Fresh out of the box!

[Geraint]

Dear All.

 

Well I saw this in some rather mediocre photographs but liked it and pulled the trigger, (sorry, pun fully intended).  So today it arrived and as is often the case it turns out to be rather better than I had expected.  Barrel length is 585 mms with a bore of 13mms at the muzzle, I haven't even tried to remove the bisen yet.  Internal spring lock..  Silver nunome key fret pattern around the muzzle and silver nunome inscription near the breach.  Signed as well and rather clear, I'm working on the kanji but with tanegashima I am rather reduced to transliterating so any help would be appreciated.  Anyway,here it is.

 

All the best.

[Brian]

Nice score, well done. Are you going to have fun making a pan cover?

[Geraint]

Thanks Brian, and yes, one or two bits to make but the slots for the flash guard are in very good order so that will help.  Another thing on the 'to do' list! 

 

All the best.

[Bazza]

Pal, buddy, maaaate, don't talk to me about the 'to do' list.....  @bugotsuji

 

BaZZa.

[Bugyotsuji]

Oops, just seen this thread! Apologies. Looks like a good shot! 
And a nice project piece. I'm liking the iron hibasami serpentine, and the other work looks of good quality. 

(3 monme 5 bu. Around Bunsei.  I’ll post the Settsu Mei reading here if no one else does. Not the usual flashy\flamboyant smallbore guns we often find from Osaka. )

 

芝辻長左衛門保敬作　Shibatsuji Chozaemon Yasutaka/Yasuyuki Saku

 

PS No idea what the purpose of the unusual placement of the white writing along the top of the barrel is. Looks like chalk or paint. Does it rub off?

 

[Geraint]

Hi Piers.

 

Was hoping you'd pass by.  Thank you very much for the information, I found most of the kanji but struggle to make sense of the reading.

 

The 'white' writing on top of the breech is silver nunome zogan so they would take a bit of rubbing off.  Can you make anything of it?

 

Hi Barry, taking my theme from a t shirt I saw, 'When a man says that he will do something then he will, there's really no need to remind him every six months.' 

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, yes Geraint, the writing along the top of the barrel is readable, but these were usually added post Edo, and the name is the artisan who did the decorative work. In other words, it looks nice, but to purists.................

 

PS Recently someone made me an offer on a matchlock pistol which I had been refusing for about 10 years. I couldn't refuse this time. The condition is ok, but one metal plate was missing from underneath, so I made a replacement today. It'll be interesting to see if any of the artisans in this area notice the 'repair' when it goes into a local exhibition in May.

[Geraint]

Thank you Piers, that's interesting as just about the only trace of decoration left is this mei and a few tiny traces elsewhere.

 

I'm sure your restoration will pass the test of all but the keenest eye, have you posted pictures of your pistol?   As a maker I have found that most people don't look with educated eyes and the ones who do are to be treasured.

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

福壽草桐秋作 Is what I think we see there, which does not make an awful lot of sense. (I wonder if a Chinese artisan was hired to do this decorative work at point of export?)

 

PS No, I have not shown the pistol here! 
When you say ‘As a maker…’, do you make things?

 

Somewhere in his book, Sawada Taira says that from a bore of 3.5 Monmé upwards, Sakai guns were no longer decorative guns for rich merchants but practical military-use guns. In our teppō troop for example we all prefer plain battle-ready guns and shun the bright zōgan inlay which usually attracts buyers’ eyes but would reflect light unnecessarily when in real action.

[Geraint]

Well that bit gets more and more interesting, I had no idea that Chinese craftsmen were employed to do this.  So looking forward to pictures of the pistol, perhaps after it has been exposed to the searching gaze in your exhibition?

 

As ro making, well I have returned to my first love, have a look here if you care to. https://www.instagram.com/geraintwilton/

 

Thank you again for all your help with this little fellow, he is rather a nice change to my Sakai guns.

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

Wow, yes, they all look like works of love! I bet that must satisfy you. I had no idea. Thank you. 🙏 

 

(By the way, the decorative kirikané metalwork we see on smallbore Sakai guns was probably done by Japanese artisans in local forges and associated workshops. )

[Bugyotsuji]

I only mentioned 'Chinese' because of the 福 character which is/was very popular among the Chinese as a symbol of wealth and satisfied prosperity. It's as if someone added random good luck and picturesque characters to the barrel. Hoping someone will correct me here as I am out on a limb! The way they are written, the writing style itself, not so much.

 

By the way, Geraint, you probably see me as an emmet or a grockle, but we do have good Cornish blood on my father's side.

[Geraint]

Awww, proper job, me ansum!  Well if you ever get back home you de knaw wher wee'm to!

 

I might pop that bit in the translation section and see if anyone can throw some light on it.

 

Thank you for all your help Piers.

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

By the way, you mention you have some other Sakai guns. This piqued my curiosity, Geraint.

Do you mind me asking how it was that you were attracted to Tanegashima style guns?

[Geraint]

Dear Piers.

 

I only have three and they are the result of a distinct lack of focus in my collecting, primarily swords but some armour, more recently tsuba and fittings and, as I came across them these three.

One which I bought last year and you were kind enough to help me with on this thread, 

 

And just one more that I have had for some time.  Pictures attached

.

 

 

 

I think that for me they are just one more aspect of a fascinating culture.

 

All the best.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, yes, I remember that one. Very nice.

 

And this other one has plenty going for it too. Notice the bukunaoshi plug showing the pan has been rebuilt, a sign of much use in its time! Both typically flashy Sakai guns, but definitely better quality examples, worth preserving. Glad they have found a loving home. Perhaps you lived in Sakai in a previous life. There is an interesting novel on Sakai smiths which I translated for the book that Jan and I are writing together.

 

Taking this as a challenge, I started working on the unusual Mei.

It comes out as 摂州成合住金屋七郎　作　　半巻張

"Living in Nariai in Sesshu, Kaneya Shichiro Saku. Han makibari" (Half bound).

 

There is a company that reads 成合 as Seigo, but Nariai may be the correct local area reading. There is a record of an archaeological tomb excavation there.

 

Han makibari must have been a proud statement back in the Edo Period when makibari binding was a rare and desirable feature, but then smiths started doing 'full makibari', then 'double', and later 'triple'.

[Geraint]

Wow Piers, thank you once again, I had a few of the kanji but missed quite a bit of that however the information about the wrapping is new to me altogether.  Looking forward to the book, any idea when it will be coming out?

 

All the best.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Jan Pettersson wrote a very good book, 'The Yonezawa Matchlock, Mighty Gun of the Uesugi Samurai' in 2017. I did the proofreading and wrote the introduction to that. It's a meaty read, but if you've not yet read it, I recommend it. (No, there is no benefit to me!)

 

We decided to work together to provide an illustrated guide to Japanese matchlocks, their characteristics and their hitherto unknown history. It's actually just about finished, and I devoted last summer to the editing, but it just needs a big kick to get into print. During the editing process I was feeling more and more strongly that yes, this has to be made available!

 

Many people ask that same question, and I wish I could give you a clear answer! (Jan, are you reading this?) 

[Viper6924]

I’m reading this 😂😂😂

We are about 240-250 A4 pages into this book project. It’s a massive project that needs to be done as the misinformation about Japanese matchlocks is quite scary. 

Beside the editing part I think we need to write about 30-40 pages more in order to cover our bases.

So hopefully by the end of this year.

 

 Jan