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Most of these bayonets have a blood groove in the blade, but as explained on one of my other web pages here, this was in fact a "fuller groove" intended to strengthen it to resist any flexibility.
The most common and widely used
rifle in the Imperial Japanese Army was the Arisaka as seen at the top
of the page, and I present the most common bayonets that were equipped
for this rifle.
Below is an Arisaka bayonet made by Toyoda Automatic Loom Works in late WWII with a wooden and string tied scabbard. The two halves of the scabbard would be glued together but as the Japanese war machine was under sever strain the adhesives were not available.
Below is an Arisaka bayonet with a webbing cloth covered scabbard, this was presumably done as a form of camouflage and to stop the light from glinting off the metal.
Below is an Arisaka bayonet that was made by national Denki, its former Japanese soldier owner had painted a crude Japanese Battle flag on the steel scabbard.
Below is a Type 22 Murata bayonet with steel scabbard. The blade went to a sword point, and was sharpened both sides. The top side of the blade was probably only sharpened 2 or 3 inches back.
Below is an Arisaka Toyakawa type 30 bayonet made by Tokyo Arsenal, this example shows the now rare canvas frog that was attached to the belt for carrying.
The Japanese disgraced themselves many times during WWII when they behaved with the mentality of animals and barbarically chose to bayonet their captured prisoners to death, this happened on a wide scale with Chinese civilians in NanKing along with many Allied POW's in Burma.
There is a terrible account ( not researched by me as yet ) of several hundred Australian soldiers being bayoneted to death in a mass killing during the forced construction of the Burmese railway in 1944.
Unfortunately when discussing weapons and warfare it is often within context to mention the results or capabilities thereof, in the cost of human life. |