Mei on a new arrival.

[Geraint]

Dear All.

 

Well the box arrived this morning and my new tanegashima is here.  Delighted to find that it's signed but would love some help with this.  Pictures are not great but the best I can do at the moment.

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

 

All the best.

[SteveM]

榎並屋弥兵衛　Enamiya Yahei

 

摂州住　Sesshū-jū

 

巻張　Makihari

[Geraint]

Dear Steve.

 

Thank you so much, I would never have got the smiths name.  I'm guessing that in the context makibari?  Still working on the bisen but I'm fairly sure the stock has never been off the gun; pins still partly in place and some degree of corrosion but externally pretty good so far.

 

Once again a big thank you!

 

All the best.

[Viper6924]

The Enamiya line is very well-known and I’ve seen many matchlocks made by several generation gunsmiths.

I have what we would label as a classic ”Sakai matchlock” with a signature beginning with Enami, which I think was part of the same line.

Do you have some pictures of the matchlock?

 

 Jan 

[Bugyotsuji]

屋 ya here means “House of”…

So yes, sometimes their guns were signed simply ‘Enami’, at others ‘Enami-Ya’.

Congratulations on your new piece of history, Geraint!

It is unusual to see ‘Makibari’ on its own, and may indicate an earlier gun. 

Later. Some Enami(ya) guns were indeed signed with 'Makibari' on its own. Perhaps when the technique was still in its infancy?

 

PS There is still half a character at the bottom of your first photo, top left. An individual smith name, or a 花王 Kao, I wonder? 

[Geraint]

Dear Jan and Piers.

 

Very many thanks for the additional information.  Jan I think this one would be classified as a Sakai gun, pictures below.

Piers I have tried to photograph that last kanji but it is pretty rust obscured, I'll add a closeup with the other pictures.  Still working on the bisen but the gun was sold as, 'action not working' and it does now!

 

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

That is a superb example of a Sakai gun, Geraint. Love the wood patterns. Sadly I cannot match that last character to any of the names on the Enamiya registry, unless it is a Kao of some kind. Nice 'eight tsuchi-guruma' mon.

八つ槌車家紋 - 検索 (bing.com)

 

PS Notice there is a number... bottom left facet just above the bisen. That number may (or may not) be repeated elsewhere on other parts. 

 

And well done on fixing it up. About half of mine were not working and *needed restoring. Some people like to polish them up to see how they would have looked when new, others prefer the aged patinated look! Each view has its merits but I have to say that yours does look good, almost pristine!

 

*All working sweetly now.

[Geraint]

Dear Piers.

 

Thank you very much for the additional information, much appreciated.  The barrel inlay was as black as the rest so almost invisible, now it's come back to life I will let it settle down a bit.

I have not been able to find the number on any of the other parts yet but it is early days.  

 

I will have to try and get some photographs of the other matchlock which is quite similar in many ways.

 

All the best.