Firearms of Japan

Firearms were introduced to Japan in the 13th century during the first Mongol invasion and were referred to as teppō. Portuguese firearms were introduced in 1543, and intense development followed, with strong local manufacture during the period of conflicts of the late 16th century. Hōjutsu, the art of gunnery, is the Japanese martial art dedicated to firearms usage.

Due to its proximity with China, Japan had long been familiar with gunpowder weaponry. Firearms appeared in Japan around 1270, as primitive metal tubes invented in China and called teppō (鉄砲 lit. "iron cannon").

These weapons were very basic, as they had no trigger or sights, and could not be compared to the more advanced European weapons which were introduced in Japan more than 250 years later.

The first documented introduction of the matchlock which became known as the tanegashima was through the Portuguese in 1543, António Mota and Francisco Zeimoto. The tanegashima seems to have been based on snap matchlocks that were produced in the armory of Goa in Portuguese India, which was captured by Portugal in 1510. The name tanegashima came from the island where a Chinese junk with Portuguese adventurers on board was driven to anchor by a storm. The lord of the Japanese island Tanegashima Tokitaka (1528–1579) purchased two matchlock muskets from the Portuguese and put a swordsmith to work in copying the matchlock barrel and firing mechanism. Within a few years the use of the tanegashima in battle forever changed the way war was fought in Japan. From 1560, firearms were used in large battles in Japan. In his memoirs published in 1614, the Portuguese adventurer-turned-author Fernão Mendes Pinto placed himself in that first landing party, although this claim has been roundly discredited and in fact contradicts his claims to be simultaneously in Burma at the time. However, Pinto does appear to have visited Tanegashima soon thereafter.

Japan was at war during the Sengoku period between 1467 and 1600, as feudal lords vied for supremacy. Matchlock guns were used extensively and had a decisive role in warfare. In 1549, Oda Nobunaga ordered 500 matchlocks to be made for his armies. The benefits of firearms were still relatively questionable however compared with other weapons. At the time, guns were still rather primitive and cumbersome. According to one estimate in 16th century Japan, an archer could fire 15 arrows in the time a gunner would take to load, charge, and shoot a firearm. Effective range was only 80 to 100 meters. At that maximum distance, a bullet could easily bounce off armour. Furthermore, matchlocks were vulnerable to humid or rainy conditions as the powder would become damp. However, firearms could be manned effectively by farmers or non-samurai low-ranking soldiers.

The Japanese soon developed various techniques to improve the effectiveness of their firearms. They developed a serial firing technique to create a continuous rain of bullets on the enemy. They also developed bigger calibers to increase lethality. Protective boxes in lacquerware were invented to be able to fire matchlocks in the rain, as well as systems to accurately fire weapons at night by keeping fixed angles thanks to measured strings.

As a result, in the year 1567, Takeda Shingen announced that "Hereafter, the guns will be the most important arms. Therefore, decrease the number of spears per unit, and have your most capable men carry guns". At the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, 3,000 arquebusiers helped win the battle, firing by volleys of 1,000 at a time, and secured across a river and breastwork to effectively stop enemy infantry and cavalry charges while being protected.

In the year 1584 Ikeda Sen led a troop of 200 women armed with firearms at the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute and in 1600 at the Battle of Sekigahara, a rare example of a teppō unit, or musketeer unit consisting only of women.