Atakebune

Type

Galley

Period

16th Century

Nation

Japan

Overview: The atakebune was the largest class of Japanese warship used during the Sengoku period, essentially serving as a floating fortress rather than a maneuverable warship. They were built by rival feudal daimyo during Japan's internal wars for political unification in the 16th and into the 17th century. Specifications: A typical atakebune ranged roughly 30 to 50 meters in length and featured a large box-like superstructure of two to three levels housing oarsmen, foot soldiers, and samurai behind wooden walls, with firing and viewing ports cut into the sides. Some, including several built for Oda Nobunaga in 1578 and later for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, were reinforced with iron plating over the wooden superstructure, earning them the name "tekkosen" (iron ships). Propulsion was primarily by a single bank of oars, though many later vessels also carried a single mast with a large square sail that could be lowered across the ship's roof in bad weather. Service History: Atakebune served as command and assault vessels in the naval battles of Japan's Sengoku period, notably in Oda Nobunaga's defeat of the Mori navy at the mouth of the Kizu River near Osaka in 1578. Several hundred were later deployed during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea (1592-1598), where their grappling-and-boarding tactics proved inferior to the more heavily armed and sturdily built Korean panokseon, which could engage effectively at range with cannon. Notable Facts: Despite reputed iron cladding on some vessels, contemporary Jesuit accounts by missionaries such as Luis Frois made no mention of iron covering, leaving some ambiguity about how widespread the armor actually was. The ships were also structurally fragile, and some accounts describe hulls cleaving and sinking due to defective ribs. A famous example, the Nihon Maru (later Tairyu Maru), served as Hideyoshi's flagship during the Imjin War and remained in existence until it was broken up in 1856; it is depicted in a well-known painting held at the Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum.