Rotating Volleys of Merchandise: The Battle of Nagashino as Pop Culture Phenom

A few years ago we ran an article about the ‘Selling of Sekigahara’-how battles from Japan’s past were a popular subject for merchandising and found their way into all sorts of pop culture venues. It’s not unusual to see them featured in tabletop board games, video games, models, figures, toys, dioramas, TV programs, movies, and even weapon reproductions. Recently the SA podcast ran a feature on a battlefield archeology conference where the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 was a subject of one of the presentations, so we thought it a good time to run a similar feature on the merchandising of that famous battle that we’ve had in waiting for several months. We’re sticking to Japanese-produced items here, so you’ll have to read about GMT’s interesting depiction of the battle in their tabletop wargame ‘Samurai’ elsewhere (as well as similar efforts in Brian Bradford’s ‘Killer Katanas’ and ‘Total War: Shogun 2’). Likewise, we’re not going to discuss much in the way of books on the battle as they fall a bit outside of pop culture merchandising (although many of them are indeed pop culture efforts). With that in mind, here are some of the products fired the way of shoppers by the soldiers of corporate Japan. 

In passing, we’ll mention several sims/wargames dealing with the battle that have been released over the years. From the 1980’s is “Oda Teppotai (Oda Gun Corps)”, a hex-based rudimentary electronic game that’s beginner friendly, being on the difficulty level of early Avalon Hill games. A step up in complexity is “Nagashino: Shitaragahara Kassen (Nagashino: Battle of Shitaragahara)”, found in War Game in Japanese History #7. It’s a European-style game with area movement and card play that adds specific events and randomness to the proceedings. Finally, there’s Game Journal #23’s “Namida No Shitaragahara (Tears of Shitaragahara)” (one of two games found in this special Nobunaga Senki issue, the other being Anegawa). This hex based effort is the most detailed, accurate, and complex of the three listed here. Since we’ve covered all of these in varying degrees of detail on the Samurai Archives Forum, we’ll just refer you there for more details (particularly the Japanese history war game thread). 

Next up is the recent 90 page mook “Nagashino no Tatakai (Battle of Nagashino)” from Gakken (publishers of the popular pop culture history series “Rekishi Gunzou”). While at first glance it appears to be a pretty standard examination of the battle, the volume’s gimmick appears just inside the back cover. There’s a 3D four-panel fold-out map of the battlefield with troop positions along with a set of 3D glasses for your viewing pleasure. The 3D is of the old-fashioned blue/red 1950’s comics variety and truth to tell, the effect isn’t very good. However, the rest of the book is. Like most Gakken books it’s loaded with maps, charts, biographies, photos, and artwork. Particularly nice are several double paged spreads that show three/quarter bird’s eye views of the area at different points before, during, and after the battle. There are maps for every level-strategic, operational, and tactical, along with more detailed topographical maps. In-depth breakdowns of the armies and the types of unit tactics, weaponry, and defenses employed are shown. The entire campaign is examined with the climactic battle earning expanded coverage. Biographies of most of the major commanders present are given along with their actions during the battle (as expected, Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Takeda Katsuyori get the lion’s share but even their less famous vassals such as Hara Masatane get mentions). As a bonus, there’s also some nice material on the earlier battle of Migatagahara. Modern day photos explore the battlefield as it appears today. The history is a bit outdated (for example, the barricades are shown as being placed along the entire length of the line as well as having advanced redoubts-see Thomas Conlan's "Weapons & Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior" for why this probably wasn't the case, or check out the excellent video tour HERE), but overall it’s a solid effort. Other volumes in the series include other of the ‘big four’ battles of the Sengoku- Sekigahara and the Siege of Osaka. 

