Jump to content

Long time gun collector, new to this community. Looking for answers.


Recommended Posts

Hello everyone, thank you for your time and expertise in advance. 

After looking over your forum, it seems this is the place to find answers to my questions. 

I have acquired my first Tanegashima match lock rifle. 

Below are the photos of the gun dis-assembled. I will upload more photos of the whole rifle. 

The stock is free of decoration with the exception of one rabbit on the grip area. Basic brass round/ring type fittings are present on the hole/pin locations. 

I will also update the thread with the barrels bore size. 

Thank you again and I am very excited to be a part of this knowledgeable group.

-Parker Bachelder 

 

20211222_163834.jpg

20211222_163830.jpg

20211222_163546.jpg

20211222_163552.jpg

20211222_165943.jpg

20211222_170004.jpg

20211222_170041.jpg

20211222_170139.jpg

20211222_170147.jpg

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on your new Kunitomo acquisition, Parker! There is plenty to say so please be patient until all the information has been extracted. It looks to be in good condition.  :thumbsup:
 

(In the meantime I would avoid using the word ‘rifle’ as it is a smooth bore, and choose some other expression like ‘long gun’ etc.)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quite a bit of *information for you coming up.

Was there no other inscription under the barrel, e.g. on the facet to the right of the Mei?(…as the bisen breech screw faces you).
 

*The 善 mark on your lockwork probably indicates one of the known Kunitomo locksmiths, 岡善次郎 Oka Zenjirō. A date for him is not given but circumstantial evidence suggests the Bakumatsu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nicely cut Mei with a 花王 Kaō. :)


The gunsmith is 

江州国友源之進珍英 

Gō-Shū Kunitomo Gen-no-Shin Chin-ei

There is a 4.5 Monmé example gun of his in the Nagahama History Museum on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. Although the gun is not dated, he is listed as a descendant of a Kunitomo Gentaro who made a gun in Tempo, placing him towards the end of matchlock manufacturing in Kunitomo, i.e. the Bakumatsu or last years  of the Tokugawa Period.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Bachelderguns said:

 

Would this piece have been used for hunting or military type use?

 

It really depends on the bore size. If you can get a measurement in cm it will give you the answer. If above 1.5 cm, then almost definitely for the military. One of his guns (mentioned above) was just on the borderline, a little too large for shooting or hunting small game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Bachelderguns said:

The Mon appears to be inlaid with great precision but after reading about the non-original Mon on these later rifles, I am skeptical of its originality.

Personally speaking, I like the look and feel of this particular Kamon even if it is a little large. It could well be original IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry I missed your answer about the lock above.

 

"*The 善 mark on your lockwork probably indicates one of the known Kunitomo locksmiths, 岡善次郎 Oka Zenjirō. A date for him is not given but circumstantial evidence suggests the Bakumatsu."

 

Thank you again for the information, I'll post more photos / measurements.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is the gun assembled. It seems I am missing the flash pan cover, all of the barrel retaining pins, and maybe a sling swivel that would be in front of the trigger guard? 

The barrel bore diameter 1.27cm

I'll be attempting to de breach the gun in the future after some soaking in penetrating oil.

The stock also has a hairline fracture where it meets the barrel. 

20211223_120602.jpg

20211223_120556.jpg

20211223_120550.jpg

20211223_120631.jpg

20211223_120641.jpg

20211223_120655.jpg

20211223_120708.jpg

20211223_120830.jpg

20211223_120832.jpg

20211223_120852.jpg

20211223_120900.jpg

20211223_120912.jpg

20211223_120925.jpg

  • Like 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tons to say about that, so hoping that I don't forget something! :ph34r:

 

First off, you have a Kunitomo gun that has been finished with the hallmarks of Kishu style, probably for an order from Wakayama (Kishu). These Kishu guns are rather rare, so this is a nice gun to have, being made in Kunitomo.

 

Second, do not worry about the crack. Most Tanegashima-style matchlocks develop a crack in the stock either at the top of the butt or at the muzzle end where the woodwork encloses the barrel. When wood shrinks onto steel, something has to give way. You will see many examples of these guns with a small brass plate behind the barrel, at the top, covering this area of weakness. During a blackpowder display one of my matchlocks pistols blew the top part of the woodwork right off and away into the river, so I had a total repair with a brass cover and sakura engraving. Think of it as proof of age!

 

Sourcing a flash pan cover/lid will be your main project. Mekugi pins are easy to make out of bamboo chopsticks for example, or better still smoked bamboo (susu-dake) if you can find some. Just check to make sure the holes line up with the barrel loops underneath, in other words the barrel is original to the stock. (Normally a barrel ring like that should not be necessary if you have mekugi holes.)

I have a gun which was missing the swivel loop in front of the trigger guard like that, and my friendly gunsmith made a new one for me. 

 

Your serpentine is bent. Please be very gentle if you try to hammer it back into the original shape, checking often all round, because old Shinchu (brass) can develop a fatal crack. The ramrod looks to be original! (Nice)

 

Photos supplied if necessary! Anyway, a very nice piece to have and worthy of any TLC you choose to spend on it. :thumbsup: 

 

 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Late arrival to this post, but Piers has pretty much sorted out everything needed to be said about this matchlock.

Overall a very nice gun in good condition. Kunitomo-signed ”Kishu-style” matchlocks are indeed rather rare, as the majority of guns displaying such features (square-shaped fittings) were made in the Sakai/Osaka area.

I believe that the ramrod is the original one to this matchlock, which is always a big bonus in my book.

Beside sorting out the missing pancover and possibly trying to straightening out the serpentine, I would leave the gun as is. 
A very good start to your matchlock collection 👍🙂

 

Jan

  • Like 1
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...