A photographic introduction to items from the collection

" An Encyclopedia of Guns"
The Significance of Anzai Minoru's Collection of Secret Books on the Art of Gunnery in the Museum Collection

Unconvincing Theories

The theory that guns arrived in Japan in 1543 is based on the " Teppo Ki" (" Journal of Guns" ). The journal was written by the Zen monk Nampo Bunshi at the request of Tanegashima Hisatoki in 1606, some 60 years after their arrival in Japan. Hisatoki attributes the popularity of guns primarily to his grandfather Tanegashima Tokitaka.

The journal should not be rated too highly, however, because there is an absence of other historical materials dating from the same period and the objective of its compilation was to honor an ancestor. Nevertheless, it is not unusual that it should be actively cited considering that it constitutes the only historical document about the arrival of guns to Japan.

When Suginobo from Negoro temple in Kishu Province visited Tanegashima in search of a gun, Tokitaka was moved to respond by sending Suginobo one. Some time later, Tachibanaya Matasaburo, who hailed from Sakai of Izumi Province, visited the island where he spent two years learning about guns before he returned home. He also acquired the nickname " Gun Mata." It was in this way that guns spread to the Kinai and Kansai regions and then towards Kanto. The basis to this theory that guns spread from their original base on Tanegashima is also attributed to the " Teppo Ki."

There is another theory that as soon as guns arrived in Japan they were immediately introduced to battle. It claims that they transformed old fighting techniques and also had a huge effect on the style of castles. Although the three theories mentioned above are commonly accepted today, a re-examination of these theories reveals that their basis is surprisingly weak.

Secret books on the art of gunnery from the time of transition to the Early Modern period

The Appearance of Secret Books on the Art of Gunnery

The arrival of guns in Japan was followed by the appearance of gunsmiths whose family business was the handling of guns. Although they also trained using guns that had been brought to Japan by Europeans, they eventually resorted to smithery. They copied this craft to manufacture a different kind of barrel, and as a result of further intense training they succeeded in developing guns that were suited to the physique of the Japanese. This marked the domestic production of guns, though this did by no means happen overnight. We should not forget the contribution made by gunsmiths who risked their lives while training in their craft.

The art of gunnery got its start from rudimentary training in knowledge, how to brandish firearms, methods for blending different kinds of gunpowder and short-range target shooting. However, this gradually became quite a sophisticated art that included methods for repairing guns, methods for long-range shooting, the development of guns with larger calibers, ways of making various kinds of shot and complex methods of blending gunpowder. In the beginning the secrets of this craft were passed down by word of mouth. However, as gunsmiths came to deal with a greater amount of numerical data related to shooting range, gunpowder blend ratios, gun dimensions, the positioning of targets and the dimensions of bull's eyes, it became impossible to transfer all this information orally. This resulted in the compilation of these books of secrets, which subsequently became the means by which information was passed down. They have also become evidence.

The teachings of the founders of the various schools provided a framework through which information was passed down from one apprentice to the next. These books of secrets were full of information on every imaginable aspect of guns, and indeed have assumed the role of a gun encyclopedia. A thorough examination of these books has revealed, for example, that the arrival of guns on Tanegashima was but one instance of their introduction to Japan in multiple places, and that a variety of styles of guns were introduced in waves to all other regions of Japan, not just Tanegashima. Containing information on their place of origin, dates and destination, these are splendid old books by any standard. In other words, they are important historical materials. Notwithstanding, the failure of all three of the aforementioned theories to make use of these materials is totally inexplicable.

From before the Second World War up to his death in 1998, Minoru Anzai devoted his whole life to collecting materials on guns. The result was a collection that has no parallel in history. There are several thousand items in his collection, and while the majority is comprised of gun books of secrets from the middle of the Edo period and works written on the subject of Western military science, the collection contains a number of rare books of secrets from the period of transition at the beginning of the Early Modern period, few of which remain today. (Refer to attached table.)

