Masuri? Takeda?

Hi,

I recently acquired a rather old and dirty, but after some polishing quite nice pair of toy-handcuff-predecessors. But I'm still not completely sure what they are, everybody writes something else...

Here's a picture of it like I got it, before any polishing:


Following our master Joe it seems those are TAKEDAs, the model looks very much the same except for the text and the dirt.

But searching for Takeda, I find Yossie showing a quite different cuff:
http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... cturer=157

and after some more searches I'm quite convinced: they both are wrong. It seems for sure the cuffs Yossie shows are in fact Masuris, which first led me to the conclusion that those are the original (Guenter also has one and names it Masuri on his page) and mine the Takeda copy. So I went to Guenter and compared mine to his. Of course I cleaned mine up a bit before




but mine doesn't look like a cheap copy in comparison, I'd even say they're made a bit nicer, smoother edges and everything. But someone wrote Takedas are made much cheaper? Who was that? Ah, Alex Nichols. So looking in his book I find a pair like mine as "Masuri", and in Volume 2 one like Guenter's/Yossie's, also named Masuri. Alex also shows Takedas, which look a lot different.

So my current conclusion: all the cuffs (Joe's, Yossie's, Guenter's, mine) are in fact Masuris, possibly Guenter's/Yossie's being their first model and Joe's/mine a second one? Does anybody know for sure? Japan experts present?

Greetings,
Martin

The cuff in your original first picture was sold in the 1960's by Patterson Smith and others as the TAKEDA. They are unmarked, and are nickle plated over brass, and well made. They also sold a matching Leg iron, which is very rare today. Frank Roshon sold the same cuff, but it is marked "Chief of police" on one cuff and "Monte Carlo" on the other. A few years ago I bought about a dozen of them from him and he identified them as Takeda.
Stan

Hi,

I recently acquired a rather old and dirty, but after some polishing quite nice pair of toy-handcuff-predecessors. But I'm still not completely sure what they are, everybody writes something else...

Here's a picture of it like I got it, before any polishing:


Following our master Joe it seems those are TAKEDAs, the model looks very much the same except for the text and the dirt.

But searching for Takeda, I find Yossie showing a quite different cuff:
http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... cturer=157

and after some more searches I'm quite convinced: they both are wrong. It seems for sure the cuffs Yossie shows are in fact Masuris, which first led me to the conclusion that those are the original (Guenter also has one and names it Masuri on his page) and mine the Takeda copy. So I went to Guenter and compared mine to his. Of course I cleaned mine up a bit before




but mine doesn't look like a cheap copy in comparison, I'd even say they're made a bit nicer, smoother edges and everything. But someone wrote Takedas are made much cheaper? Who was that? Ah, Alex Nichols. So looking in his book I find a pair like mine as "Masuri", and in Volume 2 one like Guenter's/Yossie's, also named Masuri. Alex also shows Takedas, which look a lot different.

So my current conclusion: all the cuffs (Joe's, Yossie's, Guenter's, mine) are in fact Masuris, possibly Guenter's/Yossie's being their first model and Joe's/mine a second one? Does anybody know for sure? Japan experts present?

Greetings,
Martin

Click to expand...

Thanks Stan for your reply! That sounds like the same information Joe has, but might it be that back then those simply were called Takeda because Takeda-Style was the common name for this shape of cuff?

This nickel plated brass is one of the parts which makes me believe they might also be Masuri. The japanese Takeda in Alex Nichols book is a pressed steel construction (Page 205 in Volume 1), I think it would be strange if they also made brass cuffs? Page 204 shows Cuffs from Chris Gower which look exactly like mine, except for the markings which well might be the ones you mentioned (CHIEF OF POLICE/MONTE CARLO), and Chris obviously believes they are Masuri?

Do you know anything about this other cuff, the one Yossie and Guenter have, of which Guenter believes it's a Masuri? Alex has one like it in Volume 2 (p. 435) and writes he thinks it's "also a Masuri" - while I was tempted to belive that this is the "original" Masuri...

Confused,
Martin

Hi,

I recently acquired a rather old and dirty, but after some polishing quite nice pair of toy-handcuff-predecessors. But I'm still not completely sure what they are, everybody writes something else...

Here's a picture of it like I got it, before any polishing:


Following our master Joe it seems those are TAKEDAs, the model looks very much the same except for the text and the dirt.

