Chapter Eight
Interior. Underground restaurant of the ghost park. Noon
Haku returned not in half an hour, as he promised, but in two hours. He was worried that the girl had woken up and probably couldn't figure out where she was while she was asleep.
However, when he crossed the threshold of the restaurant, he realized that Chihiro was still asleep. The lights were dimmed and a lullaby was playing. As soon as Haku entered, an invisible voice greeted him:
"Sir, you look tired. Would you like to take a bath with an original infusion that gives you energy? Lady Chihiro is still asleep. You will have plenty of time to enjoy an invigorating infusion in the bath before dinner."
Haku
Yes, my clothes are dirty, my face and hands are covered in dust. I will gladly take a hot bath. In the meantime, you should arrange for my clothes to be washed and ironed.
"But, sir," the invisible interlocutor objected, "as far as I can see, your clothes are of an outdated style and the fabric is worn out. If you allow me, I will take measurements of your old clothes and order you a new suit. Especially since, as far as I heard, there will be a meeting in the evening, two owners of our park will be present. It is not appropriate for you to come to this meeting in an old suit." Haku
"That's a great idea," the boy quietly slapped his palm on the table, "I would like my suit to match the color of Chihiro's dress. Could you take visual measurements of my friend and order her a dress too?" "Your last words made my heart happy," the invisible interlocutor laughed softly, "you know, the more we work for the benefit of the ghost park, the happier our life will be when we return to the world of people."
Haku
Yes, you have once again reminded me of the main commandments of our ghost park. Well, as you suggested, I am going to the bathing cabin. Are the infusions for the hot baths in your restaurant also served by Grandfather Kamazi, or is there a separate boiler room for your baths?
"No, the infusions are selected automatically," it was clear that the invisible interlocutor was very happy to speak out, probably not every day a visitor appeared who wanted to know so much, "there is a relay in the bath that reads the degree of pollution from the visitor and supplies the necessary infusion. Between you and me, such a relay could be installed in Mrs. Yubaba's bathhouse, but then Grandfather Kamazi and his assistants, the Black Blackies, would be out of work, so Yubaba would not "is in a hurry to modernize his bathhouse."
Hearing the last words of the invisible maitre d', the Paper Crane became worried. He thought that if they order a new outfit for the girl Chihiro to replace the old one, then the new outfit might not have a pocket, and then there would be a problem: if there is no pocket, then where will the Paper Crane hide?
But after thinking about it, the Paper Crane realized that not all is lost. He liked the polite invisible maitre d' more and more. As soon as Haku went to take a hot bath, the Paper Crane left the special shelf-seat under the ceiling and, gently gliding onto the table where Chihiro was sleeping, addressed the invisible interlocutor.
Paper Crane
Sir, I accidentally overheard your conversation with Mr. Haku and am a little worried. If possible, when creating an outfit for Mrs. Chihiro, please plan a pocket on the skirt or the blouse of the dress. It would be better, of course, on the blouse of the dress, so that I could hide there from time to time.
"Your worries are unnecessary," the invisible interlocutor chuckled, "taking visual measurements from Mrs. Chihiro, and anticipating your desire to sometimes retire in her pocket, I have already included information about the t om, that there will be a pocket on the blouse of the dress. Moreover, there will also be two pockets on the sides of the skirt. This is in case Mrs. Chihiro suddenly needs the top pocket, then you can safely temporarily dive into the bottom pocket."
Paper Crane
I am captivated by your foresight and courtesy, probably in life you were a very worthy person, true to your principles and very sensitive. - The crane soared to the ceiling, and then softly landed on the table again. - My lady is sleeping for a long time. I am afraid that the shock will affect her health.
"Please do not worry," the head waiter's voice was soft and convincing, - if the girl got sick, I would immediately receive information. A temperature sensor is built into the table top, this is necessary in order to know the temperature of which drink should be served to visitors. If the customer is hot after the bath, we serve him a drink two degrees cooler, if, on the contrary, the customer is cold, the drink is served as hot as possible. The lady is simply sleeping because she is very tired. As soon as Mr. Haku returns, a slight vibration of the tabletop will wake up Mrs. Chihiro. I could have woken her up long ago, but I decided that she needed to get some sleep. You probably don't feel it, but the chair she is sitting on vibrates softly, creating the feeling of a cradle for a baby. That is why the girl sleeps so soundly."
