Antique Japanese Tanegashima Matchock Rifle

This is an antique Japanese Matchlock Rifle known as a Tanegashima.  This rifle has an octagon barrel with a length of 39” and an overall length of 50-1/2”. This is a .56 caliber rifle (approximate). This rifle is in very good  condition with a very light amount of handling dings. Mechanically it is very good condition and seems to function as it should. The Tanegashima was in use in Japan from the mid 1500’s when introduced by the Portuguese. Japan continued to use these rifles until the mid 1800’s. Although they had a much higher cost than a bow they required very little training and were extremely effective on the battlefield. This rifle would make a beautiful addition to any collection.