Bugyotsuji

Incidentally the 'adjustment' knock-through hole that is the subject of this thread does not appear on every matchlock. There are several neat regional and Ryu-ha school variations among Japanese Tanegashima.

Old kanji 國廣Kunihiro for 国広

Grev, according to one book here, he belonged to the 中原 (一派) Nakahara (group) of artisans in Hagi, around Kaei. If so it could well be a nod to his Sensei or working group.

Strangely, when I hung up a Noh mask recently, my wife said that the daughters would be scared of it. "No way!", I replied, laughing. Not long after that, separately, both reacted just as my wife had predicted. "Scary!" they said. Not towards the armor, though!

BTW, don’t worry if everything is not perfect. You’ll rarely find one in perfect condition, but yours looks as if it has plenty to enjoy. The woodwork has a nice rich colo(u)r. Sakai guns are famous for their bling kirigane metalwork, dividing collectors into those that love this aspect …and all the rest! (I have just come into possession of a rather similar one!) 😊

You mean Hideoki 秀興, Jack?

Last post for now… And

On the same theme… And…

Where to start? Some tsuka and tsuba? And

Got some more detailed follow-up shots today. Here’s the Sairen caption for Lewis.

Hello ET! I am just about to go out, but at a glance your fine gun is from Sakai, Osaka, from the early to mid 1800s; it has been converted with nipple and stronger leaf spring from matchlock to percussion fire, around... 1830-1840 ish. (Maybe the serpentine was also changed from ‘shinchū’ brass to iron at the same time, to work as a hammer on the percussion caps.) The barrel may be rusted in, and the stock woodwork has probably shrunk slightly, but some taps with a rubber hammer may help to free it. Remove the ramrod, and stand the matchlock upright, and with your fingertips on the upper stock, knock the barrel out into your left hand. (To start with. If not successful, go to Plan B.)

Just playing with 為秀 and 秀為 Tamehide, Hidetame, Hidei, Shūi etc.

Strange blurry shot! It’s Mumei Lewis, with Sairen attribution, 13th C Kamakura. (See info sheet at the thread start.)

https://codh.rois.ac.jp/char-shape/unicode/U+5E02/ Having looked at this page, however, Ichi/Shi 市 does seem to fit in some cases... hmm...

Greetings, good planet people. This single Kanji was stamped there by a hinawajū locksmith, probably recognized at the time by those around. How many readings can we get from it? So far I can maybe see ネ、令、or maybe the ‘hen’ 示、or 衣? Surely not 吉,市 or 京? The matchlock is not signed but I know the school of gunnery, so my suspicions fall upon Kunitomo. None of the listed locksmiths there have a likely candidate character in their name though. This character might… help narrow down the place of manufacture. 😊

Apologies for posting these in dribs and drabs, but I thought it unfair on the museum to post everything all at once. (Even though they kindly allowed photographs.)

You’ll find that some artisans changed their Kanji slightly on purpose. This can be a way of individualizing, and for you, cross-checking if it’s the same person or not. The correct form is 吉 with a longer upper line, said to be samurai 士 at the top. An alternative ‘non-correct’ form can sometimes be found with earth 土 on top (among kabuto makers too). Make a mental note as you compare with others. So, does Akiyoshi do this deliberately? Or has a faker added a ‘wrong’ stroke as a sign on purpose, which is a way for some to assuage their conscience.

and

Haha, well, that post deserves another Koshiraé or two! Watch this space. (Thank you in turn.)

Thank you, Lewis. The cards on the left are right on the edge of readable! (The lower one is ray skin.)

Word of warning re importing a... a... ssshhhhh.... For a dealer who is used to importing, there will surely be little tricks involved, but even so I reckon they take a gamble each time as you cannot know which customs officer you will get. Each officer will interpret the rules differently, none of them understanding the changing regulations completely, and as soon as someone objects an endless chain of bureaucracy can ensue, with no one wishing to take responsibility, all erring on the side of safety, consuming weeks and months of fruitless headbang, and in the worst scenario, confiscation of the article, regardless of how 'right' you may actually be on paper. The word? Oh, yes, even if you do everything correctly there is a definite element of risk, a gamble. And some things even get stolen, but I won't go into that here! Good luck with whatever you choose, and keep us updated!

Mal X content, thanks for the link. Must have been posted by my evil twin. I was tempted to put the red cross into that thread, actually... On another note, I hope to be updating this thread shortly with regards to the new pan lid/cover for the latest Sakai long gun. I have asked the guy if he can manage to loosen the Bisen breech screw at the same time. (He has some terrible vice, inherited from the old gunsmith.) Stupidly, I told him I am in no rush. Also, the So-Shu Masahiro 'wakizashi' tanto has been away for a while and I'm hoping that this weekend there will be a phone call announcing that the new shirasaya and tsunagi are ready. Stupidly, I told him that I am in no hurry, although that usually puts pressure on people here to speed things up.

Eric, if you refer to the iron one above, it is no longer mine. Sadly my records do not mention the thickness.

If you simply want to own one, as you say, it's much easier to source one already in the UK.

Nice work! 前立 Maé = (in) front Tate = stand(ing) When placed together, maé+taté softens to = maédaté