Original Japanese Pre-WWII Arisaka Type 30 Bayonet by Matsushita National Denki with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Item Available. This is a very good condition Pre-WWII issue Japanese Model 30 Arisaka rifle bayonet, manufactured by Matsushita National Denki under Kokura Arsenal supervision. It comes complete with an original steel scabbard.

Condition of the bayonet is very good, with a great lightly worn look. The blade shows some staining and oxidation, though the bluing has been mostly retained. The hilt is in good shape as well, with very nice wooden grip scales, and a fully functional bayonet latch.

This bayonet was manufactured between 1935 and 1942 by Matsushita Kinzoku KK, under Kokura Arsenal Supervision. Matsushita Metalworking Corp was part of the Matsushita National Denki (Electric Corp.). Surviving group members now make electronics under the National and Panasonic brands. Sugawa estimates production at 900,000, the second-highest among the subcontractors.

This bayonet is of the earliest Pre-WWII design, with a hooked quillon and a flat sided “bird’s head” pommel. The rivet-retained wooden grips are contoured and wrap around. The blade is fullered and was originally bright steel, and the crossguard is hooked and contoured on the side. This configuration matches the earliest pattern manufactured by Matushita National Denki. The base of the bayonet is marked with a serial number 69324.

The scabbard is in very nice service worn condition showing the typical wear and deterioration from service.

A very hard to find Type 30 bayonet set, ready to fit to any early war Arisaka Rifle!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 15 3/4″
Blade Style: Single Edge Bayonet
Overall length: 20 1/8“
Crossguard: 3 3/4”
Scabbard Length: 16 1/4″

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.

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, Toyoda Automatic Loom and many others, including Jinsen Arsenal in Occupied Korea.