Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original WWII Issue holster for the Japanese Nambu type 14 semi automatic pistol. It is constructed of thick leather with a hard shell lid which covers the pistol's grip as well as the spare ammunition compartment and firing pin pouch. There is also a flap covering the ammunition compartment, which is intact, and a loop inside to hold the combination cleaning rod take down tool. The rear of the holster has a belt loop, as well as two loops for a shoulder strap, which is not present.

These holsters were originally marked inside the lid, and while there are some markings, we are not able to read them. There also was a label of some type in the inside, which was partly removed over time.

The holster is in good used condition, showing age and wear, but still in very nice shape. There is a lot of verdigris buildup around the brass fittings, which has caused the stud on the bottom of the ammunition pocket to partly push out.

A lovely example that comes ready to display!

The Nambu pistols are a series of semi-automatic pistols produced by the Japanese company Koishikawa Arsenal, later known as the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal. The series has three variants, the Type A, the Type B (also known as the Baby Nambu), and the Type 14. The Nambu pistols were designed to replace Japan's earlier service pistol, the Type 26 revolver.

The pistols were designed by Kijiro Nambu and saw extensive service in the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War. The most common variant, the Type 14, was used mostly by officers, who had to pay for their pistols themselves.

Towards the end of the war, the production quality began to decline in order to speed up manufacture. Nambu pistols were noted for their lack of reliability and stopping power compared to other handguns being fielded by other nations at the same time, such as the M1911 and Walther P38.

The Type 14 Nambu gets its name from the year it was produced - the 14th year of the Taishō era, or 1926. It was designed to help lower the manufacturing cost of the Nambus, and like the Type A, fires the 8×22mm Nambu. From 1927, it was a standard issue sidearm for officers and was being sold for 78 yen by 1939. It is believed that around 400,000 Type 14 Nambus were produced, but the exact number is unknown, as Japanese soldiers considered their weapons property of the emperor, and many chose to destroy their pistols or throw them into the ocean to avoid them falling into enemy hands.

Later production models have a larger trigger guard, following complaints by soldiers stationed in Manchukuo that it was difficult to fire the trigger while wearing gloves. Some of these models also have a knurled steel cocking knob instead of the standard "slotted" cocking knob. After 1940, an auxiliary magazine spring was added to assist in reloading. A redesigned cocking knob was implemented in 1944 in order to simplify production. The Type 14 also lacks the grip safety used on the previous models.

Pre-1937 Type 14s are well made, with a noticeable decline in quality after the war's beginning, to meet the production demands of wartime. However, later Type 14s remained mostly functional despite the decreased quality. The holsters for the pistols also had to be changed to accommodate wartime. A lack of available raw materials resulted in a move from holsters made of leather, to rubberized canvas.