Matchlock guns at Azuchi Nobunaga Festival 安土信長まつり

[malevolenceXXXensues]

a small stepping stone to modern japan

[kanochain]

Very interesting, and even louder than i would have thought :P

[tenchimuyo69]

Nobunaga revolutionized gun fighting by actually using them against cavalry effectively (Normally, gunmen are vulnerable to horses) by giving EACH soldier 4-5 guns each, and the shooter switches guns afterwards while a second person reloads the previously fired one.

While this is useless in offence as it is hard to carry 5 guns with you, it always saw him to victory in defencive fighting.

And no one in Europe even thought this strategy would work before Nobunaga tried it...

[CaScA]

Europeans had a similiar technique, except they didn't give an individual man several guns.

Instead, the Europeans formed their musketeers into units of five ranks deep. When the front rank fired, it would retire to the rear and reload while the second rank opened fire. Rinse and repeat. By the time the fifth rank got up to the front, the first rank was ready to go.

[death5089]

they also did a technique where the ranks wud fire 3 men at a time from left to right. once the last 3 men on the right had fired the first 3 on the left were ready to for again.

[CaScA]

Right.

The one I explained was "Volley By Rank".

The one you explained was "Fire By Section".

Both of them were European innovations.

[Magni56]

@CaScA

Aye, though there'Smultiple accounts of japanese gunners developing Volley by Rank seperately.

[037kondo]

@CaScA The Japanese in most cases used the arquebus in defensive position against charging enemies unlike the Europeans who marched in ranks towards the enemies and formed a line. Because of that, it was more efficient to designate loader and shooter, where one men always had his eyes on the enemies, never to worry about loading while the loader concentrated his efforts on loading. The confederates used similar tactic on the Battle of Fredericksburg.

[RoninDave]

yeah, I saw the fire matchlocks at a re-enactment of Kawanakajima in Yonezawa. They're freaking loud! Like a small cannon. looks a like a coold festival!