Sashimono

Sashimono (指物, 差物, 挿物) were small banners historically worn by soldiers in feudal Japan, for identification during battles.

[citation needed] Given the great variety in Japanese armour, sashimono were used to provide a kind of "uniform" to armies.

)[citation needed] The banner hung from an L-shaped frame, which was attached to the chest armour dō or dou by a socket machi-uke or uketsubo near the waistline and hinged at shoulder level with a ring gattari or sashimono-gane.

Sometimes elite samurai, who were sufficiently famed or respected, had their own personal design or name featured on their sashimono as opposed to that of their division.

[citation needed] These stylized designs contrast with the elaborate heraldic devices displayed by some European armies of the same period.

Rear view of Onikojima Yatarô Kazutada in armor with a sashimono , a woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the series Six Select Heroes
Antique Edo period Japanese (Samurai) sashimono. A battle flag worn on the back of a samurai armour as a means of identification. From the Return of the Samurai Exhibit, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2010.