ōdzutsu
Illustration — An ōdzutsu (top) from the Edo period • Illustration — Man with an ōdzutsu (Ukiyo-e painting by Utagawa Kuniyoshi) An was a type of Japanese hand cannon used during the Sengoku and early Edo periods.
Also recorded as ōzutsu
ōdzutsu
Photo by ブレイズマン (Bureizuman) · Tatsuno City Tatsuno History and Culture Museum Collection · CC BY 3.0
- Field
- artillery
- Region
- Japan
- Related practice
- iron
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Documentary summary
Illustration — An ōdzutsu (top) from the Edo period • Illustration — Man with an ōdzutsu (Ukiyo-e painting by Utagawa Kuniyoshi) An was a type of Japanese hand cannon used during the Sengoku and early Edo periods.
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Documentary evidence
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identity unresolved · checked 24 September 2026
- Identity
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Authority files
wikidata · Q11438458
In this article
Other remarks
Other remarks
• The range of a 50-mace (187 g) ōdzutsu manufactured by the Kunitomo gunsmiths can reach up to 1.6 km. • The Izu suigun of the Sengoku Jidai used ōdzutsu extensively in naval battles.
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- Japan
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ōdzutsu is associated with Japan.
Country
Description
The ōdzutsu was used primarily in naval and siege battles during the Sengoku period for its efficiency in destroying large enemy structures. Though interpretations of ōdzutsu differ in literature, it is generally regarded as a weapon of forged iron to distinguish it from an ishibiya (a cast bronze hand cannon). Its bullets were about 20 maces (75 g). It is fixed to a ring or a wooden frame with only the barrel and fired using a difference fire. Some have an ignition system and a stock that uses a matchlock. It was considerably more powerful than its cast bronze counterpart, and because it was forged, the risk of the barrel exploding was smaller than that of a cast gun. It could be relatively easily manufactured due to its inexpensive materials, but cannot be produced with too large a diameter due to limited forging techniques at the time. There is a famous large ōdzutsu, known as the Shibatsuji Gun, located in the Yūshūkan of Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo.
Literature
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authority record
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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