Kunitomo village

• Japanese: 国友 (Kunitomo)

Today a part of the city of Nagahama in Shiga prefecture, the village of Kunitomo in Ômi province is historically known particularly for its firearms production.

It is said to be the place where Zhangzikou produced teppô (arquebuses) at the orders of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru. Kunitomo flourished in the early modern period as a center of firearms production. Today a rural agricultural area on the southern banks of the Anegawa, the former site of the village features a Kunitomo Teppô Museum, and a stele in honor of Edo period gunsmith Kunitomo Ikkansai Tôbee.

References

• "Kunitomo" 国友. Nihon daihyakka zensho Nipponica 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ). Shogakukan, Inc.

External Links

• Kunitomo Teppô Museum (国友鉄砲の里資料館, Kunitomo teppô no sato shiryôkan).