watsonmil

Dear Piers, It may have come across as being a personal criticism of Justin ( not my intension ) as I believe if anyone is progressing rapidly in their understanding and appreciation of the Japanese Matchlock it would be Justin. I was only using Justin's Japanese word " hibasami " as an example. My concern is that we are all able to understand what is being discussed without either speaking or reading fluent Japanese and/or owning a copy of Shigeo Sugawa's book ... The Japanese Matchlock - A Story Of The Tanegashima - . I envy you on your capabilities in the Japanese language and I applaud Justin in his pursuit of learning Japanese. I wish I had the aptitude but sadly I do not, nor do the majority of the readers have this aptitude. I often find when reading for instance some ( certainly not all ) of the Nihonto postings that the average collector feels the study of the Japanese sword is an " Elitist pursuit " when they should not, and are afraid of being chastised and consequently do not post. That to me is sad, as this is above all a learning and sharing forum. ... Ron Watson

Dear Geraint, No, ... that is not quite correct, the spelling is Tanegashima ... NOT ... Tangashima. . ... Ron Watson

Dear Ian, Right on ! ... Ron Watson

Dear All, I do not know quite how to approach this subject ... Japanese nomenclature verses English nomenclature when discussing the Japanese Matchlock. I am beginning to see a trend which I am not sure is good or bad. Some here will agree with me and some will not, ... that is what discussion/debate is all about. I use the word Tanegashima whenever I speak of the Japanese Matchlock, ... but another Japanese term is Teppo, or Hinawaju. You will NOT see me use the word Jita when speaking of the lock plate however, ... nor will you hear me use the word Yuojintetsu when speaking of the trigger guard. Justin used a Japanese word in a previous post " Hibasami " meaning in English Serpentine. Again you will not hear me use the word unless forced to. If the point is to show off how much one knows more than his fellow enthusiast by use of Japanese words, ... then you can count me out along with many other potential hopeful students. It JUST IS NOT NECESSARY to substitute the Japanese term for the English term in most cases. We must use judgement and a degree of caution in my opinion. Don't worry, ... I believe I know the difference between a butt protector and a shiba-hikigane ( the same item ) only English / Japanese but I doubt most of you do nor many Japanese for that matter. In a recent article I described making a replacement " HIBUTA " ... pan cover for a Japanese matchlock. If I had not added the words PAN COVER to my article, how many would have by-passed the article because we are not all fluent in Japanese. Hell even the average Japanese would not have a clue what a hibuta is ! The point I am trying ( not sure if I'm being successful ) to make is that the over use of obscure Japanese words is a detriment to developing an interest in the Japanese Matchlock. It is on a whole a lot like the nomenclature in use by the Nihonto ( sword ) fans outdoing one another with their superior intelligence and having a SPECIAL Japanese word for every nuance ... no matter how insignificant. If you've ever spent a social evening with a group of Physicians ( God forbid ), you will get an idea of what I am speaking of. On top of everything else, ... the Japanese tend to have at least 3 words for almost everything which does not help. Your thoughts and criticisms are welcome. ... Ron Watson

Dear Geraint, I am not sure I'd want to own ... " one of those ". It would be my guess that this is an amateurish " put together " pistol. 1. We have a western style flat screw holding the serpentine ( hibasami ) which obviously goes right thru the stock and threads into a brass chrysanthemum plate ( za-gane ). If the gun is genuine this would mean the Japanese gunsmiths were using fine threaded screws which they were not prior to the Meiji era. 2. The barrel appears to be much older ( badly pitted all around ) than the stock ( which is also of unusual taper and shape ). The hole at the Bizen ( breach plug ) is from corrosion caused by the acids in the black powder residue eating thru the iron barrel. 3. The barrel has no ama-ooi ( barrel protector ) ... nor does it ever appear to have had one on THIS PISTOL ... again too difficult for an amateur gun maker ? 4. The pan itself has no cavity ( hollow ) to hold the priming powder ?? Indication that the pan may have been cut off horizontally at some point ?? I just do not know, ... but not normal. 5. If you look closely at the breach of the barrel .... I am almost positive ( in fact I am positive ) ... that the barrel has at sometime been cut ( shortened ) ... and about 1/2 inch of barrel ( breach section ) has been added to the barrel. Notice how the flats on the two sections of barrel do not quite line up and in addition the difference in colour between the two sections of barrel. 6. The barrel has no fewer than two holes drilled into it to hold the barrel to the stock. Normally we should see a small half moon shaped tit on the bottom side of the barrel for the pin ( mekugi ) which is the pin hole used for securing the barrel to the stock. Instead here we see a hole drilled thru the barrel proper to act as an ana ( unheard of ). In addition if you notice we also have a hole drilled directly upwards into the barrel to obviously accommodate yet another screw for which there is another brass chrysanthemum plate on the bottom of the stock ... again unheard of. 7. The hole ( ana ) on the bottom of the stock and its accompanying pin ( mekugi ) are going to block any insertion of the necessary ramrod ( karuka ) to a few inches ... far shorter than that necessary for loading the gun. 8. The thumb extension on the serpentine sorry hibasami ( a further little thread to follow on the over-use of Japanese nomenclature ) when discussing Tanegashima ... is simply a post matchlock era ( generally ) ... of a European designed lever for opening the breach of cartridge guns. In short I would have to agree with the proprietor of Seryudo Co. Ltd. .... it is a rare pistol ( probably one of a kind ) ... which I would not care to own nor would I recommend to any of you. ... Ron Watson

