How Did the "Tofu"...

ورود تفنگ‌های فتیله‌ای به ژاپن فئودالی، آغاز تحولی بزرگ در تاریخ نظامی این کشور بود. این سلاح‌ها در مدت کوتاهی نزدیک به چهار قرن سنت جنگاوری را دگرگون کردند و با تغییر ماهیت نبردها، مهارت‌های فردی جنگجویان را به‌تدریج در برابر قدرت آتش گروهی از سربازان به حاشیه راندند.

The history of Japan entered a new phase on August 25, 1543, with the arrival of European firearms to the island of Tangashima in the south of Kyushu. At that time, the Portuguese merchants who were on board a ship belonging to the Waco pirates had an accident and their ship arrived near this island.

According to Faradid's report; The European weapons on board attracted the attention of the local ruler of the island, Tangashima Tokitaka. He was surprised by the ability of these rifles to fire bullets using gunpowder and flame and bought two fuse rifles. It is said that the price of these two weapons was around 2,000 silver riv; A very large sum at that time.

Quickly realizing the military value of these weapons, Tokitaka ordered his chief swordsmith, Yaita Kinbei, to make a similar example.

Japanese swordsmiths were very skilled at forging and making steel blades, but it was difficult to make the threaded end piece of the gun barrel, which would somehow seal and close the end of the barrel. In some legendary accounts, it is said that in order to obtain the secret of making this piece, Kinbi married his daughter Wakasa to a Portuguese sailor in order to obtain the necessary technical knowledge. Of course, this narrative should be considered a story told in later traditions, not a definite fact.

In less than two decades, production of matchlock rifles in centers such as Sakai and Kunitomo reached thousands. By the end of the 16th century, Japan probably had more firearms than any other European country, and by the beginning of the 17th century, tens of thousands of rifles had been produced in the country.

How did matchlock guns change Japanese warfare?

Before the introduction of the rifle, a warrior's effectiveness on the battlefield depended on years of training. Effective use of the Japanese longbow, known as a yomi, required great skill; Warriors had to learn how to draw, aim and release the asymmetric bow. Superior martial skills were also mainly passed down to later generations in warrior families and established the status of the samurai class.

But the fuse gun had a relatively simple mechanism. A slow-burning wick ignited the gunpowder in the combustion chamber, and the resulting explosion drove the lead bullet out of the barrel. In this way, an infantry soldier who had not received advanced military training could become a serviceable force on the battlefield with a few days or weeks of basic training.

Of course, the rifle was not superior in all fields. A skilled marksman could fire several rounds in the time it took a rifleman 20 to 30 seconds to load and fire a round. However, training thousands of foot soldiers to use rifles was much cheaper and faster than training professional warriors.

This development became especially important during the period of Japanese civil wars, known as the Sengoku period. Battles gradually moved from confrontations relying on the individual ability of fighters to the coordinated use of ranks of soldiers and continuous firing.

One of the most important rulers to realize the military potential of firearms earlier than most, Oda Nobunaga procured about 500 matchlock rifles for his infantry in 1549. This decision was part of a process that ultimately changed the structure of the Japanese military.

How did the battle of Nagashino question the superiority of samurai cavalry?

One of the most famous examples of the effectiveness of musket guns was the Battle of Nagashino on July 28, 1575. The united forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu faced the mounted warriors of the Takeda dynasty; A family known for the strength and skill of its riders.

According to the narratives, about 12,000 to 15,000 Takeda warriors attacked the enemy forces in successive waves from the Shitaragahara plain in order to crush their defense lines by relying on the power of the cavalry.

In contrast, about three thousand Nobunaga's riflemen were stationed behind wooden barriers placed in several rows. Since reloading the muskets was time-consuming, Nobunaga used a three-line formation so that different groups could fire in turn, creating a relatively continuous fire against the attackers.

As Takeda's cavalry approached the defensive barriers, they were met with continuous rifle fire and suffered heavy casualties. In some narrations, the number of people killed in Takeda is mentioned as around 10 thousand people; However, the exact number of casualties and the details of the three-row arrangement in historical sources are subject to debate.

Nagashino's significance was not only in the casualties inflicted on the Takeda family. This battle showed that a cavalry charge, even if carried out by experienced warriors, could be vulnerable to the concentrated fire of musketeers and defensive fortifications. As a result, the status of traditional samurai tactics gradually changed and firearms became one of the defining elements of warfare in Japan.

Why did Japanese rulers limit gun ownership?

The introduction of rifles did not only change the way of fighting; These weapons also had important social and political consequences. In a society where people's status was largely dependent on social class and family lineage, a foot soldier named Ashgaro could use a rifle to kill an experienced samurai who had received years of combat training.

This situation was related to a phenomenon known as "Gekokojo"; A term used to describe a situation in which subordinates overpower superiors or powerful people. The spread of firearms could weaken a part of the military monopoly of the warrior class and challenge the existing social order.

In 1588, a decree was issued that limited the ownership of swords and other weapons for peasants. In addition to security and political goals, these policies also helped to maintain the class boundaries of Japanese society.

During the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868, the shogunate government strictly controlled the production and distribution of firearms. Therefore, the same weapon that had once helped the rulers gain power and change the balance of power on the battlefield, became a tool whose control was important to maintain political stability and social order.

The introduction of matchlock rifles showed that military technology could have an impact beyond the battlefield. These weapons reduced the cost and time of training soldiers, changed the tactics of armies, and undermined the monopoly of combat skills. In Japan, the development brought about by rifles eventually became part of a broader trend in which military power no longer depended solely on the individual skill of the samurai, but also on the ability to organize troops, produce weapons, and coordinate the use of fire.