidae, and weren't widely used, but when they were they were typically smaller breech loading swivel guns rather than the typical western field artillery. I believe they tended mostly to be use for castle defence as well, so tended to be more emplaced.
Get thee behind me!
Looks comprehensive. Is there a reason for there being no mounted samuari with katana?
For those of you with a more Eastern bent, how would these fit with the Mongol range and 1274?
Just asking for a friend. :-[
Every time I see Ikko-Ikki, I start singing a Cyndi Lauper song ..."My grand-ma and your grand-ma were sit-tin' by the fire; My grand-ma told your grand-ma: "I'm gon-na set your flag on fire"
Quote from: fsn on 17 April 2019, 07:32:02 AM
Get thee behind me!
Looks comprehensive. Is there a reason for there being no mounted samuari with katana?
For those of you with a more Eastern bent, how would these fit with the Mongol range and 1274?
Just asking for a friend. :-[
Every time I see Ikko-Ikki, I start singing a Cyndi Lauper song ..."My grand-ma and your grand-ma were sit-tin' by the fire; My grand-ma told your grand-ma: "I'm gon-na set your flag on fire"
Katana were generally meant as a side arm for personal protection or very close combat. They wouldn't have been particularly effective from horseback as the relatively short blade to long handle wouldn't give much reach. Spears and polearms were much more common and as they weren't charging in breaking lances the way Western cavalry would their spears were often made of more flexible wood so less prone to breaking. Naginata are essentially swords on the end of a polearm to make them more effective.
You could easily enough do a Mongol opposition army from this list, keep away from anyone with guns and include plenty of samurai. Massed armies of peasant ashigaru were an evolution of warfare that came later with mass production of weapons and gunpowder. In the 13th C samurai were still the mainstay of the army with peasants playing a supporting role. Samurai mounted bowmen would still have been prevalent as well, whereas in later periods horse archery had been reduced to more of a sport, like jousting in the west.
I've often thought of the same song...but now it'll be in my head all day...thanks...
I ... my friend ... was thinking of a sword armed mounted samurai as an officer type. It is of no consequence.
My his interest in Japanese warfare has always been pre-gunpowder. Nasty things, blowing smoke all over the place.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
Quote from: mmcv on 17 April 2019, 08:01:50 AM
I've often thought of the same song...but now it'll be in my head all day...thanks...
You're welcome. :D
Looks a good list. If it's possisble to squeeze in another pose on some of the core troops that would be good.
Not that I need another period.
Quote from: fsn on 17 April 2019, 08:31:58 AM
I ... my friend ... was thinking of a sword armed mounted samurai as an officer type. It is of no consequence.
My his interest in Japanese warfare has always been pre-gunpowder. Nasty things, blowing smoke all over the place.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
You're welcome. :D
You..r friend could always snip a naginata shaft down and stick the blade closer to the hand as a quick conversion. Depending how the poses end up looking!
Sounds brilliant.
May I add a vote for Uesugi Kenshin too
Looks fun. Advise that ashigaru spearman be duplicated with i) short spear; ii) pike. Despite WRG claims, there is overwhelming evidence in Japanese museums and writing for very long two-handers.
As mentioned previously, a monk with a bloody big two-handed kanabo club would be invaluable, as also a gun on a pile of rice bales. Peasant axeman or mallet-waver.
Tadakatsu, Hideyoshi.
A couple of civvies would be pretty too, of course.
Taiko drum and a couple of drummers beating the rising sun out of it.
Quote from: fsn on 17 April 2019, 07:32:02 AM
Get thee behind me!
Looks comprehensive. Is there a reason for there being no mounted samuari with katana?
For those of you with a more Eastern bent, how would these fit with the Mongol range and 1274?
Just asking for a friend. :-[
Every time I see Ikko-Ikki, I start singing a Cyndi Lauper song ..."My grand-ma and your grand-ma were sit-tin' by the fire; My grand-ma told your grand-ma: "I'm gon-na set your flag on fire"
There seem to be a couple; has the list been modified?
Quote from: FierceKitty on 17 April 2019, 11:28:55 AM
There seem to be a couple; has the list been modified?
It was mounted ones he was looking, all the katana ones are infantry on the list.
Good point on n the pikes, my understanding is both yari spears and pikes were used, with pikes becoming more prevalent in the later periods.
Civvies were mentioned, but the kanabo monks would be fun for sure.
Quote from: mmcv on 17 April 2019, 07:08:24 AM
Will the artillery crew include guns?
We'll be doing the emplaced types in FK's pic:
(http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=18460.0;attach=7975;image)
Quote from: fsn on 17 April 2019, 07:32:02 AM
Looks comprehensive. Is there a reason for there being no mounted samuari with katana?