Dear Jan, Refer to the links Brian provided. I have been around guns since I was a child and daily ever since. What you have in spite of wishful thinking is simply : 1. a toy, 2. a fantasy piece purporting to be a powder tester, 3. an unusual netsuke. My bet is it is an out and out fake as I am sure I have seen two of these now which obviously came from the same maker and were being sold on Japanese Auction Sites. As a matter of fact the most recent was only a few days ago. I note it is now gone ... is this it ? It would take me all of a half hour to make one, ... another 15 minutes to load it with black powder and fire it 2-3 times ... set it aside for a few weeks and voila the necessary " it has been used " appearance. Sorry if I sound too blunt and hard, ... but it is the truth. ... Ron Watson

Dear Brian, I don't see Piers volunteering ( not that I necessarily blame him ). He already has enough on his plate and I or someone are always asking for something. As far as writing a letter goes, ... when I wrote to The NBTHK back in 1994 regarding the Nobuyoshi sword I own, ... I wrote in English, a standard business format, with a standard closing. The answer I received was also a standard western style business letter but signed with a seal. When I wrote the Tokyo National Museum about a Tanegashima, .... I received a reply in Japanese ( which I had an old friend translate ... now deceased ), ... but never the less a friendly letter answering all my queries. Now the fact that I sent an email to the dealer ( Seiyudo Co. Ltd. ) without mentioning the bloody weather, ... but did ask specifics ( respectfully ) about the pistol's mechanism and closing with a Thank you, but not wishing him prosperity and good health ... is not bowing deep enough, ... I can only assume he knows nothing about the pistol and very little about how to deal with a potential foreign customer. What I received was a " brush off " obviously understood in any country. If someone else on the NMB wish to email an enquiry about the pistol's mechanism ... please do. Here is the email address : touken@seiyudo.com I shall be surprised if the proprietor is in the least interested in responding, ... but you never know. ... Ron Watson PS. Malcolm ... thank you for the link. The International language of business is English and if the proprietor were interested in making a sale or answering an inquiry, I'm sure he would have overlooked my lack of Japanese etiquette. The pistol I believe is offered as " bait " to stimulate interest in looking about his site. Personally I do not believe he even owns the pistol in question.

Dear All, As per Brian's suggestion, I contacted Seiyudo Co. Ltd. twice by e-mail and I believe I explained myself fairly well, ... I used both English and Google translated Japanese text to inquire about the automatic feature on this pistol. The following is what I received in reply not once but twice. Unless Piers or some other member either living in Japan or visiting Japan can view and examine the pistol in hand, ... sadly we will have come to a dead end. Dear,Ron Watson Very thank you. This gun is an article not for sale. Yours sincerely Seiyudo Co., Ltd Tadashi Shono ********************************************************************* -- 刀剣・古美術 誠友堂 ... Ron Watson

Dear Gary, For beginners, ... it is an oldie but goodie : The Samurai Sword by John M. Yumoto. I also recommend : Fact and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords as translated by Paul Martin. Another : The Japanese Sword by Kanzan Sato. I should imagine that Grey Doffin will probably have most in stock. His site address : http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com ... Ron Watson

