Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-19
HOW JAPs LEARNED TO SHOOT.
Lesson Taught Them by Portuguese
Centuries Ago.
From the St. James Gazette

From the St. James Gazette.
That the japanese know how to shoot
has been made apparent to the nations, but
1t would puzzle most people to say who
gave them their first lesson In the use of
firearms. 1t might possibly be supposed
that they borrowed the art. as they have
borrowed other things. from their Chinese
neighbors. who were certainly acquainted
with the virtues Of villainous saltpetre long
before gunpowder was introduced into Eu-
rope. But 1t was no Chinese musketry in
structor who taught the Jap to handle a
gun. The lesson came from a Portuguese
traveller and soldier Of fortune one Of the
companions of the renowned Fernand Men
dez Pinto. who tells the story. Pinto has
been called the prince of liars but the libel
is quite without justification. He was an
accomplished traveller. Among other things,
he went to Lhassa and took down a SER
mon prea ched by the Dalai Lama but that
Is another story. His adventures in Japan
were not the least interesting part Of his
experiences He tells us that when sailing
the eastern seas he and his comrades were
wrecked and left stranded on a desert
island. There they were picked up by a
Chinese pirate. From his craft, after a
series of mishaps. they landed on the Island
of Tanixuma. which may be identified with
Tanega Shima. lust to the south of the
southernmost Of the four great islands of
Japan. Here they were well received by
the governor. who asked many questions
about Portugal. 'whereunto," says Pinto
we rendered him such answers as might
rather fit his humor than agree with the
truth"
Invited on the shore by the japanese gov
ernor of Tanega Shima, the Portuguese
employed themselves In fishing hunting or
visiting the temples of these Gentiles as
Pinto calls them. 1t happened that the
governor, while out riding saw one of them
diego Misunderstanding with argue
bus wherein he was very expert" The
governor had never set eyes on q gun be-
FORE and was nightly taken with this
manner of shooting that he desired to be
Informed Of the secret of the powder, which
he concluded must be some sort of sorcery
Proud of the sensation he had created,
Diego made three shoots for the gov
ernor's benefit bringing down kite and
two turtle doves. The governor was SO
delighted that he told Diego to get on his
horse, and SO rode with him to the palace,
accompanied by great crowd. Diego
gave his arquebus to the governor, who de-
clared that he valued 1t more than all the
treasures of China, and then persuaded his
guest to teach him how to make gunpow
der. Clever Japanese craftsmen were en-
ployed to make guns of the same pattern;
and before Pinto and his companions left
the island--that is, within five or six
months-600 muskets had been turned out.
The fame of the new weapon was soon car
ried across what we now call the Van Die
mon straits to the Island of Kiu-Kiu, Pin
Kingdom OF bunSO. Inc KING, VINO was
possibly no more than a Daimio of high
degree, subject to the ruler of all Japan,
having heard OF the arrival of the Portu-
guese at Tanega Shima. and Of the WON
ders of theil. discourse, wrote to the gov
ernoT asking that they might be forwarded
to his capital; for have heard of
truth" he, wrote. that these same men
have entertained you at large with all mat
tiers of the whole universe. and have af-
firmed unto you on their faith that there
Is another world greater than ours. inhab-
tied by black and tawny people,
The governor was unwilling to part with
Diego Zeimoto until that marksman had
taught him to shoot as straight as he could
himself but he sent Pinto and another
the straits and, after a long journey by
land, came to Fuchea, the capital this
doubtless being the Fukuoka of our maps,
on the northwest coast. The king was suf-
ferng at the time from govt; but Pinto.
according to his own version, cured him in
a month. by means OF "a certain wood in
fused in water While the king was laid
UP the Portuguese traveller enlightened him
and the grandees of the court on the sub
ject of the universe In general and the
Kingdom of Portugal In particular, devot-
ing his leisure time to sport. He shot
great store of turtles and Quaiis with his
arduebus; and this new manner of shoot
to the inhabitants OF this land than it had
been to those of Tanega Shima.
But the first introduction OF firearms In
to the kingdom of Bungo threatened at one
time to have tragic consequences for the
Portuguese. The kings sor> wanted to
learn to shoot, and begged Pinto to teach
him. Pinto did his best to put on the
tuguese was asleep. the prince. seeing the
aruuobus hanging on the wall took Il down,