Japanese Matchlock Details

[Little Rabbit]

I've recently become increasingly interested in Japanese matchlocks. Although I seen a lot of nice pictures of the outsides of the weapons, I can't find a lot of details on the insides, and I've having a hard time visualizing the action -- particularly the sear. Does anyone have a set of pics, or better yet, a .gif or movie of the action in action?
Thanks!

 

[Alden]

Here is my Miroku Jap Matchlock for illustration...


In this you can see the lateral sear bar holding back the lightly spring-loaded serpentine by the foot.





In this pic, after the trigger has been pulled and the sear bar retracted, you can see where the serpentine would have been pushed forward and deposited the burning slowmatch into the now-open pan of priming powder.





Poof!

 

[Musketeer]

Japanese matchlocks (Tanegashima) are really cool and interesting. I have some good pics I found online of the internals of one original on my computer, but photobucket isn't currently letting me upload them for some reason. If I can eventually do so, I'll post them here.

 

[Little Rabbit]

Alden, thank you very much for your reply. So the sear moves from right (looking do the barrel) to left, is it under tension from a spring so it automatically sets when the serpentine is lifted up, or did you have to slide the trigger forward to set it? Is the sear directly linked to the trigger and maybe a bump of the inside R sweeps it L as the trigger is pulled, or are there more links in the chain?
Von Blunderbuss, please keep trying, I'd really like to see any examples.
Thanks again!

 

[Musketeer]

Got 'em!

And one of the "breech bolt".

 

[Alden]

The lateral sear bar protrudes thru the lockplate -- you can see it (steel in the middle of a sea of brass) holding the serpentine, which is under some spring tension, back. No, the sear is not part of the trigger itself.

Note that these are copies of the Japanese Tanegashima, matchlock muskets copied from the Portugese who sold them two snaplocks in the mid-1500's, and they were used in Japan basically unchanged for centuries.

 

[Canute Rex]

What's interesting to me is that nobody in Japan ever really improved the design. They refined the existing mechanism within the limited design parameters and made the weapons more decorative. A very traditional society, even more so then, I suppose.

Apprentice: "Master, I was thinking. What if we extended the stock so that it could rest against the shooter's shoulder? It would improve the balance and make it easier to handle heavier loads."
Master: "Quick question - who wears the big hat around here?"
Apprentice: "You do, oh great master."
Master: "And are we making big money on cheek stocks without all the extra wood for a shoulder stock?"
Apprentice: "Big money, oh master."
Master: "Then drink a big cup of shut the %&$# up and get back to filing that barrel."

300 unchanging years later they had to face Europeans armed with caplocks and long range cannon.

I had one of those Miroku teppos and it shot quite well. The only problem was that my left arm would get tired holding up the majority of the weight. The lock mechanism worked fine, except that the end of the cocked serpentine seemed a bit close to the pan for safety. The sideways sear was a bit draggy, but when it let go the ignition was fast. I prefer a lever or slow trigger to the snapping mechanism.

 

[Musketeer]

The lack of change isn't all that surprising for the Japanese. I like swords, too, and the lack of dramatic variation in Japanese swords is quite shocking in comparison to swords from Europe, the Middle East, etc. during the same periods. Part of it is indeed tradition. Once the Japanese found something that fit their idea of how things should be, they stuck with it pretty tenaciously. But Japan was also quite isolated for a very long time, so you don't see the kinds of changes sparked by cultural interchange that you do in many other societies.

 

[Alden]

To Musketeer's point, the isolation of Japan after the initial contacts with the West were quite intentional and "national" policy. More "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" writ large.

Canute, your observations are insightful.

:thumbsup:

 

[Musketeer]

Yep. The most recent, the "Sakoku" period, went from 1630-something to the 1850's. Nobody in, nobody out. I'm not an expert in Japanese culture or anything, but I have read Noel Perrin's Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword a couple times. :haha:

 

[Alden]

Correctamundo. I think that's one of the Japanese islands. Anyway...

The Tanegashima became the standardized outline, widespread, and common in Japanese warfare very quickly after its introduction. But the traditional isolationism of the 17th and 18th centuries, plus, were relatively peaceful and the gun was all but eventually retired during the period. If the gun were an executive the Japanese today would say they were promoted and "given a window seat."

 

[Canute Rex]

My imaginary conversation was not so far off the mark of actual history. It was a case of the technology threatening the order of society. A samurai couldn't demonstrate his skill and bravery against a distant line of peasant musketeers. The possibility of revolution was there. The powers that were in Japan relied, and wanted to rely, on a small, elite military.

