It is the annual tradition of the Krieghoff company to produce one of their guns as a particularly
artistic masterpiece and to present it to the world as “Gun of the Year“. “For us, it’s primarily about showing the skills and passion of our craftsmen and also what manual work is able to achieve.” Mr. Krieghoff himself explained the meaning behind this project. “It represents the opportunity to work without the normal limitations that artists usually have. The engraving alone takes months, but the stock and barrel also require great skill.”

This year, the gun is based on a K80, Krieghoff’s over-and-under shotgun. It was decorated with scenes from the life of King Naresuan. This is based on a special request made by a customer; it should show the history of an otherwise rarely presented country.

Krieghoff explained “an engraving honoring one of the most revered rulers in Thai history. The Gun of the Year 2022 takes the observer into the rich history of Thailand (formerly Kingdom of Ayutthaya). Creative Art’s engravers meticulously capture famous events during the reign of 16th-century King Naresuan,
nicknamed “the Great” for his success and popularity.”  King Naresuan the Great (1555 – 25 April 1605) was the king of the Ayutthaya from 1590 and the overlord of Lan Na from 1602 until his death. He freed Ayutthaya from the vassalage of the Burmese Taungoo Empire.

“The underside of the action shows the king in magnificent robes pouring out holy water. With this
gesture, he symbolically declared the independence of Ayutthaya from Burma. The elephants, the
soldiers and of course the king are all engraved in lifelike relief. The work of art is framed by Thai
ornamentation.”

In 1584, he rebelled against the overlords from Burma and started a war for the independence of his
kingdom. Conflicts with this state should continue throughout his life. “Naresuan’s legendary duel with the Burmese crown prince Mingyi Swa is depicted in wonderful detail on the left side of the receiver. Here, as on all the other sides, Naresuan the Great is highlighted with fine gold detailing.”

Naresuan is said to have succeeded in conquering a city where the Burmese crown prince Mingyi Swa
had previously failed. An envious enmity between the two was the result. In January 1593, Naresuan challenged the Prince to a duel on the backs of their war elephants. In this duel, following the legend, he is said to have killed his opponent with a glaive. According to the Burmese chronicles, however, Mingyi Swa was simply shot. “The Battle of the Satong River is presented on the opposite side of the receiver. It is shown how King Naresuan was able to rout the enemy troops with his legendary shot and gained independence of Ayutthaya as a result.”

After beginning the war of independence, Naresuan was trying to evade the main enemy army. But,
the Burmese caught up with the Siamese at the Satong River. The King shot his gun across the river,
killing the chief of the Burmese army; this caused a panicked retreat of the enemy.
It is also interesting to know, that King Naresuan put a great emphasis on the use of firearms in his
army and actively supported their import from European traders. So being engraved on this
masterpiece would certainly gain his approval.

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Alexander Straube is a German freelance writer, chief editor of FIPS and author of the book on the German gun debate.