Hwacha
Hwacha or
Hwach'a is an
anti-personnel gunpowder weapon used in
Korea, inspired by Chinese
fire arrows. They were basically a
two-wheeled cart carrying a
launching pad board filled with multitude of holes into which
sajunchongtong (사전총통) or
singijeons are stored. These small rockets attached to
"Gungdo bow-arrows", flung iron spikes upon detonation. During the combat, the
ammunition like tiny-sized bombards, oil rugs, to be attached to the arrows,
ignited and fired, were transported on
wheelbarrows
. Many
East Asian historians believe this
technological breakthrough alongside
Turtle ship achieved by Koreans in mid of the
16th century marked a decisive point in
Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea. Today hwachas are popular in Korean museums, national parks, and popular culture.
Long before the development of Hwacha,
China imposed severe restrictions on exporting gunpowder to Korea, keeping the secret of gunpowder to themselves. Yet, gunpowder weapons were key to the Koreans in maintaining a predominant navy in the
Sea of Japan (East Sea) to protect Korean fishermen and merchants against the increasing numbers of Japanese pirates, called
Waegu.
Therefore, there was an effort by Koreans to develop gunpowder on their own. Between the years of
1374 to
1376, Korea began its first productions of gunpowder. In
1377,
Choe Mu-seon a Korean scholar discovered a way to obtain gunpowder by extracting
potassium nitrate from the
soil and subsequently made Juhwa, Korea's very first rocket
, further developments led to the birth of the family of
singijeons.
The hwacha was a brainchild of its predeccesors, the Juhwa and the Singijeon. The first hwacha was made in
1409 during the
Joseon Dynasty by several Koreans scientists-including
Yi Do (이도) (李蹈) and
Choi Hae-san (최해산) ("海山). It is unlikely that the hwachas made around this time participated in combat.
During the rule of King
Sejong, hwachas were extensively made and records showed that 90 hwachas were in use. King Sejong, the inventor of
Hangul, made efforts to improve the hwacha and by the end of his rule, a single hwacha could fire 200 rocket arrows at one time.
Stronger and more effective hwachas were made in
1451 under the decree of King
Munjong. At the time, 50 units were deployed in
Hansung (present-day Seoul), and another 80 on the northern border. By the end of
1451, hundreds of hwachas were deployed throughout the peninsula.
The hwachas structure was very simmilar to a hand cart that posessed mobile wood-made launch pad on the top filled with multitude of holes into which the ignitors like
sajunchongtong (사전총통) were placed .
The ammunition like the
singijeon, was a Korean variation of the Chinese
fire arrow, and, among the many forms of singijeon, the type fired by hwacha comprised an arrow with a gunpowder pouch attached. Approximately 100 projectiles were loaded and launched in one volley, and were effective up to a range of 100 meters.
The back side of the hwacha featured two parallel arms that allowed the operator push and pull the machine, and a vertical
strip for in line attacks or stand ground-
sentry positions.
The waggon-like wheels were usually fastened by wood pivots and iron-made
axles; in order to reduce friction
tar oil was used.
Hwachas were usually made of
pine wood like Panokseon warships, there are some versions made of
oak, ropes used within were usually made of
hempen. The Korean army carried siege engineers and
blacksmithers in order to make repairings to the Hwacha as the conditions of the road, bad weather and battle damaged the machinery.
|
Hwacha launch pad, ignitors placed in the narrow section of each arrow to be fired. |
|
A Hwacha shooting during a reenactment of the Imjin Wars in South Korea in 2002. |
Unlike
cannons or
mortars used in Western warfare during the 16th century and the middle ages, which required heavy sized and heavyweight iron balls, Hwacha fired arrows which were thin and light hence turning it into an easy to maneuver siege weapon.
The holes in the top of the launching pad in Hwacha posessed a diameter ranging from an inch to an inch and a half, that allowed thin
Gungdo bow-like arrows to be fired and also admit Sajunchongtong class
ignitor placed in the back side of the shooting board.
Singijeon class projectiles were designed by Korean siege engineers specifically to be used in Hwacha. They were small size arrows usually shooted in multiples of 100. Called
(so) (소) they posessed a pouch of
black powder attached in the bottom near to the
fletching section. So they could be placed with the ignitor and pulled in order to shoot.
Because of the large numbers of arrows fired from Hwachas and the wide spread damage of its attack, a dense formation presented an ideal target for Hwachas.
The
trajectory of the
"so"-class(소) Singijeon projectiles was almost a
straight line. Operators used to fire the weapon with an angle nearly to 45
degrees in order to achieve a better range, but the
coriolis effect and
weather conditions and the during the battle generally shortened their striking distance to about 100 meters.
Hwachas' range could be extended if the siege weapon was situated in elevated places like
hills. Singijeon arrows from that position had a range of about 150 meters.
Hwachas were mostly used in defensive manners, however some Western and East Asian historians have recently concluded that in some cases they had been used in
sea to surface attacks and in
naval warfare as well, particulary in the
Battle of Noryang Point, during the
Imjin War in 1598.
The Hwachas were usually carried to battle highly
escorted and packed tied with ropes. Once the army settled down in
trenches, the operators would disassemble the siege weapon by placing the launching pad on the top. Transporting Hwachas were similiar to European
trebuchets and required assembling before using. All the pieces featured simmilar characteristics like
lego bricks, the mobile launching pad could be unpacked and easily placed on the wood outlet in the top of cart.
Once Hwacha was set up for combat, the operators would use the gunpowder stored on a tied on its uniform on each ignitor to be used for each hole on the machine. After that, the operators were able to load the Hwacha with arrows or iron
spikes and be ready for shooting. To do so, the operators stepped back and covered their ears, pulling the ropes that contained each ingitor thus
blasting fire on its opponent.
At sea, maneuvers were slightly different and complex because the operator would need to find a proper and stable place to fire. Usually some Hwacha operators preferred to be in the rowers deck where they were able to shoot from the windows, while others preferred to be in the main deck so they could shoot to the
sails of the enemy ships. This kind of maneuvers was particulary seen in Korean
Panokseon warships.
Hwachas saw action most extensively in Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea against the
Japanese soldiers. They were mostly placed in
fortresses or
citadels and used in defensive manners. These proved to be powerful in many battles, such as the
Battle of Haengju, in which 3,400 Koreans repulsed 30,000 Japanese with the help of 40 hwachas. and was well suited to combat dense formations of Japanese soldiers.
Hwachas were also used in battleships under the navy of Admiral
Yi Sun-sin to attack Japanese ships from a distance.
The
Japanese Samurai ground troops, typically advanced in dense groups, presenting ideal targets for the hwacha.
|
Modern portrayal of a Hwacha seen during attack, in Civilization III. |
A resurgence in popularity in regards to the classical Korean weaponry involved in Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea is seen specifically in modern
South Korean society where
historical dramas and
soap operas aired in major
private terrestrial networks such as
MBC and
public networks like
KBS have popularized it.
Real time strategy games of the era include hwachas as anti-personnel weapons. They have appeared in
Civilization series,
Play the World, and
Conquests. Hwachas were a featured unique unit for the
Korean civilization. In
Rise of Nations, the weapon responsible for their inspiration, Chinese
fire arrows, appears. They also appear in
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.
# ####
*
Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea*
Multiple rocket launcher*
Sajuntongchong*
Singijeon*
Fire Arrow
