Teppo and sign

[Caracal]

Hello,

Now I have managed to open my Teppo. It was very hard at first. No one has opened it in many years. I found a signature and hope someone can interpret it for me. I do not know if the pictures are upside down but I hope you see it.

All information about this Teppon is gratefully received

// Robert

 

 

[Caracal]

[SteveM]

江州國友藤兵衛重當

Kōshū Kunitomo Tōbei Jūtō (?)

 

I don't know the pronunciation for the last two characters. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Generally we read 江州 as Go-Shu when it refers to Ohmi Province. 

 

Of the many people I have asked, no-one professes to know how to read the last two characters, Steve. I have heard both 'Shigeto' and 'Juto', but in old texts I have seen Choto, and privately I lean towards the latter as being originally correct. Someone told me that it meant 'able to hit the spot repeatedly', (whether a target or a manufacturing standard?)  but that may be apocryphal.

 

 Choto was a title rewarded originally by the Emperor Ogimachi'in (abdicated 1586, died 1593) to Oda Nobunaga and the four Kunitomo Toshiyori in the late 1500s. Translation of 重當 as Choto I found in Olof Lidin's Tanegashima, p.136. from the Teppoki.

[SteveM]

Sounds good to me!

[Bugyotsuji]

Steve, I had to go back and check. See above! 

 

Quite a bit is known about Kunitomo Tobei who was the first in a long line of Kunitomo Tobei smiths. A gun of his is recorded from Keicho 15.

He carried the title of 年寄脇 Toshiyori Waki, or assistant Toshiyori, and was said to be the third son of one of the original first four Toshiyori, Sukedayu.  

[Viper6924]

This is quite cool! I have matchlocks made by gen 1 + 2 Sukedayu. Now we can add gen 3 to that list.

Really happy you managed to reveal the signature, Robert.

Interestingly enough, my gen 2 matchlock was also made according to the Tazuke ryu school of gunnery, which shows how popular this school was during the 17th century.

 

Jan