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The [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]] is known to have possessed firearms as early as the 1450s, if not earlier. They used a variety of gunpowder hand-weapons and cannon obtained from the Chinese, but did not make use of European-style [[arquebus]]es or [[cannon]].

 

The [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]] is known to have possessed firearms as early as the 1450s, if not earlier. They used a variety of gunpowder hand-weapons and cannon obtained from the Chinese, known as ''hyaa'' or by a variety of closely related terms, but the Ryukyuans did not make extensive use of European-style [[arquebus]]es or [[cannon]].

 

It is unclear if firearms were used as weapons, in battle, in the 15th century, or only as devices for use in royal processions and festivals, a role akin to fireworks or a "gun salute." In the 16th century, however, it is presumed that the royal army made use of Chinese-style firearms, though these were rendered obsolete by the introduction of European-style matchlocks. Though the Ryukyuans made extensive use of Chinese-style firearms in their defense against the [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion]] by [[Satsuma han]] [[samurai]] in [[1609]], this equipment was proven sorely inferior to the European-style weapons used by the invaders.

==History==

==History==

Historian [[Uezato Takashi]] points out that these episodes strongly imply that Ryûkyû already by this time had its own firearms experts, and was not merely relying upon imports from China, and Chinese experts.<ref name="Uezato76"/>

Historian [[Uezato Takashi]] points out that these episodes strongly imply that Ryûkyû already by this time had its own firearms experts, and was not merely relying upon imports from China, and Chinese experts.<ref name="Uezato76"/>

A Ryukyuan envoy in [[1466]] demonstrated one of these firearms before the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga shogun]] and his court; [[Stephen Turnbull]] describes this as the first gunpowder explosion to occur in Japan since the [[Mongol invasions]],<ref>Turnbull, Stephen. ''The Samurai Capture a King: Okinawa 1609''. Oxford: Osprey Press, 2009. p58.</ref> when the Mongols made use of a sort of grenade or bomb. Various records seem to imply that gun salutes came to be typical in Ryûkyû on certain occasions, such as when the king departed the palace on a journey.<ref>Uezato. p79.</ref>

 

A Ryukyuan envoy in [[1466]] demonstrated Chinese-style firearms before the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga shogun]] and his court; [[Stephen Turnbull]] describes this as the first gunpowder explosion to occur in Japan since the [[Mongol invasions]],<ref>Turnbull, Stephen. ''The Samurai Capture a King: Okinawa 1609''. Oxford: Osprey Press, 2009. p58.</ref> when the Mongols made use of a sort of grenade or bomb. Various records seem to imply that gun salutes came to be typical in Ryûkyû on certain occasions, such as when the king departed the palace on a journey.<ref>Uezato. p79.</ref> Still used today at certain festivals, such as the [[Naha Tug-of-War]], devices used for salutes are comprised of a triple barrel, each roughly 3cm in diameter and 20cm in length, attached to a long 180cm oak haft. These are also called ''hiyaa'' or ''hyaa'', but the character ''bô'', meaning rod or pole, is inserted, unpronounced, before those meaning "fire arrow."<ref name=uezato80>Uezato. p80.</ref>

 

 

The early Korean records allude to the presence of Ryukyuan officials within the government tasked with being in charge of firearms, but it is unclear if indeed such a post or position existed at the time. The ''[[Ryukyukoku yuraiki|Ryûkyû-koku yuraiki]]'' indicates a "head of production of firearms / fire arrows"<!--比屋勢頭親雲上 or 火矢勢頭親雲上--> (O: ''hyaa shii du [[peechin]]'') named Matsuuji (in the Japanese reading of the name) who is held to have introduced [[fireworks]] to Ryûkyû in [[1479]], so such a position seems to have been in place at that time. Furthermore, an official known as the ''[[boraakugami bugyo|boraakugami bugyô]]'' is known to have had gunpowder technology among his responsibilities.<ref>Uezato. pp77-78.</ref>

The early Korean records allude to the presence of Ryukyuan individuals in charge of firearms, but it is unclear if indeed such a post or position existed at the time. The ''[[Ryukyukoku yuraiki|Ryûkyû-koku yuraiki]]'' indicates a "head of production of firearms / fire arrows"<!--比屋勢頭親雲上 or 火矢勢頭親雲上--> (O: ''hyaa shii du [[peechin]]'') named Matsuuji (in the Japanese reading of the name) who is held to have introduced [[fireworks]] to Ryûkyû in [[1479]], so such a position seems to have been in place at that time. Furthermore, an official known as the ''[[boraakugami bugyo|boraakugami bugyô]]'' is known to have had gunpowder technology among his responsibilities.<ref>Uezato. pp77-78.</ref>

