This here is a 17th century Tanegashima (matchlock) and I think its the coolest thing ever. First it’s from the 1600′s, second, check out the barrel with its intricate inlay of swirling clouds and dragons, and third, the apparent owner of this firearm indicated in the inlay. Now, the owners name isn’t expressly written but, Matsudaira Houki no Kami is and that’s good enough for me (I can’t confirm all the kanji used, but I’m not completely fluent, so we’ll go with it for now). If true, this gun belonged to a member of the Matsudaira clan, and coincidentally this clans’ mon (crest) is the same as the Tokugawa mon, the reason, Tokugawa Ieyasu was born Matsudaira Takechiyo. That’s the cool part. Whoever owns this piece, owns a piece of Tokugawa history, and since I study Japanese history I would love to have this in my collection.
I also like the way the Japanese took the Portuguese technology and changed it to suit their needs. They dropped the fishtail stock and converted the guns from a shoulder braced device into a purely hand held one. They would hold the gun in both hands and stabilize it by opposing pressure, the leading hand pushes forward while the rear hand pulls. I thinks that’s why there is a hook on the butt of the gun. The manufacturers eliminated kickback to the shoulder but I would think it would make the users cheek feel more of the brunt. Yet another example of how the Japanese have historically taken outside technology and converted it to their needs. Sugoi ne!