Gunbai: Ancient Japanese Warfare

Tanegashima Teppou (種子島鉄砲) - "Sinking" the Myth! A "Black Ship" ( 黒船 ), the symbol of the European contact with Japan - from a painting of the 17th century. The  Tanegashima shipwreck  is among the world's famous shipwreck in history, and it was crucial for the history and future of Japan during the  Sengoku period . During a storm on 23 September 1543, a Chinese junk  was forced to seek shelter on the shores of Tanegashima, an island ruled by Tanegashima Tokitaka who was a vassal of the Shimazu. Inside the ship, the first Europeans landed on Japan and brought with them a revolutionary weapon which was never been used before on Japan and was about to change the way that battles were fought. From Tanegashima, these brand new imported technology reached the Japanese warlords all over the country and allow some of them to unify the nation under their banners! A nice story, isn't it? It is actually a well known fact that enjoy a lot of attent...

Sengoku Period Warfare: Part 1 - Army and Formations A detail from   関ヶ原合戦屏風 , late 19th century. The Sengoku period ( 戦国時代 ) is generally speaking the most interesting, intense and famous period of Japanese history. We are all familiar with the classic picture of the Ashigaru arquebusiers formation, or with the fierce Samurai horseman wielding a spear and names like Oda Nobunaga or Takeda Shingen are among the most celebrated Samurai ever existed. So I decided to dedicate a series of article talking about the military history behind the most famous warlords and battles of this period. This one will be dedicated to the Army and the classic "Battle Formations" of the Sengoku Jidai . But first we need to clarify few things ; The Sengoku period is an awfully long period which roughly goes from the 1467 to the 1600 depending on the sources and the only red line connecting more than 100 years of history is that the various provinces of Japan were constantly at w...