Art Treasures of Ii Family: Akazonae Armor or Red Arms

Art Treasures of Ii Family: Akazonae Armor or Red Arms

For more than 260 years during the Edo period (1603~1868), the Ii family, who governed Hikone fief in Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture), was the cheif family of feudal lords(daimyo) in hereditary vassalage to the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Since the generation of Ii Naomasa (1561~1602), the founder of the family, the Ii family had been celebrated for its military prowess. It led the vanguard of the Tokugawa Military Government, and often took part in various important issues of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ii Naotaka (1590~1659), the second generation head of the family, received an additional stipend of 50,000 koku of rice from the Tokugawa Shogunate. This raised the family’s annual revenues to 350,000 koku of rice

At that mention of the Ii family, Ii’s Akazonae or red arms were renowned around the country as the most elite force in Sengoku (warring provinces) during the Azuchi Momoyama period (1573~1603).

All suits of armor are red-lacquered, and the red lacquered helmets are decorated with gold attachments. As it was, all of the Ii family’s arms and armor were characterized by its color, red. As the name “the red guards of the Ii family” indicates, the warriors’ helmets, arms, and armor as well as family standards were all in red.

In the Sengoku period (1493~1573, there were other Irozonae (colored arms) which were formed in a single color such as black or yellow other than red. Red is highly stood out color in the battlefield, therefore, Akazonae were elite troops led by a busho with outstanding bravery, and were passed down as a symbol of honor of bravery from generation to generation.