Yakiuchi - Yakiuchi

Japanese: 焼打 - やきうち

A tactic known as siege, it involves setting fire to castles and private homes to attack an enemy camp. Siege was a common method in urban warfare. It was a form of fire attack, but a specific method was to fire arrows with flammable materials on them to destroy the enemy's defenses. Fire arrows were often used, and examples of their use in Japan can be found in the Nihon Shoki (Kinmei section). The Tale of the Heike also contains the following passage: "Higuchi Jiro Kanemitsu sent a message of thanks from the direction of New Kumano. He put fire inside a knot and shot it at the palace of Hojujidono. Suddenly the wind blew up, and the fire rose to the heavens..." and we can see an example of the use of fire arrows.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

戦法の一つで焼討とも書き，城砦･在家(民家)などに放火し，敵陣を攻略すること。市街戦などではこの焼打は常套手段とされた。火攻めの一つであるが，具体的方法として，矢に可燃物を付して発射し，敵陣の防御物を破却することも多かった。多く火矢が使われたが，日本での使用例は《日本書紀》(欽明条)にも見られ古い。《平家物語》にも〈樋口次郎兼光，新熊野（いまくまの）の方より時のこゑをぞあはせたる。鏑のなかに火を入て，法住寺殿の御所に射立てたりければ，おりふし風ははげしゝ，猛火天にもえあがって……〉とあり，火矢の使用例を知ることができる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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