The Banner of Golden Brocade

[Adrian Stevenson]

Most educational. Thank you!

[Nick Komiya]

Lest I just end up reducing faking costs for the notorius Cupman. Getting them in silk is the challenge, as most are now nylon.

[DaveR]

Many thanks for this article, and answering a question which has bugged me for ages. The photo's of IJA units carrying a loop of fringe without a flag had me scratching my head for a while.
Regarding the "Golden Banner", you might like this.. "Shin-Tonyare bushi" which is about the retreat of the Shogunate army in the face of the two Imperial Banners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLf6eAxAZw8

[Nick Komiya]

Thanks for the link, but you must have meant another song, as that one has nothing about the Banner of Golden Brocade. Here's a clip showing the reaction of the Shogun's troops when they first encounter that banner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqI4Tw8E8KE
It's the last 2 minutes if you don't want to see 4 minutes of fighting.

[DaveR]

Link to a discussion of the song, where one interpretation is that it was about the incident. I neither read nor speak Japanese, so I am somewhat dependent on the charity of those who do.
About Miyasan (Tonyare-Bushi)

[DaveR]

This then links to this... http://www.geocities.jp/general_sasa...yasan-eng.html

[DaveR]

I have seen clips from the film before, a pity about the comedy jingasa. I have an original in my collection which shows the more usual profile.....

[Nick Komiya]

Yours is not Tonyare, but the shin-tonyare meaning new version, borrowing only the old melody but with totally different lyrics. It doesn't say Miyasan, Miyasan, but instead Minasan

Here's the correct song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DpgzFtHuBg

[Nick Komiya]

Thanks for showing the Jingasa, but the one in the clip is historically correct, just a different headgear. The dunce cap style was for the infantry of the Ogaki Domain (My Great Grandfather's troops). Each domain had different uniforms, too, not only the flags.
See above for correct original version of the song, not the parody version

[DaveR]

Thank you. Just goes to show how easy it is to get the wrong end of the stick with something. I missed the "Shin" part of the title and did not realise it was a parody. Again, thanks for the information on the Jingasa, they looked so odd that I and some others thought they had to be a mistake. I work in a theatres wardrobe dept. occasionally costuming TV dramas and the odd video as well as stage so I have seen some well weird stuff go out for a production.