watsonmil

Dear Barry, I must disagree with Jean C. ........ the arrow points and arrow are most certainly Japanese. Although two are not of high quality, ... they are non the less the real McCoy ! I have similar examples in my collection which were purchased from Japan at least 30 years ago ... long before the Chinese entered the copy/fake scene. I would also congratulate you on the Yumi purchases you made. Both examples are very very nice. Good to see ... thank you ! ... Ron Watson

Dear Stephen, Yes, ... the stock is always one piece. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9771&hilit=acquiring+a+tanegashima ... Ron Watson

Dear Stephen, Here for you are the steps in breaking down a Tanegashima. Just don't BREAK it :D ! ... Ron Watson QTaking apart a Tanegashima A The following steps will make life easier for anyone contemplating separating the barrel and stock of their Tanegashima matchlock, in order to read the Mei. Illustrations below, Pics 1~5. PART ONE......OPENING 1. Remove the Karuka (ramrod). This allows the stock to relax its grip on the barrel. 2. Don't touch any pins connected with the mechanism, the pan lid or any to the rear of the mechanism. Remove the two (sometimes one, or three or four) horizontal Mekugi pins from the Mekugi-ana in the wooden stock, forward of the mechanism, pushing from left to right with the gun muzzle pointing away from you. (Pic 1) You can use your Nihonto Mekugi-nuki punch to get them started from the left side. They should be made of bamboo, (preferably smoked) but some Mekugi pins may be brass. You may encounter difficulty if the pins have been inserted incorrectly after their arrival in the West. Adjust accordingly. Note 1: Note they will be of slightly differing sizes. Lay them out in order to help you remember correct replacement. Note 2: When replacing you will know the barrel is sitting in the correct position if the pins slip back miraculously into their original positions. Note 3: Some guns have an extra brass band holding the stock and barrel muzzle together. Slip this off, noting whether it has an inherent 'correct' direction to it. 3. You are now nearly ready to separate the barrel from the stock. WAIT. Place the butt of the gun onto a soft object like a slipper and hold the gun upright. 4. Pull back the serpentine into locked open position. It's delicate, and may fall, but be patient and try again. 5. Hold the gun stock near the muzzle, between the straightened fingers and thumb of your left hand, barrel towards your left palm, (Pic 2 and Pic 3) ) and push the top of the barrel out with the heel of your right hand against the muzzle itself, until the barrel releases from where it is normally seated, with increasing strength if necessary. Some stocks have shrunk over the years, so you may need to bang the barrel out with hits from the palm/heel of your hand. Note: A rubber mallet may be necessary, but in that case you may want to save yourself trouble next time by candle-waxing the inside of the stock to decrease stickiness. (Or whatever your preferred method of gentle lubrication might be.) 6. The barrel should still be seated at the breech end, split out at an angle of about 10~20 degrees. Lift the whole barrel out gently so as not to damage the lock or stock sides. 7. On the underside of the barrel, (Pic 4) you may find the Mei, which is often the location and the gunsmith's name, (as in Nihonto), an indication as to the method of manufacture, and in very rare cases may give a date. You may also find some numbers indicating manufacturing process or related parts for castle guns or guns made in pairs or in quantity. Note: There is a high possibility that it will be badly rusted and almost illegible. Be careful not to attack the rust with any approach that you may regret later. How to deal with that is a separate subject, and is treated the same as the nakago of a Japanese sword. 8. Look for any lettering (possibly in brush and ink) inside the stock itself which may tell you something about the carpenter. 9. If you are lucky, the large, usually square-headed, Bi-sen ('bee sen') plug-screw will twizzle out of the barrel breech (Pic 5) ) and make cleaning it 100 times easier. Don't damage the Bisen with a heavy wrench. It will always carry the scars, not good; in the worst scenario the screw will split and shear in half, drastically devaluing your antique Tanegashima. There are methods of removing stuck Bisen screws, but that too is another specialized subject. (Initially you can insert penetrating oil from both ends and tap in all directions with a rubber mallet, and repeat over several days or weeks as necessary) PART TWO .......... REPLACING 1. Having cleaned the inside of the barrel and having lightly oiled everything, replace the Bisen. Note: Close too tightly, and a square-headed one may not fit into the receiving square hole in the mechanism area of the stock. Make sure the serpentine is cocked open. Line the screw head with the stock hole, even if you have to back off 1/8 of a turn. Holding the gun upright as before, lower the breech end of the barrel into place and swing the barrel shut. At this point, as with a Nihonto, a light tap will help it fall into the exact place. You may want to drop the whole gun an inch butt-first onto the slipper, but be very careful not to damage the end of the butt. A carpeted floor will be better than stone, for example. Note: You may find a few squeezes will help the barrel sit down deeply and firmly into the whole length of the stock. 2. The Mekugi pins should fit back into their respective holes. Remember, replacing, so start Right, through to Left. They should be fairly tight as they lock down through the loops on the underside of the barrel. Tap them home and see if they feel comfortable on both sides when you hold and aim the gun. Note: The pins may vary in size, depending on their position and the relative thickness of the stock. Don't mix them up! 3. Lower the serpentine gently, as always. Never allow the serpentine to fall directly onto the pan lid without a matchcord. Bad for both the lid and the serpentine. Insert a finger to catch and cushion it if you don't have a length of cord handy. 4. Replace the Karuka, (narrow end first), twist to find the tight spot .

