Item:
ONSV1674A

Original Japanese Late WWII Arisaka Type 30 Last Ditch Bayonet by National Denki with Wood Scabbard and Rubberized Frog

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Item Available. This is an excellent example of a late WW2 "last ditch" issue Japanese Model 30 Arisaka rifle bayonet with a blade bearing arsenal markings indicating manufacture by National Denki (National Electric). The bayonet comes complete with a rare metal fitted wooden "last ditch" scabbard, made from two pieces of wood bound with string wrappings, which is fitted into an equally rare rubberized canvas belt frog. Both the scabbard and frog are in very good condition, with the expected wear from age. Condition of bayonet is very good, though the blade is only partially sharpened, with rough 45 degree grinding, typical of late war production. There are no nicks in the blade, and it appears to have not really been used. Last ditch bayonets in this condition are extremely rare, as most were discarded, and the wooden scabbards are much less resilient than the steel ones.

It also has some very interesting markings, painted onto the spine of the pommel. We have not been able to fully translate them, but the appear to be mostly numbers, possibly the unit the bayonet was issued to. These were later lacquered over by a collector to preserve them. A great research opportunity.

History of the Type 30 Bayonet-

The Type 30 bayonet (三十年式銃剣 sanjunen-shiki juken) was a bayonet designed for the Imperial Japanese Army to be used with the Arisaka Type 30 Rifle and was later used on the Type 38 and Type 99 rifles. Some 8.4 million were produced, and it remained in front-line use from the Russo-Japanese War to the end of World War II.

Type 30 Bayonet was a single-edged sword bayonet with a 400 millimetres (15.75 in) blade and an overall length of 514 millimetres (20.24 in) with a weight of approximately 700 grams. The Type 30 bayonet is also known as the "Pattern 1897 bayonet". Early Type 30 bayonets usually sported a hooked quillion guard that gave it a distinct look, but later models had a straight hand guard. This bayonet is of the Late War design, with a straight quillon, with the final style flat-sided bird's head pommel. The rivet-retained wooden grip is straight and does not wrap around the tang. The blade is flat without fullers and blued, and the crossguard is straight but still contoured on the side, which makes this the last pattern made by National Denki, which no longer had supervision from Nagoya arsenal. Base of the bayonet is marked with serial number 63659, after the series marking.

The design was intended to give the average Japanese infantryman a long enough reach to piece the abdomen of a cavalryman. However, the design had a number of drawbacks, some caused by the poor quality of forgings used, which tended to rust quickly and not hold an edge, and to break when bent.

These bayonets were manufactured from 1897 to 1945 at a number of locations, including the Kokura Arsenal, Koishikawa Arsenal (Tokyo) and Nagoya Arsenal, as well as under contract by private manufacturers including Matsushita, National Denki and many others, including Jinsen Arsenal in Occupied Korea.

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