Paper Crane
Is there anything you don't know? Is it really that the visitor's entire life and all of his feelings are suddenly wide open to you?
"No, such difficult work is not part of my duties, no one asks me about it. I just want my work to be done 150%. — The voice of the invisible interlocutor became anxious: — Do you think that I am exceeding my authority?"
Paper Crane
Did I say such a thing? On the contrary, I admire your foresight and attentive attitude towards the visitors.
Suddenly the conversation was interrupted, because Haku returned to the restaurant and at the same time Chihiro raised her head from the table. Paper Crane realized that the conversation was over and quickly slipped into Chihiro's pocket. Paper Crane's breakfast had long been over. While the girl was having breakfast, or rather lunch, the maitre d' took visual measurements, and soon the clothes for Haku and Chihiro were ready, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise for the girl. Paper Crane immediately flew up and hid in its new house. The pocket in the new dress was spacious and smelled wonderful - of fabric that had just been ironed. While they were trying on the suits and adjusting them to size, time It was going on, and when Chihiro and Haku left the underground restaurant building, the sun was about to set behind the mountain, evening was approaching. This evening was special. This evening, for the first time in a long time, the signs on the gourmet street "Hunger and Food" finally lit up. However, Chihiro did not yet know that the river had also returned to its water. Everything was returning to normal. Everything that the Faceless Man had destroyed during the year that Chihiro had not been in the ghost park had returned. There was no point in returning home, the meeting that the two witches had announced was to begin in an hour. Therefore, Haku offered to show Chihiro several beautiful places in the park that she had not had time to see during her last visit. When it became completely dark, a small bird of an indefinite color flew up to Haku and landed in his palm. In its beak, the bird was holding a blue envelope. Haku didn't even open the envelope, and it was clear that the two sorceresses were notifying everyone who would be present at the meeting that it was time.
Interior. Conference room in Ms. Jiniba's office building
The meeting began with Yubaba Trigolova's assistant turning on a video showing footage of the Faceless One attacking Chihiro.
"Before passing judgment, we need to hear the Faceless One's final statement," Jiniba said, and Yubaba just nodded her head. "Are there any objections to this?"
"There are no objections," Mr. Toad took the floor. "However, wouldn't we endanger those present if we invited Mister Faceless One to the conference room?"
"Yes, there is such a danger," Haku confirmed. "But that is precisely why we gathered here, to think through and calculate all the dangers that could await us if we allow Mister Faceless One to defend himself.
- Sometimes you are all so ignorant and backward, and why do I keep you here? You have no idea how to keep up with the times, - Yubaba laughed. - Why invite No-Face here and put yourself in danger when I can show you a conversation with him later as a video recording?
Hearing Ms. Yubaba's voice, Mr. Toad stirred and began to approvingly clap all four limbs, the rest of those present who worked for Ms. Yubaba supported Mr. Toad.
- What do you think about this, Chihiro? - Jinba interrupted the flattering exclamations and applause. - Why are you sitting there and saying nothing? It seems to me that you feel sorry for No-Face, even though he tried to kill you?
- Yesterday was so fun, - Chihiro said completely out of place. - Thank you for organizing called this holiday. And I'm sorry that now we are sitting here and thinking about how to punish Mr. Faceless. I haven't interacted with this ghost very much, but I know that he doesn't do anything for no reason. I ask you, if there is even the slightest chance to spare him and not destroy him, let's try to give him a chance. I thank Mrs. Yubaba for giving me the opportunity to return to the ghost park, and I am very sorry that I was unable to do my job.
- No, - Yubaba laughed again. - In fact, you turned out to be useful, you were able to lure the Faceless and unwittingly helped us catch him. Of course, it's a pity that as a result of all this I lost my best worker Llyn, but the consolation is that she went to a better world. However, time goes by, and we are still beating around the bush, if there are no objections, then I suggest recording Mr. Faceless' confession on video. We have already discussed this with Mr. Faceless, and he said that he does not mind.
If you wait for about half an hour, then soon one of my assistants will turn on the video recording on the screen.
Of course, everyone present agreed. Half an hour flew by very quickly, but when the recording was turned on, it turned out that the recording was not suitable for playback. Yubaba's assistant returned to the room where the Faceless was and recorded the interview again, but, unfortunately, the result was the same. Such strong energy waves emanated from the Faceless that it was simply impossible to record him. Or rather, everything was fine during the recording, but interference appeared during the playback of the video.
