Ho-Jutsu: The traditional firearms art of Japan.

Introduction 16th century Japan: A mysterious, intriguing country shrouded in the mists of legend standing completely aloof from the western world. Land of the famous, fierce and feared Samurai. Trained from birth in a myriad of lethal martial arts, their spartan existence governed by the strictest code of warrior ethics otherwise known as Bushido. What impact, then, did the introduction of the firearm have upon this rigid, zealous sect? Well, lets find out a bit more. Importing mayhem! Situated, as it is, reasonably close to both China and Korea, the Japanese engaged in conflict with each of these on several occasions and it would have been while soldiering on these campaigns that the Samurai first encountered gun powder and the primitive forms of fire-arm known as tetsuho.

Chinese Tetsuho. This early firearm resembled a hand-held cannon However, it was not really until the arrival of Portuguese traders with their arquebuses in the early to middle 15th century that the Japanese war lords eventually began to consider them in any serious, strategic capacity, with the fierce warlord Shimazu Takahisa of Satsuma becoming the first feudal Daimyo to employ the arquebus in battle thanks to a Portuguese trading vessel becoming wrecked upon his island of Tanegashima.

Contemporary western soldiers using the arquebus or Matchlock

It wasnt long before both the Portuguese and the Dutch began importing large numbers of the arquebus (otherwise known as a Matchlock) in order to supply the various Clans with this new wonder-weapon. This had an incredible impact upon modifying the, hence, very traditional and ritualised methods of waging war that were particular and peculiar to the Samurai warrior. Only a few years later in 1575, Obu Nobunaga raised an army comprised almost completely of peasant conscripts and, after training and equipping 3000 of them with firearms, managed to inflict a horrific and decisive defeat upon his powerful rival, Takeda Katsuyori and his army of fully trained Samurai at the Battle of Nagashino. They fired in volleys of a thousand, from behind sturdy defences, further protected by thousands of spearmen. This was a clash between steel and spirit of the samurai on the one hand, and gunpowder on the other. One can only imagine the carnage inflicted upon one of the proudest of all the samurai clans on that bloody battlefield, with literally thousands of warriors and their noble steeds laying dead or dying amidst the thick fog of gunpowder. Some accounts say that the casualties suffered numbered some ten thousand! (Scarrott, George, M 2009) Therefore, this engagement was much more than a clash between modern weopons on the one hand and the courage, sinew and steele of the more ancient martial arts: It was also a clash the of commoner conscript militia against noble warrior, in some ways mirroring the Battle of the Golden Spurs that had taken place in Belgium hundereds of years earlier (1302).

Ashigaru (foot soldiers) sniping at the enemy The startling outcome of the Battle of Nagashino had the effect of completely altering the status-quo in Japanese society forever, as the Takeda were no longer the great military force they had been and consequently, both firearms and conscript armies were to quickly become inceasingly common and far more acceptable. As with all progress, the new weapons were far from liked by all, with a lot of samurai perusing them with suspicion and disdain, seeing them as dishonourable or even cowardly weapons. Hardened warriors also questioned the effectiveness of the firearm in all but a very few circumstances. For example: It was said that a well trained archer could loose up to 15 arrows in the time it would take a person to prime an arquebus, which also only had an effective range of 80-100 meters. And, at this range, the bullets would simply bounce off a well made suit of traditional samurai armour. Additionally, both weapon and powder were not robust enough to withstand any harsh changes in the weather: if caught in humid or wet conditions, they were quickly rendered next to useless.

Acceptance, integration and improvements

Samurai with Arquebus in background Certain other samurai, though, certainly did appreciate them, at once recognising their merit and potential so they were quite speedily integrated into the training regime of their warriors. These more forward-thinking individuals hastily began working on improving the firearm, making it more fit for purpose. Consequently, they developed lacquered guardboxes to enable firing in wet conditions and larger calibres to increase the stopping power when employed against an armoured warrior. They standardised bores so that huge quantities of ammunition could be produced, stored and readily distributed to troops upon the battlefield, and fitted the end of the stock with a length of cord to aid in night fighting.

A Bajouzutsu a long pistol for shooting while on horseback They also trained rigorously in serial firing techniques, allowing an army to bring to bear and maintain a constant hail of withering fire upon an enemy position, and it has even been suggested in some quarters that it was most probably the Japanese who actually came up with the idea of the Flintlock Rifle, as flint lighters were already in common usage in Japan during this period.

All of this meant that the firearm was here to stay and the Teppo ( the Japanese term for Matchlock) soon became as much a part of a warrior clans arsenal as the Bow or even the Sword. Indeed, by the end of the 16th century, there were actually more firearms in Japan than in any of the European nations of the period.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu (18371913)

15th and last of the Tokugawa dynasty, with traditional sword (Katana) on one side and modern rifle (in this case, a Sharps Carbine) on the other Conclusion Therefore, when we next pause to consider the samurai and the impact that the introduction of firearms might have wrought upon their way of life, perhaps we would do well to remember that they were, first and foremost, professional soldiers. Yes, they had traditional values, were deadly with the bow, spear and (of course) the sword, yes, they had a strict code of ethics and morals, BUT: Their way of life was war. And in war, just as in life in general, one must be prepared to adapt in order to survive. In a few short years, we see the samurai not only adopt the concept of the firearm, but also adapt both the weapon itself and the tactics employed in its use so effectively that they ended up with some of the most advanced, sophisticated and innovative firearms in the world. This amazing leap forward in technology is thanks in no small part to the actual Era itself: Most of the above mentioned events having taken place during the turbulent Sengoku Jidai (Warring States) period. So there would have been no shortage of rival warlords all desperately vying for position and wanting to gain the tactical advantage!

Far from being viewed as any sort of latecomer to the traditional Japanese martial arts, it might surprise you all to learn that Ho-Jutsu is actually an accepted part of the Koryu (old flow). These are the older, more traditional martial arts that were established prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868 onwards. Firearms are, therefore, a valid weapon of the traditional warrior as well as having rightfully won their place in both the history and culture of the Japanese martial arts. Prof. J R Lee-Barron

References: Brown, Delmer M. The Impact of Fireamrs on Japanese Warfare The Far Eastern Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 3. May, 1948 Rosenbaum, M. Kata and the transmission of knowledge in traditional martial arts YMAA Publications centre inc 2004 Turnbull, Stephen R. Samurai Warfare Arms and Armour Press 1996 Bryant, Anthony J. London: Osprey Publishing, 1994

Griess, Thomas E., ed. The Dawn of Modern Warfare New Jersey: Avery Publishing Group, 1984

Nobuyuki, Tamaru., ed. Strategy, Tactics, Weapons: Japanese age of Battles edition Tokyo: Gakken, 1994

Turnbull, Stephen R. "Slaughter of the Samurai." Military Illustrated Jul. 1996