Without external pressure to maintain and develop firearms they were sidelined. Gun makers were paid a yearly salary by the government to make as many or as few guns as they wished. Of course, they made a few very fancy firearms. They became hunting weapons and status symbols for the samurai.

No external pressure also meant that the teppo of 1845 was essentially the same as the teppo of 1545, only more decorative.

Japan lacks native flint deposits, so that avenue to modernity was denied them.

 

[cynthialee]

Japan lacks native flint deposits, so that avenue to modernity was denied them.

that answered my question I didn't ask...
Now I understand why they stuck with the matchlock for so long when others moved on to flint.

 

[rickystl]

These are really interesting guns with a unique history. Here's a couple pics of an original, plain munitions grade example that I shoot. The entire gun is held together with pins. Not a single screw. Taking the gun apart is very different than first glance. Only one way to dis-assemble and reassemble. The breach plugs are long as shown above and have coarse vs fine threads. The breech plug just snugs up against the barrel. No crush value like normal plugs. The head of the plug is then held tight in a snug slot in the stock. Took me a while to figure it all out, but it works. You have to be careful when you shoot them as the serpentine sits very close to the pan as mentioned above. And it's hard to get use to a cheek hold. Just feels so unnatural. But they are fun - and different to shoot. :haha:
I wonder if the replica is built the same way as the originals?


[/URL[URL=http://s743.photobucket.com/user/rickystl/media/Japanese%20Matchlock/japmatchlock004.jpg.html] ]

 

[Musketeer]

The head of the plug is then held tight in a snug slot in the stock.

Yeah, it took me a while to realize that too. These fit together almost like puzzles. The head of the breech bolt fits into the socket in the stock, and then the brass band fits over the stock in that area, reinforcing it. This and one or more pins through tenons in the barrel are all that holds the barrel to the gun. No screws necessary. Sort of a hooked breech setup, only without the hook. :haha: :hatsoff:

 

[rickystl]

Puzzle. That's a good explanation. :haha: Took me over half a day to figure out how this gun fits together. :haha: Nothing at all like you would guess. After taking the barrel pins out, I had to take a piece of 2X4 and hammer on the back of the pan to move the barrel forward enough to slide the reinforcing band forward to remove the lock. :shocked2: Then a few more raps and the barrel came out.
After taking the barrel out of the stock, I received a big surprise! There was a mark on the inside of the stock, and a piece of thin cloth with a mark on it. :hmm: Maybe inspectors marks? :idunno: :hmm: Very cool!
Re-assemble is basically the reverse of dis-assemble. Have to hammer on the muzzle end to get the barrel back into the stock. The lock plate has to be installed before the barrel is finally seated. I would have to do this probably 2-3 times before I could put it to memory. :haha:
I sent the barrel on mine to Bobby Hoyt to have a liner installed. Bobby said it only needed burnishing. But I had him install a new smoothbore liner anyway as long as it was already there.
The tall front and rear sights combination is unusual, but does offer a good sight picture. The only thing that is still a mystery is the small, round, hole going horizonal through the rear sight. Have no idea the purpose. :idunno:
As mentioned above, the serpentine sits very close to the pan. Travel time is real short. You have to aim the gun, then slide the pan cover, and be ready to pull the trigger soon! Otherwise you risk a coal from the match dropping into the pan and the gun going off when you're not expecting it to. :shocked2: I won't bother telling you how I know this. :rotf: The other thing is, the pan is so tiny you almost have to prime using your fingers. So you really want to keep the match cord away from the serpentine till the pan cover is closed!
There is a learning curve loading and shooting these Japanese matchlocks. But they rate high on the scale of fun and interesting guns. Rick. :hatsoff:

 

[Tinker2]

After taking the barrel out of the stock, I received a big surprise! There was a mark on the inside of the stock, and a piece of thin cloth with a mark on it. :hmm: Maybe inspectors marks? :idunno: :hmm: Very cool!

The cloth with a mark on it looks like the # 2 in Japanese.
The other mark I don’t know.

William Alexander

 

[Alden]

It isn't the number two, or "ni." It says...

"This tag may not be removed under penalty of The Emperor."

NOW he's gone and done it!

 

[Musketeer]

It isn't the number two, or "ni." It says...

"This tag may not be removed under penalty of The Emperor."

NOW he's gone and done it!

That's even worse than removing a mattress tag. :shocked2: :haha:

 

[Tinker2]

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