also: はちまんせん · ばはんぶね · はちまんぶね
Japanese pirate ship (medieval)
Historical term for ships used by Japanese pirates (wokou) during the Middle Ages, often bearing the Hachiman (八幡) banner.
In medieval Japan, Hachiman ships raided the coasts.
This document describes the structure of Hachiman ships in detail.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading ばはんせん is the most common.
Alternate reading; less common than ばはんせん.
Rare reading using ぶね for 船.
Rare reading combining はちまん and ぶね.
From 八幡 (Hachiman, the Shinto god of war) and 船 (ship). The name likely derives from the Hachiman banners flown by these pirate vessels.