Japanese marked Enfield Pattern 1858 Naval rifle

[redhugster]

Good evening,

I wonder if anyone can help me please. The following text is on a Liege (Belgium) made Enfield Pattern 1858 Naval rifle. The rifle is currently in Sweden and I have been sent the pictures from its owner. 

 

Can anyone tell me what the text says... I'm not sure the photos are good enough to get a full translation, but any help would be greatfully received.

 

Best, Jon

[Mark]

Jon

 

someone else will reply and know more.. but from what i see i think they are registration numbers/info, if the rifle was left in Japan and owned in the late 1800's all firearms had to be registered, the information was stamped on the item. the rifle may then later have been  bought in Japan around the turn of the century or even brought back from WW2. I have seen several matchlocks with these stampings

[redhugster]

Thank you Mark.

[Nobody]

The characters in the second picture:

□□□□二十三番飾磨懸 – something + No.23, Shikama-ken

 

Shikama-ken existed from 1871 to 1876, and the prefecture is now southwest part of Hyogo-ken.

The 3^rd and 4^th character might be 報国 (hokoku), then it may mean Service Corps in the context.

[Bugyotsuji]

壬申....五百二十三

壬申 Jinshin means Meiji 5, 1872, the year of the first great registration by prefecture of guns after the Edo Period. That is the Jinshin number allocated for this Shikama Prefecture registration.

[redhugster]

Brilliant thank you so much for your help Piers, Have a good weekend. Best Jon 

[redhugster]

Hi Piers (and anyone else who has a thought on this)...

 

Do you think the rifle was 'decorated' during its service in Japan or was this done after its service / for export?

 

Best Jon

[Bugyotsuji]

Decorations? I can only see two limited photos above. Are you referring to the screw surrounds or something else? 
 

[redhugster]

Sorry, Would help ... see attached.

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, thanks, definitely added in Japan, but why I cannot say. For re-export in the Meiji Period, hmmm... that's surely possible.

Interestingly, almost all of the 1864 experimental/trial Enfield rifle models from the UK (before the Snider) subsequently ended up in Japan, apparently.