IMPORTANT FURTHER RESEARCH INTO TANEGASHIMA PISTOL

[watsonmil]

Back in March 2010, I posted an article on an unusual Tanegashima Pistol that I was restoring. I described an unusual feature on the pistol being a Box for holding serpentine pins. Although I had read somewhere about such pin boxes, ... this was the first example I had handled. Here is a link to the article : viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7047 Not only had I restored the pin box, but I had also had to remake several other parts including the Serpentine. There also had been some confusion over the maker of this pistol. Two possibilities existed : One was a gunsmith by the name of : Goshu Kunitomo Tanba daijo MUNETOSHI or possibly Goshu Kunitomo Tanba daijo YASUTOSHI.

 

Well in the intervening years, further research into this pistol turned up another example which but for a few very minor differences was a twin to my pistol. In this case the name translates as MUNETOSHI, ... and being so similar I can with some certainty assign this pistol confidently to MUNETOSHI.

 

The second thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was that my replacement serpentine was completely incorrect to the style of serpentine on the other pistol. I therefore made a duplicate of his style of serpentine and am well satisfied with the results. I attach a photograph with the new serpentine this time in steel rather than the previous erroneous brass. It was made using nothing more than a hacksaw, files, and emery paper. It fits perfect, functions perfect and looks correct.

 

Although I was well satisfied with my restoration, ... I was busy writing an article for the NMB on restorations ( in this case making a hollow pan cover pin ) which I will post in a couple of days, ... when it occurred to me that the pan cover on my pistol had a solid brass pin instead of the normal hollow pin. I therefore decided what the hell, ... I might as well replace the solid pin with the pin I just made for the article I've just written. I therefore drilled out the solid brass riveted pin and noticed something strange. The pin had a cut running up the center obviously from the bottom but hidden by the riveting. Turning the pistol upside down revealed an aperture ( circular ... cut 17/32 inch or just over 1/2 inch wide and 5/32 inch or just over 1/8 inch deep ) in the forward underside of the pan tray. In addition to this there was a cut or slot made to the outside of the pan tray well hidden from view. Well, well, well ... this is something I've never seen before nor read about. I was going to have some thinking to figure out what this was all about, and why nothing was in the hollow and why the riveting covering the split pin ??

 

Several hours ( actually a couple of days later ) after contacting Ian Bottomley and Piers Dowding I got some answers. Ian was first to write back and suggest the possibility that the aperture might have contained a spring for a self opening pan. I decided the aperture must have at one time contained a coiled brass spring with one end locked in the slot and the other end into the center pin but I was not convinced of Ian's theory. Now here's the problem ... since the spring is completely hidden by the pan cover how do you get the end of the spring into the split pin, and even so how do you keep it wound tight ?? Well I found that winding the spring just so it would fit nicely into the aperture meant that it was tight but with little tension, ... and by taking the inside end of the spring and bending about 1/8 of an inch at a right angle it lined up dead center of the pin hole. Voila, .... putting the pan cover in place, and being careful to line up the slot in the pin and gently push it through, ... the end of the brass spring fit the slot with the bottom of the pin protruding thru the bottom of the pan cover.

 

 

Things are beginning to make sense .... if the pin is turned from the bottom in a counter clockwise fashion, the spring wraps around the center pin so that when released the pin spins. Once the pin is wound and then making the pin solid to the pan cover ( I used a tiny bit of crazy glue so that it could be removed if necessary ) one could close the pan cover without problem, ... but the weak brass spring helped when opening the pan cover and certainly created tension to help keep it open. Mystery solved ... NO not quite. Ok, ... but how on earth can the pan cover be opened automatically ?

 

 

 

It was about this time that Piers posted a photograph from an old Japanese reference book Sawada Taira's ... Nihon no Furuju picturing pretty much my exact pistol calling it an HITORI-AKI PISTOL ( opening by itself ). If that were not enough the pistol pictured and my pistol were made by the same gunsmith : Goshu Kunitomo Tanba daijo Munetoshi ! Please see the following link : viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6865&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15 and click onto Piers photo R0010655.JPG The author describes the automatic opening of the pan cover by depressing the trigger. Upon examination of the mechanism on my pistol, ... it was easy to see that this would not work. Depressing the trigger would not allow for the pan cover to open before the serpentine fell. It was obvious that the ONLY way to achieve an automatic opening of the pan cover was for the act of cocking the serpentine to automatically open the pan cover. There is no doubt that Sawada Taira is INCORRECT in stating the pulling of the trigger activated the automatic pan opener, ... it is most definitely the cocking of the serpentine that does the opening.

