Collection
Flycatcher-Shaped Horse Standard
| Flycatcher-Shaped Horse Standard |
| Gold foil on wood, vermilion silk; height 99.5 cm, diameter at base 47.7 cm; Edo period, 18th century; Gift of the Ii Family |
Uma-jirushi (“horse standards”) were used on battlefields to indicate the location of the commander of the force. They came in many shapes and forms, such as fans and conical hats. The Ii family employed a distinctively designed standard that has a horn-like wooden “flycatcher” and vermilion silk streamers. A number of these standards have been preserved from as far back as the Momoyama period. This piece is a replica of the standard used at the Battle of Sekigahara and during the sieges of Osaka Castle in 1614 and 1615.
