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Early Ming Hand Cannons

Type Object Region China Time c. 1350–1450

Early Ming hand cannons were standardized individual firearms mass-produced during the Hongwu era, building on late Yuan cannon craft;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1350–1368Jianghuai region · ChinaSmall hand cannons and cup-mouthed cannons were already widely used by rebel forces such as the Red Turbans in the late Yuan; workshops in Jiangnan and the Central Plains accumulated experience casting bronze and cast iron cannons, providing the technical and artisanal foundation for standardizing early Ming hand cannons.
  2. 1368–1380Nanjing · ChinaThe Hongwu Emperor established a Military Equipment Directorate to unify the caliber, powder chamber, and touch-hole specifications of hand cannons and regulate gunner organization and powder charges, transforming individual firearms from battlefield trophies into standard equipment that could be mass-produced.
  3. 1381–1390Northern frontier garrisons · North ChinaIn the 1380s, northern guard units and coastal defense zones were broadly issued hand cannons for city-defense volley fire and infantry camp cover. Inscriptions on excavated hand cannons dating from the Hongwu to Jianwen eras attest to the scale of firearms deployment and the management of production sites during this period.

Sources