Hi Ben,
The oyumi (crossbow) you refer to was used extensively in the wars against
the Emishi but fell out of use because it required skilled technicians to
build, maintain & train the troops. Its decline was accelerated when the
government drop the Taiho military system (conscription) and privatised
military responsibilties to the various clans.
Pacification of the Ainu (or Emishi) peoples occurred around 800's and was
complete by 811. The Emishi of Dewa & Mutsu revolted numerous times over
the next 100 years mainly due to famine or economic hardship. All this
occured in the middle Hein period before samurai came of age. The use of
the oyumi is not recorded after 900 as far as I know.
Scott Nicholas
fifthchamber@... on 21 April, 2001 07:47:42 PM
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Subject: [samuraihistory] Introductions...
Hello all..
My name is Ben Sharples and I am a student in London, England. I
have been fascinated by Samurai history since the age of 8 and have
built a collection of books and information on Japanese history, But
I have not as yet managed to visit Japan..
My question is; I recently read that prior to the Kamakura era
(around 900-1000ad) the early Samurai clans fought wars against the
Ainu (presumably) and that a weapon used was a primitive design of
Crossbow.. Does anyone know why this method fell into disuse by the
time of the Gempei wars and was replaced by the Longbow?
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