Dear Brian, Indeed, ... although there is not the same amount of interest as Nihonto or Kodogu, ... many many books have been translated from Japanese into English, German, French on these two subjects ... and when one considers that in the world, Samurai Swords are not exactly at the top of everyone's list of Best Sellers list perhaps it is a feasible idea. ... Ron Watson

You can if you prefer ( I do ) silver solder rather than lead solder your pan cover together. The best silver solder to use is : SSF-6 Here is a link to a tutorial on SILVER SOLDERING USING SSF-6 : ... Ron Watson

CONTINUATION OF PHOTO'S

The last article I wrote on restoration was on making the hollow pin for the matchlock pan cover. Another piece that is sometimes missing from a Tanegashima is the brass Pan Cover ( Hibuta ). Since all Tanegashima were hand made, ... no two Hibuta are ever the same, ... therefore if yours is missing ... you will have to either make it or have someone make one for you. It is not terribly difficult if you know a couple of the tricks, .... so lets have a go. You will need the following tools : 1. A metal wire saw ... ( you can get away with a hack saw and grinding wheel accompanied by filing ). 2. A small selection of files, ... a sparkplug file, a small fine fine file, and a small triangular file. 3. Apiece of light cardboard ( such as found on cereal boxes ). 4. A sharp pencil. 5. A propane torch or oxy-acetylene torch ( ONLY the oxy-acetylene if you are going to use silver solder instead of regular solder ). 6. A center punch. 7. An electric drill and 7/64 bit ( measure the diameter of the Pan Tray hole for the right bit size but usually 7/64 inch or 4 mm ). 8. a pair of scissors. 9. Some fine emery paper. 10. A small C-clamp. You will need the following material : 1. Some 7/64 inch ( 4 mm ) ... bloody metric ... sheet brass . 2. A thicker small piece of brass about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch by oh say : I inch long ( 5 mm x 5 mm x 25 mm ). 3. Regular solder or I prefer SSF-6 Silver solder. 4. a small bolt size 7/64 or 4 mm diameter about 1/1/4 to 1 1/2 inches long ( 35 mm to 40 mm ) and 3 nuts to fit. Before we start, ... very rarely can Hibuta be found which were cut out from a single block of brass. This can be done with patience but you will need a solid piece of brass anywhere from 5/8 inch ( 16 mm ) thick to 9/16 inch ( 14.25 mm ) thick and 2 1/2 inches long ( 63.5 mm ) by 3/4 inches wide ( 19 mm ). I have not tried this method, but should I make another I will give it a try. For now lets stick with the more common method of manufacture. Well lets give it a go .... Cut two pieces of your cardboard ... each piece 1 5/8 inch x 1 1/4 inches ( 4 cm x 3 cm ). Now take one piece of cardboard and slide it on top of the pan tray and inset it up against the barrel being sure to go under the slit in the Ama-ooi ( brass barrel protector ). Now with the cardboard in place turn the gun upside down and trace around the pan tray with your pencil. NOTE when you look at your tracing about 1/8 inch or 4 mm will not have crossed the end of your cardboard which is the part protected by the ama-ooi. Take a straight edge ( ruler ) and draw a dotted line from one edge of your tracing across to the other side as in my photo of the tracing. Set this piece of cardboard aside, and repeat with the other piece of cardboard making a tracing of the bottom of the pan tray this time. You now have an exact pattern for top and bottom of the pan cover we're making. NOW, ... this is important ... add using your pencil about 1/8 inch ( 4 - 5 mm ) free hand to your cardboard patterns ... SEE PHOTO. This extra is to attach your pan lever. Using your scissors cut out the patterns ( being sure NOT to cut along the dotted line on the top cardboard pattern ). Now lay your cardboard pattern on your sheet brass using one of the straight edges for your pattern straight side. Trace with your pencil around the pattern onto the brass. Now note one of your tracings is a tiny bit bigger ( 1/8 inch or 4 mm ) deeper if you've followed directions ! Using your wire saw cut out your brass top and bottom from the brass sheet. NOTE : If using