Japanese rifles

This page is under construction and captions and notes of historical interest will be added. I would appreciate any comments.

J. Michael Kerrigan

Murata Type 13 single shot rifle with action very similar to the Beaumont. The stock is one piece and very "musket like". 1880 11 mm center fire

Murata Type 18 single shot rifle with action very similar to the Beaumont. The stock is one piece and very "musket like". 1885 11 mm center fire

Murata Type 22 tube magazine fed rifle with action very similar to the Krapatschek. The stock is one piece. 1889 8 mm center fire

Arisaka Type 30 1899-1907 in 6.5 mm.

Arisaka Type 44 carbine. Manufactured along with the Type 38 carbine from 1911 to the late 1930's. 6.5 mm

Chinese modified Type 44 carbine (early type)

Late Type 44 carbine and early Chinese modified Type 44 carbines

Showing different trigger guards, magazine floor plate release, butt stocks and plates as well rear barrel bands

Type 99 rifle (upper)and the early chinese modified Type 44 carbine (lower).

Showing the same trigger guards, same magazine floor plate releases, same butt plates, modified rear barrel band and cut down stock.

Since the Type 99 rifle was only made from 1939 - 1945 this modification had to be done post WWII.

Arisaka Type 38 carbine. 6.5 mm

Arisaka Type 38 cavalry carbine. 6.5 mm These carbines were made from T38 rifles with the barrel and stock shortened. The barrels were turned down so the regular T38 nose cap could be utilized.

Close up of the turned down barrel behind the nose cap.

Arisaka Type 99 Paratroop Type 2 "take down" rifle. This was the gun in the film "Manchurian Candidate" and described as "Russian". Poetic license? Late 1943. 7.7 mm

Type I rifle made in Italy on contract from the Imperial Japanese Navy. Note the Carcano action but with two piece, typically Japanese, butt stock. 1938-1939. 6.5 mm

Another Type I. These rifles must have spent a lot of their life in the ship's arsenal. Maybe a lot of guard duty. Most of the ones I have seen are nearly pristene. 1938-1939. 6.5 mm

A sporterized Type I rifle. 6.5 mm

Another Type I rifle. 1938-1939. 6.5 mm

100,000 rifles in each series and the series are designated by the sequential Kana syllables in a Japanese poem, "IROHA" and commonly represented by the numbers one (1) to forty five (45). The first 19 series were assigned to the Nagoya Arsenal. 100,000 series "0" rifles were made at the Nagoya Arsenal before the series system was initiated. The manilla tag in each picture contains the Japanese Kana character for the series as well as the arabic number equivalent. (I'm still lacking a series 8, 10 and 12 any help would be appreciated! Series 13 -19 were never produced).

Verbal comentary as well as black and white pictures of each series can be found in Honeycutt's great book, "Military Rifles of Japan".

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Series 1 representative rifle

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Series 2 representative rifle

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Series 3 representative rifle

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Series 4 representative rifle

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Series 5 representative rifle

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Series 6 representative rifle

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Series 7 representative rifle

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Series 8 representative rifle

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Series 9 representative rifle

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Series 10 representative rifle

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100,000 rifles in each series and the series are designated by the sequential Kana syllables in a Japanese poem, "IROHA" and commonly represented by the numbers one (1) to forty five (45). Series "20 through "29" were assigned to the Kokura Arsenal. The manilla tag in each picture contains the Japanese Kana character for the series as well as the arabic number equivalent. (I'm still lacking a series "21" and "26" any help would be appreciated!

There are 100,000 rifles in each series and the series are designated by the sequential Kana syllables in a Japanese poem, "IROHA" and commonly represented by the numbers one (1) to forty five (45). The manilla tag in each picture contains the Japanese Kana character for the series as well as the arabic number equivalent.

These next two series were done at Tokyo Juki Kogyo, Tokyo, also under Kokura Arsenal supervision

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Series 37 representative rifle

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Series 38 representative rifle

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Jinsen Arsenal, Korea, was given series "40" (1939 - 1945).

There are 100,000 rifles in each series and the series are designated by the sequential Kana syllables in a Japanese poem, "IROHA" and commonly represented by the numbers one (1) to forty five (45). The manilla tag in each picture contains the Japanese Kana character for the series as well as the arabic number equivalent.

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Series 40 representative rifle

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Mukden Arsenal, China< was given series "45" but I have been unable to find a series 45 rifle for my collection.

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Modified Rifles

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Arisaka Type 38 carbine re-barreled for 7.62 x 39 ammo by the Chinese in the 50's.

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Arisaka Type 38 re-chambered, re-bored for 8 mm and repaired by the Chinese Nationalists during WW II.

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Training Rifles

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Training rifle with serial number "X310" (blank ammo only).

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I have had two Japanese training bayonets for several years that will not mount a T38, TI or T99 rifle. Their dimensions are about 3 - 5 % smaller than a standard T30 bayonet. This training rifle, also three digit serial number, will mount them both perfectly. A standard T30 bayonet is very sloppy on this rifle. I feel these bayonets were made specifically for these training rifles probably in the first part of the last century.

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Training rifle with serial number "D18" (blank ammo only).

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Arisaka training rifle marked with anchor rather than the mum. One piece stock with smooth bore.

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7/8 th scale Youth Training Rifle

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A child's or youth training rifle that fired blanks. It's a 7/8 scale Type 38 rifle. Complete with it's own style bayonet (which costs more than the little rifle!)

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Email: mike@kerrigan.com

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