Water gun - Mizudeppo

Japanese: 水鉄砲 - みずでっぽう

A water toy that applies the theory of suction pumps. During the Kyoho era (1716-1736) in the Edo period, after town fire brigades were established in the city of Edo, toys that imitated the fire brigades' tools appeared. This was one of them, called a mizuhajiki, and was a favorite among children. The toys were played with by inserting a stick wrapped in slivers of paper into a bamboo tube and then pulling it up to splash water. At first they were handmade, but later wooden ones were commercialized. Cypress ones were first sold in Nagoya. Tinplate ones then appeared in the middle of the Meiji period. These had a structure somewhere between a dragon-spouting water pump (a fire pump from the Edo period) and a gun. After that, tinplate, rubber, plastic, and other toys appeared. There was also a pistol-shaped water pistol (pistol pump).

[Ryosuke Saito]

Water gun
A nishiki-e (colored woodblock print) depicting children playing in water. Various water guns are depicted, including one with a bamboo spout (center) and one that sucks up water from a bucket and shoots it out (right). A dragon-spewing water gun can be seen in the background on the left. The painting is a satire of the Boshin War. "Children's Water Battle" Diptych, owned by the National Diet Library .

Water gun

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

吸上げポンプの理論を応用した水物玩具(がんぐ)。江戸時代享保(きょうほう)年間（1716～36）、江戸の町に町火消(まちびけし)が整備されてから、その火消し道具をまねた玩具が登場した。これもその一つで水はじきとよばれ、子供たちに愛用された。竹筒に裂(きれ)を巻いた棒を差し込み、また引き上げて水をはじき出して遊ぶ。最初は手製であったが、のちには木製のものが商品化された。まず名古屋でヒノキ製のものが売り出された。続いて明治の中ごろにブリキ製が現れた。これらは竜吐水(りゅうどすい)（江戸時代の消火ポンプ）と鉄砲の中間的構造であった。以後ブリキ、ゴム、プラスチック製などが登場した。ピストル形の水ピストル（ピストルポンプ）もある。

［斎藤良輔］

水鉄砲
子供たちの水遊びを描いた錦絵。竹筒にハス口をつけたもの（写真中央）、桶から水を吸い上げてはじき出すもの（右）など、さまざまな水鉄砲が描かれている。左奥には竜吐水がみえる。絵は戊辰戦争を風刺したもの。『子供遊水合戦』　二枚続国立国会図書館所蔵">

水鉄砲

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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