First Tanegashima - help needed.

[Alans]

Hi all, 

I have  recently acquired a nice Tanegashima .  Could you knowledgable folk help me with a few questions about this particular weapon.

First I notice it is a small , light and highly decorated. Overall length is 1090mm and barrel out of the stock os 770mm. The bore measures 9mm across .

I have been told/ read - it is a small bore hunting weapon , and also read- During the Edo period samurai on horse back would carry these type of weapons - as they were very light, and easy to manage - but also - just showing off there wealth ( Hey I can afford a fine weapon - just look at the decoration!) 

 

Also, when I first bought it - I thought the inlay and metal was all brass  - upon giving it a little clean it seems to be silver. ( Should I clean to show off the silver or leave it alone? ) 

The other thing I want to do is get the missing foresight made and replaced  - Can anyone point me in the right direction of what shape of foresight and size should I get made  - given the rear sight shape and size in pics .  Also can anyone tell me what the Mei says please. So many questions I know ! but any help will be appreciated 

Thanks  Alan . 

[Bugyotsuji]

Hi Alan,

Only just noticed your post. Apologies. There are many things that can be said in answer to your questions. Much of what you have heard is correct.

 

Your words reminded me of just how proud I was to own my first Tanegashima.

 

To start the ball rolling, the Mei indicates a Kunitomo smith who was probably invited to Mito in Hitachi, Kanto, to make guns, or he followed his father there. Kunitomo smiths, renowned for solid work, were used by the Tokugawa Shogun rulers and had a reputation to keep, so their guns had to be good!

 

水戸住國友吉兵衛　尚昌

Mito Jū Kunitomo Kichibei Naomasa

 

Although this smith is listed as working for the Mito Han, there are no dated guns of his recorded. I would say around 1800-1830 from the overall look of the gun.

[Bugyotsuji]

拾三治刃鉄藤巻張

Not sure of the meaning here but it seems to suggest the barrel is made of Nihontō blade steel. Perhaps the proud Bushi of Mito were happier to carry a gun if they thought it was essentially made with sword blades!?!?!?

[Bugyotsuji]

As to whether to polish silver, the world is divided between those who want bright and shiny, and those who value old patina, black even.
Remember too that silver wears thin quickly so with barrel decoration like that you run the risk of rubbing away precious metal which cannot easily be replaced.

[Bugyotsuji]

Despite the elaborate decorations which were added at some point, the gun is of a rather basic generic design. The wood used for the stock is nice quality, and most of the vital parts look to be present.
 

The front sight could be replaced with one of several basic patterns, many illustrated in Sawada Taira or Sugawa Hideo’s books. You could study Kunitomo sights, for example, as the smith was surely proud of his roots, or you could contact Mito and ask for photos of Mito long guns, particularly their Saki-meaté fore sight.

[arilar]

Hi Alan!

Couldnt help notice the nice "butterfly" emblema on your barrel. Very similar to the emblema on a box that is supposed for blackpowder. Do you know anything about the meaning of this butterfly?

[Bugyotsuji]

Lars, the standing ‘ageha’ swallowtail butterfly was used most famously by Ikeda Terumasa who built Himeji Castle. His Ikeda offspring also controlled the Tottori Han and the Okayama Han, but at some point in the later 1600s the Okayama Han changed it to an open-wing version, the Bizen Chō.
So your Ikeda blackpowder container is probably from Hyogo or Tottori.

 

As to the Mon on the gun, I suspect it was added later at some point. Just a feeling. I cannot yet see a link between Mito and the Ikeda Daimyo family, although I may be missing something.

[arilar]

14 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Lars, the standing ‘ageha’ swallowtail butterfly was used most famously by Ikeda Terumasa who built Himeji Castle. His Ikeda offspring also controlled the Tottori Han and the Okayama Han, but at some point in the later 1600s the Okayama Han changed it to an open-wing version, the Bizen Chō.
So your Ikeda blackpowder container is probably from Hyogo or Tottori.

 

As to the Mon on the gun, I suspect it was added later at some point. Just a feeling. I cannot yet see a link between Mito and the Ikeda Daimyo family, although I may be missing something.

Thanks a million times for that fast and informative answer! Thrilling!! Will create own posts on some other blackpowder containers in few days.

And Alan, what a beautiful tanegashima. So nice with that bee wax pattern on the barrel. I am a bee keeper myself so my heart melted......

[Alans]

Wow! 
thank you so much Piers! A lot of great information and advice you have provided me with😊. 
It gives me something to research further too. 
Very interesting to learn the barrel could be made from Nihonto grade steel . 
I have tried to track down a decent book on Tanegashima - I will definitely look at your suggestions of books . Piers  you mention trying to contact “ Mito” - could I ask have you got contact details ? 
Also , is there a “ sticky” or thread which gives information on best way to care for your Tanegashima ( ie - cleaning and “oiling “ the Barrel and parts - removing rust - etc ? ) 

 

Thanks Lars for the compliments of my new gun. Yes that swallowtail butterfly is same - or very similar.. one thing I do not come across - well here in the UK is Japanese black powder flasks .. love the one you have ! 
 

Thanks again guys😊

[Bugyotsuji]

The present condition of every barrel is different depending on the life it has led. How to ‘clean’ it depends on what the problem is, but too much cleaning once done is almost impossible to undo.

 

Go gently. Any barrel with zōgan inlay presents extra difficulties, and probably needs to be seen in hand by someone who knows what they are doing. Otherwise it is usually better to leave as is, until a way forward becomes more clear.

 

There are threads here on this site describing how to dismantle a Tanegashima and remove the bisen breech screw for cleaning, etc.

 

Your gun was made in Mito, north of Edo. (The history of Mito starts really with Tokugawa residence at the beginning of the Edo Period.) The Mito City Office might be able to point you to (a museum with?) similar Mito guns and their foresights. Your gun is a generic Tanegashima with little to indicate place of manufacture, except that your muzzle surround does look distinctive. This may or may not help you to choose a foresight shape.
(No particular school of gunnery was specified in the original order for this gun either.) 

[Bugyotsuji]

PS Lars, without further shots I cannot decide whether your container is a water canister or blackpowder flask. They are often confused, especially by dealers.

 

If it has a drinking spout and another small hole to release pressure, then it’s likely for water. If it has a large hole for filling, then more likely it is a powder flask. 
 

What size is it by the way?

[arilar]

12 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

PS Lars, without further shots I cannot decide whether your container is a water canister or blackpowder flask. They are often confused, especially by dealers.

 

If it has a drinking spout and another small hole to release pressure, then it’s likely for water. If it has a large hole for filling, then more likely it is a powder flask. 
 

What size is it by the way?

I will create a new thread for the item and some more.....