There was nothing left to do but think of some other way to communicate with the Faceless. They called one of the employees who worked in the third agency of Mrs. Jiniba. As you remember, this agency was responsible for technical innovations that were transferred to the ghost park from the human world. This ghost showed great promise and was well versed in technical matters. Fortunately, he was able to find a way out of this situation. It took him no more than 15 minutes to create something resembling a communication device. The communication device was placed between the conference room and the room where Mr. Faceless was. Now that those present were not in any danger, it was possible to begin the interrogation or, as Ms. Jiniba insisted, to begin a conversation with Mr. Faceless.
The interrogation protocol is attached.
"Ms. Jiniba
Mr. No-Face, my friend! What happened to you that made you want to harm the environment and the ghosts around you?
No-Face
I need to lower my blood pressure.
Haku
With your permission, I would like to ask a question as well. Mr. No-Face, for the past year I have often heard it mentioned that during the destruction of the street, your 99 assistants kept calling for lowering the blood pressure. Could you please explain what this means?
No-Face
The girl Chihiro must wish! I know that she is next to you, and I ask that she begin to wish.
Yubaba
This is outrageous! Why won't you answer our questions? You were asked a question, and you must answer it. You owe me a debt, it was because of you that I had to send little Bo to a school far away from here. You scared him so much that little Bo did not get out from under the blanket for three days. That time, you for some reason leaked into a picture book and began to demand that my baby lower his blood pressure, otherwise, as you said, Chihiro would die, and he himself, my little Bo. Answer! I need answers to my questions, will you answer?
Faceless
We need to lower the pressure.
The conference room became noisy, and it became clear to those present that Faceless was not going to answer their questions. Finally, a thin voice of a girl named Chihiro was heard amid the noise.
Chihiro
Mr. Faceless, I am not offended by you and I want to ask, will you talk to me?
Faceless
Yes, I will tell you everything. Thank you for asking. It all started when I went to a distant field with my friend Mister Lantern to dig up the earth. Ms. Jiniba had been asking me about this for a long time, but there were always other things to do, and my hands never got around to it. That evening, it turned out that all the work had been done, and I called Mr. Lantern with me to work on the distant field. We exchanged remarks and jokes while working, when suddenly my shovel hit something hard. Mr. Lantern and I became interested, we did not expect anything like this when we started digging in this field, but the unknown object did not yield to the shovel, and then I decided to try to dig it up with my hands. I did not dig for long, but as soon as I touched the oblong object, which under the layer of earth resembled a stick, I was struck by lightning. I immediately felt that I was suffocating, and found myself inside someone's body. It was a soldier who was on the battlefield. In his hands was a rifle, which I dug up. For convenience, the rifle was hung on the soldier's neck, the battle lasted a long time, the rope on which the rifle was hung pressed on the soldier's neck, from this his blood pressure rose all the time, pulsated in his temples and his head ached, but as soon as the soldier took off the rope to start shooting his rifle, the pressure began to drop. The fighting lasted for over a year.
The battle would die down, then pick up again. All this time, the soldier's body was adapting to wearing the rope. Eventually, one thought took root in the soldier's brain: the more enemy soldiers he killed, the faster his pressure would drop. How many people died from the soldier's rifle then, cannot be counted. It seemed that the soldier had become an appendage to this rifle and it was no longer he who controlled it, but it controlled him.