Dear John L. The definition of an EXPERT : Someone who knows more and more about less and less. Now if you've ever spent an evening with two Medical Doctors let alone Specialist Medical Doctors ... then you'll know what I mean. They are so narrow minded and focused on ONE THING ( medicine ) that they generally have little or none of the character traits that one expects of good company or conversation. I have been studying Japanese Antiques ( not limiting myself to Nihonto however ) for well over 30 years ( make that closer to 40 years ) and I often find the NMB somewhat elitist, arrogant, and abusive. May you never become such an individual. Rather enjoy the Japanese Sword as well as other aspects of Japanese Art. As John Stuart put it study an example you may own or a school that catches your fancy, .... or develop a general knowledge of the Sword. It is not a prerequisite to be an EXPERT to enjoy some art form. It is a prerequisite to enjoy the educational experience of learning and the beauty of an object however no matter what level of expertise you attain. ... Ron Watson

Dear Piers, The quality appears to be suitable for a 本多家 or a girlfriend/boyfriend. More unusual Japanese customs of the Samurai era . ... anonymouse Ron

Dear Piers, A little akin to kissing death ( girls with black teeth ). The Japanese did/do have some strange customs ( in the eyes of a Westerner ) ! I think it would now make a fine Bon Bon container rather than some of the other uses suggested. It is very beautiful . ... anonymouse Ron

Dear Piers, A Japanese Bon Bon Bowl ! ... anonymouse Ron

It may not be Nihonto related, ... but a truly lovely piece in mine eyes for posting. ... Ron Watson

Actually Grey, ... I thought that was you in the orange shirt shoving a hundred dollar bill into the pocket ! Sorry I must have been mistaken ! ... Ron Watson

Dear Mark, Thank you so much for the photographs. I recognize a few faces from the times I used to attend. Older now, ... but so very nice to see them again. Some lovely swords as well by the way. ... Ron Watson

Dear Jeffrey, Please see my post ( scroll down to watsonmil ) : viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18623 It is really quite disgusting what these " important auction houses " continue to get away with. 20 years ago I visited Christie's in London at their New Bond Street address and I was treated like a King. Today, ... I would not meet their standards, I suppose and surmise I would quickly be shown the door. ... Ron Watson

Once again for the viewing pleasure of those of us who for a multitude of reasons were unable to attend, .... would a few of you attendees post some photographs for us less fortunate to enjoy. Thank you. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, Forgive me for re-erecting this thread, ... but this short video made our National News here in Canada tonight. Gives one thought about checking in your swords ( or any luggage ) at an airport https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQZYPjRPUb0 ... Ron Watson

Dear Stephen, I appreciate a good sense of humour , . NEVER LOSE it Stephen. ... Ron

Dear Stephen, Thank you for the link, .... I am in full agreement with you. As for the racoon, ... I know what I'd do with him given that around here they are considered pure vermin. ... Ron Watson

Dear Terry, Discussing philosophy with these die hard perfectionists will get you nothing but rebuttal. We are all impermanent as are the objects we behold as necessities of life or .... art. Some seek only the finest examples of kodogu or cars. My personal tastes are to acquire the very best examples of the various Japanese artifacts .... I hesitate on using the word ART, as the idea that these Japanese tsuba, swords, tanegashima, kiseru were designed as art works is quite incidental to their intended purpose. I have a friend who collects old west type firearms, ... the rustier the better. He feels that they represent the true feeling of the old west ( and its impermanence ). To most collectors he is a fool to waste money on anything but the finest examples of Colts, Winchesters, Remingtons, etc, but to him the essence is the FEELING ( emotions ) he gets from well used artifacts of an era long past NEVER TO RETURN. Now the fact that I try to avoid rust by no means makes me smarter or better. We simply have a different philosophy. He is happy in his world and I am happy in mine. It does not mean that I cannot or will not respect his perception of what is worthy. I hope you get the meaning of my ramble even if others do not. ... Ron Watson

