<Ul> <Li> Cannons became a common part of the samurai's armory in the 1570s . They often were mounted in castles or on ships, being used more as anti-personnel weapons than against castle walls or the like, though in the siege of Nagashino castle (1575) a cannon was used to good effect against an enemy siegetower . The first popular cannon in Japan were swivel - breech loaders nicknamed kunikuzushi or "province destroyers". Kunikuzushi weighed 264 lb (120 kg). and used 40 lb (18 kg). chambers, firing a small shot of 10 oz (280 g). The Arima clan of Kyushu used guns like this at the Battle of Okinawate against the Ryūzōji clan . By the time of the Osaka campaign (1614--1615), cannon technology had improved in Japan to the point where at Osaka, Ii Naotaka managed to fire an 18 lb (8.2 kg). shot into the castle's keep . </Li> <Li> Staff weapons of many shapes and sizes made from oak and other hard woods were also used by the samurai, commonly known ones include the bō, the jō, the hanbo, and the tanbo . </Li> <Li> Clubs and truncheons made of iron and / or wood, of all shapes and sizes were used by the samurai . Some like the jutte were one - handed weapons and others like the kanabo were large two - handed weapons . </Li> <Li> Chain weapons, various weapons using chains kusari were used during the samurai era, the kusarigama and Kusari - fundo are examples . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Cannons became a common part of the samurai's armory in the 1570s . They often were mounted in castles or on ships, being used more as anti-personnel weapons than against castle walls or the like, though in the siege of Nagashino castle (1575) a cannon was used to good effect against an enemy siegetower . The first popular cannon in Japan were swivel - breech loaders nicknamed kunikuzushi or "province destroyers". Kunikuzushi weighed 264 lb (120 kg). and used 40 lb (18 kg). chambers, firing a small shot of 10 oz (280 g). The Arima clan of Kyushu used guns like this at the Battle of Okinawate against the Ryūzōji clan . By the time of the Osaka campaign (1614--1615), cannon technology had improved in Japan to the point where at Osaka, Ii Naotaka managed to fire an 18 lb (8.2 kg). shot into the castle's keep . </Li> <Li> Staff weapons of many shapes and sizes made from oak and other hard woods were also used by the samurai, commonly known ones include the bō, the jō, the hanbo, and the tanbo . </Li> <Li> Clubs and truncheons made of iron and / or wood, of all shapes and sizes were used by the samurai . Some like the jutte were one - handed weapons and others like the kanabo were large two - handed weapons . </Li>

When did the era of samurai end and why