I felt uncomfortable in this man's body, his mind was clouded, and I did not like killing. But I could not separate myself from his body. Finally, I heard Mr. Lantern calling me, and I was able to break free from captivity. However, the rifle remained in my hand, I wanted to throw away this piece of iron, but my mind suddenly went dark. When I came to, you saw that you had irreparably harmed your friend, Mr. Lantern. I felt pain and fear. But I couldn't let go of the rifle, all I could do was scream as loudly as I could. I called out to Mrs. Jiniba and was sure that she would hear me. And so it happened, the lady immediately appeared in front of us. As I expected, she was very upset, because Mr. Lantern had become the closest member of the family over the long years of service. While the lady was talking to Mr. Lantern, who was seriously injured because of me, I simply left. I wanted to throw the rifle away. I hated this oblong piece of iron. I cried when I tried to shake the rifle out of my hands, but I could not do anything. I had to leave Mrs. Jiniba's house, which had also become my home, and leave. I felt like a criminal and a vagabond. However, as I said, I could not do anything. And suddenly I remembered that I had already been in a similar situation, that time the black mind also blocked my head, and I swallowed several ghosts. But that time you, Chihiro, and little Bo were nearby. It was you who were able to change me, because you were pure in soul and there was nothing in your thoughts that the black mind could cling to. Having gotten into trouble, I decided that even in this tragic situation, the girl Chihiro and little Bo could save me, make me better. All my further actions were subordinated to this, I wanted Chihiro to return to the ghost park and save me. However, time passed, and I was getting worse. I wanted to destroy, annihilate, kill. From time to time I felt a wave of hatred for everything living in my body rising, and then I urgently needed to reduce the pressure. I was able to overcome myself, throw away the rifle and even bury it, but this did not change anything. From time to time, my body would split into 99 parts, and each part wanted one thing - to destroy. Having learned that Chihiro had returned to the ghost park, I secretly returned. I needed to get to a party thrown in Chihiro's honor. I merged my dark shadow with the light shadow of a ghost woman who sang beautifully. I came to when I saw Chihiro's frightened eyes in front of me. The hands of the ghost woman, in whose body I was, wrapped around the girl's throat and strangled her. You probably think that you were able to defeat me? But in fact, it was I who, with my fading consciousness, was able to order myself to stop. The eyes of the girl I adored closed, and that was the scariest thing. And then one of the ghosts pulled my hood off, the sunlight burned me, and I screamed. That's the whole story.
- What kind of fairy tale were you telling us here? - Lady Yubaba laughed sarcastically. - I know you, ghosts. What lengths you won't go to justify yourself.
- Miss Yubaba, - Chihiro's voice was still quiet, but firm. - Forgive me for interrupting you, but some of what Mr. Faceless was telling me, I saw in my mind's eye at the moment when he was strangling me with the singer's hands. I can't answer for the whole story, but the part where the soldier is standing on the battlefield and being strangled by a rifle rope is true.
- Look how smart you are, who taught you to interrupt your elders? - Yubaba got furious. - Besides, you interrupted the man who gave you a job.
The conference room became noisy, everyone started talking at once. Finally, the second sorceress, Miss Jiniba, took the floor. "Sister, calm down," she said gently. "I understand that you still can't calm down after that incident with little Bo. But we can check if such a rifle really existed." The conference room became noisy again, this time Haku said something that acted like cold water on a hot body.
"In the real world, there is this thing called the Internet. If you ask a question, you will immediately get an answer. The more difficult the question, the faster the answer. Will you be able to connect to the Internet from the real world that is near the ghost park?" Haku turned to the ghost who worked in Jiniba's technical department.
"Yes, it is possible," the ghost answered after thinking for a moment. "If I set up my my energy in resonance with the energy of the Internet waves, I will be able to ask a question and get an answer. What question are you interested in?
- I want to know if such rifles really existed in the Japanese army. That is, if there really were rifles that were hung on the necks of soldiers.
- Yes, - after a long pause, Jiniba's assistant answered positively. - Such rifles existed. Now I will read you the answer.
" In medieval Japan, when it comes to samurai weapons, the first thing that comes to mind is the katana - a curved sword with a fascinating pattern on the blade and a recognizable handle. However, in the middle of the 16th century, a new weapon entered the country, which quickly became popular due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Although the sword remained a symbol of honor and valor, firearms became an important part of the arsenal of Japanese warriors. This innovation was the arquebus. In 1543, a Portuguese ship was wrecked off the coast of Tanegashima Island. The Japanese saw firearms for the first time. One eyewitness described the arquebus as follows: "In their hands they held something two or three feet long, straight on the outside, but with a hole inside. A channel runs through it, closed at one end. There is another hole on the side for igniting gunpowder. To use this weapon, you need to fill it with gunpowder and lead balls, set a target on the shore, take stand and, closing one eye, bring the fire to the hole. The ball hits the target directly. The explosion resembles a flash of lightning, and the roar of the shot is thunder." The Japanese knew about gunpowder since the 13th century, when the Mongols tried to conquer their country. But then these were only primitive explosive bombs, which the Japanese did not use. Real firearms came to Japan thanks to Portuguese traders. Arquebuses were light and convenient, which immediately attracted the attention of Japanese warriors.
