How to Read “下手な鉄砲も数撃ちゃ当たる”
Heta na teppou mo kazu uchya ataru
Meaning of “下手な鉄砲も数撃ちゃ当たる”
This proverb means that even if you lack skill or talent, if you don’t give up and continue to challenge yourself repeatedly, there is a possibility that you will eventually succeed.
What’s important here is that it doesn’t simply mean “it’s good to just blindly repeat attempts.” The premise is that there is effort and continuous commitment, and through the process of gradually accumulating experience, you can ultimately achieve your goals. It is often used to encourage people with shallow skills or experience, or to give courage to those who hesitate to take on challenges due to fear of failure. It is also used to reaffirm the importance of persistence when you feel your own inexperience. The reason for using this expression is to break through a state where you cannot act because you seek too much perfection, and to convey the value of practicing first. Even today, it is cherished as an encouraging message for people who are acquiring new skills or working hard toward difficult goals.
Origin and Etymology
The origin of this proverb is deeply related to the characteristics of firearms and shooting techniques during the Edo period. The matchlock guns of that time were vastly different from modern firearms and were weapons with very low accuracy. The quality of gunpowder varied, the barrel processing technology was immature, and they were easily affected by wind and humidity.
Even skilled shooters found it difficult to hit a target with a single shot, and it was extremely difficult for those with immature skills to hit accurately. However, on the battlefield, even if a shooter was unskilled, if they fired many shots, some of them might hit the enemy. This proverb is thought to have originated from this realistic tactic.
Military science books and strategy books from the Edo period also describe the effectiveness of quantity tactics rather than relying on individual skill, and in actual battles, area suppression through group shooting was considered important. In other words, this proverb was born not as mere spiritual theory, but as practical teaching based on the military reality of the time. It was passed down among samurai and eventually spread among common people, continuing to be inherited to the present day.
Interesting Facts
Records show that the hit rate of matchlock guns during the Edo period was about 30% for targets 50 meters away, even for skilled users. This was much lower accuracy than modern airsoft guns, truly demonstrating that “if numbers shoot will hit” was a realistic tactic.
Interestingly, the background of this proverb’s creation is thought to include a rebellion against Japan’s unique culture that emphasizes “kata” (forms). While martial arts emphasized mastering perfect forms, in actual combat things often didn’t go according to form, and the realistic lesson that accumulating practical experience was more important is embedded in this saying.
Usage Examples
- Since you’re new to sales, “Poor gun also if numbers shoot will hit,” so try approaching as many customers as possible
- Programming is difficult at first, but as they say “Poor gun also if numbers shoot will hit,” it’s important to keep writing code little by little every day
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, this proverb has taken on new meanings. In the information age, the value of “just starting” has been rerecognized in many fields such as social media posting, online business, and creative activities.
Particularly in the world of digital marketing, A/B testing and trying various strategies through trial and error has become commonplace, and the “if numbers shoot will hit” approach has been established as a scientific method. In content creation like YouTube and blogging, continuously posting rather than seeking perfection and not publishing anything is considered the shortcut to success.
On the other hand, there is also a tendency in modern times to emphasize efficiency and precision, and there is criticism of blindly pursuing only quantity. More strategic approaches such as data analysis and PDCA cycles are required in many situations.
However, precisely because we are in the AI era, the value of human-like trial and error and learning from failure processes is being reconsidered. Just as machine learning learns from vast amounts of data, humans can also hone their intuition and judgment by accumulating many experiences. This proverb continues to function as timeless wisdom that gives modern people, who tend to fall into perfectionism, “the courage to act first.”
When AI Hears This
This proverb perfectly captures the operating principle of machine learning algorithms, which form the core of modern AI technology. In deep learning, AI starts in a “spray and pray” state, making countless mistakes in image recognition, translation, and other tasks. However, through millions or even billions of attempts, it gradually improves its accuracy.
What’s particularly fascinating is the similarity to a learning method called “stochastic gradient descent.” This technique has AI deliberately repeat “poor shooting patterns” that include random elements, learning from failures to approach optimal solutions. When Google’s AlphaGo defeated the world Go champion, it was the result of learning from tens of millions of game records.
Even more remarkable is a computational method called “Monte Carlo simulation,” which literally “fires random shots” to solve complex problems. From calculating pi to predicting financial risks, this “spray and pray” approach demonstrates tremendous power.
It’s no coincidence that the principle of “quantity generating quality,” which people in the Edo period intuitively understood, has become fundamental to the 21st century’s AI revolution. Human experiential wisdom had pinpointed the essence of cutting-edge science centuries before it emerged.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us today is “the importance of starting first, rather than being unable to act because we seek too much perfection.” Precisely because we live in an era where social media has spread and we tend to compare ourselves with others by seeing only their successful parts, this teaching holds particularly important meaning.
When starting something new, we tend to postpone it, thinking “after I prepare more” or “after I improve more.” However, without actually taking action, we cannot gain real learning. Growth hints are hidden within failures and trial and error.
In modern society, the ability to continue challenging continuously is more valuable than succeeding in one shot. In an era of rapid change, maintaining flexibility and the power to act leads to long-term success.
You too might have something you want to challenge but are hesitating about right now. This proverb gently pushes your back. It’s fine to be poor at first. What’s important is to continue without giving up.
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