Bugyotsuji

Eric, regarding the date of your gun, I have found a reference to your gunsmith Kagoya Yosouemon as a 平鍛冶 and a date of 享和元年 In 「日本の鉄砲鍛冶」　by Hideaki Uribe 占部　日出明 p.58 平成二十年　2008

They put my blast on the front of one of the sections of this video clip, just up. That is the newly-purchased Shizutsu gun firing for probably the first time in 170 years. The first two shots in line were misfires until I got the hang of the exact way to set the match happily. The matchcord was actually extinguished twice, partly because of the very high (96 degrees) humidity but also because the burning tip needs to fall squarely over the panhole. (Each serpentine has its own peculiarity which needs to be felt out and learnt.) Some of us fire 1. a long gun, 2. a Tanzutsu/Bajozutsu pistol and 3. a Kakae O-zutsu. (PS Not yet seen the clip as this home PC is stuffed and refuses to play YouTube.)

To answer Bazza's question to Chris, "So, is there a Meikan for gunmakers?" One of the volumes of Ogasawara & Yasuda's 2001 two-volume printing is called 「全国鉄砲鍛冶銘鑑」　so in a sense yes, there is a Meikan. The 2nd volume is titled 「全国鉄砲鍛冶銘地域別分類」 The limitations of this boxed text I have described above. The 2008 treatise (since updated) by Hideaki Uribe 「日本の鉄砲鍛冶」is not called a Meikan, but I am hoping it will cover for some of the failings of the earlier book. I have written to the author this evening asking how they differ in his mind. Just had a message from him saying it should arrive in the post tomorrow...

Just to add spice to the story, I have found no Norimitsu 則光　Mei recorded with "Jin/nin"...

The lady shoots movie clips on a small digicam, and then extract stills of the moment of ignition, apparently. Dang, you got me Henk-Jan. Actually that one was Children's Day in Kurashiki back in May. It was the shot further down in the next section on the right that I was particularly proud of. Too small, though. PS I will compose (or start off anyway) two booklists regarding J guns somewhere on the site, one for books in English, and one for those in Japanese. Most people will already have the English illustrated hardback book(s) by Mr Sugawa (not to be confused with Sawada Sensei.) In the meantime I went ahead late last night and ordered Mr Hideaki Uribe's softback home-printed list of Japanese gunsmiths which I discovered yersterday. How could I have missed its publication!?!?! Nuts. I chatted with the author over the phone yesterday and sent off the 2,800 JPY this morning. Will report in more detail once it arrives. I know it has lists, and it also has quite an impressive bibliography of just such local archives as Ian suggested in an earlier post here, such as the records of the Kunitomo/Nagahama smithies. Uribe has read all these apparently!

Ian, Sawada Sensei has published a lot of pamphlets and handbooks, but his big navy blue hardback is the best all-round book to get. HenkJan, you mean the ramrod (in English) and in old Japanese the Karuka (or Sakujo). Glad he didn't hit anyone. Actually all kinds of accidents are possible. Have a look at the update on our homepage. Yesterday's shots are down in the bottom section. It is interesting to see how the husband and wife camera team has improved, and it is also interesting to see the fire characteristics of each gun. See if you can find me! http://www.nihonntou.net/teppoutai4.htm Some fancy photography here from a member of the public: http://oocamera.exblog.jp/

Having just written the above, I ran across a more recent handmade book this afternoon that I am going to buy. It's a private publication by a chap called Urabe who lives in Shikoku. Again, long lists of Mei in Japanese. Interestingly, I was also told that the book the Shinsa/registration people use for reference is my old favorite fallback: "Nihon no Furuju" by Sawada Sensei. All in Japanese but with quite a lot of background information, and if I were to translate a book in this lifetime, this would be the one to choose. Some names of representative smiths are given but the lists for each Kuni are short, so by no means exhaustive in this respect.

Ron, thanks for the suggestion. I will be contacting you personally but I am shagged out after an 18-hr day yesterday, then staying up all night to watch the Candian Grand Prix, and then work today. I thought a quick generic answer here might kill two birds with one round. Even with an English version available I can imagine a lot of disappointed faces. "What, is that all? Thanks for nothing, I am sure."