Looking at a 3D battlefield is one thing, but building your own is much more fun. For those interested in giving that a try there’s “Nagashino no Tatakai (Battle of Nagashino)”, part of Facet’s “Sengoku Kassen (Warring States Battles)” papercraft line of products. This inexpensive and entertaining kit gives you everything you need to replicate and bring to life a famous painted screen of the battle. You get a base of the terrain and two sheets of various types of soldiers, sashimono, barricades, and castle sections. Punch them out and bring the battle to life! Enterprising miniature enthusiasts could even build a war game around it. Sure, it’s non-scale, but so much fun you won’t mind a bit. 

More in scale and of interest to miniaturists is Aoshima’s “Nagashino no Tatakai” plastic model kit, part of its “Japanese History Sengoku Battle” series. Aoshima produced a popular series of 20 samurai kits, each themed to a specific type of soldier, an individual leader, a defensive/offensive work, or even a subset of five kits dealing with Chushingura. As the years passed they would produce themed packages encompassing several of these kits along with additional items to make a diorama. There were the battles of Kawanakajima, Sekigahara, Migatagahara, a couple for Osaka, Shimabara, Odawara, an ‘Edo Elegance’ effort, and several kits showcasing the Date, Sanada, and Takeda clans. There was also the one we’re looking at, Nagashino. It was comprised of kits 4 (spearmen), 5 (arquebusiers), and 10 (Oda Nobunaga). A plastic unpainted base was included along with ‘grass’ to sprinkle on it, dowel rods and twine to construct barricades, and paper curtains to construct Nobunaga’s headquarters along with several flags. Ahead of its time, the kit was careful to show a mix of spearmen with the gunners rather than the masses of firearm toting samurai as seen in Kurosawa’s “Kagemusha”. The kits, while issued years ago, are regularly reissued and can be found cheaply on auction sites. 

But by far the best item featuring the battle to date is Videre/Oshiro Diorama Restoring Shops’s “Mikawa: Nagashino Castle”, the initial entry in their ‘Shirorama’ series of Japanese castle dioramas. This package has as its centerpiece a 1/1500 scale of the grounds and buildings of Nagashino Castle, the Tokugawa structure under siege by the Takeda whose relief precipitated the battle. Featuring an attractive 3D prepainted base, modelers can paint and add the included fences, walls, watchtowers, and buildings scattered about the several enclosures (‘maru’) of the castle. While most castle kits focus on the tower ('tenshu') of the castle (often the only part that has survived to the present day-or been reconstructed)-and for castles that never saw combat at that-this one is much more representative of the type of fortresses that were actually used in the Sengoku. Noted castle historian Fujii Hisao has overseen the development of the kit and the reconstruction is as accurate as possible. However, as well done as the diorama is, it’s only the tip of the iceberg of what’s included. 

 

There’s also an excellent 66 page book that details the history of the castle along with the battle itself. It’s loaded with maps, photographs, charts, and period artwork. The history of the castle contains the most up-to-date information, including the results of several recent digs. The battlefield history also contains much of the most recent scholarship, although it too presupposes barricades all along the line. Detailed painting and assembly instructions are given for the diorama. And since my wife told the retailer she was buying it for an English speaker, they included an excellent 68 page English translation by Ninomiya Hiroshi. It reflects the better scholarship also and among its sources are several excavation reports conducted by the local education system. There are quite a few interesting secondary sources used as well. It’s probably the best published English language treatment of the battle to date, being much more reliable than Stephen Turnbull’s outdated Osprey effort. 

Also included are two reproductions of antique maps of the castle, making for a nice wall poster-as well as being useful when putting the diorama together. There’s a great overhead shot of the castle and its environs that comes into play with a feature we’ll talk about in a bit. And-get this-there’s even a SOUNDTRACK CD. How cool is that? Yes, while building the diorama, you can chill out to several tunes specially written and performed for this set by Japanese guitarist Yamada Koji (best known for ‘Passport to Heaven’). 



