Of course, like shields, crossbows are not mainstream in Japan and are not representative.
Because AOE is after all a game, it often emphasizes the characteristics of CIVs, such as the “mascot” Zhuge crossbow, which has never been installed by the military in history. Zhuge crossbow is just a toy or a self-defense weapon for civilian guards, even if it appears in the military, it is only a personal act.
But after all, the application of crossbows and shields by Japanese people has been very rare in history, so from the perspective of highlighting the characteristics of CIV, it is more appropriate for Japanese people in AOE4 not to use crossbows and shields.
If AOE were to reproduce completely according to history, we would find that the main techniques and tactics of each ethnic group in the world are very similar, making the game uninteresting.
At least this provides a reasonable explanation for the Japanese having Springald in AOE4.
The Japanese crossbow appears to have completely replicated the Chinese crossbow, which is completely logical. After all, there have been many cultural and technological exchanges in the history of the two countries. These pictures show us the huge differences between Asian crossbows and European crossbows. The arm of Asian crossbows is obviously larger and more like a bow overall. Considering that the AOE4 currently only has a model of European crossbows, I suggest that the official produce an exclusive appearance of Eastern crossbows for China and Mongolia.
By the way, in fact, the popularity of crossbows among the Mongols is also very low, and it is also not mainstream.
As Ahioz said, the images represents repeating crossbows, Zhu ku nus, and the ones that are too big for a man to carry, are Ballistas (Justification for japanese to have springalds). They were usually purchased from China (Han, Jin, Tang) or Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, ) during the Early Middle Ages (? A.D - 1180 A.D). In fact, there is mention that during their wars with the three kingdoms of Korea, the Japanese used ballistas (siege weapons) in their ships. The European crossbow as we know it had not yet been invented, so the Japanese lacked it.
However, after the Heian period, during the Shogunates (1180 - 1873) and almost the entire Late Middle Ages and early Modern Japanese Age (Age of Empires IV period), the Japanese lacked crossbows in their armies or as military weapon, and was more used as a “collector’s item”.
THE REASON.- There are several factors, but the main one curiously has to do WITH BUDDHISM.
1).- Materials.- It turns out that to make a crossbow (European model) you need a string that can withstand the tension of the bolts about 5 to 10 times the force of a bow, as well as a frame that supports the torsion itself. In medieval Japan, the only way to get these strings was using animal horns or sinews, vegetable fibers were not strong enough for these strings or as a frame, in fact the Japanese bow is made of light wood and is probably one of the most lightest in the world. Why they didn’t get animal parts, here comes the problem:
2).- Prohibition of Hunting (The Buddhist veto).- In the year 675 A.D., the Emperor of Japan Tenmu, who was supposedly a descendant of the goddess Amaterasu, approved Mahayana Buddhism as the state religion, a religion that curiously despises the gods or deities from which they claim to descend (with the exception of their own Boddhishata). Among some of the orders that were given to please the new Buddhist officials, were the ban on hunting, which at first was only for certain months, to control the animal population. Eventually Buddhism grew so much that the new emperors only tightened the rule further. At first this only affected hunting, and left livestock and milk products free, at least in the Heian period. However, by the year 1549, according to the Jesuits, hunting was completely prohibited and even the use of parts of cattle animals was seen as mutilation. Of course, this was for the common people, the nobles, especially those who did not respect Buddhism, hunted in their private preserves and ate meat at parties (One of Oda ########## brothers even died while hunting).
3).- A weapon that was too expensive.- Because hunting was prohibited, and animal parts such as leather, tendons and others could not be used, the weapon became too expensive, practically a weapon of the black market, which could only be obtained by purchasing it from the Mongol Yuan Kingdom (1271 - 1368), which were practically enemies of Japan at that time and only the black market brought them. This is a curious contrast to the West, where the crossbow was actually created to be a cheap and easy-to-handle weapon.
4).- School of weapons, too simple for a noble.- In addition to being expensive, Japanese weapons were used by clans with a military tradition. If the weapon was incorporated into the training school, it had to have a use. The crossbow was too expensive and too easy to use, apart from practicing marksmanship. This made it a weapon that couldn’t be improved, especially if the clan depended on this school to grow. Being economically inefficient due to its cost-benefit, no school that used crossbows survived and there is no mention or records of battles or heroes that used these weapons.
5).- It was not necessary, under the idiosyncrasies of that time.- During much of the late Japanese Middle Ages, armor was not strong enough to resist steel arrows at close and medium distances. On the other hand, a gun that took 5 to 10 times as long as a bow to shoot, that had the same effect, was not as effective. Finally, if the opponent’s armor was very strong, an attempt was made to create new weapons to overcome this problem, among them the Kannabo and a type of Giant Axe, although in the end the most effective was a spear with a sword tip, a type of Yari. It was not until the Sengoku Era, with the European contact (1537) that after the appearance of the first arquebuses, the Japanese also acquired the technology of “Plate Armor”, and considered creating armor that resisted arrows, and even bullets. Since they already had firearms, they didn’t need the crossbow.
Well, the Japanese Island was forbidden for foreigners by law.
That made the Japanese completely isolated from the world.
That is why they have their own way of making weapons and armors
Moreover, most Japanese soldiers were lightly armored, therefore, no need for a slow reloading crossbow.
A simple bow would do the trick 10x times better.
Regarding shields, the Japanese samurai armor attached the shield to the shoulder.
The upper part of the arms that are covered by the square thing is the shield of the samurai.
This is the most common shield in the Japanese history.
