Ataka ship

These were the strongest and largest military ships from the end of the Muromachi period to the beginning of the Edo period. They ranged from small houses with a capacity of 500 koku to large houses with a capacity of over 2,000 koku. The shape of the bow of the ship was box-shaped with a square upper part, but there were also ships with sharp angles at the lower part to allow for good drainage (Futanari type) and ships with a flat lower part (Ise-bune type), and the hull was built on three or four floors. The upper structure of the hull was surrounded by a main tower called an oshimawashi, which had a main wall, and there were gaps everywhere so that guns, cannons, and bows and arrows could be fired for attacks. The main tower was armored with hardwood such as muku and camphor, about 2 to 3 sun (about 6 to 10 cm) thick, and sometimes thin iron plates were laid on top of that. Generally, two to three stories of turrets were built near the bow, and sometimes near the stern, to prepare for reconnaissance and attacks. The number of turrets that provided propulsion was 50 for the Koyasu residence and 160 for the Oyasu residence (a large turret rowed by two people was equivalent to 100 turrets).

[Takehisa Udagawa]

"The History of Ships and Navigation" by Kenji Ishii (included in "Illustrated History of the Sea of ​​Japan 4", 1979, Mainichi Shimbun)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

室町時代末から江戸時代初めにかけての最強で最大の軍船。500石積級の小安宅から2000石積以上の大安宅がある。船首の形状は上部は四角な箱型であるが、下部が水切りのよい鋭角のもの（二成(ふたなり)型）と、下部も平たいもの（伊勢船(いせぶね)型）とがあり、3階ないし4階に船体をつくる。船体の上部構造は胴壁造りの押廻(おしまわ)しと称する総矢倉(やぐら)で囲み、攻撃のために鉄砲、大筒(おおづつ)、弓矢が発射できるように随所に狭間(はざま)を設けた。総矢倉には厚さ約2～3寸（約6～10センチメートル）ほどのムクやクスなどの堅木(かたぎ)を用いて装甲板とし、ときにはその上に薄い鉄板を張り巡らした。一般には船首寄りに、ときに船尾寄りに2層から3層の櫓(やぐら)を構えて偵察、攻撃に備えた。推進力となる櫓(ろ)数は、小安宅が50丁立、大安宅は160丁立（二人漕(こ)ぎの大櫓だと100丁立相当）であった。

［宇田川武久］

『石井謙治著「船と航海の歴史」（『図説人物海の日本史 4』所収・1979・毎日新聞社）』

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