Bugyotsuji

Even with improved accuracy this Wiki answers article suggests that it took 3,000 bullets to wound one enemy combatant during the Vietnam War. As is "normal", figures will vary from year to year, and especially from source to source. But more often than not, the figures given closest to the date of occurrence appear to be the most accurate. During the early 1970's the figure of 3,000 rounds of small arms fire, per enemy casualty, was given. This had a profound effect on individual rifleman tactics. Shortly after these figures were accepted by the US Army, the M-16 rifle's full automatic switch was modified for short bursts. Until there is another change made, Vietnam will be the FIRST and LAST time in history in which the individual rifleman had "Rock an Roll" (full automatic capability). http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_ ... ietnam_war

Surely that has to be the -fune of Osafune, Dave??? Osafune an old, old word meaning the place of a longboat; Osa is an ancient Korean pronunciation of Naga- or Cho- (long).

Talking of black lacquer, here is my 20 Monme on its stand in the hall.

Lovely story, Ian, and for some reason totally believable. Bullet molds/moulds. Note the unusual double one from this morning. Large Hayago, one with Umebachi Mon.

Eric, I wonder if you could take a shot or two including the pan and lid, open and closed. Thanks!

In massed attacking armies, you would only need to fire at the wall of advancing soldiers and your ball would surely hit something! Who hits whom might not be so important! I have just found some photographs of breech-loading Tanegashima(s), and a close-up shot of a bolt action Tanegashima. Today I had some luck at the antiques market. I found a couple of large bore Hayago, which was unusual as they do not come up too often. There was also a twin Tama-igata with two ball molds in the one head, a first for me.

I have only seen a couple of these here in Japan in recent years. They look a bit like butane bombs, or something! Probably designed to look like a miniature cannon. Size-wise and shape-wise, they could be used for a practical Netsuke, although they are a little heavy, but this would surely be a secondary function. The primary function would more likely be as you say as an eprouvette, with very little kick, and you could wear gloves or wind a cloth around it to avoid burns. They may even have had a rudimentary wooden rest/block/carriage originally. Netsuke-deppo or Teppo-Netsuke for display on a silk Obi would generally tend to be lighter, quite intricate, and decorated.

Eric, apart from the (?) silverwashed serpentine and lock, your piece is almost 100% typical Bizen, at least what I can see from that distance, even down to the Kanmuri otoshi on the offside of the butt. (Fujioka-Ryu) Can you get a closer shot of the lock area? Although you do find brass, the Bizen lock is typically of iron/steel, but usually goes a dark rusty color/colour. Possibly someone in the West may have cleaned yours up in some way? As to the bolt action conversions, M. Jones, they are mentioned in Perrin's book, but you are perfectly right. A nightmare proposition.

Have you posted a picture of your gun here before, Eric? Maybe we can help you narrow it down? Thomas, thanks for the recipe! Now, if I could just catch and milk one of those elusive Japanese moose...

The book actually has a part II, at least in Japanese. I thought I had both books in J and both in E, but I've either misplaced Part II (E) or lent it to someone, or quite possibly my memory is playing tricks and there was never an English version of Pt II. There is a very shortened version on the web, Eric. Try , or if that doesn't work, misspell it and try "Japanease" for luck!!! Click on MATCHLOCKS http://japaneseweapons.com/

Eric must be referring to a warning that was posted here on the NMB a year or more ago about 'pure' clove oil ( a blue substance?) being terribly strong, so never to use that by mistake on your Nihonto. Normally-sold traditional clove oil however, the diluted version, is what has always been used apparently, and people should not go wrong.

One of the causes of misfires is residual oil, so we have to be very careful as Ron says to clean it off before use. I use a whole range of gun oils I bought in the West, depending on my mood. A light gun oil seems good. Our members tend to use CRC 5-56 from Kure. Not quite sure why. http://www.kure.com/line_up/556/index.html What they used in Edo and before, Eric is a good question. I would suspect it might be something they would already have to hand, eg clove oil for cleaning/protecting swords. Perhaps Ron can answer this better.

Astonishingly good description by Ron there, and in fact, despite doing this process every week 15 weeks a year, I learnt a couple of useful things from it. Many thanks. The only thing I might add, and this may be self-obvious, is that pouring scalding water down a funnel is a very dangerous job!!! You may want to position the barrel somewhere so that you do not need to touch it, and to wrap the barrel in a towel so that you can lift it and turn it round to pour the other way, and hold it steady while you ramrod it. The added benefit of the boiling water is that the residual heat evaporates all the rust-causing moisture out from inside the barrel, the touch hole and around the kusabi and ama-ooi. PS One further WARNING. Never forget to replace the breech plug. One of our members forgot during cleaning and reassembled his gun for a display. When the order was given to fire, much of the explosion went up into his right cheek and eye. He still has black freckles on his upper right cheek today.