And the coolest feature isn’t included in the box, but is rather downloaded through Itunes. It’s the Shirorama Nagashino Castle App. If you don’t own the diorama set, then the app does absolutely nothing-you’ll just see whatever you point your device at. But point it at the well done box artwork, or the aerial photo we talked about in the last paragraph, then the Sengoku comes to life. An animated AR version of the castle is superimposed upon the art/photo, featuring soldiers, rivers with running water, and a 3D rendition that can be examined from any angle. The app even challenges you to find the castle’s commander, Okudaira Sadamasa, squirreled away somewhere in the maze of defenses. It took some time, but we managed to ferret him out. Mikawa: Nagashino castle is the complete package, blending together several disparate elements to create a whole that is interactive, entertaining, and educational-showing once again that pop culture is an excellent way to bring history to the public at large. 

So that’s a good note to end on. There are other notable examples, such as the “Briefcase Diorama” of the battle that has over 50 miniature figures and opens up to a detailed prepainted layout of a section of the battlefield. There was a popular “Romance of History: Battle of Nagashino Bullet Revolution” series of plastic candy toys produced by Furuta that allowed buyers to build their own versions of Takeda Katsuyori’s army and their Tokugawa/Oda foes. And there’s the excellent full sized arquebus replica made out of wood and metal that was included with the premium edition of Koei’s “Nobungaga’s Ambition” 30th anniversary set. But this short sampling has given you a taste of the rotating volleys of merchandise that Japanese retailers have laid down on consumers looking for a taste of the battle of Nagashino-and the attraction that it continues to exert on the popular imagination over 400 years after it was decided.

Ninja Lurk In "Shinobi No Mono 4: Siege"

Animeigo continues its release of the 8 film Shinobi No Mono series with Shinobi No Mono 4: Siege (Japanese title Shinobi No Mono: Kirigakure Saizo). Released by Daiei in 1964, the movie stars fan favorite Ichikawa Raizo in one of his most popular series. This time around, instead of portraying ninja/thief Ishikawa Goemon (whose character is currently being featured in a big budget Japanese film, Goemon) he’s taking the field as an agent of the Sanada clan, Kirigakure (‘Mist’) Saizo. Different character or not, the ninja action lives on. Also along for the ride is Wakayama Tomisaburo of ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ fame (here billed as Jo Kenzaburo) as clan leader Sanada Yukimura. This illustrates one of the more interesting features of the Shinobi No Mono series-the characters change, but the stars remain the same. Wakayama played sadistic warlord Oda Nobunaga (Goemon’s arch enemy) in the first two films, but here plays the man Raizo’s new character is protecting. You’ll see this pattern repeated throughout the cast-genre favorite Date Saburo, who played Hattori Hanzo in the Goemon part of the trilogy, appears here as a different character as do several other actors. Isomura Midori plays Saizo’s love interest in the film, Lady Akane-if you watched the first three films in the series, you’ll know This Will Not End Well.

The film begins with the Winter Siege of Osaka in 1614. The forces of the Shogunate under Tokugawa Ieyasu have been unable to penetrate the main compound of the Toyotomi’s Osaka castle thanks to the spirited defense being led by Sanada Yukimura. However, Ieyasu realizes that the direct approach is not always the most effective. He begins an artillery bombardment of the main keep meant to frighten Yodo (the mother of Toyotomi clan leader Hideyori) into pressing her son to sue for peace. In order to do this and to keep the pressure on the castle, Ieyasu sends forces to take the outlying defensive works. Yukimura’s son Daisuke finds his fort under assault in one of these raids, and is forced to abandon his position. Here’s where Saizo enters the fray, swinging into action on a rope and coming off a lot like Batman or Spider-Man. He’s ordered by Daisuke to rescue a group of women hiding in a nearby storehouse, but is unable to save them all from the Tokugawa forces (who seem more interested in taking the women as prizes than fighting). Meanwhile, Ieyasu’s plan has worked and an uneasy peace treaty is negotiated.