List of secret books on the art of gunnery from the time of transition to the Early Modern period

School and Name Quantity Year Creator Recipient Remarks
Making bullets 1 scroll June 1585 Miyazaki Kurandonosuke Minami Sakyonosuke School unknown
Notes from the Jiyusai School 3 scrolls December 1597 Oku Yahee Hayashi Sen-emon Jiyusai School
Yasumi School Book of Secrets 2 booklets March 1598 Yasumi Ukon-no-jo Kazuyuki Katada Hyobuno-shoyu Yasumi School
Scroll of Gun Drawings 1 book April 1600 Miyamura Izumonokami Inatomi School
Uta School Book of Secrets 7 scrolls November 1608 Uta Nagatonokami Suekage Uda School
Inatomi School Book of Secrets 11 booklets October 1610 Inatomi Ichimu Risai Ishikawa Tarohachi Inatomi School
Inatomi School Book of Secrets 20 booklets October 1610 Inatomi Ichimu Risai Ohkubo Tojuro Inatomi School
Scroll of Gun Secrets 3 scrolls March 1612 Makimura Yasaku Satani Sukedayu Yasumi School
Nanban School Book of Secrets 3 booklets August 1612 Koizumi Kinosuke Satani Sukedayu Nanban School
Toten Teaching Scroll 1 scroll August 1612 Suzuki Kyubee Nakamura Yazo Yasumi School
Scroll of Sources, Secrets and Bull's Eyes 4 scrolls February 1615 Tsuda Kenmotsu Shigenaga Murase Rokubee Tsuda School
Kyuchu Syu Collection 21 volumes February 1615 Tatsuke Sotetsu Tazuke School
Shokan Kenzumori 1 scroll 1621 Mouri Isenokami Takamasa Matsudaira Mimasakanokami Isenokami School
Scroll of Bull's Eyes and Gunpowder 1 volume May 1621 Tachikawa Den-emon Tsukahara Gozaemon Inoue School

The Art of Hunting

There is one theory that claims that the implementation in battle of guns that had been introduced into Japan transformed fighting techniques and influenced the style of castles. However, the efficient deployment of guns in the line of battle was dependent on the fulfillment of various conditions, such as gun performance, gunpowder blending methods, the manufacture of guns and the existence of gunsmiths. Therefore, placing their deployment immediately after their arrival in Japan is far too soon.

This can also be determined from terms for guns that appear in these documents. That is, while the first mention of gun terms appears around 1551, at this time they were sent as gifts or used for hunting and were very rarely used for fighting. The appearance of gun-related terms in documents closely connected to fighting, such as commendations received by warriors for bravery in battle and notifications sent to warriors from warring feudal lords compelling them to resume military service, date from a later time. They date between 1558 and 1569, with more appearing the later the time.

The founder of the Kishiwada School cited in the Kishiwada School Book of Secrets dating from the Bunroku era (1592-1596), which is housed in the collection of Morita Shrine in Nagano city, Nagano Prefecture, is described as being a Satsuma merchant who witnessed a hunter shoot a deer while he was in Bungo Province. He then trained in guns and latter established his own school. This clearly indicates that hunting techniques employed the art of gunnery. Though this is believed to date from around 1555, the recurring inclusion of hunting techniques in the list of the book of secrets on gunnery clearly shows that this was nothing out of the ordinary and was a perfectly normal event.

Uta School Book of Secrets (Preface, List of Content and Chapter 3), 1608

At this point, I would like you to take a look at the two photos above of pictures of birds and animals. These pictures come from the third section of the Uda School Book of Secrets dated November 1608. A look at the picture of the birds in this book reveals a " kuishime" shot at the point where there is a mandarin duck and a " oikuri" (chaser) shot where there are two ducks. The " kuishime" shot was cut off slightly at both ends forming a cross with two lines of equal length, adjusted with a screw, and plastered with torinoko paper. The " oikuri" shot contained a ground charge of 1.5 monme (5.63 g), a shitatama (bottom shot) of 0.2 monme (0.75 g), then 1.5 monme (5.63 g) of gunpowder in between, and 0.2 monme (0.75 g) otori of lead shot. In this way, various types of shot were made to correspond to the prey for which they were intended.

