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Isolation did not decrease the production of guns in Japan—on the contrary, there is evidence of around 200 gunsmiths in Japan by the end of the Edo period. But the social life of firearms had changed: as the historian David L. Howell has argued, for many in Japanese society, the gun had become less a weapon than a farm implement for scaring ...
The samurai-zutsu guns were custom-made for use only by the samurai, whose high social standing and wealth meant they could afford well-crafted and intricately designed guns which were longer and of larger caliber, as opposed to the cruder and inferior quality ban-zutsu used by the ashigaru. Samurai-zutsu
The matchlock, or tanegashima by comparison was easier to use. It did not rely on physical strength or regular practice to be effective. In addition the firearms could be stockpiled in great numbers when not required. As such, samurai and professional soldiers would train the lower classes in hōjutsu.
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.
Samurai holding a kanabō The kanabō ( 金砕棒 , kanasaibō ) (literally "metal stick" or "metal club") is a spiked or studded two-handed war club used in feudal Japan by samurai . Other related weapons of this type are the nyoibō , konsaibō , [ 1 ] [ 2 ] tetsubō ( 鉄棒 ) , and ararebō . [ 3 ]
It would appear, according to Serge Mol, that tales of samurai breaking open a kabuto (helmet) are more folklore than anything else. [6] The hachi (helmet bowl) is the central component of a kabuto; it is made of triangular plates of steel or iron riveted together at the sides and at the top to a large, thick grommet of sorts (called a tehen-no-kanamono), and at the bottom to a metal strip ...
The Bugei jūhappan (武芸十八般 "Eighteen Kinds Of Martial Arts") is a selection of combat techniques and martial arts used by the samurai of Tokugawa-era Japan. [1] Established by Hirayama Gyozo , the concept is based on earlier Chinese traditions, such as Eighteen Arms of Wushu.
Samurai archer shooting a kabura-ya over the Azuchi. Kabura-ya (鏑矢, lit. 'turnip[-headed] arrow') is a type of Japanese arrow used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. . Kabura-ya were arrows which whistled when shot [1] and were used in ritual archery exchanges before formal medieval ba