His sashimono bears the shogi game piece of the spear which can only advance and not retreat. At one point during his trek across the river, he was completely submerged with only his sashimono visible above the water. A samurai wearing the sashimono of Yamayoshi, a general for the Uesugi during the Battle of Kawanakajima. On his armour, I've added the Uesugi mon more for personal taste rather than actual historical authenticity. Out in the West, Asian history is all but unknown.
Reference materials are few and far between.
In addition, the samurai were more than just military people, they were also talented artists and highly cultured. After reading a few of Stephen Turnbull's books on the samurai, my interest almost turned into an obsession. My Napoleonics have been pushed aside as I now devote my energies to this new found passion. With the aid of a brand new inkjet printer, I found that I was able to produce highly detailed sashimonos and armour detailing with ease and speed. Couple this with the fact, that I needed fewer figures to come up with a standing army and the appeal of the samurai is even more tempting.