a hacksaw cut angles to just touch your pattern line from different angles, ... then using your flat files remove the excess metal ... don't go over the line drawn on your sheet brass ! Now's the moment of truth, ... taking your brass pan bottom ... try it and see how close you've come to your Tanegashima's pan tray. Pretty damn close ... YES ! Using a long leaded pencil or even a correct fitting nail ( to the pan tray hole ) mark your brass tray cover bottom and then center punch ready for drilling the aperture ( hole ). You can actually at this point drill your hole if you want since any fine filing will now be on the outside edge of your brass. Taking your top pan cover brass ... file evenly and flatly along your DOTTED line until you make this section of your pan cover just nicely slide under the ama-ooi ( brass barrel protector ) up against the gun barrel ( make sure you file the correct side ) Once it has, ... mark for drilling the pin hole as previously described for the bottom part of your pan cover. Be exact this is no time to get careless ! Drill your hole. Now, ... we are going to make the small ( usually triangular ) pan cover opening lever. With the pan cover pieces in place on the pan tray, ... use your small " C " clamp to hold them nice and snug ( I like to use a small piece of writing paper between the brass covers and the steel pan tray to allow just for the slightest of space ... ( slack ). Now mark and then file your thicker piece of brass ( see item list # 2 ) until it just nicely fits between the two pan cover brass pieces ( top and bottom ). Once this fits, ... file a slight angle so that when in place the piece of brass sits on about a 10 -15 degree angle outward ( see photographs to understand ) Trace with a pencil the outline top and bottom on the lever brass where it should be once we remove these pieces from the pan tray. Removing the " C ' clamp, ... remove the pieces. Now cut off the excess brass on what is going to become your pan cover lever, leaving about 3/4 inch ( 18- 20 mm ) . Any further filing to shape can wait until after soldering. Reassemble your pan cover using your " C " clamp to hold the pan cover " lever " in place. NOW here comes the TRICK ... using the little bolt insert it part way thru the top pan cover brass and then .... between the two halves screw on TWO nuts allowing enough of the bolt to exit the bottom of your pan cover brass to add the 3rd nut ... ( see photo to understand ) Now gently snug up the bottom nut. You want to now using what it left of the end of your pan cover to fit it to the end of the pan tray up to the bolt ( RE-READ this last sentence until you understand ). Adjust the one nut on the inside and snug up the bottom nut until you have a nice tight ( not pinching tight ) ... but tight fit to the pan tray. Remove your pan cover and solder the pan cover top and bottom to the brass pan lever arm. Allow too cool on its own. You now have a nice snug fitting pan cover. Having left the bolt IN PLACE, ... you can now file the pan cover LEVER into the desired length and shape ( I prefer triangular as pictured and besides its easier than getting too fancy ). Now remove the bolt and nuts and try your pan cover on your gun. Place in the hollow pin ( we made in a previous article ) and adjust the outside by carefully filing so as not to mark the steel pan tray. The pan cover should just barely extend over the edges of your pan tray. You may also have to file the inside to remove any excess metal or solder from your pan lever. Carefully note where things do not close properly and gently file until the pan cover fits like a glove. It should be snug, ... but open with and close with thumb pressure. Finish up by slightly rounding the outside edges of the pan cover using fine emery cloth. Do not round the sharp edges of your pan lever ... these look better to me sharp. Patinate to the correct colour using previously described methods in other threads and there you're finished and you did it yourself ! It only sounds difficult ... once you get started common sense will prevail and where my instructions sound complicated ... all will become more logical. ... Ron Watson

