The included documents indicate this drilling was manufactured in 1886 and was retained "under the custody of the Minister of the Imperial Household as [the] favorite gun of his Majesty, Emperor Meiji. The proprietor of the Okamoto Guns Store located at Okachi-machi, Tokyo, is familiar with the said gun because he had gone to the Imperial Palace to repair it for a long time." It was released from the Minister of the Imperial Household after the "Greater East War (2nd War)" as "payment in kind for property tax of the Imperial House" and was then transferred to former count Ushiji Kabayama and then Ijetsu Manjiro and finally Captain Robert H. Whan in 1951. Emperor Meiji of Japan (1852-1912), also known as Meiji the Great, was an infant when the U.S. forcibly ended Japanese isolationism. During his reign from 1867 until his death in 1912, he oversaw the vast transformation of Japanese society during the Meiji Restoration. The country underwent rapid changes to its economy, political system, and military and emerged as a true world power. The year this drilling was manufactured, 1886, was the year work began on Japan's new constitution. The sale of this drilling to a U.S. Air Force officer took place during a much different time in Japan. In the 1950s, Japan once again was forced to modernize under the threat of the United State's more advanced weapons following the dropping of the atomic bombs and Japan's defeat in World War II. U.S. troops regularly visited Japan in the post-war era. It was officially occupied by U.S. forces until 1952 and served as a strategic staging area for American operations during the Korean War. Robert H. Whan (1915-1982) of Missouri served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Korean War, retired as a lieutenant colonel on January 31, 1957, and is buried in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. The drilling is also documented in The Journal of the German Gun Collectors Association's No. 41 Fall/Winter 2009 issue and is featured on the cover and in the article "A Drilling for the Emperor" within. The article indicates the drilling was purchased from Whan's family in 2005 and was likely manufactured by a Suhl gunmaker, possibly F.W. Kessler, for Carl Stiegel in Munich. It features beautiful traditional Germanic decoration covering most of the surfaces aside from the front section of the barrel group. The breech end of the barrels feature precious metal inlays in primarily floral patterns along with a rendition of Diana on the top of the left barrel (goddess of the hunt) and Saint Hubertus (patron saint of hunters) and the mythical stag on the op of the left barrel. The barrel rib has "C. Stiegele jun Munchin" inlaid in gold at the breech, a dovetailed beaded blade front sight, and folding notch rear sight. The barrel group consists of two 16 gauge smoothbore shotgun barrels over a .40 caliber (10 mm) rifled barrel. The rifled barrel is numbered "6800" (the number in the documents) on the left and "6092C" on the right at the breech. "6800" is also repeated inside the forearm and on the buttplate. The upper tang also has a folding peep sight. The action, locks, and trigger guard have scenes containing a variety of game as well as hunting dogs and are accented by floral patterns and gold accents. The buttplate is also engraved and features a stag at the heel and traditional Germanic floral scroll patterns on the back. The right trigger is a set trigger, and there is a lever that rotates the right shotgun barrel's firing pin out of the way so that the rifle barrel can be used. The highly figured stock has extensive and highly detailed relief carved traditional Germanic "black leaf" floral scroll patterns as well as a scene with a family of pheasants on the right side of buttstock and large cheek rest on the left that has "1886" among the carved designs at the edge. The lever and scroll trigger guard extension are horn. Sling swivels are fitted to the bottom of the rifle barrel and the buttstock.

Exceptionally fine overall with crisp engraving and carving, bright gold inlays, aged patina on the silver inlays, 90% plus original brown finish and subtle Damascus patterns along the barrels, mostly a smooth gray on the casehardened components, flashes of brighter original case colors in some of the protected areas, strong niter blue on the small parts, attractive figure on the stock, some slight flakes mainly at the edges of the wood, and general mild wear from age, handling, and storage. Mechanically excellent. This drilling is an absolutely outstanding firearm and a true work of art in its own right, but its documented ownership by Emperor Meiji, one of the most iconic leaders in Japanese history, certainly makes this gun worthy of a prominent place in an advanced museum or private collection.