The Shinobi and the firearms..

In this short article we will present the relationships of the shinobi with the firearms, a brief
history of the Tanegashima (muskets) and how they arrive to Japan.
The ninja or shinobi were people with a very specific set of skills. These skills were very big and
they included the "arts" of spying and acting as an undercover agent, the ability to explore up
close to the enemy, to infiltrate as a member of the enemy force itself to get information
before back to their own side, to steal documents, making fires and ambushes..
The arts of the ninja included theft, murder if
necessary but often overlooked many of his
other skills: the development and use of tools
and utensils for their missions, from picks to
saws, through listening devices remotely
bridges to cross rivers, watch towers.
The ninja stood out as excellent craftsmen,
the shinobi families adapted their weapons
for its missions, using swords for infiltration
shorter, smaller arches that went unnoticed.
Therefore we should not be surprised that
when firearms were in Japan, these shinobi
clans quickly saw the great advantages
offered and adopted and modified for their
own use.

In the outlined above must be added other key information, the relationship of the ninja with
skills related to fire, so the shinobi also excelled in the development and use of explosives in
secret, including the ability to cause fires. This skill was known as Kajutsu fire or skills. The ninja
were able to make not only basic powder, but different types of powders for different uses: to
cause explosions gunpowder, to smoke, powders and colored light signals...

But their skills in the Kajutsu were not limited to the manufacture of gunpowder, they will be
masters also creating different types of torches, including models that resisted the rain. All of
this information is well documented in the Bansenshukai.

The Shinobi are going to be also experts making fires and arsonists, knowing exactly how to
create a fire doing a lot of damage to the nemy forces, using animals such as horses or birds to
spread fires, and create chaos and confusion in their enemies.
Even they mastered the art of creating fire to surround an army marching creating a chaos
around there. Or how to prevent a fire and prevent the damage to his own army by creating
firebreaks and other fire parallel to prevent further destruction.
It is therefore not surprising that the ninja adopt the use of firearms at an early stage.

When the Portuguese arrived in Japan, recalling at the island of Tanegashima, they arrived in a
country divided and at war. In 1542, following a shipwreck on the Portuguese island of
Tanigashima some fuse guns were obtained by the japanese. Realizing the military value of the
weapons, Portuguese traders were asked to bring more guns, beginning the import of these
weapons.
The muskets were baptized in Japan as "Tanegashima" as the name of the island, and quickly
spread into Japan, with a great demand from the feudal lords. With this weapon, the Portuguese
were well received in Japan. However, some samurai such us Nobunaga Oda as were concerned
about the complex process of loading and firing the gun, besides the little effect of the
projectiles in the armours. Besides, the weather was very humid in Japan compared to the
European climate, so the original fuses that were used to shoot were always wet and were
unusable. Finally they had to adapt these weapons to a new kind of war that they might offer a
tactical advantage.
Tanegashima musket is a slightly modified model from the erupean one, ie, a muzzleloader in
which gunpowder was introduced, the bullet (spherical) and any element that prevented all this
jumping off the muzzle. To pull the trigger to lower the ignition system this was a wick. This
fell into a cup he had communicated with gunpowder and the bullet inside where the explosion
and subsequent shooting occurred.
Soon the Japanese began to develop and create their own models of Tanegashima, to solve two
major problems.

1. Preventing that the fuse was wet: for this

they added an element that was still run the in
the rain. (The use of the wick in Japan will
last centuries, while in Europe the wick will
be replaced by the flint which caused a spark
instantly and it was easier to use).

2nd Little effect and penetration of

projectiles: This was another concern
regarding the use of muskets. The shot had
little ability to penetrate armor at impact. To
solve this problem it will gradually increase
both the size and weight of the projectiles.

And we have to add a third problem, which is not going to be solved with a new design, but
with training and strategy. The problem is the slow time of charging and firing.
This problem will be solved in two
different ways; First riflemen of
different clans were trained to recharge
the Tanegashima was fast as possible.
Thus a part of the ashigaru are going to
be trained in the specific use of this
weapon.
Second, Lords are going to develop
specific strategies to use this weapon in
the battlefield, like making shots in
batches, dividing the riflemen in
sectors and firing alternately between
shots always having a group that was
reloading.

Already in the 1560s, the use of Tanegashima was decisive in the battles of the Sengoku Period.
Oda Nobunaga, who was critical of Tanegashima, was among those who took advantage of their
potential use in battles and wars. In the late sixteenth century, Japan will be the nation's
muzzleloader world. And the shinobi will not be left out in this arms race.

*****************************************************************************
In the history of Bushi Endo Kiemon Naotsune we can observe the use of these weapons by
the shinobi, and in a specific way being used by a ninja. Using it as a sniper gun:
"Endo was at war against Oda
Nobunaga forces and he put some
Iga Ninja in the Kuchiki Valley,
which was a narrow gorge through
which only one line of warriors
could pass through it. The Iga
Ninja waited. When Nobunaga
went through a ninja shot him with
a sniper weapon, but he was
unable to kill Nobunaga. So
Nobunaga escaped alive by the
hair and seeing the hopeless
situation, he returned to Kyoto,
being so angry that he decided to
attack again Azai Nagamasa. "
Courtesy of Tetsuji Yamada.

Later Nobunaga suffered a similar attack on his way from Kyoto Mino on May 19, 1570 in the
mountains of Chigusa. The person who attacked him was Sugitani Zenjub which was a Koga
ninja. The technique used was the same as in the previous event, taking a shot at long distance.
But again Nobunaga escaped alive.

Nobunaga spent nearly four years looking for him

until he was found in a temple. Zenjubo was
tortured to reveal the Rokkaku which was
subsequently hired him Zenjub be executed by a
gruesome method. Zenjub was buried in a
straight hole in the ground, so that only the head
protruded. He was beheaded slowly using a fine
saw bamboo. Zenjub suffered nearly a week
before he died.
Zenjub Sugitani was a ninja clan, one of the
Koga ninja clan 53

With these two short stories we can see how from the very first moment the shinobi were using
muskets, which was not a surprising fact.
But more interesting is that they were already using the in a specific way. They have adapted
this weapon for a particular use as the ambush and using it as sniper weapon. It is already clear
that the clans of Iga and Koga did not have the same goals as the normal samurai as we have
already talked in the beginning, while their world was the war, their way of dealing with the war
was different from the samurai, ninja were always trying to avoid an open confrontation and
performing complex tasks for which it was absolutely necessary highly specialized skills.
This demonstrates and leads us to the last and most important conclusion. Shinobi were
primarily survivors and knew (and should) adapt quickly to the changes occurring around them,
trying to get the maximum benefit for their roles and missions.

Antonio Fernndez ngel Rioja

Japan Ninjutsu Federation Coordinator