Samurai by Stephen Turnbull

Author:Stephen Turnbull
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Samurai: The World of the Warrior
ISBN: 9781849089913
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2011-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

THE SIEGE OF USUKI

The death of Ryûzôji Takanobu meant that there was one less daimyo in Kyûshû to oppose the seemingly unstoppable rise of the Shimazu, and in 1586 they turned their attentions once more to the Otomo. This latest attack was directed against Otomo Sôrin’s headquarters castle of Usuki in Bungo. Usuki was an island castle, and in place of the sloping stone walls that one associates with Japanese fortress design Usuki’s base was a large lump of solid rock just off the mainland. Sheer cliffs provided its walls, and a sandbar at low tide provided its only connection with the land. Nowadays land reclamation and the silting-up of the river mean that the ruins of Usuki castle sit on a plateau in the middle of the town.

The operation against Usuki involved three of the Shimazu brothers: Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro and Iehisa. Their vanguard advanced to a position where woods concealed their final movements from the view from the castle. Within the castle itself great hopes were laid on their Portuguese breech-loading cannon called kunikuzushi, which was being used to defend a fortress for the first time. It was mounted near the main gate on a stone platform that allowed a clear field of fire over the narrow stretch of sea and on to the dry land beyond. We are told that the samurai in charge of the gun was called Takemiya Musashi-no-kami, who proceeded to use kunikuzushi against the likely position where the Shimazu were lurking. He first placed one kanme (8.5lbs, or 3.8kg) of gunpowder into the detachable breech, then in addition to a lead cannonball he put in some smaller balls. The cannon was fired and the shot hit the grove of willow trees where the Shimazu troops lay concealed. Beneath the splintered branches soon lay many dead and wounded Satsuma samurai. The Shimazu were shaken by this unexpected development, but regained their composure sufficiently to mount an assault. This was beaten off, and soon the operation deteriorated into a stalemate. We may presume that the cannon was used many times, because eventually the Shimazu withdrew.

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