the garrison

Here they are, my first command for the Impetus rules. Four bases strong, I know that in the rules it is suggested that one base represents around 500 men and the garrison was 500 strong before you take into acocunt any casualties from the long seige. My bases will represent between 80- 150 men for this project. this will give me enough adaptability to vary the composition of my armies within the rules and enable me to do lots of colourful contingents,which is the beauty of the period.

These four bases represent the troops that sallied out from Nagashino castle on the last day of the seige. i have chose not to do any teppo as it would make sense to leave these troops behing to defend the rules should it all go wrong....

Torrii Sune'emon

Torii Suneemon was a retainer of okudaira Sadamasa from Mikawa province. He became famous was renowned bravery and and had knowledge of the surroundings around Nagashino. He volunteered for the suicidle mission of sneaking through the siege lines to request aid from Tokugawa Ieyasu in Okazaki. a request had already been sent but the garrison had received no answer, so were unaware that Tokugawa Ieyasu and oda Nobunaga were already making plans for the relief of the castle. At midnight on the 23rd Torii Suneemon slipped out of the castle through the Yagyu-mon and climbed down the cliff path into the Toyokawa river. He swam down the river until he met with the nets the Takeda had strung across it to warn of such escape, he cut his way through underwater without making a sound and continued on his daring quest to reach Okazaki, stopping to light a beacon on mount Gambo to let the rest of the garrison know he had got through. After successfully warning Tokugawa, however, he was captured by the Takeda on his return to Nagashino. After they had seen the beacons they had concluded that some one had escaped and increased their security around the castle.
Torii was taken prisoner and sent before Takeda Katsuyori, who impressed with his exploits offered him service in the Takeda army. Torii apparently agreed but Katsuyori was suspicious and ordered Torii to shout to his compatriots in the fortress that no help was on the way, and that they should surrender. He instead encouraged the garrison that Tokugawa's army was, in fact, on the way, and that they should hold out. There is some dispute as to whether Torii was crucified before or after this proclamation, as well as in the precise details of his execution.
Nevertheless, the end result was the same. One acocunt suggests spears were thrust into his body as he spoke the words, another that he was crucified later.

One Takeda retainer, Ochiai Michihisa was so impressed he had an image of a crucified Torii Suneemon put on his personal flag. This flag still exists and his pictured below.