But searching for Takeda, I find Yossie showing a quite different cuff:
http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... cturer=157

and after some more searches I'm quite convinced: they both are wrong. It seems for sure the cuffs Yossie shows are in fact Masuris, which first led me to the conclusion that those are the original (Guenter also has one and names it Masuri on his page) and mine the Takeda copy. So I went to Guenter and compared mine to his. Of course I cleaned mine up a bit before




but mine doesn't look like a cheap copy in comparison, I'd even say they're made a bit nicer, smoother edges and everything. But someone wrote Takedas are made much cheaper? Who was that? Ah, Alex Nichols. So looking in his book I find a pair like mine as "Masuri", and in Volume 2 one like Guenter's/Yossie's, also named Masuri. Alex also shows Takedas, which look a lot different.

So my current conclusion: all the cuffs (Joe's, Yossie's, Guenter's, mine) are in fact Masuris, possibly Guenter's/Yossie's being their first model and Joe's/mine a second one? Does anybody know for sure? Japan experts present?

Greetings,
Martin

Click to expand...

This is a interesting thread. I must admit I have no idea who manufactured any of my Japanese cuffs.

My thoughts have been that the ones with the sunburst trademark were Maruisi, while the ones without were Takeda. But I have no problem saying that they are all Masuris or Maruisi or Maruishi. (Which spelling is correct?)

But in that case is there a legitimate Takeda handcuff? Is "Takeda" even the name of a company? Maybe it has some other meaning. According to the Wikepedia “Takeda” is an important Japanese family name.

Here are the cuffs that I have labeled as Masruisi in my gallery.







Joe

Hi,

I recently acquired a rather old and dirty, but after some polishing quite nice pair of toy-handcuff-predecessors. But I'm still not completely sure what they are, everybody writes something else...

Here's a picture of it like I got it, before any polishing:


Following our master Joe it seems those are TAKEDAs, the model looks very much the same except for the text and the dirt.

But searching for Takeda, I find Yossie showing a quite different cuff:
http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... cturer=157

and after some more searches I'm quite convinced: they both are wrong. It seems for sure the cuffs Yossie shows are in fact Masuris, which first led me to the conclusion that those are the original (Guenter also has one and names it Masuri on his page) and mine the Takeda copy. So I went to Guenter and compared mine to his. Of course I cleaned mine up a bit before




but mine doesn't look like a cheap copy in comparison, I'd even say they're made a bit nicer, smoother edges and everything. But someone wrote Takedas are made much cheaper? Who was that? Ah, Alex Nichols. So looking in his book I find a pair like mine as "Masuri", and in Volume 2 one like Guenter's/Yossie's, also named Masuri. Alex also shows Takedas, which look a lot different.

So my current conclusion: all the cuffs (Joe's, Yossie's, Guenter's, mine) are in fact Masuris, possibly Guenter's/Yossie's being their first model and Joe's/mine a second one? Does anybody know for sure? Japan experts present?

Greetings,
Martin

Click to expand...

It never occured to me, but Joseph's second pic - especially the keyholes - reminds me of a pair of (partly defective) leg irons that I bought from Asia a few years ago. I always wondered where they came from, and I never would have made the connection.

Nils

This is a interesting thread. I must admit I have no idea who manufactured any of my Japanese cuffs.

My thoughts have been that the ones with the sunburst trademark were Maruisi, while the ones without were Takeda. But I have no problem saying that they are all Masuris or Maruisi or Maruishi. (Which spelling is correct?)

But in that case is there a legitimate Takeda handcuff? Is "Takeda" even the name of a company? Maybe it has some other meaning. According to the Wikepedia “Takeda” is an important Japanese family name.

Here are the cuffs that I have labeled as Masruisi in my gallery.







Joe

Click to expand...

I have a pair marked Maruisi the look just like the second picture in your post. But they do not have any numbers on them just the Maruisi on the double arm side of both cuffs. And it has the sunburst? near the key hole. These came from my Father when he was an MP in Japan during the Korean conflict. I also have the original key with them. They have scuffing on the metal and in some places the finish is worn off.

Do these have any value.

And if you would like a picture of them for your gallary give me an email address I can send it to.

Shawn

Hi,

I recently acquired a rather old and dirty, but after some polishing quite nice pair of toy-handcuff-predecessors. But I'm still not completely sure what they are, everybody writes something else...