Dear Jan, I know for a fact you have some very fine Tanegashima. Why not post some pictures here with a description of what you know about each. I also failed to mention your collection of accessories. ... Ron Watson

Dear Eric, Those links are an absolute joy to look at. I am personally related to a couple of the items pictured and I note you are related to at least one . Thank you for sharing . ... Ron Watson

Dear Arnold, I do not know the answer to your question, ... or for that matter whether it can be answered with certainty. I should think ( speculation only ), that if a smith were patronized by a specific Daimyo that he might well be forbidden to make swords for the merchant class and/or consider himself to haughty to stoop to serving the merchant class. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, As of June 21st, 2014, ... the NMB now has a new section unto itself : Tanegashima / Teppo / Hinawaju ... Discussion on Japanese Matchlocks and early firearms. Brian is currently working to filter out previous threads on the subject from the various sections previously used by members posting questions, describing their firearms, and in some cases the historical use/background and moving them to this new section ... a huge task. To quote Brian and I most certainly concur with him : " I think that already we have more English info on these guns here than any published book. Should be a great resource. " Those of us interested in this subject are most fortunate to have this new section added, and I would hope that as many members as possible join in the discussions or start a thread of your own. Just because you may be a novice to this Japanese/Samurai Art form does not mean you should be backward in participating. We have some very learned people here as members such as Piers Dowding, Ian Bottomley, Justin Grant ( whom is getting very good ) and others. If I have left anyone out without specifically naming you ... it was not my intention. I do know for a fact that because of the free giving/sharing of knowledge of these gentlemen, that they have spurned an interest by the number of people who now read and/or contribute to our collective knowledge of the Tanegashima. On a personal note, ... I am thrilled with this new section and I am quite confident that those surfing the Internet for information will eventually end up here and hopefully become members. Again I will quote Brian ( Site Administrator ) : " I think what we also need now is a picture thread, where everyone can upload pics of their own guns. A picture library of sorts. " PLEASE if you own a Japanese Matchlock or Antique Japanese Firearm ( not WW1 or WW11 please ) .... Take this opportunity to photograph your gun and post. ... Ron Watson

Dear Arnold, The same as today .... MONEY :D ! ... Anonymouse Ron

Dear Brian, There is no harm in trying. I have sent an e-mail to the seller. Hopefully we will get a response .... for the kind of money he seems to be looking for ... I should hope so ! ... Ron Watson

Dear Brian, No, ... if there is one thing I'd bet the " family jewels " on ( taking into consideration I don't use them much anymore ) is that according to the internal sliding rod guides ( note I said guides and not guide ) which narrows down the possibilities of what the brass pan cover arm ( rod ) had to fasten to ONE, ... and the push rod's position next to the serpentine pin, ... I am 99 44/100 percent positive I have it all correct. I used the same rod as previously used when I had incorrectly assumed it was for a pin storage compartment and soldered on the brass push lever. The only other modification I had to do to the rod was to drill a tiny hole and insert a steel pin for the square edge of the serpentine pin to catch and move. This logic seems simple now, but when you are working from logic rather than photographs trying to understand someone else's mechanical ingenuity who has been dead for nearly 400 years it is not so simple. The later pistol also having an automatic pan cover opener I am certain operated on a different system ( later improvement ) ... and I can PROVE this. Look at the photograph from Sawada's book and you see a BRASS LEVER the same as I reconstructed ( Munetoshi's design ). Now on the later pistol, ... do we see a brass lever ... NO, ... but we do see a TIT on the pan cover which goes into the opening on the side of the pistol replacing the BRASS LEVER of the earlier system's design. I would love to see how the gunsmith got the later version to operate but unless someone can convince the present owner to disassemble the lock ... we shall never know, and my brain already hurts enough from reconstructing Munetoshi's design to not delve into solving the other design. ... Ron Watson

Dear Eric, I had at one time discussed co-authoring a book on the Tanegashima with Piers. Given the high cost of printing and the VERY limited interest such a book would get ... kind of put us/me off on following it up. Publishing a book is a very expensive proposition and I at least can ill afford to lose a wad of money. The only alternative I have bantered around is something a friend who specializes in Grenades ( also of limited collector interest ) put together some years ago and that was to write the book and have the necessary photographs and text printed by a commercial printer on decent stock but with 3 holes punched with the intent of allowing the buyer to place the pages in a three ring binder. It would not be pretty, ... but to me at least it would be an economical way of disseminating the knowledge before one or the other of us are too old or worse dead. This I have not discussed with Piers. We had bantered about asking Ian ( although we never approached him ) to contribute. By doing a book in this fashion one need only print up a limited number until sold out and then print up another batch of pages. It would even work out to add a supplement as new information becomes available. To do this project myself would be very difficult as I have no mastery of either spoken or written Japanese and I am not so sure that I am even scholarly enough on the subject to tackle it. In the meantime I will try and write an article now and then for the NMB and give opinions for what they are worth. It is better than not doing anything ... even though I sometimes come across as a crusty old man. ... Ron Watson

Dear David, I believe the meaning is : Type 38 - Model of 1905, ... found in Long, Short and Carbine configurations. It is somewhat unusual to find the Chrysanthemum in place rather than either ground off or disfigured if captured during WWII. The Type 30 was used by front-line Japanese forces in the Russo-Japanese War. Although it was a major improvement over the Type 22 rifle (also known as “Murata”), it had some reliability and safety issues. Based on combat experience, an improved version, the Type 38 rifle, was introduced in 1905, although not all units received the new version and, as a result, a mixture of models was retained by the Japanese Army into World War I and even later into World War II. Part of the above information courtesy of Wikipedia. ... Ron Watson

