|
Mechanisms
Varieties
& Other Forms
Accessories
|
|
Accsesories for Guns
|
|
|
|
Similar to the kinds of shooting
equipment used in the West, certain equipment and accessories
were necessary for shooting the Tanegashima. When going to
the battlefield it was necessary to take along a helmet, body
armor, swords, match cord and a cord container, a gunpowder
flask, a small iron rod for disassembling the gun, an extra
ramrod, and flint stone equipment, along with their special
cases for quick loading tubes with charges. If musket balls
were to be made, lead, a mold, and a lead scoop were needed.
|
| Set
of Powder Flask, a Primer Flask, and a Quick-Loading Tube
(from the Honda family) |
 |
| The
character "HON" is displayed in the family crest. |
|
| Box
for Powder Flasks |
 |
| They
have little drawers that contain tools and balls for the
practice range. The two sizes of flasks indicate that
the owner used two guns for practice. |
|
| Leather
Gun Case and a Leather Chest Protector |
 |
| The
gun case is a set of two pieces - a top and a bottom section.
The two gold-colored belts on the case identified the
platoon to which it belonged. |
|
| Some Essential
Tools |
On the left is an iron wrench
for removing the breech plug from a matchlock barrel. To its
right is a bag for balls. In the center is an eggplant-shaped
powder flask which has double caps; the outer cap holds a larger
amount of powder than the inner cap, allowing this flask to
be used with two different guns. The primer flask to its right
is made of bone so thin that its powder contents can be seen
readlily form the outside. At the extreme right is a roll of
match cord made from bamboo fiber.
|
|
Shooting
Equipment after the Matchlock Era
|
|
|
In the mid-19th century,
during which period the Japanese tried to obtain modern weapons
from Europe and America, some efforts to modernize were made
by converting traditional Japanese firearms to more modern
configurations. Example of Japanese efforts are as follows
|
| Percussion
Lock Gun (converted) |
 |
A
matchlock gun converted to a percussion lock gun which
has a fancy sling, an ammunition pouch, and a percussion
cap container.
All these items have the same family crest. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
