Jump to content

Breaking down a Tanegashima


Recommended Posts

Ah..now I remember. You are using some other style template. So you don't have all the links at the top. I only manage to maintain the standard style.

The official NMB FAQ is here: http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/faq.html

If logged out, everyone will see the standard theme that has that at the top left.

 

Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Stephen,

Here for you are the steps in breaking down a Tanegashima. Just don't BREAK it :lipssealed: :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 .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Using these small parcel companies or postal services pose problems at times. Why not use a proper shipping company? Hundreds of them and they will move pianos, cadillacs, anything really. When I have moved large or even small objects from some auction houses they provide long lists of these movers. They even crate the items for you as part of the service. Of course, you pay for it all. Oh, and their insurance has less limitations. John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...