Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

192 Japan
much influence on the production of the common bow. It is also surprising
that the Japanese did not borrow the more advanced technology for producing
the Mongolian bow and that there is no evidence of extensive use
of any other type of bow, including the Great Bow (Ôyumi) and the crossbow,
after the ninth century. Using the same materials for making the long
common bow, the Japanese also produced the half-size bow (hankyû) that
was designed for close-range encounters or narrow areas, and was to be
used by foot soldiers. The use of the hankyû was most common among
those involved in covert warfare during the sixteenth century.
Equal in importance to bladed weapons and bows were the importation
and later the production of firearms. The governor of Tanegashima,
Tanegashima Tokitaka, who was quite fascinated by the new technology,
bought the first two rifles from the Portuguese in 1543. Yet, full recognition
of the battlefield advantages of firearms occurred only thirty-two years later
when Oda Nobunaga used well-armed and trained units to win the battle
of Nagashino. In fact, it was Nobunaga who established the first method of
firing in battle, even before the Europeans. The introduction of firearm
technology proved to be a decisive factor in the direction Japanese society
and politics were to take. It was arguably an important contribution to the
successful pacification of Japan by Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who, although they did not desert the use of swords,
made extensive use of firearms. Unfortunately for the Japanese warriors,
three centuries later when the American commodore Perry arrived with an
armada of battleships, the Japanese found out that their firearms were outdated
and were no match for modern guns and cannons. This inferiority,
which they unsuccessfully attempted to overcome in a hurry, eventually created
political turmoil and the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate, bringing
to an end seven hundred years of military dominance.
In addition to the weapons mentioned above, it is important to point
out that the arsenal of weapons and tools included much more. Before the
Tokugawa period, Japanese warriors developed special weapons with some
sort of a blade to which an iron ball or ring was attached by a chain. Special
battlefield tools were designed to break down doors, others to climb
walls, and still others to cross water barriers. Individual warriors used hidden
weapons of many sorts, such as hidden blades, spikes, and projectiles.
Among the weapons that were used since the ancient period and that
gained popularity during the Tokugawa period were those designed to subdue
an opponent. These usually consisted of a long pole, at the end of
which there was attached some kind of a device for grabbing an attacker’s
helmet, armor, or clothes. Other such poles were designed to pin down a
violent opponent by locking the neck or limbs. Tokugawa policemen whose
main duty was to catch criminals made extensive use of such weapons. In