Daimyo Tanegashima, Lord Tokikata, bought two arquebuses and ordered his blacksmith to copy them. However, the blacksmith encountered difficulties. For example, he did not know how to close the back end of the barrel. Soon he was helped by a Portuguese sailor who agreed to teach him gunsmithing in exchange for marriage to the daimyo's daughter. A few months later, the blacksmith's workshop began to produce arquebuses that were not inferior to European ones. In six months, the blacksmith produced about 600 arquebuses, which the daimyo sold throughout Japan. This allowed information about the new weapon to spread quickly. Soon, many blacksmiths in Kyushu and Honshu mastered the production of arquebuses.
In Japan, arquebuses were called teppo. They were also called hinawa-ju (matchlock gun) and tanegashima (after the name of the province where they began to spread). Japanese arquebuses were smooth-bore with a matchlock. They ranged from long rifles for infantry to short carbines and even pistols for horsemen. For example, the jitte-teppo is a gun with a ring at the end of the stock for hanging it around the neck. The Japanese did not simply borrow the design of the arquebus, they improved it.
To ignite the gunpowder, a smoldering hinawa match was used, which was soaked in saltpeter. The fuse was clamped in an S-shaped trigger, the hibasami, which rotated on an axis. When the trigger was pulled, the spring pressed the serpentine against the hizara powder pan, which ignited the priming powder.
Some guns had a hole in the stock through which the fuse was passed. This was necessary to keep it smoldering throughout the day. The length of the fuse had to be about 1.8 meters. The Japanese believed that keeping the smoldering fuse just two centimeters from the powder pan was too dangerous, so they added a special device to the design that served as a safety device. This was a rotating cover of the powder pan, which, when closed, covered the priming powder while the shooter prepared to fire. When the cover was thrown back, the shooter pulled the trigger, and the smoldering fuse ignited the powder. The barrel of a Japanese matchlock gun was often lacquered or decorated. This was an old way of decorating the surface of a weapon - silvering or gilding. The most beautiful examples of weapons were obviously not intended for combat, but for ceremonial occasions. They were placed on stands or carried in front of important people. The decoration on the weapons was quite modest and included heraldic mon symbols, dragons popular in Japan, and sometimes inscriptions. Some guns had the signature of the master on the breech of the barrel, but since most guns were not produced in a single copy, but in large batches, many of them remained unsigned. All firearms, including cannons, were equipped with square sights with slits or grooves. As a rule, the front sight saki-me-ate was located at the muzzle, and the rear sight ato-me-ate was located at a distance of one third of the barrel length from the breech. Most of the rear sights had a notch or a combination of vertical and transverse notches, suggesting that they once had removable sighting attachments for different ranges. However, none of these attachments survived. They may have been placed in brass-plated recesses found in some gun barrels. One surviving gun has a silver bead on the back of the front sight that becomes visible when looking at a dark target. This device is still used today. The gun's red oak stock extended almost to the end of the barrel. The barrel was attached to the stock with bamboo sticks that passed through holes in the stock and special lugs at the bottom.
Large muskets had additional straps that wrapped around the stock and barrel to keep them from moving.
All guns had a simple wooden or bamboo cleaning rod that was located under the barrel. Unlike European guns, there was no special tang.
The square part of the barrel was inserted into a recess in the stock and secured with a brass strap. This helped prevent the stock from being destroyed when firing. There was no butt as such, instead there was a curved handle that could be pressed against the cheek.
After firing, the weapon was thrown back and down due to the heavy barrel.
The decorations on the stock were simple: sometimes there were decorative washers around the holes, and sometimes there was a brass trigger guard. These parts protected the weapon from rust and did not require complex finishing. Some guns were decorated with brass patterns.
There were two types of gun locks. The first lock had a spring that was tensioned when the trigger was pulled. The second lock was more complex: in it, the serpentine rotated inside the board and was fixed with a special button.
All the parts of the locks were attached to the board using brass or bamboo pins. The locks were held in the stock using pointed brass pins that were inserted into the holes. Most gunsmiths made an extra hole to make it easy to disassemble the gun.
The Japanese used a smoldering fuse that ignited the gunpowder in the gun. European gunsmiths understood that the fuse could go out, so they made powder pans with special patterns. Brass springs in Japanese guns moved the fuse with enough speed to fire the gun. In Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries, there were three main groups of gunsmiths. They worked during the Momoyama period (1573-1603) and at the beginning of the following Edo period. Although many other gunsmiths also made guns for different rulers.
