Is There Anything Special About This - Pistol

[Daso]

Hello All, I have been concentrating on Swords, but saw this little guy at an auction and was curious whether it was a dime a dozen piece or unusually ornate?

[Fuuten]

I'm far from being a novice on these items, but surely that's not just some run of the mill pistol.

[tokashikibob]

WOW!  

[SwordGuyJoe]

Gorgeous

[Greg F]

Cool little bling cannon.

 

Greg

[Mark]

is it functional? I do not see a hammer and cap or matchlock?  Is it just an ornament?

[Daso]

is it functional? I do not see a hammer and cap or matchlock?  Is it just an ornament?

Mark,  It was functional but part of the wheel lock is missing. 

[Daso]

sorry, I meant missing firing match lock mechanism.  I really like it and would love to display it alongside my swords. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Three sizes? Looks larger than a Netsuke, but too small to be a serious weapon. More of a toy for a rich person, but capable of being fired in anger, it seems.

 

It's missing its lockwork, plate & pins, serpentine and panlid & pin. Fixable if you can just find the right person to do it for you. A highly specialized job.

 

This type of small pistol is not a dime a dozen, and yes, it is exceptionally ornate, for better or for worse. Someone has really gone to town on the decoration.

[Ray Singer]

The owner of this piece recently received it back from restoration in Japan. I thought some might be interested to see completed reconstruction of the missing lock and plate.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Brian]

Wow. Damn good restoration. Wouldn't know it if we weren't told. A beautiful piece.
Did it have to be registered when it entered Japan? Just curious.

[Ray Singer]

Excellent question Brian, I will ask the owner and let you know.

[Bugyotsuji]

Possibly kept the barrel, and sent the butt section to Japan for refitting with lock and plate? This way it would be legal.

 

(Or if there is no vent/flash hole anyway, then no legal problem.)

 

Sweet restoration indeed.

[Peter Bleed]

This is, indeed, a neat little gun.It looks like wonderful work . Still, I have to say that it SEEMS to me like there have been a large number of these little matchlocks showing up - on eBay and elsewhere - recently. Do others have the same impression - and if so, how can we explain this sudden burst in their numbers?

Peter

[Peter Bleed]

I just ran a quick count and it looks like there a half dozen netsuke/miniature guns being offered on eBay. For years and years you just didn't see any at all.Now they are available - - Old collections being dispersed? A change in Japanese gun laws? Some guy went into production?

Peter

[Ray Singer]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. This one seems quite a bit too large to be categorized as a netsuke. The gun measures 18.3cm and has substantial weight.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Ray Singer]

I took a look at the miniature matchlocks on eBay and they are all much smaller than this example, ranging between 9.7 - 11cm.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/132017144477

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/142193728726

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/142193728028

[Ray Singer]

And BTW, this is the individual who performed the restoration.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Brian]

I note that the eBay seller is one of those just relisting items for sale in Japan at a profit. All of those will be for sale elsewhere at vastly less, and they are just hoping to make a quick buck. So probably one seller in Japan selling all 3, and this guy listing them all on eBay.
Anyone able to find out where these are for sale? Yahoo Japan or elsewhere?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/142193728726

I suspect they are modern, looking at some of the smaller features. I also note he takes great care to show every picture except whether there is an actual flash-hole or not.

[Bugyotsuji]

Those eBay offers are representative of the kind of thing you can bump into fairly frequently. It pays to be cautious. 'Nuff said.