As mmcv says, not sure if they'd be of much use but we'll see what we can do.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 17 April 2019, 11:20:40 AM
Looks fun. Advise that ashigaru spearman be duplicated with i) short spear; ii) pike. Despite WRG claims, there is overwhelming evidence in Japanese museums and writing for very long two-handers.
We'll see if we can add the longer ones, but they tend to be tricky to cast.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 17 April 2019, 11:20:40 AM
As mentioned previously, a monk with a bloody big two-handed kanabo club would be invaluable, as also a gun on a pile of rice bales. Peasant axeman or mallet-waver.
Would that be the earlier or later type of monk?
Quote from: FierceKitty on 17 April 2019, 11:20:40 AM
A couple of civvies would be pretty too, of course.
We've got those covered!
Quote from: FierceKitty on 17 April 2019, 11:20:40 AM
Taiko drum and a couple of drummers beating the rising sun out of it.
That's a nice addition, I'll see if we can get those onto the list.
Quote from: fred. on 17 April 2019, 08:39:31 AM
Looks a good list. If it's possisble to squeeze in another pose on some of the core troops that would be good.
We'll see what we can do there.
I fear you'll need more of an expert than I on the dates for the big club (though I'll happily have a fossick around later; right now I'm having brekkies). At a guess, I'd say later, since it's clearly an armour-smasher, and there was a lot more armour in the later era.
Btw, some voices that should not be ignored suggest that non-samurai made up 95% of pre-Sengoku Japanese armies too. They just didn't get into the histories. Just as most Homeric warriors weren't chariot-dragoons (in fact, none were!), and the great majority of crusaders weren't knights.
One the subject of mounted swordsmen, the celebrated single combat between Kenshin and Shingen involved Kenshin on a horse and using a sword, and Shingen on a stool using a fan. Perhaps the portrait figure of Kenshin so many are calling for could be a swordsman? Of course, he'd be in monkish dress.
Ashigaru pikemen could follow the lead (not pb ) of your Hellenistic open-handed phalangites. I prefer pikes of a sturdier metal anyway.
I've found a claim that the tetsubo/kanabo/great big thumping instrument was invented in the era of the North and South Courts (don't believe Japanese who claim there's one unbroken and undisputed succession); that would mean anything from the early 14th century on. So possibly not suitable for the Gempei War or the Mongol invasions, but very good for the Warring States and the invasion of the mainland in Hideyoshi's day.
I do not entirely trust the source making the claim, however.
From Quora
https://www.quora.com/Is-there-proof-that-the-Japanese-samurai-kanabo-tetsubo-was-actually-used-in-warfare (https://www.quora.com/Is-there-proof-that-the-Japanese-samurai-kanabo-tetsubo-was-actually-used-in-warfare)
"Anyway, back to the question: there are literary evidences of the Kanabo usage inside the Taiheiki (太平記), a book of the 14th century. This was the first time that such weapons were used and described.
We also have some emakimono depicting their usage. For example, in the original 14th century "Handscroll Poetry Contest of the Twelve Zodiac Animals" (十二類絵巻), there is a Kanabo depicted. Although the setting is pure fantasy and they are animals, they are wearing accurate and real arms and armor of the period."
(https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-78203bddb26a4d62f38622f0a955e96a)
Could we get some Hatamoto and some Mounted Warrior Monks too please?
Back banners for just about everyone would be great too.
This is one of those ranges where the more poses available, the better. Any chance of upping the numbers there?
Do I get shot for mentioning that there are many companies making 10mm Japanese? They're not all as good or as cheap, but they're numerous, so those who want samurai or monks in a great variety of poses can get their wish quite easily.
For me, the ashigaru look best in uniform poses (or nearly so); where multiple poses are produced, I hope they'll be available separately too.
I must add I have two sizable Japanese armies already. I suspect they'll pick up a few more units from this lot, but I shan't be going overboard on this one.
Honda Tadakatsu. Same family as the motor cars.
Uesugi Kenshin, with sword.
Kato Kiyomasa. A real son-of-an-oni, this one.
Kuroda Nagasama (aka Damian, after he was baptised). The helmet is a reference to the precipitous cliff down which Yoshitsune attacked at Ichi no Tani.
Date Masamune. Cresent in gold; personal followers had the same in silver.
Ii Naomasa. His son, Naotaka, wore much the same.
Takeda Shingen, in the pose when he fought off Kenshin's raid on his HQ.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, glumly wondering if he can do anything with the town of Edo which his boss has just given him as a present.
And Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
There are a LOT of others, but I shouldn't become a field marshal too quickly.
How about adding Miyamoto Usagi to the personalities?
