Viper6924

Let me go out on the proverbial limb here and state that this is a late Edo period Tazuke-ryu matchlock with one or two unusual features. The square-shaped end to the butt and the round bisen-screw is spot on Tazuke-ryu. The somewhat elongated Kaiguchi (grip holding the matchcord in place) might also suggest Tazuke. That it lacks a signature is completely unimportant as Piers already explained, even if a signature would help us locate where it was made. In this case my bet would be Kunitomo or Sakai/Osaka. The shape of the trigger is really unusual, but if you handled a lot of matchlocks, you know that there is always that odd one. The flat look of the trigger guard also looks a bit strange. The stock? Well, I actually think it might be the original one. The wood is quite light and might have had some polishing done to it, but otherwise it doesn’t seem to lack anything. The fittings around the pan look to be of very nice quality. As Brian said, some more pictures might help us to further narrow it down. An interesting study piece! What’s the caliber? Jan

There’s another ”hint” to this being a modified long-gun; the Hibasami or Serpentine is too long for such a short matchlock. I always look for a sort of harmony on shorter matchlock carbines and pistols. This one lacks that to some extent. I also agree with Piers that this gun used to have four mekugi pins and that the barrel band was added after the gun had been shorted. Also, the total length of 99 cm is also very strange for such a model. Jan

An interesting matchlock. I get a Sakai feeling when I see it with the sakura-decoration and the flared muzzle. These long guns were indeed used to be fired from castles. The shooters could actually stand on raised platforms during sieges. Kochi Castle on Shikoku still displays these constructions in a very clear way. This enabled them to stand one atop the other and engaging the attackers. Jan

Well, I followed the auction live when this beast came up for sale. If I’m not mistaken the hammer price was $8500. So there should be some room for negotiation on the asking price Jan

Well, it’s quite clear from the signature that your gun was made by a different gunsmith. I will leave it to more knowledgeable people to translate it properly. But the 1840s is spot on for this matchlock. If I’m not total off the inscription in the last picture is a year. Jan

This is really interesting. I have an exact copy of your gun with the small brand. The brand reads ”Sho” which is short for Shonai. I dare to say that the signature on your gun might read ”Sendai ju Konno Chozaburo Nobuaki saku”. With the brand in mind, this gun, and mine, was probably part of a larger shipment from Sendai meant for Shonai. Sendai-zutsu was highly sought after all over the northern parts of Japan, as this gun clearly indicates. Would be fun if you could crack open the old lady to see if she carries the same signature. Jan

Sweet!!! Judging by the top picture of the five guns, I would like to place their orgin (left to right) Tosa, Sendai, possible Hizen, Sendai, ? and Sendai. To see three possible Sendai-zutsu is nothing you see every day. Could you please take a closeup of the branded kanji underneath gun no 2? Dave, mostly Japanese Oak. Jan

So many matchlock, so little time You have a very interesting collection. To my knowledge, this is the first 10 Monme matchlock I’ve seen featuring a solid breech tobi no o. As this was a feature made to make large caliber matchlocks managing greater loads of black powder, I see no real use for it on a 10-Monme. But it’s def an interesting detail. Jan

A semi-torn bicep is no fun. You should def not try to lift O-zutsu for a while. Keep posting pics. Not every day you see monsters like this. Jan

Gary, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; great collection of O-zutsu!!! And please, remove the barrel on the Yonezawa. I’m dying to know the signature Jan

Some candy for us tepponistas. Equipped with a solid breech (tobi no o) which is quite rare and only found on O-zutsu from 30 Monme and up. I’ve seen it on matchlocks from Yonezawa, Bizen and the island on Shikoku. Hope you can open it up so might see if there is a signature present. Jan

You can’t go wrong with €200 Jan

It’s a darn shame that someone polished this matchlock to an inch of its life. This is a very interesting gun. Several features, to me, points to this gun being quite old. Look at the rather small pan equipped with a deep compartment for the priming powder. Also the overall size, shape and caliber makes me want to place it in or around the Keich-era. It’s very similar indeed with my Kunitomo long gun from the end of the 16th or beginning of the 17th century. We will never know for sure, but I could be ok with Kunitomo or Hino as its origin. Apart from the ”polishing” a very interesting matchlock. Jan