Dear Terry, The tsuba you pictured is not cast, ... but rather a disintegrated rusted tsuba perhaps subjected to fire and far beyond restoration. If you care to see what your tsuba depicted originally .......... here is an example I own with ( raised design ) takaniku-bori of a peasant trying to lead a bull. Ko-Nara school in Ko-Hamano style circ. mid Edo. I only have a photo of it on hand right now and since it is boxed, ... I can only hope the detail is clear enough. Bull is iron with gold horns eyes and nose, ... rope is inlaid raised gold, .... peasant is inlaid raised silver, ... other highlights are inlaid raised gold. Size is 68 mm X 64 mm. Reverse is a raised iron sheaf of rice with an inlaid silver and copper sickle . Other highlights are in inlaid gold. The workmanship is excellent and is exemplified by the tiny hole in the end of the sickle handle ( for hanging ) which can only be seen using an eye loop. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, What I would like to know is exactly when the so called " Buyer's Premium " came into being ? It seems to me at least that I remember a time when there was NO buyer's Premium. If I remember correctly it was Sotheby's and Christies who brought in this gimmick so as to compete with one another on the SELLERS payable commission for using their respective auction houses. In other words if the collection/estate were large enough the two major auction houses would try to undercut one another's " sellers " fees ( commission ) to get the particular auction. I have heard ( hearsay ) that the Compton auction was at 2 % for the family. Now then there are some of you who will say that's just good business, ... BUT ... what about the buyers ??? Without the Buyers there would be no auction. Lets look at a typical smaller collector with say one or two really choice items and quite a few mediocre items. You can bet your last shilling that those same two auction houses will not even want to handle your mediocre items but will accept the choice items .... ah yes but at a full 25 % sellers fee plus listing fees, insurance fees and any number of other costs they can hit you with AND they'll still want another 25 % from the buyer. Here in Canada, there are a few auction houses that charge a buyers fee, ... but most ... at least those I have frequented DON"T. It is the sellers property and it is between him/her and the auction house what the commission will be. They only hope that enough buyers attend to make for a decent sale. What these big auction houses are doing smells of GREED, no STINKS of GREED ... nothing more nor less. It is my sincere hope that Sotheby's, Christies, Bonham's eventually go belly up and that that their business practices become a thing of the past. I will not live to see it happen unfortunately as change takes time. Answer me this ... when will the buying public call enough is enough ? Is it 30 %, 40 % 50 % ? I do know that I for one will never sell nor buy from these piranha. ... Ron Watson

Dear Eric & Piers, I must totally agree with Piers that the carriage is a later addition to what appears to be a genuine Edo period barrel. But ... first lets deal with the measurements : You say the barrel is 40.8 cm ( 16 inches ) ... the total length is 143 cm ( 56 1/4 inches or 4 FEET 8 INCHES ) .... something is not right here. The measurements are obviously in error. This error does not however account for the following errors in authenticity. An opinion ONLY. 1. The patina of the wood just does not look correct. 2. You may have noticed that the gun carriage wheels appear to be concave, or “dished”. We have the Romans to thank for this. The Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians all had war chariots, but with flat wheels (spokes, hub and rim in the same plane). These could run at high speed behind a team of horses, but could not be turned without stopping, dismounting and leading the team around to point in the new direction of travel. When cornering, all the weight of a vehicle transfers through the axle to the outside wheel hub. The higher the speed, the more force is exerted. Putting pressure on the hub of a flat wheel would cause it to fail; they lost a lot of charioteers that way. The Romans looked at this situation and, with their superior engineering abilities, developed the concept of the dished wheel with an iron tire heat-shrunk onto the rim. With this design, the hub was braced by the spokes; there was not enough force generated in high speed turns to induce failure. For the most part, all wheels were made this way, including those for cannon carriages, up until the beginning of the twentieth century. Regarding the above, ... for whatever reason wheeled transport was not terribly common during the Edo period. Excuses for this have been given that this use of wheeled vehicles ( carts, wagons or GUN CARRIAGES ) were prohibited by the Tokugawa to prevent the easy movement of armaments. It has also been put forward that Japan's terrain was not conductive to wheeled transport. It has also been suggested that since an individual was discouraged from travel outside their province this was the reason as wheeled transport would have been more pleasant and quicker. However many woodblock prints exist showing wheeled carts, ... so although wheeled transport was not terribly common it did exist and was well known. HOWEVER, .... the fact that the Japanese knew nothing of the concept of the concave ( dished wheel ) is fact, ...yet the wheels on the pictured cannon carriage appear to be concave and therefore POST Edo period. 3. Notice the crack or to describe it more correctly the cut down the sides of the main carriage, ... yet this cut does not appear in the muzzle end photograph ?? What is its purpose other than decorative. Yes, ... I noticed the fitting of a different piece of wood on either side of the muzzle near where the wide cut would have shown up. Look closely at the iron rivets or nails, and you will notice the cut running the length of the carriage does not match with the narrow cut on the muzzle part of the barrel bed. The barrel on the other hand does to my eye look correct: 1. The irregularities ( swirls ) is an indication of an early casting and is often found on early European barrels. 2. The pitting on the inside of the barrel is in correct accordance of having seen use with the firing of black powder and to not having been cleaned immediately afterwards. 3. The patina on the barrel appears to be natural and not artificially induced. 4. The quality of the detail shown by the maker ( caster or foundry ) is first rate, ... something one sees in quality Japanese work and NOT the work of a modern day fraudster. Notice the lovely taper to the barrel, the superb work around the muzzle. These are details that the fraudster would find too difficult to copy let alone invent. My opinion for what its worth is that the barrel is in all probability genuine ... BUT ... the carriage is not genuine but rather an over done imaginative representation. Others may have a different opinion. Not having the artifact in hand makes it difficult to form a definitive opinion, but the above reasoning as to authenticity is the best I can come up with. I may be wrong, but I was asked for an opinion. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, Please excuse me for interjecting into this thread. For some time after the Meiji Restoration, Japan continued to use imported weapons. The newly created Imperial Japanese Army used firearms intensively against rebellious forces during the Satsuma rebellion in 1877. After the Satsuma rebellion, Japan relied extensively on the French Chassepot. Japan finally developed its own model, the Murata rifle, derived from the French Fusil Gras model 1874. This was Japan's first locally made service rifle, and was used from 1880 to 1898. An industrial base such as the Koishikawa arsenal had to be established to produce such new weapons. Later, Japan developed the very successful bolt action Arisaka series rifles, which was the Japanese service rifle until the end of World War II. ... Ron Watson

Dear Derek, Thank you for the link. Although I have seen dozens of still photographs and perhaps one or two motion picture " sword Surrenders ", ... I had not seen this one. Good to see familiar faces. My only criticism would be that it was a bit too short. ... Ron Watson

Dear Denis, Last evening Alex ( a member here and I exchanged a couple of PMs. ) Perhaps it is a bit late to add to the thread, ... but I have had considerable experience in shipping and receiving interesting packages from around the world. Here is an excerpt from our email : Now as far as having a sword shipped to me by Mail, or Private Carrier, ... I insist that a copy of MY COUNTRY'S LEGAL STATUS regarding importation is included ( which I supply the seller in advance of shipping ) in an outside attached envelope containing also Customs Declaration and Statement of the shipper ( seller ) along with a clear warning as to not handling the item without gloves and a caution that although carefully packed the item is sharp. In the majority of cases Customs will not even open the parcel. I have even had a note attached from Customs thanking me for my professionality on one occasion ( which really surprised me ). Anyway, ... I hope this post is not simply covering old ground, but even if it is, it is worth repeating. ... Ron Watson

Dear Alex, In response to our Private email, ... I am only too happy to add this small bit of information. Please remember that all Airlines may not offer this service but Air Canada does or at least used to. One must go to what they called Special Services and simply ask the attendant giving all pertinent details about your particular piece of baggage. I had this service supplied to me on a flight from Winnipeg to Toronto and again on the return flight. The employees were both co-operative and friendly and therefore hassle free. Upon arrival in Toronto an Air Canada employee handed me my swords at the Special Services desk and the same again on my return in Winnipeg. I found it a great stress reliever : The only way I would transport a sword post 9/11 as a passenger carrying a sword is to have it HAND CARRIED onto the Aircraft Cargo on departure and off the Aircraft on arrival. This service is available and at no extra charge ( at least not when I had it done ). The employee who does the carrying is personally responsible for seeing it done. ... Ron Watson

Dear Denis, Yes, as you say : " an idea if well thought out, is still a good idea for ever. " I once owned a complete Schermuly Line throwing kit, ... absolutely mint condition. See : https://www.google.ca/search?q=Schermul ... 36&bih=698 ... Ron Watson

Dear John, See my opening thread, ... wherein I state : Note the last sentence. Now then the bo-hiya is a cylindrical piece of hardwood having 3 stabilizing fins of light iron and an iron tip. A portion of the base section of the cylindrical piece of wood fitted down the muzzle of the gun barrel up to the fins. Above this the wooden cylinder was wrapped in hemp or some other combustible material which having been soaked in pitch, bitumen, resin, or oil fat would burn fiercely. A few are reported to have been hollow cylinders of wood filled with black powder with a fuse attached. These would explode spreading the outer layers of the burning combustible material in all directions. Thank you for your interest. There is no doubt but at the time these must certainly have been an awe inspiring and needless to say frightening weapon. Fire is still a formidable opponent. ... Ron Watson