Taihō (大砲): Japanese Cannons and Artillery
Taihō (大砲): Japanese Cannons and Artillery Two different types of Japanese cannons, also known as ōzutsu. From 武道藝術秘傳圖會 [1]. Cannons, and artillery in general, have been almost completely overlooked when it comes to Japanese warfare, despite the massive amount of works dedicated to the proliferation of guns in the 1550s , during the Sengoku period. This attitude towards Japanese cannons have many reasons behind it (Turnbull I'm looking at you) , and it was likely generated by Edo periods ideals boosted by the Tokugawa Shogunate, which by that time period had the monopoly on the production of said weapon. However, during the 16th and early 17th century, the situation was quite different. Yet it is fair to say that these weapons didn't play a significant role on field battles for a very simple reason: Japanese terrain. Being a heavily forested and predominately mountainous island, carrying heavy artillery pieces throughout Japan must have been a nightmare, so th