Fouling Spike For Cannon?

[Baka Gaijin]

Good Afternoon all.,

 

A friend purchased this steel spike in Japan at a Flea market.

 

He was told that it was a spike for cleaning out the touch holes of cannon that had been fouled with burnt powder residue.

 

The seller apparently embellished by saying it would have had a Fusahimo for the Master Gunner to hang from his neck.

 

I am really sceptical that this is even Japanese and am drawn to Marlinspike or something similar.

 

 

Any thoughts on this?

[Geraint]

Dear Malcolm,

 

I cannot say that I have ever come across anything like this but the practice of spiking guns, in other words driving an iron spike into the touchhole of a canon to render it inoperative if it was in imminent danger of capture by the enemy springs to mind.

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

7 1/2 inches, 20 cm? Not seen anything like it!

[Baka Gaijin]

Thank you Geraint and Piers.

 

I wondered about spiking Cannon.

 

One for IanB I think, did Cannon in general (i.e. Worldwide) come with their own preformed Spike?

 

Does this even fit the Japanese aesthetic in terms of manufacture?

[IanB]

Malcolm, Not for spiking cannon I think - far too ornate. The usual thing was effectively a nail bashed in so that it could not easily be pulled out. I cannot say why I think this, but in my view it is a carpenter's tool. My dear old dad was such and had a spike of similar size that he would drive into wherever and tie his string-line to when marking out.

Ian Bottomley

[Baka Gaijin]

Thank you Ian,

 

As always, the voice of wisdom and experience.

 

 

[johnnyi]

Hi Malcolm.

 

I think an awl might make more sense. Here is a picture showing an even more ornate one.

 

 

 

Regards,  Johnnyi

[Baka Gaijin]

Cheers Johnnyi.,

 

I'll check this out in more detail.