Cheers
Ian
Quote from: Sandinista on 18 April 2019, 11:29:52 PM
How about adding Miyamoto Usagi to the personalities?
Cheers
Ian
Would we need 46 more ronin? Or just four heroes in a half shell? :)
Quote from: FierceKitty on 18 April 2019, 12:40:30 AM
Ashigaru pikemen could follow the lead (not pb ) of your Hellenistic open-handed phalangites. I prefer pikes of a sturdier metal anyway.
Most of this thread is in a foreign language to me - Japanese probably! Anyway, I agree with you that open hands cast to receive pikes are a much better solution. All my miniatures' pikes, spears, lances and staffs for flags are carefully removed and replaced with .5mm (.020") K&S brass rod the ends of which are easy to beat into the appropriate point. Cast metal ones are always far too over-scale, more like telegraph poles, and often too short.
[Peace to you, Mr Cook]
Me, too. :-[ Do you use the 0.5mm exclusively for 10mm? Wondering if you are lucky enough / had the foresight to collect in "the one true scale" OR collect in other scales so may have concluded a different thickness of rod is appropriate for these scales (and, if so, what for 15mm?).
Have to say I'm no expert here but I agree, pose variety is essential here, perhaps not so much for Ashigaru who might benefit from a more uniformed stance, but Samurai and Monkish Units would really benefit from more variation and active posing. Ikko Ikki were a crucial opponent and major force, and appear a little under represented here, might I suggest some horde packs for armed peasants to bulk them out, with bamboo spears, farm implements and mallets etc, preferably charging forwards chanting as they go.
Likewise more Warrior Monks, with No Dachai, Naginata and Katatna's please as well as a portable shrine and attendees.
Big ask here but any chance of a really great range of Koreans, think Perry Miniature's range in 10mm.
Really looking forward to this.
Also looking ahead, any chance of a quality decal range for the various Mon, banners etc?
Thanks for the feedback, we'll have a chat with the sculptor and see what we can do about some extra poses. It's a difficult one to judge as the current Samurai range has never been a big seller so is that because there's not a great deal of interest in this period or is our limited range holding back the potential sales? We don't want to go too heavy on the sculpting costs for extra poses on a range that might not be a popular seller in the long-term.
Quote from: Dannyboy on 19 April 2019, 10:55:38 PM
Also looking ahead, any chance of a quality decal range for the various Mon, banners etc?
We're going to look at a few options here so we'll be giving the option of buying cast on banners, or buying just the bare poles. We'll then have a look at doing some paper designs for people to attach to the empty banner poles, or they can have a go at painting their own designs onto the cast banners.
No more big projects again I said.
10mm ww2 my last I said.
Now you tell me you're releasing new samurai sculpts.
The list looks fantastic.
Quote from: Leon on 19 April 2019, 11:58:49 PM
It's a difficult one to judge as the current Samurai range has never been a big seller so is that because there's not a great deal of interest in this period or is our limited range holding back the potential sales?
Leon
I had not given much thought to collecting a Samurai army until I saw the wonderful line of buildings that you acquired in January. To me the spectacle is so much of my hobby.
Now I am eagerly awaiting both their release and the release of this new range of figures.
Much of my gaming is visually led - something I see grabs me and then takes me to learn about the period history which then means I buy the figures. Well it is meant to happen in that order but sometimes wires get a little crossed.
Richard
Think you have just about all I would need to make one of these settings. Mind you, this also had a line of decapitated heads being presented to the general. (15mm Essex I think)
(https://s92.photobucket.com/user/rct75001/media/38F36B86-6054-4D0F-B816-65859E54CA2D_zpsyeckk4fj.jpeg.html)
(https://oi92.photobucket.com/albums/l28/rct75001/38F36B86-6054-4D0F-B816-65859E54CA2D_zpsyeckk4fj.jpeg)[/URL]
Missing bandits / ronin
Unarmored or poorly equipped samurai types.
Only need mixed melee weapons
(https://i.imgur.com/0RnaYNq_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)
My baggage includes a presentation of severed heads (I really can't see how one could decapitate a head). Can I refer people to Japanese railway model companies for other extras? Somewhere in the files here you should find my 10mm mikoshi and bearers, and two sets of sumo matches.
Decals please, shudder at the thought of individual back banners in paper in 10mm 😪😭😪
For anyone interested in 10mm Samurai you must take a look at this blog. He does use 6mm but this would be easily converted to 10mm. But the rules (from a board game) are fantastic and in my many years of trying to find a set of rules that captures the period these are the ones you want to check out.
https://tenkafubu608971038.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/battles-in-the-age-of-war-revisited/
I think I've stumbled across pictures of his work before, having strongly considered a samurai project at one point. I really liked the idea of combining multiple troop typesin a unit to represent the clans and the battle formations. Would allow large scale battles to be represented with a strong period feel. I was even starting to make my own rule set to allow this.
