There a reason that they didnt?

[The Sword of Cao Cao]

ok, we all know who the samurai were, and we all know what a chariot is. anyways, it's well known that most of the Japanese culture and military style derived from ancient China. it's also a well known fact that the Chinese used chariots quite frequently. my question is this: if the samurai adopted so many other things from the Chinese, why does it appear that they never used chariots? the Japanese had and used them for peaceful, transportation services, but it doesnt appear that they were used at all by the samurai or ashigaru.


any takers?

[Kongamato]

I remember reading that at one time the Japanese did not build cannons because wheeled transport had been banned. Perhaps this could be the same thing.

[Voigtkampf]

As far as I know, the wheeled transportation was forbidden by an Imperial edict, so you could either walk, ride or be transported in a carriage that was carried by servants. The Chinese had Riksha (sp?), but I don't know that the Japanese society ever had any.

[discovery1]

Quote[/b] ]I remember reading that at one time the Japanese did not build cannons because wheeled transport had been banned. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-dizzy2.gif

Uh, may I ask why?

[solypsist]

there were some provisions that allowed for the wheel in historical Japan, but the bannage was mostly to preserve the roads.

i was just thinking about the Kurosawa movie, Hidden Fortress, where the medieval characters use a wheeled wagon to move loads of wood. is this an anachronism or innacurracy?

[Leet Eriksson]

Just a thought,but even if there was no ban,its impossible with a hilly terrain as japans,i mean chariots don't operate well in such terrain.

[Pindar]

If I recall correctly, the Chinese chariot was primarily used during and up through the later stages of the Warring States Period (Chin Dynasty). I don't think it survived into the Later Han Dynasty (3rd Century). Japan didn't really develop any kind of strong cenralized governement structure until the later 6th century. By that time the chariot was antiquated.

[Hurin_Rules]

Yes, I think the above poster has it right. Chariots are used in ancient warfare but over time the stirrup and other developments made cavalry more effective, and so there was no real use for chariots. Cavalry were better: more maneuverable, easier to control, etc.