This matchlock gun is composed of a cast-iron barrel, mounted on a wooden stock with brass mechanism. The barrel is decorated in brass and silver inlay with a depiction of a European figure, wearing a cape, wide trousers, and a wide hat. The top of the barrel is decorated with three chrysanthemums and scrolling vines on the flanks. The wooden stock has several round holes, which were probably meant for the match cord, a sling hole, pin holes, as well as for a ramrod. In 1543, Portuguese introduced firearms to Japan. Local lords begun to commissioned their blacksmiths to copy and mass-produced these European models. In the late 16th century, Japan might have been the world’s leading exporter of arms, as there are records that 67,000 matchlocks shipped to China in 1583.
