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Tanegashima
The Tanegashima (種子島), also known as hinawajuu (火縄銃) or teppo (鉄砲), is a Japanese clone of a muzzleloading matchlock arquebus, introduced to Japan when 2 samples were purchased from Portuguese sailors on the Tanegashima island in 1543. Realizing the potential of the Portuguese weapon (it could be given to unskilled conscripts who could be trained to use it effectively in a matter of weeks, unlike the traditional Japanese bow or Yumi which took years to master), the Japanese copied it and swiftly began producing and deploying it en masse.
The Tanegashima was enthusiastically adopted by many Japanese warring factions of the period, and saw major use in the Sengoku Jidai (or Japanese Warring States) period and the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, before being superseded in the 19th century by more advanced firearms. As the Japanese did not export the weapon, it is most likely to appear in Japanese-produced media, or media that deals with historical Japan.
Like most antique firearms, any Tanegashima that is fired in a live-action work is almost certainly a prop or modern reproduction, due to the needless expense of procuring the genuine historical articles (most of which are now rare and expensive museum pieces) for such scenes.
Please check the talk page for additional variants not shown on the main page.
Specifications
(16th Century - 19th Century Japan)
Type: Muzzleloading black powder arquebus
Caliber: Various
Capacity: 1
Fire Modes: Single Shot
Effective Range: Usually 87 - 110 yds (80 to 100 meters) for the long guns
The Tanegashima and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Samurai | bandits | 1954 | ||
| Toshirô Mifune | Kikuchiyo | |||
| Shinpei Takagi | bandit chief | |||
| Seiji Miyaguchi | Kyuzo | |||
| Isao Kimura | Katsushirō | |||
| Takashi Shimura | Kambei Shimada | |||
| Toshio Takahara | Bandit with Gun | |||
| Harakiri | Tôru Takeuchi | Retainer | 1962 | |
| Hisashi Igawa | Retainer | |||
| Shichisaburô Amatsu | Retainer | |||
| The Yellow One | hung on the walls | 1964 | ||
| G.I. Samurai | ashigaru | 1979 | ||
| Kagemusha | A few thousand characters | 1980 | ||
| Tatsuya Nakadai | Kagemusha | |||
| Shogun Assassin | samurai | 1980 | ||
| Ran | Various soldiers of Taro, Jiro, Saburo's army | 1985 | ||
| Hisashi Igawa | Shuri Kurogane | |||
| The Shore of Salvation (Bereg spaseniya) | Cho Jae-Yong | Elder | 1990 | |
| Lee Sol Hi | Barame | |||
| Peasants | ||||
| Heaven and Earth | soldiers | 1990 | ||
| Takaaki Enoki | Kagetora | |||
| Journey of Honor | japanese soldiers | 1991 | ||
| Toshirô Mifune | Lord Ieyasu | |||
| Sho Kosugi | Daigoro Mayeda | |||
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | John Aylward | Niles | 1993 | |
| Elias Koteas | Casey Jones / Whit | |||
| Azumi | Samurai | 2003 | ||
| The Hidden Blade | Guards | 2004 | ||
| Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 | ashigaru | 2005 | ||
| Haruka Ayase | Nohime | only held, not fired | ||
| Philosophy of a Knife | Boy | toy, archive footage | 2008 | |
| Shinobido | Samurai | 2012 | ||
| Unforgiven | Men who are engaged | 2013 | ||
| The Admiral: Roaring Currents | Japanese soldiers | This is the only firearm in the series, so this page is ineligible | 2014 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin | Japanese soldiers | This is the only firearm in the series, so this page is ineligible | 2004-2005 | |
| Heroes - Season 2 | Darryl Chan | Whitebeard's men | "The Line" (S2E06) | 2007 |
| Kamen Rider Ghost | "Gathered! Fifteen Eyecons!" (S1E10) | 2015-2016 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakuza 2 | 2006 | ||
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Joke weapon that has 1-in-3 chance of summoning a tornado when fired. | 2008 | |
| Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! | Unusable by the player, except as a bludgeon in certain circumstances | 2008 | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | Joke weapon that has 1-in-3 chance of summoning a tornado when hitting an enemy. | 2010 | |
| Total War: Shogun 2 | Used by various infantry units. | 2011 | |
| Yakuza Kiwami 2 | "Komaki Matchlock Gun" | Adapted to fire three rounds without reloading like the pepperbox model below, but only modeled with a single barrel and flash pan. | 2018 |
Anime
| Show Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dagger of Kamui | Imperisal Japanese Army, Ashigaru | 1985 | |
| Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy | Daisuke Jigen, Lupin III, Fujiko Mine | muskets, gold-plated furniture | 1987 |
| InuYasha | Foot soldiers, Ashigaru | numerous episodes | 2000–2004 |
| Gun Frontier | Samurai | also known as a "Hinawajyu" | 2002 |
| Samurai Champloo | Soldiers | 2004-2005 | |
| Afro Samurai | Mercenary | first episode | 2007 |
| The Ambition of Oda Nobuna | Soldiers | This is the only firearm in the series, so this page are ineligible | 2002 |
| Demon King Daimao | Ninja | 2010 | |
| Beyond the Boundary | 2013 | ||
| Witch Craft Works | Ayaka Kagari | "Takamiya-kun and the Witches’ Agenda" (ep.02) | 2014 |
| Nobunagun | Soldiers | flashback in episode 1 | 2014 |
| Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA | 2015 | ||
| Mobile Suit Gundam: IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS | Tanegashima Pistol | 2015 | |
| Drifters | Japanese warlords, Oda Nobunaga, Toyohisa Shimazu | 2015 | |
| Case Closed - Season 27 | Oda Nobunaga Shimazu | "The Nobunaga 450 Case" (E15) | 2017–2018 |
Tanegashima Pepperbox
The Tanegashima Pepperbox is a very rare type of the medieval Japanese firearm. While hundreds of thousands of standard Tanegashima were produced, only a few dozen examples of the pepperbox are known. The standard type of Tanegashima pepperbox mates the matchlock gun with three manually revolving barrels with a single lock and hammer.
Specifications
(16th Century - 19th Century Japan)
Type: Muzzleloading black powder revolving barrels pepperbox
Caliber: Various
Capacity: 3
Fire Modes: Single Shot
The Tanegashima Pepperbox and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azumi | Kazuki Kitamura | Kanbê Inoue | 2003 |