I found this site quite useful researching the formations and tactics: http://gunbai-militaryhistory.blogspot.com/2018/03/sengoku-period-warfare-part-1-army-and.html?m=1
Quote from: Westmarcher on 19 April 2019, 08:36:01 PM
[Peace to you, Mr Cook]
Me, too. :-[ Do you use the 0.5mm exclusively for 10mm? Wondering if you are lucky enough / had the foresight to collect in "the one true scale" OR collect in other scales so may have concluded a different thickness of rod is appropriate for these scales (and, if so, what for 15mm?).
Just seen this. Peace to you too! 10mm exclusively since the mid-1980s. I never found the need to replace lances etc on larger figures.
I was afraid it would come to this. I know I will succumb to temptation.
Just to tie in with rct75001's comments, its the building range that was the first draw in to the potential of the range, I think combined with the quality of the castings now completed it's going to be a big enticement. Tables should look superb! :-bd :-bd :-bd
I'll have a think about a quick-play massed unit battle set of rules.
I'm thinking 100mm by 50mm deep unit bases for starters. To really show-off the formations.
I must dust of my old Japanese samuari warfare DVD sets - Throne of Blood, Kagamusha etc. etc.
Mark
I'm sure I've mentioned Irregular Wars in relation to this period before. A great little set of Japanese, its a small battle set, with each base representing around 200 men, and a force consisting of around 12 to 20 bases.
While not specifically for Japanese warfare it does have a few Japanese lists, and several others for neighbouring protagonists.
Interesting Fred - where can I buy a set?
Here is a link to the author's blog. Which has links to buy both physical and pdf copies http://irregularwars.blogspot.com/p/irregular-wars-conflict-at-worlds-end.html?m=1
I remember a thread on TMP 's forum on samurai army unit composition based on the incredible research by Emmanuel Valerio, that was based around the original evidence of the Battle scene scroll as opposed to the "old school" WRG infatuation with which units counted as blade superior etc. In it he suggests units were made up of retainer groups of varying arms e.g. Tepo, Yari etc. The larger formations being built up from these like blocks. Very similar to the Household retainer units of the War of the Roses.
In this context, larger mixed troop "vignette" type bases would seem to be a more accurate way to go. If you have a chance do check out Emmanuel Valeriio's work, it's simply an absolute essential resource.
Google link:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1024&bih=723&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=dFlNXcnGH5aP8gLY4p6YCQ&q=emmanuel+valerio%2C+samurai&oq=emmanuel+valerio%2C+samurai&gs_l=img.3...15299851.15307191..15307866...0.0..0.152.2117.23j2......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0j0i67j0i8i30j0i30j0i5i30j0i24.5xgkDuV4QjE&ved=&uact=5 (https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1024&bih=723&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=dFlNXcnGH5aP8gLY4p6YCQ&q=emmanuel+valerio%2C+samurai&oq=emmanuel+valerio%2C+samurai&gs_l=img.3...15299851.15307191..15307866...0.0..0.152.2117.23j2......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0j0i67j0i8i30j0i30j0i5i30j0i24.5xgkDuV4QjE&ved=&uact=5)
Looking online, "Killer Kattana's" and PP's "Age of War" both get honourable mentions, I have no experience of either and it appears KK may be hard to get hold of, or very expensive.
Anyway hope it's of use, all the best.
Jon
I'm unsure on rules at the moment but do like the look of larger vignette bases.
Am thinking in terms of Infantry = 40 x 40mm (Ties in with a lot of rules, I'm thinking of the likes of Hail Cesare especially, but gives enough space to individualise elements).
Cavalry = 40 x 50mm ( I intend mixing cavalry and infantry to represent retainers and bannermen attached to cavalry, so again bigger bases work here).
Generals/ command and artillery = 50 x 50mm (Plenty of room for standards etc).
Thinking in terms of each of the elements representing a samurai and retainers and then building these up into larger clan formations.
Any plans for Ronin? Say like Seven Samurai types? Maybe some bandits? I think it would also be cool if you explored the Fantasy Japan element with Oni as well.
I know, I know..... one thing at a time. 8)
-Todd
See the Hoi ploy are getting uppity, 7 posts and demanding new figures (you wuz warned Todd) ;)
Quote from: BravoSix on 14 June 2020, 01:31:37 PM
Any plans for Ronin? Say like Seven Samurai types? Maybe some bandits? I think it would also be cool if you explored the Fantasy Japan element with Oni as well.
They would be cool
Quote(you wuz warned Todd)
Fair enough. I was indeed.
-Todd
I believe the "peasants" are meant to be Ronin and bandits.