The Japanese Handheld Cannon —- The Ozutsu

In the mid 1500’s Portuguese traders introduced firearms to Japan.  The deadly new weapons became very popular among the Samurai and soldiers causing a whole new weapons industry which flourished in to the point that Japanese firearms use rivaled that of Europe in both number and quality.  While the matchlock musket was the most common Japanese firearm, many other stranger weapons were also produced.

One of the strangest was the ozutsu.  "Ozutsu" is a Japanese word for cannon, however Japanese cannon came in a variety of sizes, including a small handheld cannon.  Popular in the late 16th and early 17th century, ozutsu handheld cannons were basically small man portable cannon modeled after regular matchlock muskets.  Ozutsu’s however were made to fire cannon sized projectiles of around 1 - 3 inches in caliber and be fired by hand like a regular musket.

When fired by hand the ozutsu was not loaded with regular cannonballs, as the tremendous recoil would be enough to knock even the strongest Samurai on his bum.  Typically they fired incendiary or explosive arrows called “hiya" using a reduced powder charge, making them more like a grenade launcher or hand mortar.

When mounted on a tripod, wall pintle, or carriage however, they could be loaded with small cannon balls or even grapeshot, making it like a large shotgun.  For the most part the ozutsu was used in siege warfare to storm and destroy enemy fortifications and castles.

By 1600 the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu had unified Japan and brought and ended the near constant warring in the empire.  The sudden onset of peace ended the popularity of the ozutsu for warfare as there were no more battles to be fought or castles to be besieged.  The ban on foreign trade and influence also stagnated firearms production as the Japanese never advanced in technology and never developing their musket farther than the matchlock system until the 19th century.  Many ozutsu’s became curiosities rather than weapons, and were used to call monks to meditation or prayer, signal the time in cities, and inaugurate official gatherings.