Dear Eric, Yes indeed I was rather rude and it really did not hurt me in the least to re-read Shigeo Sugawa's book. Is his English book so full of MAJOR errors, ... I would have to say no. Could he have or could his translator/interpreter have done a better job ... yes. I don't think he meant his book to be a scholarly work but rather a primer or introductory book on a subject little appreciated or understood in the West ( and even less so in my opinion in Japan ). Perhaps I am somewhat biased in my opinion of Sugawa in that I expected at least a cursory reply to my snail mail letters of some years ago, .... but even with my bias, I would find it difficult to rate his book as scholarly. It is an excellent primer no more no less. Eric, ... I accept that my reply to your queries was on a whole indefensible and I extend my apology. I must however in defense say that I took your post as a bit of a personal attack rather than just genuinely questioning my reasoning. It is still does not excuse my rudeness and for that I am sorry. ... Ron Watson

Dear Eric, Ah, ... nitpicking are we ? You are getting as bad as the Nihonto purists. In my posting I actually extend to Shigeo Sugawa a great deal of credit for having published in English. " Some of his writing has inaccuracies. However having said that, ... we English speaking students would be at a great disadvantage without his book. " Along with some of the inaccuracies pointed out by Piers ... ( Piers, .. I along with you have been silly enough to bend to Eric's post ) and re-read Sugawa's book. If we are going to worry about DETAIL ... I would like to point out that his description of loading a Tanegashima or practically ANY muzzle Loading firearm requires the use of a wad between the powder and ball, ... or at the very least a PATCHED ball. In the case of the Tanegashima for the first shot at least a wad is ALSO rammed down the barrel AFTER the ball to hold the bloody ball from rolling out the barrel ... ( smooth bore remember ). This last wad is usually not necessary after the first shot as the fouling inside the barrel provides enough friction to hold the ball in place. He makes no mention of this and believe me it is IMPORTANT. Quickly looking at his on-line site, ... I notice he writes : " The barrels of Japanese matchlocks usually are seated very deeply in the gun stocks and are held securely by three or four bamboo pins. " He fails to mention that a goodly number of Tanegashima have brass stock rings ( dougane ) rather than pins holding the barrel to stock. Also while we are on the subject of his web site, ... his photographs of Seki guns and Mino guns portray the exact same firearms. Granted they come from the same area, but it is never the less confusing to those without a knowledge of Japanese localities. Yes, ... I am also guilty of nitpicking, as I am guilty of making an error in my own writing on ANY subject. NOW, ... having wasted a goodly part of my morning catering to silliness, ... I base my criticism or rather statement that Sugawa to ME is more of a collector rather than a scholar in the fact that I at least have found him un-approachable. This is not the way of a scholar. I have written him BOTH in English and Japanese on more than one occasion and finally gave up as no response was forthcoming. In contrast, ... I have written to the curator of the Tokugawa Museum, and also the Curator of Japanese Arms at ... I believe it was the Tokyo National Museum and in both cases I received lengthy replies and my observations were noted and acknowledged. These to me are the actions of scholars. There we go, ... I hope I have answered your objections/disagreements Eric . ... Ron Watson

Dear Peter, Shigeo Sugawa ... the author or webmaster or whatever the correct term is, is well known as the only Author to publish a book on the Japanese Matchlock in English. He is basically a collector, ... and not really a scholar ( he might have a different opinion of himself ). I personally have found him un-approachable. Some of his writing has inaccuracies. However having said that, ... we English speaking students would be at a great disadvantage without his book. The only real Japanese authority ( scholar ) regarding the Tanegashima is Sawada Taira with his book Nihon no Furuju ( in Japanese ). It would be nice to have an English translation, ... but none so far and I am not even positive he is still alive. By the way he is also sometimes in error which I proved in restoring the Automatic Pan Opener Pistol by Munetoshi. I am hoping one day to obtain a copy of his work even if it is in Japanese, ... but being difficult to find I've had little luck. DO YOU HEAR ME PIERS DOWDING ?? ... Ron Watson