Recently I had to re-register two guns after returning from Japan Week in Portugal. Now it seemed to me that the old gentlemen who were noting down the special features of each gun, also consulted their books. I could be wrong, and the books were simply primers for registration, or there for the swords that day. I have since asked some knowledgable friends and they assured me that such a volume does not exist. My secret plan is to phone or visit the Cultural Section in the Prefectural Education Committee and try to double-check this. I have heard rumours/rumors that despite their serious faces they actually know less about old firearms than we give them credit. On the other hand, there is/was a two volume private printing in a cardboard cover which records all the known Tanegashima Mei (at the time of printing 10 odd years ago). I do not recall that the registration officials had this volume. This is a) long out of print b) almost impossible to get as no-one wants to part with theirs, c) in need of more addenda as many more J matchlocks have come to light since then and therefore d) in desperate need of an updated reprint. There were rumors/rumours of an imminent reprint and I have been eagerly awaiting such for several years. Content. There is no information or comment regarding the recorded Mei therein. No dates or ages.　It's a straight list, in Japanese only. One of the volumes lists by area, and includes maps of the gunsmithing areas. The other is an a-i-u-e-o national alphabetical listing of smiths. (Kunitomo alone covers 70 pages.) Some of the smiths' Mei, but not many、 include a date and perhaps a smith's chiselled word on the method of manufacture, which can be useful on occasion if you can cross-reference two corresponding names. Very much the exception though.

What a great thread. So much food for thought. Henry, how much does Togi-beri feature in the difference in feel between a Kamakura and a Kanbun blade? (Better declare an interest in this question. You have just called my Shinto blade a "poker")

Mmmm... great story Chris. Hoping that you still have it and photos will be in the pipeline!

How's your translation machine? In this article... http://www.asahi.com/kansai/news/OSK201106060007.html ...it says that on the 5th of this month (June) at Azuchi Castle a group of four had dressed up in armour to do a live firing display. During the reloading of his 30 Monme O-zutsu one bloke accidentally set off his hand-cannon and sustained very serious burns to his face. (The grim details have not been published.) Well, this has had a very negative affect on the Police and authorities regarding the holding of such events. It was already hard enough. We had to apply in triplicate back in February for the big display in Akashi tomorrow. Suddenly they withdrew the permits and asked us what extra guarantees we could give to justify going ahead with the event, the centrepiece of so-called 'Time Week'. Our leader was quite displeased with the bloke who had thought he was a real expert, but never considered that his actions might reflect on all matchlock companies throughout Japan. He wasn't even a proper member of a Teppo-tai, but simply someone who enjoyed shooting guns (5 modern guns in his cabinet) and made an elementary mistake. Luckily the police accepted our supporting paperwork and reassurances that we are not a bunch of looney gun collectors or amateur shooters, but we do this properly and responsibly as a Martial Art. Anyway I will be up at 3:00 am tomorrow (Sunday) to leave at 4. They have asked me to help dress the present Daimyo of Akashi who will be joining our procession (his very first return for his family to Akashi) and wants to wear full armor/armour once in his life, as do his present-day Karo and retainers. The Mayor of Hagi also will be coming from Yamaguchi to observe, because I believe they are considering setting up a Choshu teppo-tai and want to see an example of what can be done.

Eric, the Kanji on the front, says, wait for it, ... 前 front!　Most Yoroi-bitsu have this character on them. The Mon is a 16-petal Chrysanthemum, with a leaf design in the center/centre. Ura-giku? 裏菊？

My very first gun was a baby Hazama from Awa. The quality of the steel was not good, but the wood of the stock was wonderful. Most Awa guns have tiger stripes burnt into them artificially, but mine had natural tiger's eye Mokume patterns in the wood, polished up rather like a sword blade. I never fired that gun, but it was such a pleasure to bring it out and hold it, the long dead-straight smooth stock taking me straight back to the original craftsman who fashioned it. The woodwork alone engendered something like love in my heart! The barrel was created in the Awa style by Yamada Gohei, a Settsu gunsmith, probably in Awa, considering the quality of the iron.