Saizo is ordered by Yukimura to travel to Edo and keep an eye on the movements and actions of Ieyasu and the Shogunate. He’s immediately spotted by Shogunate ninja and in the process of escaping them, comes across Lady Akane (one of the women he failed to save back in Osaka). She had been raped by several of Ieyasu’s men and in despair resigned herself to becoming a prostitute. She saves him from discovery by enemy ninja, after which she aids Saizo in his mission of gathering information. After many skirmishes with the Tokugawa ninja, the Sanada shinobi confirm that Ieyasu does indeed plan to launch another attack against the weakened Osaka castle (the moats have all been filled in as part of the peace treaty). Yukimura orders an assassination attempt on Ieyasu and departs for Osaka. The attempt fails and the Sanada ninja commits suicide before he can be captured. Saizo returns to Edo castle to give it another try, and is duped by Ieyasu and kills the wrong man. Saizo is captured and thrown into what amounts to a deep, dry well. Akane (who really gets put through the wringer in this movie) is also captured by the Shogunate and drugged. In her delirious state she gives up the location of Saizo’s confederates, who are also captured and killed. Saizo is kept alive, since Ieyasu hopes to extract Yukimura’s location from him. Saizo, however, ‘dies’ and is buried by the Shogunate. When Akane comes to pay her respects, he emerges from the grave (good thing he wasn't cremated)-it turns out he had fooled Ieyasu’s men by using a ninja technique that slowed his breathing and allowed him to appear deceased. Or were they fooled? It turns out he was allowed to escape, with Ieyasu’s ninja following him-straight to their target. Yukimura is killed by a Shogunate sharpshooter and the Tokugawa ninja return in triumph to Ieyasu.

But all is not as it seems. There’re plenty more twists and turns before the final battle of Toyotomi and Tokugawa in the Osaka Summer Campaign. Will Saizo manage to reverse the course of history and put himself on the winning side? Does he go down with the ship? Or will he listen to Akane, say ‘to hell with it all’, and save both her and himself?

The film is letterboxed and the transfer is great. The black and white photography lends itself well to the somber and depressing tone of the film. At times the viewer might think he’s stumbled into one of Toho’s Godzilla films-the music is by Ifukube Akira (noted for his scores on the Godzilla films), and there are sequences featuring realistic castle miniatures being blown apart by artillery fire. The effects range from excellent (the miniatures and explosions) to rather cheesy (such as several blatant dummies, and the flying ninja used in the title sequence). The genre pros of the cast deliver solid performances, with Raizo in particularly fine form as the alternately invincible and vulnerable Saizo. Unlike many films, the heavy (Ieyasu) is shown to outwit, outthink, and outperform the hero at every turn-even alone and unarmed, he’s able to escape assassination at Saizo’s hand. Saizo himself commits several huge blunders in the course of the film, making him fallible and keeping him from becoming the ‘all-powerful ninja’ stereotype. Not only does this give the film a realistic, unpredictable scenario and make Saizo a sympathetic character but also masterfully sets up the next few installments of the series. The film belies its modest budget, with a large cast, elaborate sets, and well choreographed battlefield scenes. Animeigo’s translation and subtitling is top notch, and further gives the viewer subtitle options ranging from none to notes to the full gamut-you even have a choice of subtitle colors.

Many chanbara films don’t require any historical knowledge to comprehend the goings-on, but Shinobi No Mono 4 will make a lot more sense and be more enjoyable for the viewer if they go in with some familiarity with the situation in Japan during 1615. As is usually the case, Animeigo’s extras for the disc have that aspect covered nicely. An interactive map of Japan shows the locations where all of the action takes place (and sometimes spots that are only mentioned) and gives background information for each. The historical notes for the program go into a huge amount of detail for a DVD, going so far as to reproduce the kanji written on the infamous bell that gave Ieyasu his excuse for attacking the Toyotomi. They’re very well done, and the occasional lapses are quite minor-falling into the ‘hair splitting’ category or simple typos (such as when the date for Aki province becoming part of Hiroshima prefecture is given as 1817 instead of 1871). The only glaring mistake is that the program states Kirigakure Saizo is an historical figure when it’s well established he was an invention of the Meiji era ‘Sanada Juyushi’ novels. Otherwise, the notes give you a good history lesson along with your ninja action. Other DVD extras include a still gallery (including some very interesting posed publicity shots) and the film’s original trailer. Also included is a trailer for the long awaited DVD release of another classic Ichikawa series-Nemuri Kyoshiro (released as ‘Sleepy Eyes of Death’ on US video). The first four Nemuri films will soon be released as a boxed set, and if they’re anything like the trailer, will look gorgeous. Time to replace those old VHS copies…