Certainly Ron, I can ask. I have connections to the people there. Nothing in the book though, sadly. All it says is Yoshida Rikizo (+ on left, alongside, Zo? = possession of) and down below Bichu Niimi Ju My 'boss' description above was not good. Typical Bizen-zutsu pins simply have silver heads, as you say. That sounds much better than the way I phrased it, and it would indeed be a nice touch to get your pins replated.

The name on the far left is your gunsmith in Niimi. There was a line of gunsmiths there, and the Sakai influence was very strong. Collectors living in the Niimi area still keep an eye out for these when they turn up. On the map you can see the Sanyo-do. The central part is divided into Bizen, Bichu and Bingo, with Mimasaka above. You can see Niimi in the north of Bichu, at about 10:30 on the map. It is true that the whole area of present-day Okayama corresponds to a general appellation of Bizen, but not in the narrow sense. Just for readers who may be confused, the main indications of a Bizen gun are a dark lacquered stock, all-iron lock, kemuri-gaeshi, panlid and and serpentine, (though the inside of the panlid is lined with brass). The locking pins are usually headed with a silver boss. The muzzle is a smooth-surfaced Rakkyo pickled onion shape. There is often a kanmuri-otoshi cut-out along the top outside edge of the butt.

The problem is, it depends who/what your audience is. Also, are you talking specifically about the 'kizami' themselves, or the Saya design, the general effect of the Saya? Many Japanese terms have no 'proper' English translation and are used in Englsih, with a supplementary word or two for clarification. If you are talking to people who know about Netsuke and Inro, then you can use the word Inro in your translation. The concept of Inro is quite well-known in the West. You can say something like 'Inro drawer design' or 'Inro section design', or 'Inro sections'. If, however, you want a general audience to understand, but you want to keep the idea of Inro in there, then you have a larger problem, and your translation might include some description, so that it becomes quite long. You might want to say that the saya is in "Inro design, ie marked off (delineated) in sections like in a Japanese hanging Inro medicine container". Or you can avoid the problem completely and go for something like Ron's translation above, IMHO.

Many thanks Eric. Noel Perrin takes a rather extreme position with which some people disagree, but his book is well worth reading. Food for thought. I must go back and read my copy again! Interestingly, in light of Mr Jones above mentioning Western 'threaded breech plugs', the Japanese word Bisen actually means 'tail plug' even though it is threaded as a giant screw.

Over use of the word 'authentic' tends to drive me away. Some things on that site are... well, but the box you mention does look genuine.

Many thanks everyone for your replies, with some fresh angles on this. A child? Hmmm... .

Thanks John. Just inquiring for a friend in need!

Whoops, excuse me, yes! Thank you. Is such a link possible?

不忘勇子 This was written on two sides of a skull Netsuke. 不忘 on one side and 勇子 on the other. Can anyone help me discover who is Yuko, or Isako? Surely not Hatakeda Yuko?

Yes, it is interesting when you put it so clearly like that, MrJones. Sakai guns may be a third way, closer to the West, highly decorated possessions of the rich merchant class.

Tanegashima have followed many paths up to the present day, Eric. Many are still as they were, or have been taken back from modernization to their original look. These will all have their paperwork and stay happily within the Japanese context, registered as works with historical or artistic value. The Tanegashima stock and barrel is pretty sturdy, so with a quick lock and pan fix they were able to evolve and be pressed into service with a temporary patch measure on many occasions. All you needed was a Teppo-kaji blacksmith and the know-how. I have seen all kinds of 'modernized' locks, but bolt action, not a lot, Eric. We must remember however, that they were all smooth bore. Perhaps by the advent of bolt action, rifling was a prerequisite, so only as a last measure or as an interesting mental challenge would they be made into bolt action. It would require too much work to change it into a breech loader and add the mechanism. Japan has occasionally fallen on hard times and the family Tanegashima was pressed into service for bagging game in the mountains, I guess. I once owned a leather powder flask with remnants of blackpowder inside. The powder scoops were old brass rifle cartridges, with the edges worn on one side. What does this tell you about how late it was still in use?

There were many kinds of shot. What the farmers used I do not know, but this distinction between military and agricultural guns may carry on psychologically the tradition of rank separation between samurai at the top, and farmers in the next rank...ie 仕農工商