Antique Japanese Tanegashima long matchlock rifle. The entirety length of cast iron barrel is decorated with mixed metal inlay of birds and flowers, an unusual motif for a rifle. The gold mon is of the Kobayakawa clan, a powerful samurai clan with close ties to the Mōri family.
Guns were first introduced to Japan during the Sengoku era through the Portuguese in 1543. From just a couple samples, Japanese metal smiths were able to copy and expand upon the matchlock rifle,...
Click for details