Whether you’re a Raizo fan, a ninja movie aficionado, a chanbara hound, or a history buff, Shinobi No Mono 4: Siege delivers the goods. The blend of ninja ‘skullduggery’ (as it’s called on the DVD box) with traditional samurai action gives the film an engaging blend of all-out action and stealth. While the DVD has an official street date of June 2nd, you can get it now directly from Animeigo or preorder it from Amazon through the Samurai Archives store here.

Osaka Natsu No Jin: The Tabletop Battlefield

My wife recently visited for a couple of weeks, during which time we engaged in battle-playing Epoch's simulation　大阪夏の陣 (Osaka Natsu No Jin, or Siege Of Osaka in the Summer). It's a fairly accurate recreation of the Edo period conflict-the order of battle uses the actual forces of both sides, the map is highly detailed (more so than the recent GMT effort), and a playthrough helps to show why the battle unfolded as it did historically. We thought it would be fun to document the game and follow its progress turn by turn, so here it is with our comments on each phase. Randy is playing the tan Western army of Toyotomi Hideyori commanded by Sanada Yukimura, and Ayame is playing the red Eastern army of the Shogunate under Tokugawa Ieyasu (although Tokugawa Hidetada was Shogun and in nominal command). Osaka castle is the enclosed area to the far north with a Western army unit sitting on it. Yukimura's forces are clustered around Tenno-ji temple in the center and the Tokugawa forces are scattered to the south.

Turn 1

Randy: The initial situation is pretty balanced (unlike the actual historical situation). While I have 2 fewer units than the Tokugawa, I get to make the intial strike and I have the advantage of my powerful units being gathered into a potent strike force rather than scattered. I also have Akashi's unit lurking off to the west ready to enter on a future turn. My strategy is to take out as many exposed Tokugawa units on turn 1 as possible before Ayame has a chance to group them for a defence, and hopefully thin them out enough to go after Ieyasu (killing him all but guarantees a win-alternately, I can kill the 3 Tokugawa units under Hidetada's command to the east). Since her ultimate goal is to invade the San-no-maru and take the castle keep, I need to keep a couple of units back there in case she tries to slip a unit past my main force for an easy win-this further weakens my main force, so I need to get good results on turn 1.

Ayame: Randy is an experienced game player so I do not think I will be able to enter into the castle area unless he loses many units early. I will try to sacrifice my front line units in order to acquire time for my remaining force to gather into a strong defensive line. My powerful units such as Date and Maeda are very slow so it is important for the smaller forces to 'die gloriously in battle' and give them time to protect Ieyasu, who I will not risk in battle. I will then try try to eliminate three of his four 'Yukimura' units which will earn me a large amount of 'victory points'. I do not know which of the 4 'Sanada' units is Yukimura. Until Randy decides to reveal them and show the reverse values, I will avoid attacking them.

Turn 2

Randy: My initial assault turned out great-I took down three Tokugawa units (including powerhouse Maeda on my left) without losing any of my own or exposing Yukimura. I was fortunate in that I left my spearhead exposed but Ayame's follow-up response crapped out. I'm setting up an assault down the Western road in conjunction with Akashi's appearance as well, which should pretty much take care of any thoughts Ayame might have of advancing on the castle. With a little luck, I'll be planting my spear in Ieyasu by turn 5.

Ayame: The Gods were not with me this turn. I had hoped not to expose Hidetada's force in battle but it will now be necessary as my counterattacks achieved no result.

Turn 3

Randy: Things didn't go so well this turn. I ran into some bad exchanges which cost me three units and Ayame two. Akashi showed up but since Date has planted himself in the way, I won't risk my western road assault. I did move my unit from the far northwest to the base of the San-no-maru since if things go badly on my left flank Ayame might be able to send Hidetada's force north.

Ayame: Randy's momentum has been stopped. The middle of my line is still weak, but the menace of Hidetada on the right could keep Randy from pressing on. I still do not know where Yukimura is and have not destroyed any of his four units.

Turn 4

Randy: Yikes! A whole lot of killing went on this turn. I lost six units, including one of Yukimura's units (but not Yukimura, who is still hidden). The Tokugawa lost five, including one of Hidetada's command-while killing Ieyasu looks impossible at this point, I might be able to get Hidetada's remaining two units. I now have fewer units at the front line than Ayame, although mine are overall more powerful. However, any rash move here will thin my line to the point where she can slip through to the castle. If this were a real battle I'd fall back, bring up my reserves from the castle, hope she pursued and pick off the vanguard, and then strike for Ieyasu with everything left. But since it's a game and I'm ahead on points, I'll just pull back and avoid battle as much as possible.

Ayame: While Randy's army is now very depleted, his remaining units are mighty and he has wisely managed still to keep Yukimura hidden. I will fall back into a tough line and hope that he does something stupid.

Turn 5-Last Turn


Randy: Stupid? Moi? Not going to happen, since I'm ahead. Ayame still has some tough units in Date and Hidetada. We each lost a unit last turn. I'll fall back some more and expose one unit, which will likely lure Ayame into series of ZOC induced battles that are not to her advantage. She needs to attack and kill off at least two of my units without losing any to win.

Ayame: I will have to assault Randy's position in order to draw or emerge victorious. I will attempt to make a high odds assault against his open unit and then see what happens. If this were real life and there were more turns, I am sure I would be able to take the castle as his forward forces are depleted. But in game terms, I am in trouble.

End Game

Ayame's last assault ended in a simple attacker retreat.
Neither one of us completed the conditions that would have almost guaranteed victory. For Ayame, getting a unit into the Osaka Castle San-no-maru-10 points. Taking the castle keep OR killing three of the four Sanada units, 50 points. For Randy, killing Ieyasu OR all 3 of Hidetada's units-60 points.
Instead, we tally up the victory points for each enemy unit destroyed. Each unit has a different value according to size and the importance of the commander, ranging from 8 for Shogun Hidetada and 6 for Sanada Yukimura to 2 for scrubs like Asano (Ieyasu has no point value since you get an automatic 60 for killing him).
The final tally is-Randy 32, Ayame 26. Although the game doesn't have different levels of victory, I would put this as a Toyotomi marginal victory. In historical terms, Ieyasu would likely just wait for more of his units to reach Osaka and wipe out the Toyotomi next week instead of today.

Final Thoughts

Randy: My initial assault pretty much was the difference here. It took away any possibility of a strong counteroffensive and allowed me to survive the turn 4 bloodbath. Ayame fought well and Ieyasu was never in danger.

Ayame: My losses on turn one proved to be too much to overcome. Losing Maeda was unfortunate as it unhinged my entire right flank. Randy played a careful game after that. He kept Yukimura hidden and did not do anything foolish I could exploit. If we played again, I would make more of an assault on the castle with my forces on the right.

This replay turned out to mirror the historical outcome closely-an overwhelming early assault by the massed Sanada forces against scattered Tokugawa contigents which lost its impetus as the Tokugawa brought up their vast reinforcements. If a couple of more turns had been added, it's possible that the Toyotomi army would have disintegrated as it did in real life. For more on the battle, an easily available source for most Westerners in Japanese is 新歴史群像 #2: 真田幸村と大阪の陣:Shin Rekishi Gunzou #2: Sanada Yukimura & The Siege Of Osaka. In English, try Stephen Turnbull's Osaka 1615: The Last Battle Of The Samurai. It's one of Turnbull's better efforts and an excellent account of both the Winter and Summer campaigns, including all the small battles that ran before the primary engagements.