1948/05/01 by Delmer M. Brown · 26 citations
Social Sciences · Engineering · #Japanese History and Culture #SWORD #Adversary #Spear #Fencing #Portuguese #History #Ancient history #Engineering #Computer security #Philosophy #Computer science
paper · doi:10.2307/2048846
published in The Far Eastern Quarterly 7(3), 236
openalex publication_date 1948/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
The characteristic feature of Japanese warfare, prior to the introduction of firearms in 1543, was the use of swords and spears in hand-to-hand fighting. Armies were made up of small, independent bands of soldiers who fought more as individuals than as units of a tactical formation, and naval units consisted of fishing vessels that were commandeered for transporting armies within bow-range or sword-reach of the enemy. Thus, all battles, whether on land or at sea, were little more than “monster fencing matches.” But the introduction of the Portuguese arquebus and the subsequent widespread manufacture of firearms soon led to radical developments in military techniques.