 

 

 

I therefore spent 4 days ( count them Ian and Piers ) ... 4 days long days of redesigning my PIN COVER to convert to an automatic pan cover opening lever ! It turns out I was correct, the only way of getting the sliding arm ( which had been my erroneously thought up ... Pin Cover ) to work the arm to push the pan cover partially open before the spring took over the balance of the movement was to put a small pin on the Serpenting square ended pin which engages upon cocking a small pin on the sliding arm which in turn pushes against the pan cover. Anyway, ... the bloody thing works .....

 

 

 

I can only be stunned by the imagination and inventiveness of this particular gunsmith and I would surmise and I think correctly that with all the bells and whistles incorporated into this pistol that it was most certainly owned by a VERY wealthy Samurai of considerable importance.

 

Now, ... why do we not find this innovation on other Tanegashima, ... well my answer to that is that although a brilliant idea, the additional cost, the complicated mechanism ... plus questionable necessity ... just did not warrant this to become a popular feature. Even in this case somewhere along the line, the spring was removed never to be replaced along with the push rod ( arm ). It was just not worth the trouble, and on top of that the delicate mechanism would have been prone to jamming with the least bit of dust or dirt entering the mechanism. I know for a fact that this gunsmith made pistols identical to this one ( and the one pictured by Sawada ) WITHOUT this automatic opening feature. I have seen examples. Also since no one as far as I can see kept the innovation alive I can only assume it was a FAILURE ! Oh how I would love to have met this particular gunsmith. He was in some ways miles ahead of his competition. I have worked on countless guns over the years, but this one is special. Also interesting is a pistol by this man dated Genwa 5 means he was working in the early 1600's. A very old pistol with a lot of character. Some might even go so far as to say a pistol with character ... designed by a character ... and restored by a character ! ( I might add before I sound too boisterous that not always has the term " character " in my case been complimentary )

 

 

 

... Ron Watson

[Bugyotsuji]

Congratulations on a fiddly job well done, Ron. Many thanks for the update, and for saving and restoring a once-fine example.

 

Now I was discussing your project with a friend on Wednesday and he alleges that an acquaintance of his has one of these guns. Whether it is in working order or not, I do not know. The problem is a very Japanese one in that the guy 'Hideyoshi' left our matchlock group under false pretenses and is now seriously persona non grata. Personally I have no issues with him, and might be able to sneak a visit to his house in exile, but if the rumor/rumours got around I would be tarred with the same brush. I am tempted to risk it, being Gulliver here... but those silken cords...

[Brian]

Great writeup Ron, and well done.

Thanks for sharing this rare pistol and mechanism. Hope to see more pics of it. Indeed a curious and intricate mechanism.

Backwards engineering at its best

 

Brian

[IanB]

Ron, Your tenacity in solving this puzzle, not to mention your skill in reconstructing this fascinating mechanism from so little, does you great credit. I have nothing but admiration for both you and Munetoshi. Having given the matter a bit of thought, I guess this pistol was intended for use on horseback - a situation you don't really have a free left hand to open the pan since you need that for the reins. Whilst writing this, I have remembered the illustration in Zobyo Monogatari that shows a tethered horse with a pair of saddle holsters containing pistols. Since the book was originally published about the time this pistol was made I wonder if Munetoshi's invention was more widespread than we think.

Ian Bottomley

[John A Stuart]

Agreat feat of reverse engineering, worthy of Munetoshi himself. John

[Brian]

Browsing online, came across this one. http://www.seiyudo.com/gu-010701.htm

Of interest, as it looks to have once had a similar mechanism. However, on this one the pan cover had an extension that went into the cutout in the side plate. Maybe held there under spring tension until being cocked, which would have released it and allowed it to spring open. That seems an even more practical system to me. Worth some research.

