日本帝国の拳铳
 

Find another one. To be studied. All matching except magazine.

I've always liked these fugly guns.
I've come close to buying one a time or two but the cost of ammo always put me off since I like to shoot all my guns once in a while and I don't reload.
That's a nice example!

I will try to find ammo in next gun show. Ammo is not cheap. It came with 8 rounds original cartridges. Obviously, I won't shoot those.

Now, the interesting part -- paper. Looks real? I think it's real, but I am not good on paperworks.

If that paper isn't real somebody put a hell of lot of time into faking it! :)
Nice addition to the package. What about the holster?

The holster is leather, but the strap is canvas.

Here is the detail:

Very nice! The canvas strap looks to be in pretty good condition.

Try the Old Western Scrounger for ammo. They carry some of the odd calibers.

I wish there was some treatment for the rubberized canvas straps. They do get stiff and brittle over time.

I noticed it already has this problem!! Any solution?

Hmmm..... Japanese stuff is not very hot. ;)

Now, a blade & a "帯刀本分兵" (i.e. a private who carried a Guntō)

I've always like the Nambu's with the Winter trigger guard... :)

Very nice looking sword! have you unpegged it and looked for the "prayer sheet", or done a rubbing of the marks under the grip???

The owner of a gunshop where I lived back in the 70's was very much into Japanese swords...The Postmaster of my PO was a Pacific Marine Vet; he brought back a Japanese NCO's sword (much plainer than the one you pictured; yours must be an Officers sword) and the gunshop owner showed me how it was assembled/disassembled...and the "prayer" that was sometimes hidden under the grip...

Did you buy the Type 14??? I've always wondered what the Japanese made the grips out of...

Very impressive collectibles... ;)

WOW nice stuff!

- WOT

It's Type 95 (Japanese Year 2595 was Christ 1935) NCO sword. A relatively early one made in Tokyo Arsenal. This thing is like their guns, becoming cruder and cruder towards the end of the war.

Collecting Japanese is like collecting German, I feel starting backwards is safer.... starting from Type 14, 94, NCO sword (equivalent of Broomhandle 1930, Red 9, and Prewar small ring, etc, relatively common), and can stop here, that's good enough. If choose to continue, then higher ones like Papa Nambu, Baby Nambu, Grandpa Nambu, Officer's sword, or even General's handmade swords.... those are very expansive (equivalent of Broomhandle Cone Hammer, 6-Shot, etc, relatively rare).

I am not sure .... should I stop here on Japanese..... well, at least I will find a small trigger guard T14 rig. There are plenty of them on the market, I just need to find an appropriate one. Collecting process is also a learning process.

At first glance your topic scared me. I thought whatever infested 1896mauser.com found its way over here.

I thought it was my browser...Not having the characters to display whatever it is he's trying to say... ;)

I get the same thing on Japanese/Chinese sites...all ??????'s...

Guys, why would ????? and Kanji make any difference to you anyway, if you cannot read Kanji?

The topic title actually came from a collector's book regarding Japanese Military Handguns (Author Jim Brown?) He has two more Kanji after those..... saying "Studied Again"..... so I assume the copy I have was his 2nd Edition or something.

It's a great reference book.

I seem to remember that some years ago, that there was a group of Japanese that had come to San Francisco to buy back some of the war souvieneers. I understand that they paid some handsom prices to buy them back. I guess who it belonged to help determine the value.

I fall into love with this Japanese blade stuff, but it's more complex than guns.... no regulation or law control these things, and there are many fakes floating on the market. Need to learn more before pouring serious money into it.

Which book is the best?

A friend of mine . . . his father had captured a Samurai sword during WWII. They had it here in the States for many, many years. Eventually they got in touch with the original family in Japan that this sword had come from. Evidently some of these swords have been in families for literally 100's of years and are considered serious family heirlooms. As a sign of good will, the two families eventually met and the sword was returned. Both sides now consider themselves as part of the same family now.

- WOT

During the war, the Japanese people were encouraged to donate their family heirloom swords for the war effort. They were shortened (from the grip end) and re-gripped to Army specs, and issued to officers & NCOs. Some of the blades were works of art fashioned by masters in the trade, hundreds of years previously... :(