zachary harden
Keywords: lu chu kingdom | japan: lu chu kingdom | daimyo | sashimono |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors
Last modified: 2023-06-10 by zachary harden
Keywords: lu chu kingdom | japan: lu chu kingdom | daimyo | sashimono |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
![[Daimyo flag]](../images/j/jp_sats1.gif)
![[Daimyo flag]](../images/j/jp_sats2.gif)
by Jaume Ollé
The Tokugawa family had ruled Japan politically for 300 years until the Meiji government was established in 1868 and in 1871 the court dismissed its Daimyo governors and consolidated their domains (about 300 HANs all in Japan) into more rationally structured prefectures (KEN). In the period of war among the states (1467-1603) there was 68 KUNI's and each KUNI was ruled by Daimyo feudal lord, each having beautiful colorful flags based on Japanese Mon. The flags were called Daimyo flags in English and Hata-sashimono in Japanese.
After the lengthy warring period Tokugawa Ieyasu received the title of shogun
from the emperor in 1603 three years after achieving military supremacy over all
the daimyo of Japan in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 01 April 1998, February 2000
In 1868 the Meiji Restoration occurred in 1868, which means that the Emperor was restored a political power from Shogun of the Tokugawa family which had been set up by Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1603 after Big battle of Sekigahara in 1600 when we can see lots of Sengoku daimyo's flags.
For the 265 previous years Emperors had only a nominal political power.
'Daimyo' is a big manor in again straight English translation and Daimyo is not a aristocracy but a big samurai (guard soldier employed for Aristocracy originally).
'Shogun' is a General, greatest soldier (Super Daimyo similarly) in English for Emperor originally but in 1192 Yoritomo Minamoto, a Shogun took political and social power and then for long years most of Daimyo tried to become Shogun Greatest Daimyo in Japan such as Oda, Toyotomi, Tokugawa family.
There was no longer political presence of Daimyo family after Meiji Restoration.
Then Japan became a modern (in the Western concept) state . That's why we had to introduce a 2:3 proportion state flag besides the Emperor's flag and/or the family's flag .
The Japanese prefecture government is nothing to do with any particular regional family like Daimyo but just public/governmental organization.
The emblem put in the center in most cases of current Japanese prefectural flags
may look similar to Mon to average Western peoples but different because Mon always
belongs to a family.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 04 January 2000
[We are introduced] us to:
* Yoritomo Minamoto, a Shogun who in 1192 took political and social
power and then for long years most of Daimyo tried to become Shogun
Greatest Daimyo in Japan such as Oda, Toyotomi, Tokugawa family.
- Not sure what happened. If you compare 1191 with 1193: What changed?
There was 5 year Genpei war which was the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clan before Kamakura Shogunate was opened by Yoritomo
Minamoto in 1192.
* From 1192 until 1467, they all try to become top of the heap.
- There's probably a good Japanese name for that period; I just don't
know it.
We have Kamakura Period from 1192 until 1336 and
Muromachi Period from 1336 until 1573.
Ashikaga House took a title of Shogun from Minamoto House
in 1336 and lost political power in 1573.
The rank of shogun was vacant from 1588, when Ashikaga Yoshiaki abdicated as shogun, to 1603, when Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun.
- Eventually, this lead to the war among the states. But if this was
war, how did they try to become Shogun before that?
* The period of war among the states (1467-1603)
Before the Shogun's position became vacant, wars broke out in various parts of Japan, including the Onin War of 1467, which led to a period of warfare for the new Shogun's position.
- This is slightly odd, as you'd think the war ended with the Battle of
Sekigahara in 1600.)
Shogun was the title of the military dictator of Japan nominally appointed by the Emperor. The major war ended in 1600 but Tokugawa
Ieyasu was appointed a new Shogun by the Emperor in 1603.
- At some point, from 1600 to 1871, we see lots of Sengoku daimyos
flags, but I can't figure what exactly is being referred to there. (I
think "Sengoku" refers to that period of war among the states; it's just
so common knowledge to you, that you neglect that some of us might not
know. So, the year referred to might be 1600. [Battle of Nieuwpoort, but
that's a different story.)
After the Battle of Sekigahara, a major battle, the Toyotomi family remained and continued war with the Tokugawa family until 1614, so many daimyo military flags existed.1467-1614 was called the Warring States and many military flags were seen.
* In 1603, Tokugawa received the title of Shogun.