 

Brian

[watsonmil]

Dear Brian,

Thank you for bringing yet another example to our attention, ... although employing a somewhat different mechanism for opening the pan cover it accomplishes the same task. This seems to be a quite a bit later version of an automatic pan cover opener, ... and to me at least on casual inspection ( not having it in hand to examine its mechanism ), ... it would appear to be somewhat of an improvement over Munetoshi's automatic pan cover opening mechanism. It is unfortunate that the pistol is mumei ( unsigned ). Sadly the shop who have the pistol have apparently done no research and there is little point in me writing them as my experience with the Japanese dealers and Tanegashima research has been dismal to put it mildly. I believe from what I can translate they are looking for in excess of $ 10,000.00 US for it. Another very rare example which I would love to research given the opportunity.

 

The description given by the dealer seems to ( rough translation ) indicate that the gun was left unsigned to avoid repercussions from the Shogunate because of firearm restrictions on pistols. I have not found any decrees outlawing the production of pistols during the Edo Period. Perhaps someone knows of some particular decree, ... but I have been unable to find one. There were decrees on the number of guns produced each year however, ... so given the penchant for having a law for practically everything in Edo Japan ( and things have changed little in modern times ), it may be true. What is not true is Noel Perrin's silliness ( see Giving Up the Gun , Noel Perrin ) in suggesting Japan gave up the gun during Edo times. In truth during a nearly 250 year period of peace with no danger of Foreign Invasion, ... the sword was a much more convenient way of settling disputes as ALL Samurai carried swords and few if any carried firearms on a daily basis and pistols in particular were far too expensive to carry. In truth at the end of the Edo period a full 200 Gunsmiths were still working ... quite a far cry from forgetting the gun in favour or the sword as Perrin would have us believe. In FACT at least one Gunsmith was working during the period 1870 - 1896. I have one of his guns. His name was Rikizo Yoshida and by the inscription on the silver medallion on the stock, ... I believe I have the very last gun he produced.

 

... Ron Watson

[Bugyotsuji]

A rather unusual gunmetal (Hokin) barrel with iron Bisen screw. Pan and barrel in nice condition.

 

May I add that I was surprised by the shop's elaborate line about why the gun was Mumei. Many guns are, and being unsigned is not particularly unusual or even detrimental. Just nicer to have a Mei. Giving an excuse like that suggests that they feel it really should have been signed and perhaps when asked by a customer they came up with some nonsense about prohibition in order to make the sale. On the other hand there may be something behind what they say, or it may be something to do with the bronze material and the ability to cast extras. I will make a point to ask around.

[estcrh]

Browsing online, came across this one. http://www.seiyudo.com/gu-010701.htm

Of interest, as it looks to have once had a similar mechanism. However, on this one the pan cover had an extension that went into the cutout in the side plate. Maybe held there under spring tension until being cocked, which would have released it and allowed it to spring open. That seems an even more practical system to me. Worth some research.

 

Brian

Good find.

 

 

Rons example.

 

 

Sawada Tairas example.

 

[Brian]

Yep. And like some may be wondering (and without having Ron's here to examine closer) I was really wondering if Ron's pan cover has not been replaced at some point, and actually originally worked the same way as this mechanism pictured here. I am sure Ron has a better view of it, but have we considered this possibility, and the fact that Ron may have invented a totally new mechanism in his restoration of his?

Or maybe this one is just a later improvement on a similar system. Either way, both are fascinating. And both systems prove that this mechanism was designed to open the pan on cocking the serpentine. That is for sure.

 

Brian

 

Edit to add: I see Sawada Tairas example seems to be the way Ron's now works. Still open to interpretation of which one was original, and might one of them have been modified later. Or maybe just 2 different systems. Interesting to theorize though.

[watsonmil]

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

[Brian]

Thanks Ron, sounds reasonable.

Glad to see this new section is getting a workout

I wonder if a simple enquiry to the seller to just ask if the pan cover is spring loaded would get a reply? That would be a big help in determining if we are correct in our assumptions of this new system.

 

Brian

[watsonmil]

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

[watsonmil]

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

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi Ron,

 

Writing to someone of expertise or authority you don't know in Japan is always going to be problematic.

 

It puts them in a bit of a quandry as how to react.

 

So it is easier to make a non commital reply.

 

This is a really good explanation of letter form by a Japanese:

 

http://www.tofugu.com/2013/06/04/how-to ... roduction/

 

Gambatte!!

[Brian]

It may be easier to find a native Japanese speaker to phone them and explain the question and get a verbal answer.

 

Brian

[watsonmil]

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.