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Ashigaru wearing armor and jingasa firing tanegashima (Japanese matchlocks). Ashigaru (足軽, "light of foot") were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan.The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 14th century, [1] but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.
Japanese ashigaru firing hinawajū.Night-shooting practice, using ropes to maintain proper firing elevation. Tanegashima (), most often called in Japanese and sometimes in English hinawajū (火縄銃, "matchlock gun"), was a type of matchlock-configured [1] arquebus [2] firearm introduced to Japan through the Portuguese Empire in 1543. [3]
Ashigaru (foot soldiers) using matchlocks (tanegashima) from behind shields (tate). Japan was at war during the Sengoku period between 1467 and 1600, as feudal lords vied for supremacy. [8] Matchlock guns were used extensively and had a decisive role in warfare.
Hōjutsu (砲術) / Teppojutsu (鉄砲術), the art of gunnery, is the martial art of Japan dedicated to Japanese black powder firearm usage. Hōjutsu is still practiced today, often with antique matchlock firearms such as the tanegashima. The martial art is most common in Japan where access to historical equipment is easier for practitioners.
Submachine guns Minebea 9mm Machine Pistol: Submachine gun: 9×19mm Parabellum Japan: Made by Minebea. Introduced in 1999, it is the only domestically produced submachine gun of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. It is derived from the Uzi. [6] Assault rifles and battle rifles Howa Type 89: Assault rifle: 5.56×45mm NATO Japan
But, one of the key advantages of the weapon was that unlike bows, which required years of training largely available only to the samurai class, guns could be used by relatively untrained footmen. Samurai stuck to their swords and their bows, engaging in cavalry or infantry tactics, while the ashigaru wielded the guns. Some militant Buddhist ...
In Japan, matchlocks continued to see military use up to the mid-19th century. In China, matchlock guns were still being used by imperial army soldiers in the middle decades of the 19th century. [22] There is evidence that matchlock rifles may have been in use among some peoples in Christian Abyssinia in the late Middle Ages.
[1] [2] Naginata were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei (warrior monks). [3] The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-musha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility. A common misconception is that the Naginata is a type of sword, rather than a polearm.