Ed, there is a reason that the Nambu pistols were not mummed, as well as any other Jap officer’s sidearm. Since the officer was required to purchase his own sidearm, it became his property, and not the emperors. So no personal pistol was stamped with the chrysanthemum according to the Japanese exports I have discussed this with. Rifles got the chrysanthemum because they were Army property, and thus the Emperor’s property. Another Japanese collector also brought up the very common sense observation that a bunch of 1940 42 coded Lugers would not have been found in the Eastern theater of operations in the first place. And even if they had been bought by an officer, his pistol would never have been stamped with the mum in addition.
Parallax Discussion