Posted 3 years ago
fortapache
(3287 items)
This is my third Japanese bayonet. The exciting feature here is the bayonet frog aka the leather piece that holds the scabbard to the belt. The frogs are rarer than the bayonets and worth about what I paid for the set in total. The other somewhat unusual feature is the straight guard or quillion as most are curved. Not all that uncommon though.
The Matsushira Kinzoku Arsenal made this bayonet. In figure 4 the Arrow M makers mark can be seen along with the Chrysanthemum. The Chrysanthemum is the symbol used by Japan during WWII. It is one of the things I look for when checking out items like this.
This bayonet went with the Type 38 and Type 99 Arisaka rifle. It is close to 16" long. It would be interesting to find out how this bayonet came to the US. It may or may not have been used in battle. It is known that US soldiers were found of souvenirs.
Very cool!
Thank you very much vintagelamp.