Chinese Cannon Find ???

[Philip]

Thanks for posting these interesting pics. The following features lead me to ID this as Japanese, not Chinese:
1. The expansion of the muzzle is one of the shapes encountered on Japanese barrels. Some of them are even more pronounced, a survival of the very large muzzle moldings on the firearms brought by the Portuguese in 1543. Chinese barrels are typically round at the muzzle (although they may be octagonal or even 12-sided at the breech), and the expansion is much more conservative, typically a slight conical swell with a small intermediary molding as is also seen on many Indian and Central Asian guns.
2. This barrel has perforated lugs on the underside, designed to be attached to the forestock via lateral pins or pegs. Chinese barrels, like their Indian and Near Eastern counterparts, are invariably attached by means of bands or capucines.
3. The rather blocky shape of the sights, and the position of the backsight some distance ahead of the breech, are features associated with Japan. Chinese sights consist of a low blade-shaped foresight and a standing backsight with a V notch or an aperture, located just above the priming pan.