Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 6, 2009 1:27:19 GMT -5
A 200 rocket-propelled exploding-arrow launcher from Korea.
I would have bet that it was a D&D invention, but Mythbusters made it happen.
MythBusters - Hwacha
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeQTpmaEkMY
The hwacha was a brainchild of its predecessors, the Juhwa and the Singijeon. The first hwacha was made in 1409 during the Joseon Dynasty by several Korean scientists --including Yi Do (이도) (李蹈) and Choi Hae-san (최해산) (崔海山)[2]. It is unlikely that the hwachas made around this time participated in combat[3].
During the rule of Sejong the Great, hwachas were further developed and extensively made. Records shows that during this time 90 hwachas were in use. King Sejong, famous for his contribution to Hangul, made efforts to improve the hwacha and by the end of his rule; by the time he was through, 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[4]. 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[5].
Role during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598)
Hwachas saw action most extensively during the Japanese invasions of Korea against the Japanese soldiers. They were mostly placed in fortresses or citadels [6] and used in defensive manners. These proved to be powerful in many battles, and were most prominent in the Battle of Haengju, in which 3,400 Koreans repulsed 30,000 Japanese with the help of 40 hwachas.
Hwachas were also used in panokseons under the navy of Admiral Yi Sun-sin to attack Japanese ships from a distance.
The Japanese samurai ground troops, especially in the Battle of Haengju, typically advanced in dense formations, presenting ideal targets for the hwacha. ...
During the rule of Sejong the Great, hwachas were further developed and extensively made. Records shows that during this time 90 hwachas were in use. King Sejong, famous for his contribution to Hangul, made efforts to improve the hwacha and by the end of his rule; by the time he was through, 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[4]. 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[5].
Role during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598)
Hwachas saw action most extensively during the Japanese invasions of Korea against the Japanese soldiers. They were mostly placed in fortresses or citadels [6] and used in defensive manners. These proved to be powerful in many battles, and were most prominent in the Battle of Haengju, in which 3,400 Koreans repulsed 30,000 Japanese with the help of 40 hwachas.
Hwachas were also used in panokseons under the navy of Admiral Yi Sun-sin to attack Japanese ships from a distance.
The Japanese samurai ground troops, especially in the Battle of Haengju, typically advanced in dense formations, presenting ideal targets for the hwacha. ...
More at ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwacha
A thread on China History Forum by Liang Jieming on a model
www.chinahistoryforum.com/lofiversion/index.php/t9272.html
