Original Japanese WWII Mid-War Pattern Arisaka Type 30 Bayonet with Scabbard -Straight Crossguard

Original Item: Few Available. I.M.A. has received a delivery of a small number of these rare and hard to find mid-WW2 issue Japanese Model 30 Arisaka rifle bayonets with straight cross guards. The bayonets come complete with original issue steel scabbards. Condition varies, as these were used in service, and may have seen use after the war. Most have manufacture marks on the blade ricasso, though some have been removed due to polishing and sharpening.

These bayonet are of the mid-war pattern, with a straight quillon (cross guard), and fullered blades. The grips are mostly contoured and rivet retained, though there is some variation in design due to manufacturing differences. Most have the flat bird's head shaped pommels, while a few have rectangular pommels. Please note that we cannot guarantee specific requests regarding manufacture style.

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. As the war progressed the design was further simplified to decrease production time, with the blade fuller being removed, and the "birds head" pommel changed to a simple rectangle. The timeline for simplifications varied by manufacturer.

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.