By the end of the 16th century, these Chinese-style weapons were used extensively. It is believed that the technology, and the form of the devices, may not have changed very much. The simple addition of metal shot, that is, ammunition, where previously gunpowder was used alone, converted devices which produced only light, sound, and heat (flame, sparks, explosions) for salutes and the like into weapons.<ref name=uezato82>Uezato. p82.</ref> Such "hand cannon" ammunition has been found in excavations at a great many sites, including [[Shuri castle]], [[Nakijin gusuku]], [[Goeku gusuku]], [[Tonakijima]]<ref>A small island betwen Okinawa to the east and [[Kumejima]] to the west.</ref>, [[Katsuren gusuku]], [[Itokazu gusuku]], and [[Ufu gusuku]]<!--大城グスク-->. Ranging from the 14th to 16th century, the shot varies greatly in size and material. Materials used included stone, earth, iron, and bronze, and the shot found ranges from one to two centimeters in diameter to more than ten centimeters.<ref name=uezato82/>

The European arquebus, introduced to Japan in [[1543]], never caught on in Ryûkyû, and the gunpowder weapons used were adapted from Chinese technology. Known as ''hyaa'' (火矢), or "fire arrows,"<ref name=champloo>Kadekawa Manabu. ''Okinawa Chanpurû Jiten''. Tokyo: Yama-kei Publishers, 2001. p194.</ref> they had short barrels, and essentially consisted of short, slightly conical iron tubes attached to wooden shafts. Some had three barrels. The weapon was held under the left arm while the right hand was used to light it. The Japanese made use of such weapons as well, as late as in the [[1548]] [[battle of Uedahara]], but the superior European-style arquebus became more widely used after that.<ref name=turnbull>Turnbull. pp26-27.</ref>

A 1605 royal government record lists in detail the Ryukyuan military's equipment, including ''[[yumi]'' (bows), ''[[hako]]'' (pikes or halberds), and swords, along with "two hundred guns big and small," gunpowder, and shot. It is unclear exactly what type of weapons these are.<ref>This document refers to the weapons as ''tehyaa'' ("hand fire arrow"), using the ''[[kanji]]'' 『銃』 (J: ''jû''), which in modern Japanese today simply means "gun," "rifle," or "handgun"; nothing resembling the term ''teppô'' (鉄砲, arquebus) appears in the Ryukyuan document, but that does not mean we can easily know precisely which terms Ryûkyû used at that time to refer to which type of weapons.</ref> There is no explicit evidence that European-style matchlocks were used in Ryûkyû at this time, but Uezato argues that given the state of affairs in the region at the time, it should not be considered unlikely that European-style firearms would have been introduced to Ryûkyû already by this time. The writings of [[Fernao Mendes Pinto|Fernaõ Mendes Pinto]], written in the 1560s, mention that there were more than 300,000 arquebuses in Japan at that time (though whether this number can be trusted is another matter), and touch upon trade with Ryûkyû, seeming to indicate that matchlocks would have been introduced to Ryûkyû as well. Uezato is careful, however, to point out that we cannot definitively say that they were introduced.<ref>Uezato. p83.</ref>

These Chinese-style weapons, or heavier versions of the same, were used extensively in castle defenses, not only at Shuri, but also at, for example, [[Nakijin gusuku]], where gunports were explicitly installed above the castle's gates, and presumably at other ''[[gusuku]]'' (castles/fortresses)v as well.<ref>Turnbull. p33.</ref>

Ryûkyû also made use of a form of cannon called ''ishibiya'' and closely related to the "hand cannon" or ''hyaa''. The term ''ishibiya'' later came to refer specifically to those which fired shots of one ''[[kanme]]'' in weight (3.75kg) or heavier. Ammunition of this type has been found in excavations at Shuri castle. Cannon were also mounted at [[Mie gusuku|Mie]] and [[Yarazamori gusuku]] which defended the port of [[Naha]] and were used against Satsuma ships in 1609<ref name=turnbull/>, and fortresses such as Nakijin gusuku in the north of Okinawa island were definitively equipped with gunports.<ref>Turnbull. p33.</ref>  

Turnbull surmises that techniques of firing in volleys were unfamiliar in Ryûkyû, contributing to their unpreparedness in the face of the [[invasion of Ryukyu|samurai invaders]] from [[Satsuma han]] in [[1609]], who made extensive use of arquebuses and of volley-firing tactics.<ref name=turnbull/>

Turnbull surmises that techniques of firing in volleys were unfamiliar in Ryûkyû, contributing to their unpreparedness in the face of the invaders from Satsuma, who made extensive use of arquebuses and of volley-firing tactics.<ref name=turnbull/>

Ryûkyû also made use of a form of cannon called ''ishibiya'', a term which later came to refer specifically to those which fired shots of one ''[[kanme]]'' in weight (3.75kg) or heavier. Ammunition of this type has been found in excavations at [[Shuri castle]]. Cannon were also mounted at [[Mie gusuku|Mie]] and [[Yarazamori gusuku]] which defended the port of [[Naha]].<ref name=turnbull/>

Today, four examples of these "traditional"-style firearms are extant in Okinawa.<ref name=uezato80/>

==References==

==References==