A 16th century Japanese "Atakebune" coastal naval war vessel.

Atakebune were large Japanese warships of the 16th and 17th century internecine Japanese wars for political control and unity of all Japan. Image File history File links Japanese Atakebune. ... Image File history File links Japanese Atakebune. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Japan undertook major naval building efforts in the mid to late 16th century, during the Warring States period, when feudal rulers vying for supremacy built vast coastal navies of several hundreds of ships. The largest of these ships were called Atakebune. (安宅船). The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... “Sengoku” redirects here. ...

Around that time, Japanese commanders seem to have developed among the first documented ironclad warships in history ^{[1] [2]}, perhaps based on older Korean designs from the previous century ^[3], when Oda Nobunaga, a Japanese daimyo, had six iron-covered Ōatakebune (大安宅船) made in 1576. These ships were called "Tekkōsen" (鉄甲船, literally "iron armored ships") and were armed with multiple cannons and large-caliber rifles to defeat the large fleets they were arrayed against. He defeated Mori's navy with them at the mouth of the Kizu River, Osaka in 1578 in a successful naval blockade. For pre-modern armoured ships, see Pre-industrial armoured ships. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ... Not to be confused with Canon. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Grave of Yamaguchi Mōri clan at Mount Koya The Mōri clan (毛利氏 Mōri-shi) was a family of daimyō, descended from Oe no Hiromoto and established themselves in Aki province. ... The two battles of Kizugawaguchi (lit. ... Osaka )   is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of HonshÅ«. The city is the capital of Osaka Prefecture. ... Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ...

These ships may be regarded as floating fortresses rather than true warships, and were only used in coastal actions. They used oars for propulsion, as their full iron cladding (and the resultant heavy weight) likely impeded wind-based propulsion via sails. An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. ...

Notes and References

1, 2. The Early Ironclads. In Japanese: [1]. (2.) In English: [2]: "Iron clad ships, however, were not new to Japan and Hideyoshi; Oda Nobunaga, in fact, had many iron clad ships in his fleet.". In Western sources, Japanese ironclads are described in CR Boxer "The Christian Century in Japan 1549–1650", p122, quoting the account of the Italian Jesuit Organtino visiting Japan in 1578. Nobunaga's ironclad fleet is also described in "A History of Japan, 1334–1615", Georges Samson, p309 ISBN 0-8047-0525-9. One of the first Western ironclads may be the war carrack Santa Anna from 1522. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... The Santa Maria at anchor by Andries van Eertvelt, painted c. ... Santa Anna Santa Anna was an early 16th Century carrack of the Knights Hospitaller. ...

3. Annals of Joseon Dynasty. As displayed by the UNESCO Memory of the World Register: [3]. Korea's ironclad Turtle ships, widely recognized as among the first ironclads in the world, were invented by Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545–1598) sometime in 1592 - however, the earliest record of an ironclad ship in Korea, the earliest record of the use of extensive iron armoring of a naval vessel anywhere in the world, dates to 1413-1415 in the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, which may also be why ironclad ships were not new to the Japanese, who were familiar with some Korean naval technology in their intermittent contact with Korea. The inference that Japanese ironcladding of warships (which covered a larger portion of the naval structure) predates Korean ironcladding (which, despite debate, may not be considered "full" ironcladding by definition, but is still considered the earliest extensive use of iron plating to protect ships) does not follow and should not be made here. Incidentally, Korea's iron plates only covered the roof (to prevent intrusion), and not the sides of their ships, thus were not fully ironclad (this is up to some debate) and were more capable of fleet warfare than the Tekkosen. The Annals of Joseon Dynasty are the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled Korea, and were written from 1413 (year 13 of the reign of Taejong) to 1865 (year 2 of the reign of Gojong). ... The turtle ship (also known as Geobukseon or Kobukson by its Korean name) was a large warship belonging to the Panokseon class in Korea that was used under the Joseon Dynasty between the 15th century and 18th century. ... Yi Sun-sin (April 18, 1545 — December 16, 1598), was a famous Korean naval leader. ... Year 1592 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Annals of Joseon Dynasty are the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled Korea, and were written from 1413 (year 13 of the reign of Taejong) to 1865 (year 2 of the reign of Gojong). ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annals_of_Joseon_Dynasty (Wikipedia entry)

4. "The Navies of the Imjinwaeran." From Teach English in Asia [[4]]: "Tradition credits Admiral Yi Sun-sin with the invention of the ironclad Geobukseon, but iron-armored cannon-bearing warships were technically not a new concept and the first Geobukseon were actually developed earlier in the Joseon Dynasty in the early 1400s, almost two centuries before the Imjinwaeran. Whether the Geobukseon is indeed the earliest "ironclad" in the world is still up for debate as the Chinese and Japanese ships are also prime candidates." "Imjinwaeran" is the Korean phrase for the Hideyoshi invasions of 1592-6 and 1597-8.