According to popular mythology, firearms were first introduced to Japan in 1543 by a couple of Portuguese men shipwrecked on the island of Tanegashima. Other theories place firearms in Japan even earlier, via illegal trading routes with mainland Asia. Either way, firearms were first widely adopted in warfare in the mid-to-late 16th century, and played a significant role during that period of conflict in which the entire nation was consumed in a civil war, as feudal lords competed for the position of Shogun (a political and military leadership position sanctioned by the emperor).
The firearms used in this period were predominantly matchlock arquebuses. Since Japan at the time was under a self-imposed trade embargo and few foreign goods entered the country, craftsmen reverse engineered the few arquebuses that were brought into the country, and within a few years, a local industry appeared from the ground up to supply war lords with locally made copies. With centuries of sword making under their belts, craftsmen at the time were likely very skilled metal workers, making high quality steel available for forging barrels.
What’s interesting about the history of firearms in Japan, compared to the rest of the world (namely Europe), is that there was virtually no further development on this technology for three centuries after they were first introduced. When Matthew Perry showed up in the Gulf of Tokyo in 1853 demanding that the Japanese open its ports, the few small arms the Japanese possessed at the time were the same matchlock arquebuses used in the 16th century. Europe and the US, in the mean time, had seen the rise and fall of flintlock muskets, and was on the cusp of transitioning from percussion caps to metallic cartridges (the 22LR was invented in 1855 or so).
Why did Japan get left behind? There are three primary reasons that I’m aware of, and they have to do with the Tokugawa Shogunate, which took power in 1603, unifying the country and ending decades of civil war. Firstly, the Tokugawa shogunate, fearing rebellion, imposed heavy restrictions on the manufacturing of firearms and gun powder. Secondly, trade with foreign countries continued to be banned, so new technologies out of Europe rarely entered Japan. And lastly, under the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan saw a period of peace lasting over 250 years, and feudal lords saw little reason to invest resources in weapons development.
There also may have been a couple of other factors that are cultural. The Japanese were (and still are) a conservative people, and there was relatively little scientific or technological advancement during those 250+ years in general. It is also possible that the ruling-class samurai saw firearms as a necessary evil at a time of war, but otherwise a threat to their status, as it allowed low ranking and relatively untrained foot soldiers (who might even be “lowly” peasants during times of peace) to mow down high ranking samurai mounted on horseback from afar.
This all changed when Perry showed up. His visit acted as a catalyst for internal shifts in political thought that placed greater emphasis on the Emperor, ultimately leading to a civil war between those loyal to the Emperor (who decided to take political power away from the Shogunate), and those who were loyal to the Shogunate. Overturning the long standing embargo, both sides rapidly imported the latest in weaponry from Europe, and while often outnumbered, the Imperial forces lead a successful coup, ousting the Shogunate in 1858, thereby ending a reign lasting 264 years, practically over night. Also abolished, was the caste system, ending the era of sword-wearing samurai; replacing the sword as the primary weapon, was of course the modern firearm.
Image Top: mounted samurai with a shortened arquebus, or essentially a carbine of the day. Check out other photos here.
Sorry to split hairs, but it was the .22SHORT cart. that 1st came about, followed by the .22LONG, then the Long Rifle.
S&W had the 1st marketable breech-loading revolver and even ahd a patent on thru-bored cylinders for more than a decade.
Several larger rimfires for the .44 Henry lever rifles and the Spencers came along after the .22Short had kidn of laid the foundations for practical self-contained metallic cartridges .
I think that the 1st U.S. mil. CENTER-fire was the .50-70-450 in 1866 (Allin conversion of relined Civil War muzzle loaders.)
I have a Rem. rolling block carbine from this era and it is STILL a viable weapon.
Very interesting Chinese Garand copy!
There were some Chinese-made M-14s marketed in the U.S. several decades ago.
I believe there were quality control issues with receiver heat-treating, just like some bearings in the Chinese “Hardy” diesels for marine engines and gen. engines had some bearings that needed replacement after a short time because of skipped or improper heat treat.
I have found that a small-frame bolt action CZ model 527 in 7.62x39mm (AK/SKS caliber) is all the center-fire rifle I really “need”. (Shop-made scope rail for Burris “Tactical” 2x to 7x and a dozen spare magazines, and many thou. rds. of ammo.)
Nice to have cheap, reasonably accurate, “available” ammo for this and AKs, all same cal. compatible.
I used to ahndload alot, but more recently have concnetrated on .22LR, .22WMR, and 7.62x39mm.
NEF 20ga. single shot is a very useful weapon for someone living in rural areas.
I have a 4Seven AA high intensity LED light J-B Welded to the underside of the 20ga.’s barrel, which came in handy dealing with a bobcat that killed 11 of our chickens and denned-up in the woodshed/milkgoat shed, and growling at anyone who came near to get wood or verify a “body count” of our deceased poultry š
(Cold weather and (hopefully!) cyclical decline in local smallgame has made the predators “brash” and several people besides ourselves have lost some or all of their chickens due to bobcats & coyotes.)
I have been experimenting with a TALO Ruger 10-22 equipped with a Burris Fast Fire2 holographic red dot sight, and that has got my snap-shooting skills back up despite cataract and retinal damage.
Tritium dot iron sights are a help in poor light.
I do nearly all my rifle practice offhand and 50% of it at moving targets.
I have competed in formal rifle matches, but the “position” that will get you game or deal with a fast-moving predator like a coyote or feral dog is 95% of the time, offhand.
If you can put the sneak on a critter, you can use “field expediant” rests off side of a tree or a conveniant limb or fence post, and very occassionally, cross-sticks.
Prone is 99% useless off the square range since grass/brush obscures your line of sight.
Sitting is more stable than kneeling, and can be assumed nearly as quickly as kneeling., and yoru lien of sight is often high enough to clear brush or grass, and mebbe low enough to shoot UNDER tree branches.
Just was fwd.ed you blog site info., and am looking fwd. to learning more about the stuff you know so much better than a semi-Luddite such as myself š
All the best!
Davo
I relish, cause I found exactly what I used to be looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
There is a very good book on the subject by Perrin, called “Giving Up the Gun”.
You have spelt Medieval Wrong it is spelt like this MEDIEVAL