Brian Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 Non Japanese/Indian matchlock handguns are by far the exception rather than the rule, and were generally very short-lived experimental models. Only the Japanese really took it further and made them common. Anyone who wants to argue that point..I have over 2000 firearms books here in many languages. So let's leave it at that, no more debating that off topic point. I'll be keeping a lookout for a nice deal. $3000 is a lot, but not when you consider the value of other collectible firearms I guess, so maybe time to shift some items Who are the "agents" in Japan that would consider deregistering and shipping a sword or tanegashima that wasn't purchased from them for a suitable fee? (English speaking) Might be useful. Btw..I kinda like that delay from purchasing to being allowed to have it shipped. Acts as a nice cooling off period to prevent spontaneous currency outlay and reduces impulse purchases. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 Piers, I promised I would post a picture of my cartridge box and have at last managed to do so. I think the kamon is that used by the Yendo family. The bamboo powder flask came with the box. I am also including a picture of my two guns. The top one is a Sakai gun that was a Christmas present from me to me some years ago (beats the heck out of getting pairs of socks ). It was one of three in an auction sale, only one of which had been cleaned. Mine was covered in that very hard green corrosion but has cleaned up well. The other is absolutely plain so it might be a munition gun. I bought this one at a sword show in SF many years ago. Nice thing was that having toted it across the Atlantic and cleared it through customs, I found it was found to be loaded. The barrel on this, which is filed round on top, is covered in minute plugs. It must have been one of the worst bits of iron imaginable, but someone thought it worth spending hours plugging all the faults. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 Oh dear I forgot the pictures (senior moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 All, I just thought I would be a good plan to start another theme. This time it is a pillar clock. Probably late Edo or early Meiji It is totally unmarked to give me a clue. It just about runs but is rather erratic - sometimes I can get several hours out of it, at other times it stops after a few minutes. The clock itself is the usual verge movement but with a wheel and hair-spring mounted horizontally above the rest of the movement. The spokes of the wheel carry tiny weights to regulate it. The silver sakura does nothing except to show the thing is running, since it rotates and catches the light. Most interesting is the fact that the clock has a striking mechanism. The weight, which runs down the trunk, is in the form of a completely separate mechanism with a spring that you wind through the hole just under the hood when the weight is at the top. As it descends, pins on the back of the number plates trip the striking mechanism and it pings in a most refined manner. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Ian, thanks for posting those. A sudden thick vein appears! :lol: Your clock is a new world for me. I wouldn't even know which way up that was or where you read the time... It looks like a fantastic object, though. Can you find anyone who might be clever enough to work on it for you? (For love, not money?) The Douran is very nice. I am in the UK, so unfortunately no Kamon books to hand. Do you know the Kanji characters for Yendo? As to your two long guns, which you have sensibly cut in half for the shot... (but where's the muzzle end? Would like to see that!) :? they look like good examples. Do you know their bore/caliber/Monme? I have no trouble with the Sakai gun as everything shown looks representative. The lower gun, though, might be Okayama, with influence of Bizen. Would it be possible to include a shot of the rest of the muzzle end? Can you confirm whether there is a two-inch cut/shaved away section at the top/end of the stock/butt on the opposite side from your cheek? (Do I see it in your shot there?) Is there a kemuri-gaeshi on the back of the pan, and is the pan lid slightly open in your photograph? The rounded 'filed' barrel could be typical of this region. A Rakkyo (pickled-onion) muzzle shape might confirm this. Oh, and you've obviously had them apart.... do they not have any Mei? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertM Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Hi i picked up a Japanese Scroll the other day but havent been able to translate the mei. Would anyone be able to assist? many thanks Rob M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Wow, just waves! Beautifully done. That's quite unusual, in my very limited exposure to Japanese painting. The signature? A specialized field. Way over my head. Yoshihisa Saku? You could try posting this in the translation section, Rob. One of our heavyweights might be willing to step in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertM Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 full pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertM Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Close up on the horse: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Ya got me there! I'm liking your painting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 late Edo period, so I guess it qualified to be at the edo period corner. A painting by Geppo. milt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Very nice. Agreed. Very satisfying composition and detail. (Is the Mae-date a face, or an insect, or what, I wonder?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Bugsy, " Is the Mae-date a face, or an insect, or what " It's the frontal view of a dragon milt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Bugsy, " Is the Mae-date a face, or an insect, or what " It's the frontal view of a dragon milt Erm... what kind of a dragon is that, Milt? :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 OK, this is even more seriously off-topic, but it's a kind of quiz. There is no connection with Japan, as far as I know, but I was given a date of about 1820 (Edo Period, innit?). In the UK right now, so please forgive... Questions. 