Proceedings of 1st International Symposium for Color Science and Art 2019

Producing of Manga on the Colors of Horses and Armors Depicted inWar Novels and Picture Scrolls of Japanese Medieval Times
Hosogaya Atsushi, Sano Eriko
Tokyo Polytechnic Univ., 1583 Iiyama, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0297, Japan (Hosogaya)
Abstract
In the beginning of Kamakura period, 13th century, there
described in war tales the colors of warriors’ armors andhorses. In fact, how exists these colors? We will
research and reproduce the true colors by using someremaining materials, depictions in picture scrolls of thattime represented by Heiji-monogatari-ekotoba, of course
literal descriptions in the very war tales represented byHeike-monogatari, and from some photographs of real
horses now exists. And we will introduce how appears
the armor’s color, and from which these choices of colors
come from.
Introduction
In Japanese medieval war tales, gunki monogatari,
there are various description on the colors of brave riding
warriors’ armors and their fine horses’ coats.
In this project, we will research on true colors in such
old time and produce manga works and illustrations about
these interesting matters.

Dun coats of Przewalski’s horses, one of ancestors ofJapanese medieval horses. [1]Description in war tales
For example, one of the battle scenes in
Heike-monogatari describes famous warrior Kumagai
Naozane who belongs to Genji group competing with hisrivals to be the first rider in a charge at the attack on theirenemy, Heike group. He wears a madder red armor withscarlet hood called horo, and inside blackish deep blue,
kachi-iro hitatare clothes. And his horse’s color is called
Gonda kurige (a kind of local chestnut color).
As one clue, there are picture scrolls called
Heiji-monogatari- ekotoba that were made in the nearest
era of the Heike-monogatari’s time. In that, they depicted
many warriors wearing various colors of armors, and riding
horses in colorful coats.
Colors of Horses
There are more clues about horse’s colors. It is
presumed that the one of the ancestors of Japanesehorses in old time is a Przewalski’s horse that lives in thesteppe of Mongolia today. But this horse’s coat express
only one color, dun (gray-brown). On the other hand, there
appears in Heiji-monogatari-ekotoba various colors ofhorses. Probably at that time in Eastern Asia, horses
already were considered to be cross-bred around wider
areas of Euasian continent

Variety of colors are used in depicting warriors’ armors
and coats of horses they ride, in Heiji-monogatari picture
scrolls (ca. 13 century). [2]43Proceedings of 1st International Symposium for Color Science and Art 2019
Colors of armor
The warriors’ armors are depicted by variety of colors.
Not to mention noble red or white, deep blue or fresh green
as the latest fasion at that time.
Actually, the colors of armors appear in the parts forprotection from arrows, that cover warrior’s shoulder, belly
or waist. These consist of many small plates that are madeof lacquered leather. And plates are combined together by
the codes woven of dyed thread. The colors of armors
mostly come from these codes’ color. The method ofbinding plates is called odoshi. For example,
above-mentioned Kumagai Naozane’s armor is calledakane-gawa-odoshi in Heike-monogatari, because its
plates are bound by madder-red-lacquered leather codes.
These colors of armors originated from the noble classsystems of Heian court peoples and their aesthetic senses.
But it is clear that new senses of beauty belonging
warrior’s class had already risen.
About Mis. Sano Eriko
The Co-researcher and co-producer of this project, Mis.
Sano Eriko, manga artist and illustrater, has some
representative works about warrior’s tales in late Heianperiod or early Kamakura period, such as Minamoto-no
Yoshitsune or Minamoto-no-Tametomo.
Reference

So many patterns of colors and designs appear inshoulder parts of warriors’ ooyoroi armors. [3]books

Eywitness books HORSE, Juliet Clutton-Brock (DKPublishing, New York, U.S.A., 2008) [1]Heiji-Monogatari-Ekotoba, Nihon-no-Emaki 12, Edited andintroduced by Komatsu Shigemi (Chuuo-kouron-sha,Tokyo, Japan, 1988) [2]
The History of Japanese Armor Vol.1, From the Yayoi
period to Muromachi period, Text and Illustration byNakanishi Ritta (Dai-nihon-kaiga, Tokyo, Japan, 2008) [3]The Majesty of the Horse, Tamsin Pickeral, Photography
by Astrid Harrisson (Quintessence Editions Ltd., London,U.K., 2011)

One of Sano’s representative manga works, Minamoto no
Yoshitsune (2005, Leed-sha,Tokyo, Japan)

44