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Those who know me are aware how interested I am in Japanese history/culture. Two of the most fascinating periods in Japanese history are the Sengoku Jidai, or age of warring states, and the Bakumatsu, or the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate (military rule).
The stories from these periods are full of intrigue, romance, conspiracies, betrayals, warfare, assassinations and towering personalities both heroic and villainous. However, there is another aspect to it. These two eras also bookend a technological paradigm shift.
The Sengoku period, which began in the second half of the fifteenth century and continued till the consolidation of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-15) saw the introduction of European arquebuses in Japan by mainly Portuguese and Dutch traders.
The warlords of Japan were quick to adopt the gun, and soon started making them indigenously. Many claim that Oda Nobunaga was the inventor of volleyed firing, in which massed infantry was divided in groups, and fired in sequence rather than all at once.
Estimated 300000 guns were created at the height of this period, a phenomenal number if you compare it to any other region in the world. Ultimately, the guns changed the face of Japanese warfare, and brought the humble infantry to the forefront instead of cavalry.
However, with the establishment of the Tokugawa military rule, Japan closed itself off from the rest of the world. Foreign ships were allowed to dock in only one port - Nagasaki. More than 200 years of peace followed. And then, like Rip Van Winkle, Japan woke up to a nightmare.
On 8th July 1853, four American ships under the command of Matthew Perry sailed into Edo bay. The Japanese were horrified. The ships boasted technology that were far ahead of anything that the island nation possessed. It was one of the first examples of Gunboat Diplomacy.
The Japanese, powerless against the cannons of the Industrial Age, had to open up their country for trade. A deep resentment took root inside Japan against the now powerless shogunate. A new civil war loomed. The warlords again began to arm themselves.
But this time, they began to import breech loading rifles. It was another technological leap for the Japanese nation. British Carbines and excess funds from the civil war found their way to Japan. Ultimately, the Shogun had to abdicate.
After a period of warfare, Japan returned to Imperial rule and abolished the feudal society, ushering in the modern age with the Meiji Restoration. The Tokugawa Shogunate is a cautionary tale that close mindedness that leads to peace at the cost vitality leads to destruction.
The lessons are true for India also. India was not an island nation. It was in contact with many civilizations. Yet it failed to evolve and develop its military infrastructure and adopt new warfighting technologies. As a result, it was repeatedly defeated by external enemies.
Even the Mughals did not develop a technological base to continuously upgrade their armaments. In fact, it was Sadashivrao Bhau who introduced some semblance of modern gunpowder tactics in India.
The British sepoy, on the other hand, trained in gunpowder tactics and using the latest technology, could decimate the still medieval Indian forces. Only a few rulers who had significant foreign components and imported arms could withstand them, albeit only temporarily.
That after all is the great tragedy. Why did India not develop a technological, scientific base in early medieval era? Did we lack that much abused term, "scientific temper"? Was the close mindedness of the caste/untouchability system responsible for it?
This chain of thought was triggered while reading @authorAneesh 's excellent book. It is highly recommended.
