help with matchlock

[Mark]

I have a matchlock. the barrel is not signed but there is a kanji, sanscript , or mon on the top of the barrel. I can not read it, can anyone help? maybe it is a name or something. The barrel has a butterfly, dragonfly and cherry blossoms inlayed.

 

Thanks

[Bugyotsuji]

Discussed this with a friend and it looks more like a Bonji Sanskrit character. The closest we could find in the book was Da(?)...

[Mark]

Thanks!

 

one person suggested it meant Dragon, another said Bravery. It is difficult.

[watsonmil]

Dear Mark,

Given that some of us have an interest in the Tanegashima, ... would it be too much to ask that you post a couple of photos of the overall gun. I for one would enjoy that.

... Ron Watson

[Mark]

Ron

 

here are some pictures

[watsonmil]

Dear Mark,

The gun is most probably a KISHU gun. The overall style is that of Kishu with the exception of the serpentine which in cross section would normally be square shape rather than rounded. The Kunitomo group seemed to also favour the squared cross section. However the style of stock looks more Kishu than Kunitomo to me. It might be interesting to see if there is a signature on the bottom of the barrel, ... perhaps if given the province or town location as part of the maker's marks we could be more certain. It is possible since gunsmiths moved about so much that the gun may well be signed kunitomo even if built in Kishu. Whomever made the gun did a nice job, ... and any collector of Tanegashima would be proud to own it ! I would like to see Pier's take on my attribution ( we do not always agree ). The matchlock gun in Japan needs a great deal more study, ... and then there will still be arguments with attribution. Thank you very much for sharing.

... Ron Watson

[Mark]

Ron

 

Thanks for the info. I am not into matchlocks. It is not signed If i still have it i will bring it to Tampa, i sold one there last year. I would list it in the "for sale" section but prefer to sell it face to face as i worry about shipping and it being a firearm

[estcrh]

Ron

 

Thanks for the info. I am not into matchlocks. It is not signed If i still have it i will bring it to Tampa, i sold one there last year. I would list it in the "for sale" section but prefer to sell it face to face as i worry about shipping and it being a firearm

Mark, due to their age tanegashima are not considered to be in the same category as modern firearms, they can be boxed and shipped without any problems or special paper work in the USA, I recently purchased a couple of antique flintllocks and matchlocks from overseas and from the US with no problems.

[Bugyotsuji]

It looks like a good all-round honest gun. Gun-yo-zutsu? The bore would be interesting to know. I got caught out the other day on a gun which I thought might be Kishu, but it turned out to be Iyo in northwest Shikoku. Normally I am not a fan of decorations on the barrel (in the West though, people do seem to like a bit of flamboyance), but in this case they are understated and artistically pleasing, so I will deign to make a personal exception. :lol:

 

PS It has been my experience living here in Japan that there are relatively more unsigned guns than swords. Would 40% signed be too high a figure, I wonder? (Reminder to self to check on this.) Dates are much rarer. The fact of not having a signature does not seem to bother anyone here.

 

PPS Mark, the 'Da' Sanskrit sound represented 'snake' in his book, but we couldn't find a 100% match. Please add this to your list of possible animals!

[Mark]

the bore seems a bit bigger than 50cal ( i think as it is over 1/2").

 

When i lift the arm i hear it "click" but it does not lock back so maybe the trigger or mechanism needs repair

 

I understand i can sell it legally in the States and mail it but i worry about packaging etc. Anyway i figure i will look for $1500

[watsonmil]

Dear Mark,

I am a little surprised to hear the gun is un-signed. It is a really nice example and certainly worth the maker's time to have signed it. It actually makes little difference to value, ... but it might have been a clue to assigning the gun to a specific group or area.

... Ron Watson

PS> along with Piers, ... I too am curious to the caliber.

PSS > aHaa, ... I was too quick to respond, ... I see the caliber is .50 inch or in Japanese calibration a 3 monme calibre.

[sanjuro]

Just a suggestion on the bonji character..... Possibly Shaka