Momotaro story and the Wako pirates

Wokou (Chinese: 倭寇; pinyin: Wōkòu; Japanese: わこう Wakō; Korean: 왜구 Waegu), which literally translates to "Japanese pirates" or "dwarf pirates",^[1][2] were pirates who raided the coastlines of China, Japan and Korea.^[3] Wokou came from a mixture of ethnicities.^[4]

The term wokou is a combination of Wō (倭) referring to "dwarfs" or Japanese, and kòu (寇), meaning "bandit".

(wikipedia)

During the last time I was teaching in elementary school, I had to do the Momotaro story. 

from wikipedia: According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo period), Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).^[1]

Years later, Momotarō left his parents to fight a band of marauding oni (demons or ogres) on a distant island. En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarō and his new friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon chief as a captive. Momotarō and his family lived comfortably from then on.^[1]

1885 English Momotaro published by Hasegawa Takejirō.

Momotarō is strongly associated with Okayama, and his tale may have its origins there. The demon island (Onigashima (鬼ヶ島^?)) of the story is sometimes associated with Megijima Island, an island in the Seto Inland Sea near Takamatsu, due to the vast manmade caves found on that island.^[2][3]

While I was teaching the same lesson for about two months, I made a comment which was misinterpreted that I compared the story to North Korea. The teacher spoke to the vice-principal who contacted my company and noted that they were not upset, but wanted to clarify what I had said.

Now, I remember reading in some of my history texts, and books, that the Wako pirates originated outside Japan, in the area that was also the same as where Momotaro is from. From Stephen Turnbull's "The Book of The Samurai: The Warrior Class of Japan. (Bison, London, 1982) On Pg 59 it notes that Japanese pirates, as well as Chinese and Koreans raided the coastal regions of Ming China from about 1368. Rice was the main treasure these pirates were after. 

As to their actual ethnic identity, the wikipedia article notes:

The current prevailing theory^[23] is that of Shōsuke Murai, who demonstrated in 1988 that the early wokou came from multiple ethnic groups rather than one singular nation.^[20] Murai wrote that the wokou were "marginal men" living in politically unstable areas without national allegiances, akin to the Zomia thesis.^[20] Supporters of this theory point out that one of the early wokouleaders, Ajibaldo, was variously claimed by period sources to be Mongolian, Japanese, Korean, and an "islander";^[24] his name is apparently Korean and Mongolian in origin.

So my mentioning of the link of Korea and Momotaro are not that far off. The idea of Oni, which translates as Devil or Orgre, reflects the attitude the Japanese had for those who were not of the Yamato race. The traditional ideas behind the story, can be reflected in the fact that the protagonist, embarks on a raid on an island where these onis live. The fact that Momotaro returns to his families village with the plunder the devils had taken, could perhaps also be viewed in this historical view of a pirate raid.

I have ordered the Osprey Publish work On the Seven Seas, which is a piracy wargamming book, which I shall be working on with future wargamming battles.

Hypothetical Spanish vs Samurai in Japan circa 1605

This battle is a "what if" the Spanish had sent Conquistadors to Japan to Christianise Japan, and to add the Japanese islands to their colony in the Philippines.
The overview shot shows the Spanish Tericos against a Samurai Arrow formation.

 The Japanese arrow formation known as...

 The Spanish Tericos. They also deployed a cavalry group and a screen of dragoons and crossbows. 

The Japanese advanced towards the Spanish using their arrow formation. The Spanish artillery began to soften up the advance and break apart the tip of the arrow. The Japanese musketry screen to the front was the first to fall under grape shot. As the end of the Japanese arrowhead passed by, the Spanish dragoons, crossbow, sword and buckler men then charged in. This resulted in the Japanese arrow to be split into different directions. However, the tip of the arrow made contact with the first Terico and was able to break it apart. The Spanish right, advanced past their artillery to hit the Japanese left. This began to push the arrow in on itself. The Japanese responded by pushing back the Spanish swordsmen and taking out half of the crossbowmen. The Japanese archers kept back the Spanish horse. Eventually, the Tericos ground down the Japanese who eventually withdrew, having taken heavy casualties. The Shogun would have to marshal many more samurai to drive back this thrust by the Conquistadors.

More actions to follow later this summer.

Leena sets up Samurai

My little girl sets up the samurai army for today's game. Sylitherin's Field of Glory Renaissance is on display

  

Nagashino 1575

, , (photo courtsey of plasticsoldierreview.com)

Nagashino 1575 refight 3/4/12

Continuing with the theme of Pike and Shot, my son and I decided to refight Nagashino.

This battle was fought between Takeda Katsunori (who incidently is the ancestor of my son via his mother’s Japanese name) and Oda-Tokugawa.

Having viewed the Osprey Warrior Samurai 1550-1600, the color plate of this battle influenced our choice of battlefield. My son has also seen The Last Samurai, and thought that he’d like to use Samurai Cavalry smash into Samurai infantry. What he didn’t truly understand is the concept of entrenched infantry.

At this battle, the Takeda Samurai attempted to use their tactic of cavalry charges to break infantry. The Takeda were the samurai who believed that firearms were not pure enough for Japanese warfare. They also believed that the weather would be in the pouring rain. Thus when they charged the barricades, they were surprised to meet concentrated musketry. Roughly 10,000 Takeda Samurai were killed in futile frontal assaults. After this battle, firearms were no longer sneeared at.

In our refight, the Oda were entrenched in three redoubts. Each contained musketeers and were fronted either by yari armed pikemen or by chiveaux du fries. The Takeda army aligned themselves with their left flank comprising all of their archers. Their centre was formed by katana and pike armed warriors while the right flank was comprised of all their cavalry.

In the Takeda opening move, they advanced toward the redoubts. The archers began to rain arrows down on the musketeers before they could pour their fire into the approaching charge. As their gunners began to fall the Oda rushed their pikes out which momentarily forced the charge back. As the cavalry honed in, the muskets began to shoot them down. However, the Takeda were using their horses to draw the fire of the gunners. The archers shot down the defenders who were overwhelmed by the Takeda advance.

The end result was the destruction of the Takeda cavalry including Katsunori, however his infantry was able to smash his nemesis off the field.

Ian then told me, he copied my tactic of the musket block from our last battle. Duh-oh! He’s a clever little fellow for 6. Guess Daddy will have to hone up on pike and shot tactics.

The aftermath of a Takeda Arrow barrage.

Oda is left on the battlefield. Contrary to the way of Bushido, these samurai have run away to continue the fight in the hills.