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Tanegashima
Specifications
(16th Century - 19th Century Japan)
Type: Muzzleloading black powder arquebus
Caliber: Various
Capacity: 1
Fire Modes: Single Shot
Tanegashima
The Tanegashima (種子島) is a Japanese clone of a muzzleloading matchlock arquebus, introduced to Japan when 2 samples were purchased from Portuguese sailors on the eponymous Japanese 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use in the Sengoku Jidai (or Japanese Warring States) period and the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, before being superseded in the 19th century by more advanced firearms.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.
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 | |||
| Harakiri | group of retainers | 1962 | ||
| Kagemusha | A few thousand characters | 1980 | ||
| Shogun Assassin | samurai | 1980 | ||
| Ran | Various soldiers of Taro, Jiro, Saburo's army | 1985 | ||
| Hisashi Igawa | Shuri Kurogane | |||
| Heaven and Earth | soldiers | 1990 | ||
| Takaaki Enoki | Kagetora |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin | Used by various Japanese soldiers | Represented by thinly-disguised (and highly anachronistic) M1 Garands, which are shown firing semiautomatically | 2004-2005 | |
| Heroes - Season 2 | Whitebeard's men | "The Line" (S2E06) | 2007 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakuza Kenzan | Unusable by the player, except as a bludgeon in certain circumstances | 2008 | |
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Joke weapon that has 1-in-3 chance of summoning a tornado when fired. | 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 |
Anime
| Show Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| InuYasha | Gun battalion | season 4 (2002-2003) ep. 103 | 2000–2004 |
| Samurai Champloo | Soldiers | 2004-2005 | |
| Afro Samurai | Mercenary | first episode | 2007 |