1. What are they? 2. What do you call them in Japanese, if indeed such things were known in Japan? hehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 OK, wild guess, perforator's of some sort, maybe used for paper/plastic. Mark C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 a spur for the horsie milt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 to milts Sarah Palin joke not Bugys find. its gone now so feel free to delete this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Bugsy, Is that a telephone ? Like the Japanese version of Apple's I-phone ?\ Now taking notice of a fair warning, I shall bring thread back to topic............... Have this for a while, just wanted ONE as i promised my boss, lo und behold I kept my promise. milt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 not a long one, the two white socked feet are meant to give a sense of scale.............. I am not a yati ( spelling ? )/big foot . milt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 a spur for the horsie milt Well, now, you are all guessing wildly but I was hoping someone would know for certain, as I don't. Milt's suggestion is just what the dealer told me. Miniature spurs, possibly as a symbol of the workshop making them, possibly as a project for an apprentice spur maker. I bought them on the spur of the moment, and was chagrined to discover that careful examination of one of them had not been good enough. Never assume that because they are a pair, the other one will be in equally good condition. The dealer showed me the good one. I paid good money for these. When I got home I discovered the other one was jammed/rusted solid and someone had broken one of the very sharp spikes trying to get the wheel to move. Grrrr............ Spurs are called Hakusha in Japanese, which also means encouragement, or urging, today. (Oh, and two days of gentle application of penetrating oil, and very careful work with pliers, files and picks has eventually freed up the second wheel, for the first time in many a year, I suspect.) So how were Japanese horses urged forwards, do you suppose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Apologies Stephen, for the sidetrack. I've done my best to tie them in somehow! Milt, thanks for posting your Bajo-zutsu. Sakai, I guess. Is that a brass cap on the tip of the Karuka? Any Mei in the place under the barrel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 " Bajo-zutsu. Sakai, I guess. Is that a brass cap on the tip of the Karuka? Any Mei in the place under the barrel? " I bought this years ago to go with one of my armour. Seller told me it's signed ( but I never check up on it, don't want to take it apart and can't put it back together ). I need the meaning of........... Bajo ( not a derogatory term, is it ? )-zutsu and Karuka. milt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John A Stuart Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Hi Milt, Nice pistol. Horse pistol. Bajo relates to horses, equestrian etc. So, 'horse pistol' I think. John BTW Is karuka the starter or ramrod? You wouldn't need a starter on a pistol would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Piers, Yes spurs to screw into the heel of a boot. Saves you having to have the normal arrangement that straps around the shoe or boot and fastens with a buckle. Although we had a vast collection in the Royal Armouries, I can't say I took too much notice of them, but I guess these are 19th C. Milt, Nice Bajozutsu - I don't think I have ever seen a Sakai one before. Ian Bottomley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Milt is disclosing his treasures... :D More ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Hi Milt, Nice pistol. Horse pistol. Bajo relates to horses, equestrian etc. So, 'horse pistol' I think. John BTW Is karuka the starter or ramrod? You wouldn't need a starter on a pistol would you? Yes, you are correct, John. The shorter ones were pure pistols, ie Tan-zutsu, or short cylinder/pipe/pistol. Slightly longer ones were for the cavalry, with better range and accuracy, but not too long to make reloading on horseback difficult. Ba is 'horse' and Jo is 'upon'. Often they would have an Ude-nuki-ana cord hole between the Mekugi-ana. Karuka. The scouring stick, or ramrod, is generally called a Sakujo, but the older and more proper name for a Tanegashima matchlock rod is Karuka. They were wooden in general, sometimes bamboo, and had a hole in the narrow end for passing a cord through. They slide in backwards and 'lock' (stick) with a gentle turn to one side. They were easily lost and longer ones probably broke fairly easily in the heat of battle, especially when ramming something extra tight for better fit and therefore range. No point in anything elaborate, therefore, and easily replaceable the night before a battle. Better examples would have a decoration or reinforcement round the tip, but they tend to be plain. Towards the end of Edo there was a switch to metal rods (sometimes on a swivel joint) enabling just such extra pressure when defending against the West's encroaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted September 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 " Bajo-zutsu. Sakai, I guess. Is that a brass cap on the tip of the Karuka? Any Mei in the place under the barrel? " I bought this years ago to go with one of my armour. Seller told me it's signed ( but I never check up on it, don't want to take it apart and can't put it back together ). I need the meaning of........... Bajo ( not a derogatory term, is it ? )-zutsu and Karuka. milt Milt, your gun should open almost as easily as a Nihonto, with a couple of things to watch out for. Looking for and reading any Mei is part of the fun of ownership. If you need a tip or two I can post here for everyone, or PM you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Or even better....sell or trade that evil Republican gun to me, where it will have a really good home Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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