ULTRA RARE Kunitomo Japanese Matchlock Musket – Samurai Era – Tanegashima

For sale is a Japanese Kunitomo Matchlock Musket chambered in what we believe is 14mm. Serial number- NONE. This musket is in fantastic condition for its age, featuring intricate inlay artwork on the 39-inch barrel and stock. The rifle could have been manufactured anytime between the late 16th century and the early 18th century. Although there is some minor rust, it's impressive how well-preserved this matchlock is, especially considering the iron barrel's age. The trigger and lock mechanism still works as it should!
We believe this matchlock was made by Kunitomo, a renowned gunsmith family and village in Japan, which even has a museum dedicated to gunsmithing. The European Matchlock was invented around 1400 AD. It appeared in Japan and was copied by the Japanese when the Portuguese first sailed to Japan in 1543. Although the Matchlock became obsolete in other parts of the world, Japan isolated as it was, continued to use the Matchlock up until the nineteenth century. In Japan, the Matchlock was known as the Tanegashima, after an island off the coast of Japan where the Matchlock was first introduced by the Portuguese. I am told that the Tibetan Tribesman still use the Matchlock to hunt wolves and other wild animals. The use of the Tanegashima forever changed the way the Samurai warrior fought battles.