Enfield Like Japanese Gun

[matchlockshooter]

Hi to all,

 

I have been reading the topics on Japanese guns on this board for some time now and have found good information from the very knowledgeable people on this board.

I am a novice but have a keen interest in Japanese guns.

Recently I bought a Japanese Enfield like gun at an auction that is very elaborately inlaid, barrel as wel as stock, with different materials, probably copper, brass and mixtures of these?

The sights are similar to those on matchlocks. The front sight is missing the silver insert, but that is an easy repair. The backsight has the simple block-form.

I have searched the internet for similar guns but found nothing so far.

Can anyone shed some light on this gun?

Is it possible to translate the the Japanese character (stamp) on the stock?

 

Any information regarding this gun is very appreciated.

 

LeoM

[Brian]

Interesting gun. Gaudy too

Can we have a decent pic of the lock? Remains to be seen if it was built as a copy of the Enfield, or if they customized and redid a genuine Enfield. The Japanese were playing with, and copying, anything they came across, so it is not unusual to find these one-offs or experiments. Looks to me to have some genuine parts in it though.

 

Brian

[matchlockshooter]

Hi Brian,

the lock is just a plane lock, no markings at all as you would expect from an english Enfield lock. I will make and post some pics asap.

LeoM

[IanB]

Leo,  There is something strange about the decoration on your gun. It looks like conventional lacquer in the photos, but the designs do not look Japanese - they are too symmetrical. The device of two fish with the sacred pearl between them is much more SE Asian to my eyes as is the symmetrical plant growing up the stock.. I notice there is a brand burnt into the stock - that may be Japanese but the rest .... (?)

Ian Bottomley

[christianmalterre]

is this a three band one?

 

what is the Caliber?

 

.577 ??

 

Christian

[matchlockshooter]

_{Caliber is .575 smoothbore.}

_{I made a picture of he gun next to a three band whitworth rifle.}

_{The but has a rather peculiar form and is short.}

 

[christianmalterre]

Ah!

 

the .575 was a kind of premodel to the regular .577 these days...

 

maybe a present to a well established politician or aristocrat ? ....who knows ?

 

Yes! i would say this is a rare example of a "japanisised" gun...

 

Very nice!

i never did encounter such yet i must say....certainly this gun is a very special and unique object!

 

very nice to see such!

 

(fully functional? ...do hope it! )

​

just great!

 

Christian

[vajo]

Very nice rifle. Looks much lighter.

 

I had only a Enfield Motorcycle.. 

[matchlockshooter]

The gun is fully functional and probably safe to shoot.

The lock is inernally identical to an Enfield lock.

LeoM

[Peter Bleed]

Leo,

Thank you for posting images of this interesting gun. On first scan it does, indeed, look "Japanese" but I have to agree with Ian that it is "not quite" Japanese. To begin with, the work is not quite good enough for Japanese work. There are some Chinese type elements on the gun. These might be known to Japanese craftsmen, but overall they look to my eye more like "Chinoiserie", that is embellishments that were added to look "Oriental". That work could have been done in several parts of the world after the 1860s. Ian's suggestion that it may be SE Asia is certainly fair. But the butt stock - rather narrow and cylindrical - reminds me of "Persian" long guns. The stock brand might be a kanji, but I sure can't read it.

My bet it that this gun had a rather complex history in "The East". If it was produced "for" the Japanese market I doubt that it was produced in Japan.

Peter

[obiwanknabbe]

Going to agree on the hypothesis that its an Enfield lock. Looks like an 1860's pattern that was milled down to removed the English proofs..

 

Kurt K 

[estcrh]

Leo,

Thank you for posting images of this interesting gun. On first scan it does, indeed, look "Japanese" but I have to agree with Ian that it is "not quite" Japanese. To begin with, the work is not quite good enough for Japanese work. There are some Chinese type elements on the gun. These might be known to Japanese craftsmen, but overall they look to my eye more like "Chinoiserie", that is embellishments that were added to look "Oriental". That work could have been done in several parts of the world after the 1860s. Ian's suggestion that it may be SE Asia is certainly fair. But the butt stock - rather narrow and cylindrical - reminds me of "Persian" long guns. The stock brand might be a kanji, but I sure can't read it.

My bet it that this gun had a rather complex history in "The East". If it was produced "for" the Japanese market I doubt that it was produced in Japan.

Peter

Peter, I agree with you that the work does not look to be Japanese made but the stock does not look Persian to me at all as the Persian examples I am aware of have a round butt.