• dimanche 4 mars 2018

    Nippon army project (Part Five) : Legend of Nippon

    Many weird & mysterious characters evolved in the legends of ancient Japan, a country rich in folk tales & myth. Some of these characters were dashing heroes or intelligent animals. Others were evil, semi-supernatural beings like the malicious Oni, or the malignant Goblins! Whether derived from powerful religion like Shinto or Buddhism, or from simple folktales, each of these creatures bares a unique contribution to the Legends of Nippon.

    Bakemono Goblins
    Though mainly physical creatures, the Bakemono Goblin sometimes possessed spiritual and supernatural power. Smaller Bakemono were often uncouth and unintelligent preferring to fight in large groups (this was before football!). Large, or Dai-Bakemono were usually far more intelligent and equivalent to the Samurai, even having some magical powers.

    Dai Oni
    Oni are ferocious spirits who use their awesome strength and magical abilities to dominate and terrorize the regions they inhabit. The common oni stands 7 to 8 feet tall, resembling a thickly-muscled humanoid whose arms and legs are covered with coarse hair.
    Their skin is normally red, but other colors have been noted, including green, black, orange, purple and Blue.


    Yūrei
    They are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji,  (yū), meaning "faint" and  (rei), meaning "soul". Alternative names include (Bōrei), meaning ruined or departed spirit or (Shiryō) meaning dead spirit.Like their Chinese and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife. While all Japanese ghosts are called yūrei, within that category there are several specific types of phantom, classified mainly by the manner they died or their reason for returning to Earth.

    Tengu
    They are considered a type of Shinto god (kami) . Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics.
    Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. Tengu are associated with the ascetic practice of Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the garb of its followers, the yamabushi.

    Ryu
    Dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. Dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it.

    Last words
    So, many models in this Legend of Nippon part come from the Dixon Miniatures range and to be honest it's pretty rare to find some pictures of them on the web. I bought them without relly knowing how they look but finally the result is good. For peoples who don't know, they are sculpter by Mark Copplestone.
    You probably recognize the old C14 Oriental Dragon (Citadel and Ral Partha) very fine sculpt from Tom Meier. And to finish a C18 Undead Samurai  Sculpted by Aly Morrison.


    

    23 commentaires:

    1. Absolutely superb! Another inspirational army for me to drool over, thank you!

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    2. Elles sont chouettes ces sculptures, bien meilleures que les humains Dixon en fait :p Beau travail de résurrection ! Je me demande ce que tu as prévu pour la suite...

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      1. Merci beaucoup, c'est effectivement du travail de Nécromancie de faire revivre ces figurines :) Pour la suite j'ai prévu de peindre le quartier général du seigneur. Quelques références genre palanquin/moines. Un peu de renfort pour les unités de bases 20 figurines.

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    3. Superbe! J'aime le choix des couleurs des Gobelins et des Oni! C'est effectivement la première fois que je vois cette gamme!

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      1. Merci Yannick, pour cette fois je me suis bien laché sur la palette de couleur et j'en suis très satisfait car ça augmente d'autant plus l'aspect fantastique. A bientôt, Nico.

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    4. Such beautiful work! A lovely collection! And the big battle scene is breath taking!

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    5. Hello and thank you Mr Mouse, this type of picture (battle scene) stay the moment where I find the best satisfaction :)

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    6. Super boulot ! Je me permet de référencer ton blog sur le miens ^^

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      1. Merci beaucoup !! J'en profite pour visiter ton blog :) A bientôt, Nico.

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    7. Super article et beau boulot, je découvre ces figurines, du bon Copplestone ! Tu les joueras sur quelle liste d'armée ? Il vieillit très bien ce dragon (très belle peinture)...

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    8. Salut et merci Venom! En fait, je joues mes Nippon avec la liste Empire qui est très proche du Japon Feodal "tardif" 1600 en terme de liste. Les Onis, je les joue comme mercenaires Ogres et les Gob Bakemonos, je les joue comme Hobgob. Les Tengus/spectre/Dragon comme host monstrueuse :)

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    9. A cracking continuation of a growing army, keep up the great work.

      Paul/Golgfag1

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    10. Hi my dear Paul :) I hope my army will cross the channel one of this day... For a great battle against your marcellous armies :) thank you for the comments. Nico.

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    11. Amazingly painted and presented!

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      1. Thank you Dean, I'm glad you enjoy my work. The WAB Corner stay a great source of inspiration for my Samurai army.

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    12. Excellent cet ajout fantastique. Ta peinture est top et originale (de la couleur, C'est chouette la couleur !)
      Si un jour tu les traînes en convention faudra pas oublier de nous prévenir :D

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      1. Salut Brauwan, Un peu de couleurs flash ça fait du bien :)
        Je compte bien faire quelques conventions cette année, Crisis à Anvers et pourquoi pas d'autres évènements en France. Faut juste que je me renseigne sur les calendriers des manifestations en France (Région Parisienne et grand Est). Encore merci pour ton commentaire et à bientôt.

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    13. Les éléments surnaturels de cette armée m'excitent vraiment. Super concept.

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