The first group lived on the island of Kyushu and were known as Tanegashima. They made guns with beautiful black wooden stocks, sometimes decorated with crests or scrolls. Their guns were popular not only in Kyushu, but also in neighboring areas.
The second group of gunsmiths came from the village of Kunitomo in Omi Province. They began making guns in 1560. At first, they were not very good at it, but then a European helped them by telling them how to make gunpowder and shoot a gun. Thanks to this, the Kunitomo began to make good guns, which they used in the Battle of Nagashino. Their guns had light wooden stocks and octagonal barrels. The gunsmiths carved patterns on the barrels that looked like bamboo and decorated them with cherry blossoms. But sometimes they made poor quality guns, which they called "udon-ju" (noodle guns), because their barrels bent when fired. The third group of gunsmiths lived near the city of Sakai, not far from Osaka. They began making guns in 1554 and were famous for their locks and brass decorations. Their guns were also octagonal, but covered with silver patterns and with a bell at the end.
The guns of that time were not very accurate and could only shoot 300 meters, but that was enough to hit a crowd of enemies. After several shots, the smoke made it difficult to see each other. It took about two minutes to reload the gun, but the soldiers were trained and did it faster.
The arquebusiers (shooters from guns) were given two powder flasks: a large one for the main powder and a small one for the priming. The powder flasks were made of wood or papier-mâché and decorated with bone lids. Some commanders even wore a sling over their shoulder with paper cartridges that already had measured out powder. The arquebusiers tied a box for bullets, a spool, and a spool with a wick to their belt. To reload the gun, it was necessary to pour the powder from the cartridge into the barrel, insert a bullet there, and tamp it with a ramrod. This took only a few seconds. Much more time was required to pour the powder into the powder pan and prepare the fuse. The fuse, wrapped around the left hand, was inserted into the gun's opening, then blown up, and pressed against the powder. Ammunition, such as powder and bullets, was carried on the back in iron boxes by specially trained people. The use of early guns was highly dependent on the weather. The powder pan helped keep the powder dry, but only if it was closed. Guns were carried in boxes on the waist or in bags. Screens made of stiff paper were used to protect against wind and rain, but this interfered with reloading. In damp weather, various methods were invented to protect the fuse, for example, impregnating it with a special compound or attaching a waterproof shield over the ignition hole. One and One of the recipes for "water wick" included boiling the wick in saltpeter and coating it with varnish.
Firearms were first used in battle in 1549. In 1571, Takeda Shingen ordered his commanders to make guns the most important weapons, reduce the number of copies, and test soldiers for accuracy. Japanese craftsmen also produced pistols, which they first copied from European models and then gave them their own look.
In addition to regular pistols, they made double- and triple-barreled ones, small pistols that were worn instead of netsuke, and combinations of pistols with bladed weapons. Pistols were often disguised as daggers or short swords so that people who were allowed to carry only a sword or dagger could defend themselves. Samurai avoided such combinations.
Among the household items that pistols were disguised as were brush cases and smoking pipes. In the first case, the weapon was called yadaro-teppo, and in the second, kiseru-teppo.
In 1551, Otomo Sorin received two cannons as a gift from the Portuguese, but with the technology of the time, they were difficult to copy. Therefore, the Japanese used massive arquebuses of large caliber. The arquebus became popular because it was easy to use by ordinary soldiers called ashigaru. Ashigaru did not need a lot of training, like samurai with a sword or bow. In just a few days, a peasant could be taught to shoot an arquebus as accurately as an experienced warrior. This made the ashigaru almost as strong as samurai, but without the long years of training. As armies grew in size and new types of weapons appeared, ordinary people began to play an increasingly important role in them.
Different groups of people used weapons in different ways. Ashigaru got close to the enemy and fired volleys. The samurai arquebus was used to shoot at important and noble opponents.
At first, the arquebus was often used together with archers. This allowed the archers to continue shooting while the arquebusiers reloaded their guns. Usually, a squad consisted of ten arquebusiers and five archers.
The commanders of the arquebusier squads were called teppo-ko-gashira (lieutenant of archers). They knew how to shoot quickly and accurately, as well as how to remain calm under fire. They had a bamboo tube covered with red lacquer, which served as a spare ramrod in case of breakage. The commander, like the others, had a wick wound around his left hand.