Information given at the beginning of the Uda School Book of Secrets stresses that these are methods for shooting birds and animals. The features of the birds and animals in these pictures are well drawn and descriptions of their habitat are also accurate. This can be nothing else besides an authentic treatise on the art of hunting.

Use of Guns for Military Purposes

While the Jiyusai School Book of Secrets in the list dating from 1597 describes the art of hunting, there is also mention of shooting arrows from arrow slits in castle walls as well as the penetration of armor. The Tsuda Shigenaga Book of Secrets dating from 1615 also makes reference to shot penetrating armor and " taketaba" shot that was thick and long and pointed, which indicates experience firing guns on the battlefield. References are made to arrow slits, which were fortifications on castle walls, " armor penetration" , which refers to exactly that, the penetration of worn armor, and " taketaba" shot, which penetrated bamboo shields (" taketaba" ) which were made to shield against guns. In an Uda School document dating from 1608, there are drawings explaining targets for warriors on horseback used for shooting from a distance of about 36.4 meters to 218 meters. There is clear testimony of the fact that guns were used in hunting and for military purposes in a letter dated April 20, 1573 sent from Uesugi Kenshin to Joujou Yagoro Masashige. In the letter he writes that his party had arrived at a river the previous night and was resting when they heard the sound of gunshot coming from the mountains. At first the warriors were frightened as one of their number, Ono Kazue, said that it was Takeda Shingen who had come to attack them. But later when they found out that a hunter had fired the gun they were able to rest more easily.


Book of Secrets issued by Oku Yahee of Jiyusai School, dated December 25, 1597

The ratio for blending gunpowder ingredients were altered slightly depending on the shot, firing range and the weather conditions of that particular day. Small bullets resulted in quieter firing, while large bullets made a lot of noise. Because a small-barreled gun was sufficient when a hunter was hunting birds or small animals, the sound of the gun firing would not be very loud. However, guns that were used for military purposes had larger barrels (using shot weighing from 22.5 to 37.5 grams) and were therefore much louder. Of course, it was not Kenshin, the writer of the letter, who was able to distinguish what kind of gunshot they had heard. It must have been either a warrior who was familiar with gunnery or a gunsmith belonging to the platoon. Despite it being a time of war, a hunter used his gun to chase animals in the mountains as well as to gun down enemy forces on the battlefield. In the beginning, there was no clear distinction between using guns for hunting or for military purposes, but the more intense battles became the more gunsmiths made innovations. The Jiyusai Book of Secrets accidentally attests to this.

The theory that guns were introduced to battle, transformed old fighting techniques and also had a profound impact on the style of castles immediately after their arrival in Japan must be corrected in the following way. Soon after they were introduced to Japan, guns were sent as gifts among persons of influence and were used by professional hunters for hunting birds and animals. Their use in battle increased along with the growing scale of battles and the development by gunsmiths of techniques that were useful in a military situation. This occurred around 20 years after guns had been introduced.

The notion that guns are the same as weapons is a concept that stems from modern warfare. Because this makes a lot of sense it is only natural that no disquiet whatsoever is provoked when these kinds of theories are advocated. However, a close examination of historical materials and documents related to guns and documents on the art of gunnery show no evidence that guns were immediately employed for military purposes. This suggests that the guns that were brought to Japan were not military guns but hunting guns. As such, soon after their introduction they were used as gifts and as hunting instruments. Not only are the books of secrets on the art of gunnery an encyclopedia of guns, but they are also witnesses to the history of guns. The evidence of Minoru Anzai's collection of books of secrets on the art of gunnery must continue as a witness to guns.

(Takehisa Udagawa, Museum Research Department.)

References

Udagawa Takehisa, " Teppo to Sengoku Kassen" (" Guns and Battles During the Sengoku Period" ), No. 146 History and Culture Library, Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2002
Udagawa Takehisa, " Teppo ni Miru Nanban Bunka no Torai" (" The Arrival of Nanban Culture Seen Through Guns" ), No. 785 Rekishigaku Kenkyu, 2004