Origins
The general consensus is that hand cannons originated in China, and were spread from there to the rest of the world. The earliest firearm was "discovered... in Manchuria dating from the 1200s", and the earliest artistic depiction of a hand cannon is a firearm-wielding figure that was found in twelfth-century Sichuan. The earliest reliable evidence of hand cannons in Europe comes from the 14th century, during which time both Europeans and Arabs appear to have begun using them. In Asia, the Koreans acquired knowledge of the hand cannon from China in the 14th century. Japan was already aware of gunpowder warfare but did not mass produce firearms until 1543, when the Portuguese introduced matchlocks (tanegashima).
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