bluelake

It looks very similar to a US naval officer's sword I have.

Thanks, Ron. Actually, I will be doing research into Korean swords in the next year or two, so that aspect will also be very helpful Thomas

Hi, My name is Thomas. Although I'm originally from the US, I have lived in Korea for the past twenty-one years, teaching Korean history and English in a university. My major area is late Joseon dynasty, especially dealing with Joseon military. I have been doing a lot of research on Korean firearms over the years. Since the matchlock design Koreans used for three hundred years originally came from Japan (a few years prior to the Hideyoshi invasion in 1592), I have a great interest in it. It was nice to see that many on here have an interest in them, too. This past summer, while visiting family back in the States, I spent a lot of my time shooting a reproduction 鳥銃 ("Jochong" as the matchlock is called in Korean) I had a gunsmith craft for me. It's a .45 cal. smoothbore that can really deliver a ball. I'm looking forward to spending more time with it this summer when I visit back there again. I also look forward to matchlock conversations on here and will undoubtedly have some questions for all the experts on here as well!