Samurai Poll

[Kuroimaken]

Hmmm, what stands out for me is the shikoro, which is actually the layered plating on the back and sides of a samurai helmet. So that one is probably a media-made blade. I don't recall what they were called, but I do remember tall shields of laminated wood; I wouldn't be surprised if they had leather on them. Jirai/jiraika are mines, but I don't know how far back they go. All I know about gobo is that it's a salad. Poison gas bombs.... I feel like it's so media-laden that it might have, but I don't know for sure...

Actually, the chinese could already use landmines and the like by the 16th century. The Japanese typically scoffed at the use of explosives except as siege weapons up until Nobunaga handed Katsuyori Takeda's ass back to him on a silver platter with a musketeer army 1/5th the size of his own.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

Sweet, so the mines are go!

[veekie]

Hmmm, what stands out for me is the shikoro, which is actually the layered plating on the back and sides of a samurai helmet. So that one is probably a media-made blade. I don't recall what they were called, but I do remember tall shields of laminated wood; I wouldn't be surprised if they had leather on them. Jirai/jiraika are mines, but I don't know how far back they go. All I know about gobo is that it's a salad. Poison gas bombs.... I feel like it's so media-laden that it might have, but I don't know for sure...

Actually, the chinese could already use landmines and the like by the 16th century. The Japanese typically scoffed at the use of explosives except as siege weapons up until Nobunaga handed Katsuyori Takeda's ass back to him on a silver platter with a musketeer army 1/5th the size of his own.

Even earlier for the chinese I think, though they didn't go into common use until the stated time period I think.

Those goddamn alchemists found a hell of a lot of ways to blow things/people up while poisoning them in the pursuit of immortality.

[bhu]

Either of you heard of Hyakurai?  I keep seeing references to a primitive explosive, or several guns detonated in a barrel to cause noise and sow fear and confusion.

Also what about these :

Arare: 3 dimensional shuriken basically

Bakuchi Ire: bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder.  Basically noise bombs.

Bakurai bishi: Caltrops containing minor explosives (sounds like bull to me)

Hi-kyu: Hollow clay ball filled with gunpowder

Hi-ya-zutsu: Bamboo tube used to shoot fireworks of flaming arrows.

Kame baku: Spiked iron shell filled with gunpowder.

Mitsu te: Pole attached to a chain with several hooks at teh other end.

Nage-gama: Throwing sickle?

Nage-ken: Small throwing sword (wtf?)

Seiryu-to: Sort of like a machete

Sode-teppo: Crude one shot gun made from a bamboo tube.

Suikan: Bladder filled with irritant, poison, or mild acid connected to bamboo blowtube.

Tabi-Yumi: Traveling bow, a collapsible shortbow with very short range.

[veekie]

Not familiar with the Japanese edition, but I've read somewhere the chinese version of the same used barrels of explosives mounted on wheels, which they lit, rolled towards the enemy, and then the barrels would explode and generally throw cavalry into disarray.