Yamazakura Fr Posted January 20, 2019 Report Posted January 20, 2019 Hello I have found this one total length 137,5 cm barrel length 101,5 cm total weight 4,066 kilogs caliber 15 mm (5 monme) this one can not be shot without support (too heavy) there are no kanji under the barrel (I think perhaps this was erased) There is only one silver inlay kanji on the top of the barrel but difficult to read (see pic) What do you think ? Hazama zutstu ? regards Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted January 21, 2019 Report Posted January 21, 2019 Sadly you might be right about erasure. My guess is that someone has casually used a grinder to remove the rust, and if there was any signature it is now lost. Some of the Shinchu brass has been ground off too. A pity, because there is very little about this gun to pin it down to characterize it. It is unusual having such a large bore and long barrel at the same time. I remember reading that the moat at Matsumoto Castle was made deliberately wide so that enemy guns could not fire across it effectively. At the same time the castle defenders made long guns of large caliber to be able to pick off attacking soldiers. The guns were designed to be rested on the sills of the 狭間 Sama (Hazama) loop/inlets in the castle walls. Your description of Hazama does seem to fit. 1 Quote
Viper6924 Posted January 21, 2019 Report Posted January 21, 2019 It’s a darn shame that someone polished this matchlock to an inch of its life. This is a very interesting gun. Several features, to me, points to this gun being quite old. Look at the rather small pan equipped with a deep compartment for the priming powder. Also the overall size, shape and caliber makes me want to place it in or around the Keich-era. It’s very similar indeed with my Kunitomo long gun from the end of the 16th or beginning of the 17th century. We will never know for sure, but I could be ok with Kunitomo or Hino as its origin. Apart from the ”polishing” a very interesting matchlock. Jan 1 Quote
Yamazakura Fr Posted January 22, 2019 Author Report Posted January 22, 2019 Thank you very much for your comments that confirms what I thought That's why I did not hesitate to buy this despite the "hard polishing" in addition his very low price ( 200 euros) did not leave me too much choice 2 Quote
Viper6924 Posted January 22, 2019 Report Posted January 22, 2019 You can’t go wrong with €200 Jan 1 Quote
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