In 1854, Japan finally opened her ports to foreign nations, and in 1860 the United States was given the honor or being the first nation outside of Asia to receive a Japanese delegation.
The new relationship was also a remarkable business opportunity for enterprising Americans such as Samuel Colt, who wasted no time ensuring the Japanese ambassadors returned home with a number of Colt firearms – then a giant technological leap.
This Colt Model 1855 rifle was presented in its military pattern, likely in hopes of procuring a foreign military contract. It was presented to Muragaki Norimasa, a high-ranking samurai and the vice ambassador of the delegation. The rifle found its way to the United States in May of 1946 when it was brought back by 1st Lieutenant Stuart M Beard III.
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