Why do the Japanese have this unique ability to adapt Western

>>2636637
less cultural inertia. The Japanese at the time were constantly fighting each other so any leg up was immediately useful.

China literally believed they were the center of the world

>>2636644
Let me add though that the Chinese unwillingness to innovate is greatly exaggerated and they adopted matchlocks too

>>2636644
>China literally believed they were the center of the world
中国 means Inner Kingdom more than Center Kingdom as the moronic memetastic translation will have you believe. In other words it's just another way of saying "our country" as opposed to outsiders' countries.

>>2636637
You should read Giving up the Gun

>>2637624
Not him but when I learned Mandarin in high school a mainlander taught us that it means "Middle Kingdom" hence the center or middle of the world thing

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>>2636637
>Basically revolutionize their military as soon as they come into contact with matchlock rifles, turning their military into gunpowder capable armies in a few decades, when the Chinese had gunpowder for hundreds of years and couldn't nearly do such a thing
BUT THEN
>CANNOT PUT CANNONS ON FUCKING SHIPS
>CANNOT FIGURE OUT CANNONS TO SAVE THEIR LIVES.
During the Imjin War, the Japanese had more muskets and better musket tactics than both Korea (who had zero) and China (who had some but fewer than nips).

However Ming China levelled the playing field by having more cannons than anyone in East Asia.

>>2637635
There are several problems with that work.

>>2637873
Yeah the Japanese had trouble with cannon design. my understanding is Japanese made cannons basically like big guns which was time consuming and didn't work very well. The Japanese had to import their best cannons during the period. They were however very interested in western ships and cannons,and before the closed the country off they were looking into those methods before they did a 180 and closed the country

>>2637635
The Japanese never "gave up" the gun.

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The Japanese are controlled by a Caucasoid, aryan elite (Ainu)

>>2638117
Is that the mascot of /hm/?

>>2637624
Citation?

Because I'm Chinese and I find your "translation" amusing.

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>>2638117
Wrong

>>2637624
>Inner Kingdom
The original meaning of Zhongguo was the territories directly controlled by the Zhou kings as opposed to their vassals.

Zhongguo became a geopolitical term for northern China soon after and was used metaphorically by southern dynasties and even the Vietnamese.

>>2637873
>China (who had some but fewer than nips).
No,the Chinese clearly had far more matchlocks and arquebusiers in the entirety of the empire but they mostly sent cavalry/mounted infantry from northern garrisons.

>>2637900
>Yeah the Japanese had trouble with cannon design.
The Japanese used breech loading cannons for siege defense,they lacked the logistical support(lack of pack animals for one) or the infrastructure to use them en masse.