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Yamato Japanese

Page history last edited by PBworks 18 years, 9 months ago

Introduction

 

The early Yamato state was involved in Korea in the raly 7th C.

Later in the 660s, the Japanese were drawn into the Korean wars

against the Tang Chinese (in support of the Korean state Paekche).

 

The defeat at Paekchon River (663) ended Japanese involvement,

albeit reforms initiated by the Emperor Temmu (672-686) were part of a process to enhance Japan's defences against a possible Tang

invasion.

 

Reference material here comes largely from Friday's "Hired Swords" and "Beyond the Pale", alongside Batten's "Foreign Threat and Domestic Reform: The Emergence of the Ritsuryo State".

 

From the records of the Korean intervention in the 660s, an army

(that force commanded by a general) was c5,000 men. In 663 27,500 men commanded by 6 generals was sent to 'smite Silla'.

 

Mounted forces seem to have made up a small percentage of the total forces. Japanese mounted made up roughly 10% of the forces sent against the Emishi in the early 8th C, with roughly equal numbers coming from allied Emishi. I will presume that these proportions (736 AD) will not vary greatly from the the 660s. Cavalry forces though are starting to acquire a certain prominence, being decisive at the battle of Jinshin (672) for the Emperor Temmu.


Army Lists

The scale here is roughly one base is equal to 100 men. Thus a 2-3 divisions would map to an 'army'.

 

2-6 Uji Divisions of

1c Horse Archers

2 Uji Archers

0-1 Spearmen

0-1 Oyumi Artillery

 

0-1 Cavalry Division of

1c Med Horse Archers

1-2 Med Horse Archers

 

Optional Units

- possibly a small guard unit of heavy archers...


Units

 

Horse Archers

Medium Horse Archers, Initiative 6

2 bases (pts)

4 bases (pts)

Only Cavalry Divisions can employ units of 4 bases

 

The horse-archers are mediums to reflect the small horses used by

the Japanese (depsite the keiko armour). They cannot form wave

 

Uji Archers

Medium Archers- Initiative 5 (Deep-line)

6 bases (pts)

8 bases (pts)

10 bases (pts)

Uji archers are classed as fighting in deepline, to represent the (probable) 5 deep formations they used. All Uji archers can be equipped with free-standing shields, rated as light fortifications, at 5 pts per file.

 

The foot archers are basically peasant-conscripts drawn from a

particular clan's orbit. I can't say they had a particularly

impressive reputation

 

Spearmen

Audacious Light or Medium Irregulars- Iniative 5

4 bases (pts)

 

Oyumi

Artillery (20 pts)

Oyumi were bolt-shooters that probably originated in Tang China, and entered Japan via Korea.


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