Looks like a bisen in good condition. As Piers, I’m also currently trying to dislodge a bisen from an old Satsuma-style matchlock. Been going at it since December. I wouldn’t call it a war but there is def ”an absence of peace” between me and that darn screw. But after reading this post, I will continue tapping the metal and adding some new anti-corrosion oil. Hopefully one day... Jan

It’s a tight race Yes, the old lady is nicely made. Thank God I found it before it ended up being polished down to her bare bones. Jan

You should read my book at least three times per year, in order to keep your knowledge fresh :) Rumors tells me that something else is in the pipeline, that hopefully will further your knowledge regarding Japanese matchlocks If you look at the published Tazuke-ryu matchlocks, I would say that about 95% of them comes from Kunitomo, which makes this Sesshu one, all the more interesting. Jan

It’s indeed Tazuke-ryu no 2. Having a military-grade 6 Monme already from the very beginning of the 17th century, I found this ”Hoso-zutsu” long gun (thanks for clarifying the name, Piers) quite interesting. As it has a small caliber, 1,07cm, I would probably like to imagine it being used as a practise gun on the range. It’s completely unaltered with all the patina left in place. It displays every single feature expected from a Tazuke-ryu matchlock, making it the perfect study-piece. Uwe, this one actually carries a Sesshu-signature putting it’s origin to around the city of Osaka. When I first encounterd this matchlock, I thought just like you that this was a Kunitomo. But when you compare it to my other Tazuke-ryu, which was made in Kunitomo, there are minut differences in place. Jan

We all know how important the first buy of the year is, right Well, it’s a very auspicious event, so I sat on my wallet passed Christmas and until the 1st of January. Feeling very auspicious right now :) Jan

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Well, being far from an expert on these miniature guns/testers/artifacts, my first impression is that the touch-hole looks very small. How would it be possible to ignite the main cache of black powder? The shape of the end is also interesting. Pretty sure that I never seen anything like it before. Again, the vaste majority of Japanese powder testers I’ve seen, sports a fish tale at the back. Piers got in interesting theory about that So my humble conclusion is that this can’t be a weapon and I doubt very much that it’s a Japanese powder tester. But in this game you must have an open mind... Jan

A nice find ”Down Under”, Barry! These (genuine) bajou zutsu is getting quite rare. There are so many long-guns being cut-down and sold as carbine or pistol-matchlocks. But it’s all in the balance of the serpentine, stock and the pins holding the barrel in place. This gun def got that balance. I think the lock looks quite crude, to be honest. The possible connection to Satsuma is interesting. A lot of the gunsmiths down there, only signed with the name. Early matchlocks made in Satsuma differs quite a lot from the ones we associate with that area. But they always got one or two details that points to Satsuma. I can’t really see that in this gun. But as Piers said, the gunsmith might have relocated during his life, which might explain the problem to nail it down to one area. The muzzle is interesting and might also point to a southern origin. Jan

Sounds intersting, Ian Can you add something to your post? I’ve not read the book. Jan

I think I managed to cover all bases by calling it a ”decorative artifact” To me that elevates it from toy to something, well I just don’t know. One thing I’m pretty sure of; this is not a gun. As it doesn’t look like a genuine Japanese powder-tester, I guess it’s anyone’s guess to what it is. Jan

Well, this might be a case of ”one bad seed...” After a quick glance on the page you added, I can say that most of the weapons depicted, looks to be genuine (the multi-barrel matchlock in the top right corner, might be a bit suspect ) and demonstrate many different styles and schools. Even in the finest collections there are fakes. I have yet to find an auction-house in the world, which has not sold an object of suspicious origin. Also, this ”hand-cannon” is completely unpractical. It’s not even 9cm in total length. The reason for two sights, can only be decorative. I myself got one of those genuine Japanese powder-tester, and I’ve handled a few more. Mine only got a small front-sight, which of course is a purely decorative feature. I don’t think I can add so much more to this topic. Let’s call this a decorative artifact within the field of antique firearms. Jan