thanks everyone!
Very good, cheng, but would you explain the name, please. In the UK we have forces known as light infantry dating from the Napoleonic Wars. They were the first infantry to be armed with rifles rather than muskets and were used for skirmishing and reconnaissance. Their marching pace is much faster than that of normal infantry, quick march being trot.
interesting Gordon, dear friend.
Ashigaru (lit. lightfeet) were foot-soldiers of feudal Japan as the main force of battles.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi raised many of them to samurai status.
Yamauchi Katsutoyo was one of such samurai who later became a daimyo (Lord)
The real change began in 1543 with the introduction of matchlock firearms by the Portuguese.
Requiring little training (compared to the Japanese bow which took many years to learn)
At the Battle of Nagashino, ashigaru with tanegashima (Japanese matchlocks) thwarted Takeda's repeated heavy cavalry charges and broke the back of the Takeda war machine.
The advantage was also used in the two invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597 and later against the Ming Chinese.
