So I've been playing Total War: Shogun 2 for a little while now, and there's a unit that has a large peanut shaped contraption on their back. I'm curious to know what purpose they served. They seem detrimental to me. In addition, most units carried a banner on their back. Would this not just get in the way as well? Why not have one banner carrier in the front like almost every other army?
It would be a big help if you could take a picture of that unit! But I'm relatively sure that I know what you're talking about: The [horo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horo_(cloak) looks a bit like a balloon strapped onto a samurai's back. It is said to have two main purposes: One purpose is catching/entangling arrows. The other purpose is making you more visible for the rest of your army.
The balloons were designed to protect the head and upper torso from arrows fired at the rider while retreating or maneuvering in a way that showed its back to the enemy archers. Protect ya neck
Do you have a picture of this?