- Was this new, or was this indeed Yoritomo Minamoto's title as well?
Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed as the same title Shogun as Yoritomo Minamoto and Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
For detailed information on Shogun refer to Wikipedia.
* Tokugawa Shogunate
- They seem to have changed flags somewhere. How common was that?
* The Meiji government was established in 1868.
* 1871: End of the old order.
- This may mean end of the Mon as well, or it may be they lived on, but
just for the family, not for the territories.
- Since flag nuts want to know everything: If the Mon-like emblems post
1871 are not Mon: What ARE they called?
The term of Mon or Monsho means general emblem. We use the term of Kamon meaning family emblem. To be precise, Kamon family emblem were used on the war banners of feudal lords.When the prefectural system was introduced in 1871, the vertically long clan flag with the family emblem was replaced by a newly designed Western-style flag with a 2:3 ratio of length to width without the family emblem.Flags made after 1871 that use a flag emblem other than the family emblem, such as prefecture and city flags, are generally called Monsho-ki,?heraldic flags.It moght be difficult for non-Japanese to tell traditional family emblems from civic emblems newly invented.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 11 February 2023 and Nozomi Kariyasu (Italics text), 12 February 2023
(1)Date Masamune (1567- 1636) Lord of Yonezawa Castle
in Dewa Province, Lord of Iwadeyama Castle and Lord of Sendai Castle
in Mutsu Province.
- Lord of three castles? You did put some stress upon the rulers being
Major Domus, not the actual aristocracy. Was Date a Daimyo, or was he
the Lord, the aristocrat ruler?
Daimyo were warriors who gave land to their vassals and supervised them.
A feudal lord is a warrior who has a loose master-servant relationship with the shogunate. Neither are called nobles aristocrat in Japan.
However, in this case, we used the English word lord as the owner of the castle, which may have caused confusion.
In 1589 he defeated Yoshihiro Ashina and became the champion of
Ou(Northen-east Japan).
- That suggests he is a Daimyo, rather than a lord.
He was a Daimyo.
In the Battle of Sekigahara, he attacked Uesugi's Shiroishi Castle
and rescued the Mogami family.
- 1588, we just created a country; we may have been distracted where
Japanese affairs were concerned. What do we need to know about it?
You were too busy.
He was entrusted by Tokugawa Ieyasu with his successor's affairs
- Whose? Mogami, Uesugi, Yoshihiro, Tokugawa?
Tokugawa Ieyasu's successor.
and played a major role in the early days of the Edo shogunate.
Wasn't he also the one to send an emissary to the Pope? We had a flag
for that.
Yes he sent Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga to Rome.
The war banner has white background with a black family emblem
depicting two sparrows in a bamboo and bamboo grass and topped with
a white small streaming flag.
- So, the war banner is a probably very tall high flag with additionally
a small streamer.
Yes, it is said that war banners in the Warring States period were generally 3.6 m long and 0.? m wide.
There were also many war banners that did not necessarily come
with a small streaning flag.
The small streaming flag was called
“Maneki†meaning a call in Japan.
OK. So what is the war banner minus the Maneki called? (Or the other way
around: If the tall flag itself is called the "war banner", what is the
combination with the added Maneki called?)
The name of the war banner does not change depending on the presence or absence of Maneki. We call Jin-bata or Hata-jirusi.
Another war banner has navy blue background with a gold disc.
Masamune is said to have made this flag on the occasion of his
invasion of Korea in 1592.
- OK, no Maneki with that one?
Not in this case.
- But if all Mon are black and whiter (Why are they?) What is this
golden one?
With few exceptions, Kamon are expressed in monochrome. This is probably because the Japanese placed more emphasis on design than on color. Also, in the past, people wore kimonos with two Kamons on the chest and sleeves and one on the back. No matter what color kimono we wear, the monochrome Kamon was created without any coloring so that it could be adapted to any color of kimono.
For example, if a person wears brown clothes, the Kamon is expressed in brown and white. However, the golden circle of Date Masamune is not the Kamon of the Date family, but just a design for the flag. It is difficult for non-Japanese to distinguish between the family emblem and the flag emblem.
- To me, that navy blue is purple. Is that a problem with our monitors
or with our cultures?
Japanese flags, such as university flags, have long been
often used purplish dark blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 11 February 2023 and Nozomi Kariyasu (Italics text), 12 February 2023