Here's a picture of it like I got it, before any polishing:


Following our master Joe it seems those are TAKEDAs, the model looks very much the same except for the text and the dirt.

But searching for Takeda, I find Yossie showing a quite different cuff:
http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... cturer=157

and after some more searches I'm quite convinced: they both are wrong. It seems for sure the cuffs Yossie shows are in fact Masuris, which first led me to the conclusion that those are the original (Guenter also has one and names it Masuri on his page) and mine the Takeda copy. So I went to Guenter and compared mine to his. Of course I cleaned mine up a bit before




but mine doesn't look like a cheap copy in comparison, I'd even say they're made a bit nicer, smoother edges and everything. But someone wrote Takedas are made much cheaper? Who was that? Ah, Alex Nichols. So looking in his book I find a pair like mine as "Masuri", and in Volume 2 one like Guenter's/Yossie's, also named Masuri. Alex also shows Takedas, which look a lot different.

So my current conclusion: all the cuffs (Joe's, Yossie's, Guenter's, mine) are in fact Masuris, possibly Guenter's/Yossie's being their first model and Joe's/mine a second one? Does anybody know for sure? Japan experts present?

Greetings,
Martin

Click to expand...

Going back to the 60s, when Japan started to export to the world, we discovered quickly about the Japanese Motorcycle and Automotive Industry and associated tool and machinery makers in Japan, (which were usually all parts of an association/cartel) supporting a "Parent" comany, ie. Honda, Misubishi...etc. You are best to go by the House Mark (Trademark Insignia) which denotes the Manufacturer. In this case looks to be the large Floral Stamping. Some of the Housemarks go back to the Fuedal Houses of pre-industial Japan. Any Retail name could be used depending on what the buyer wanted for export purposes, and if you were lucky they would spell it properly!

Hi,

I recently acquired a rather old and dirty, but after some polishing quite nice pair of toy-handcuff-predecessors. But I'm still not completely sure what they are, everybody writes something else...

Here's a picture of it like I got it, before any polishing:


Following our master Joe it seems those are TAKEDAs, the model looks very much the same except for the text and the dirt.

But searching for Takeda, I find Yossie showing a quite different cuff:
http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... cturer=157

and after some more searches I'm quite convinced: they both are wrong. It seems for sure the cuffs Yossie shows are in fact Masuris, which first led me to the conclusion that those are the original (Guenter also has one and names it Masuri on his page) and mine the Takeda copy. So I went to Guenter and compared mine to his. Of course I cleaned mine up a bit before




but mine doesn't look like a cheap copy in comparison, I'd even say they're made a bit nicer, smoother edges and everything. But someone wrote Takedas are made much cheaper? Who was that? Ah, Alex Nichols. So looking in his book I find a pair like mine as "Masuri", and in Volume 2 one like Guenter's/Yossie's, also named Masuri. Alex also shows Takedas, which look a lot different.

So my current conclusion: all the cuffs (Joe's, Yossie's, Guenter's, mine) are in fact Masuris, possibly Guenter's/Yossie's being their first model and Joe's/mine a second one? Does anybody know for sure? Japan experts present?

Greetings,
Martin

Click to expand...

The symbol on the cuffs is the symbol of the Japanese police, here is their shoulder patch:


Best,

Michael

I have a pair which looks like the original image, nicely made, heavy, lacking the cheapness of the modern ones but the body of the cuff is steel (magnetic) and the bow is likely brass (not magnetic). I have been calling mine Takeda but I am not sure now. The back side edges of mine are not as a hard edge as the ones pictured, it's more of a softer bend shape on the edge, but everything is the same visually. Even has the same JAPAN stamp in the same location near the chain. I am wondering if perhaps mine are a late Maruri where they used steel for the body?

The original design is fairly weighty. It is constructed of laminations of stamped metal. Edges are all square where the plates meet.
The pair you have is a next generation, a copy , reproduction of the orginal design. In your model, it is stamped JAPAN for export reasons. Made cheaper. The lock cavity is formed by one of the outer plates having been stamped differently in shape and then the edges bent up. This produces a radiused corner on one side. This model had a good weigh to it also and was made of a similar thickness to the original. Since then, many companies have reproduced this cuff in very thin and sharp edges steel and even made then of very thin cast alloy.