Just picked this up! It is missing the serpentine (and one inlay is missing), the pan guard and pan cover, but I have a Miroku version to copy, as well as having 'The Bible' on these arms, as written by Shigeo Sugawa. The book is written in Japanese, but the pictures are detailed and wonderful. This model apears to be one of the shorter ones, being that of a highly tapered lightweight 40-caliber barrel. In watching YT videos of Tanegashimas, the larger ones, like the 50-cal Miroku, were often fired as 2-man Teams, where the stock was rested on the shoulder of the 1st soldier kneeling down in front of the shooter, who also fired them from the kneeling or sitting position.
Can't wait to shoot this one!
Can't wait to shoot this one!