Lorenzo, your wife looks at what you write!!! How can that be? Eric, maybe you were not meant to own it. I have a list of excuses in my brain for self-preservation, without which I would buy everything that came my way, selling the wife and the house in the process. In this case, however, not one of them worked and the gun ended up sliding into my hands. Rules of self-preservation. 1. Don't get up and go to that early antiques market. Enjoy the lie-in. 2. Get up and get dressed and go, but take all the money out of your wallet, except for say 50 bucks. Hide your cash card somewhere in the car where you are highly likely to forget it. 3. Go with someone who also has strong will-power, and vow to help each other buy nothing. 4. Look at an object, fine, but bite your tongue and do NOT ask the price. 5. Feel no pity for the antiques dealer, and marvel at how you can say "I am just doing a circuit first." 6. Vow not to go back to that stall. 7. Think of sex. 8. When you come back to the stall, don't catch the holder's eye. If he/she is with a customer, take that as a sign from Allah/Jehovah. Fervently hope and pray he has sold it to someone else, completely, finally and irrevocably removing the temptation to break all your vows and buy the damn thing. 9. Do not make friends with any of the dealers, or they might allow you to take it and pay later. 10. Tell the dealer that you want it, but your wife came too, and you can feel her eyes boring into the nape of your neck...

Yari kake, teppou kake, generally tend to have strings on them and I have always thought it was for safety in earthquakes. More than one usage. But I do like your example, Eric.

Eric, there is such a mass of detail there that you are wise to keep it for future reference! Ian, your observations are spot on. With the increasing appearance of Western ships off the shores of Japan the Tokugawa started to increase their orders for more guns. Bunsei/Bunka period, 1800-1830. In order to rearm the whole country, it took time to increase numbers though, where the industry had been seriously wound down. Your catalogue sounds fascinating. Ron, yes, it is a Samurai gun, Shizutsu, expressly designed for the battlefield. I bought it for practical use in our displays here. You startled me with the bit about the wife. I did follow the Three Golden Rules. 1. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. I replaced it in the gun case and moved old trusty to my place of work, hoping she won't notice the subtle difference in appearance. 2. If she does say something I have some clever back-up plans. An old lady left it to me in her will. Years ago, don't you remember? 3. I sold the other one and bought this one out of the profits, with enough left over to fix that broken guttering. Besides, where does she think I got the money for her airfare from?

Cannot recall having seen a 'rivet' like that. Always a first time, though! Does it look the same on both sides?

Andrew, my books only deal with 'old' smiths. There is a 'Shinto' (?) Yoshisada with those Kanji in the Toko Soran, p.723 but he is 宮野義定　Meiji 34　（国不明）

Oh, and two of the first things to check when you consider purchasing one of these.

Overall shot, and the plainness of the reverse.

The previous owner polished up all the brasswork so it will take a while to settle down to a good ole patina.

Not quite sure where to post this. I bought another Tanegashima Matchlock the other day. The gun is in pristine condition and looks to have been used very little. The barrel bears the Mei 国友林右衛門 重当　Kunitomo Rin (Hayashi) Uemon Juto/Shigeto, and the number 四 can be seen inside the Dogane brass band. Inside the belly of the stock is written in brush ink the stock maker's name 伴　治平斎（？）基重　and the number 四. It appears to be a 6 Monme, 1.6, 1.7 cm caliber. (The authorities made a mistake on the Torokusho 1.3 cm, LOL, so I will have to have it reregistered next week.) The gun 'feels' to be about the same age as my 1.7 cm Kumamoto Castle Hosokawa long gun, which is dated 1847. Whereas that one is a military gun through and through and bears the shape of the manufacturing area, Higo in Kyushu, this 'new' Kunitomo gun is typical of the Ogino-Ryu school of gunnery and, typical for Kunitomo, lacks any defining Kunitomo regional characteristic. Two back sights and one forward, inner lock mechanism and iron serpentine. What is interesting is that despite this gun having no decoration on it at all (the plain drilled Mekugi-ana having no surrounds, and there is no decorative non-functional brasswork on it anywhere) my gun collector friends have been drooling over it and congratulating me on a very wise purchase. What are they seeing? Beauty in simplicity of function? Lack of ostentation? Singularity of purpose?

Unless someone pulls me up short, :lol: I would say that is definitely a different Yoshisada.

Nice. I like the ishidzuki. Can we see a piccie of the rivet, Eric? Are you sure it is not a screw that has been damaged? You know the threads traditionally went the 'wrong' way and people often screw them up! :lol: