is the Japanese version of the

fire arrow Fire arrows were one of the earliest forms of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward. Not to be confused with earlier incendiary arrow projectiles, the fire arrow was a gunpowder weapon which receives its name from the tra ...

. Bo-hiya were used in ancient Japan and by the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

class of feudal Japan.

History and description

Fire arrows of some type have been used in Japan as far back as the 6th century where they are said to have been used during a military campaign in Korea. Bows ( yumi) were used to launch these early fire arrows. In 10th-century China, gunpowder was used to launch fire arrows, and this type of fire arrow was used against the Japanese by Mongolian naval vessels in the 13th century. In 1543 the Japanese acquired

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befor ...

technology from the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, and the resulting firearms developed by the Japanese led to new means of launching fire arrows. These rocket-type bo-hiya had the appearance of a thick arrow with large fins, a wood shaft and a metal tip; they resembled the Korean

chongtong The Chongtong ( Hangul: 총통, Hanja: 銃筒) was a term for military firearms of Goryeo and Joseon dynasty. The size of chongtong varies from small firearm to large cannon, and underwent upgrades, which can be separated in three generation ty ...

, an arrow-firing cannon. Bo-hiya were ignited by lighting a fuse made from incendiary waterproof rope which was wrapped around the shaft; when lit the bo-hiya was launched from either a wide-bore cannon, a form of tanegashima (Japanese matchlock) called ''hiya zutsu'', or from a mortar-like weapon (''hiya taihou''). By the 16th century, Japanese pirates were reported to have used bo-hiya. During one sea battle it was said the bo hiya were "falling like rain". Bo-hiya were standard equipment on Japanese military vessels, where they were used to set fire to enemy ships.H. A. C. Bonar, "On Maritime Enterprise in Japan", in

Gallery

File:Antique Japanese bohiya or bo hiya fire arrow and hiya taihou (fire arrow cannon).jpg, Antique Japanese (samurai) ''bo hiya'' or ''bohiya'' (fire arrow) and ''hiya taihou'' (fire arrow cannon), Matsumoto Castle, in Nagano prefecture, Japan. File:Antique Japanese (samurai) bohiya or bo hiya (fire arrow).jpg, Antique Japanese (samurai) ''bohiya'' or ''bo hiya'' (fire arrow), showing the fuse, Matsumoto Castle, in Nagano prefecture, Japan. File:Bo hiya fire arrow.JPG, Bo-hiya. File:Hiya-zutsu and bo-hiya 1.jpg, An Edo period wood block print showing samurai gunners using ''hiya zutsu'' (fire arrow guns) to fire ''bo-hiya''.

Similar weapons

Chongtong The Chongtong ( Hangul: 총통, Hanja: 銃筒) was a term for military firearms of Goryeo and Joseon dynasty. The size of chongtong varies from small firearm to large cannon, and underwent upgrades, which can be separated in three generation ty ...

Cetbang Cetbang (also known as bedil, warastra, or meriam coak) were cannons produced and used by the Majapahit Empire (1293–1527) and other kingdoms in the Indonesian archipelago. There are 2 main types of cetbang: the eastern-style cetbang which lo ...

References

External links

{{Early firearms Early firearms Early rocketry Japanese inventions Samurai weapons and equipment Weapons of Japan