Kunitomo, Gunsmiths to the Samurai
The Town of the Finest Gunsmiths
Mastering houjutsu, the art of gunnery, was one of the martial disciplines expected of a samurai. When it came to guns, one of the most popular of matchlock gun manufacturers was the Kunitomo cooperative of Omi, modern day Shiga Prefecture.
Basic firearms with no trigger mechanisms or sights, and explosives had been introduced to Japan by the Mongol invaders as early as the 13th century, but failed to catch on at the time. Around 300 years later, on August 25, 1543, a ship was wrecked off the coast of Tanegashima Island in the south of Japan. The ship had originated in China but carried Portuguese sailors. It also carried a couple of matchlock guns. This was a historical moment, as these were the first guns to reach the islands of Japan. Incidentally, the matchlock gun is known as a teppo, or hinawaju in Japanese. The only people referring to them these days as Tanigashima are non-Japanese!