Famous Japanese warriors, such as Ieyasu and Hideyoshi, also used arquebuses. For example, in 1573, one of the samurai of a besieged fortress fired an arquebus into the head of Shingen, a great commander. The samurai often used arquebuses, but for a long time they did not understand how powerful a weapon it was.
It took thirty years before Oda Nobunaga figured out how to use arquebuses properly. He realized that they had shortcomings, such as a short range of accurate fire and a long reload time. So he ordered the arquebusiers to fire in turns, in volleys. This allowed two rows of arquebusiers to reload while the first row fired. In 1575, at the Battle of Nagashino, Nobunaga defeated the Takeda forces using this method.
Arquebuses became very popular, and blacksmiths had many orders to make them. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated the Asai prince, he rewarded the head of the blacksmith shop, Kunitomo Tojiro, with an estate. In 1578, the Japanese military leader Oda Nobunaga began using large guns on ships. These ships were made of iron so that they would be difficult to sink. The guns were like large muskets, but were called "wall guns." They were very long, about three meters, but they were difficult to use on ships because of the size and features of the boats.
By the end of the 16th century, guns had become the main weapon in almost all countries. But each country used them differently. For example, in 1592, the Japanese sent an army to Korea that included archers, soldiers with guns, and warriors with spears. In 1600, another Japanese army consisted of the same types of troops, but the ratio between them was different.
When the Japanese attacked Korea, they realized that they needed more soldiers with guns. The Koreans and Chinese also began to use these weapons. One of the Japanese commanders wrote to his father that it was necessary to take as many guns as possible and use them even for the samurai.
There were many blacksmiths in Japan who made guns. One blacksmith, Kunitomo, became very rich because his guns were bought for the army. In 1615, during the war, the blacksmiths from the village of Kunitomo helped the Japanese army, and in return they were relieved of some duties and their income was increased.
The Japanese knew that cannons could be useful, but they did not know how to make them themselves. They bought cannons from Europeans. In 1600, the Englishman William Adams sailed to Japan on a ship. The Japanese took his ship and cannons, but these cannons were not used in battles because they were for ships, not for land.
In Japan, there were no cannons that could be transported by horses or carts. Cannons were used only for sieges of fortresses. Several such cannons have survived to this day. They were made of iron and fired large projectiles.
On one In one of the drawings from that time, you can see a cannon standing on a pile of rice sacks. This shows that the Japanese did not know how to make special stands for cannons and used what was at hand. Another interesting weapon, similar to small cannons, was called hiya-zutsu. It was not used for combat, but for launching fireworks and fire arrows during holidays.
During the Shimabara Rebellion in 1637-1638, the Dutch helped the Japanese government by providing them with their cannons and ships to bombard Hara Castle, where the rebels were hiding. But this did not help much. After that, the Japanese realized that they needed more powerful weapons. The Dutch offered them mortars that could fire large bombs.
In 1639, the Dutch showed their mortars to the Japanese. It was an impressive sight. The bombs exploded with great force, destroying everything around. The Japanese realized that such weapons could be very useful in the event of another uprising.
After the expulsion of foreigners from the country in 1640, Japan remained isolated. But even then, the Japanese continued to buy weapons from the Dutch. Japanese craftsmen knew about new types of weapons from Europe, although they could not make them themselves.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), flintlock guns were popular in Japan. The Japanese also knew about the bayonet, which was inserted into the barrel of the gun. Other unusual types of weapons were made in Japan, but they were used only in parades.
All of these weapons were rare because the government did not allow them to be produced. At the end of the 18th century, orders for weapons in Japan almost ceased, and weapons production decreased. What they heard shocked those present so much that the office remained silent for a long time, until Yubaba's grumpy voice was finally heard
-And there was no need to read all this to us, it would have been enough to tell us about that gun that was hung around the neck, what was it called?
- Jitte-teppo - a gun with a ring at the end of the stock for hanging around the neck, - Mr. Toad immediately reported, who was afraid that someone would name the gun before him.
- So, the Faceless One was telling the truth, - Haku thoughtfully summed up the meeting
- Yes, - Haku Jinba picked up the tone, - but now the question arises, what should we do with this truth? And what should we do next with Mr. Faceless One?