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Introduction of Firearms to Japan (1543)

Type Event Region Japan Time 1543–1550

After Portuguese matchlocks reached Tanegashima in 1543, the island's lord ordered copies made, sparking rapid spread of firearms across Kyushu and t…

Timeline

  1. 1543–1544Tanegashima · KyushuAfter Tanegashima Yoshihiro purchased Portuguese matchlocks, he ordered craftsmen including Yahei Kanbei (Yahei Kiyosada) to disassemble and study them, and around 1544 they successfully produced Japan's first mass-produced firearms, known as the "Tanegashima-zutsu."
  2. 1544–1550Kyushu · KyushuFollowing the successful copying, firearms spread rapidly throughout Kyushu via Nanban trade and exchanges among regional craftsmen; daimyō such as Ōtomo Sōrin and Shimazu Yoshihisa competed to equip firearm units, and Japanese Sengoku military technology entered the age of firearms.

Sources