World War II Early-Model Japanese Type 30 Arisaka Bayonet with Original Scabbard. The Type 30 Bayonet was introduced around 1897 and the earliest models had a distinctive hooked quillon (curved crossguard) such as the one on this piece. The mark on the blade indicates it was manufactured at the Mukden Arsenal in Manchuria, meaning it was most likely made between 1931 and the early days of World War II, before the quillon was changed to a simpler form to expedite production. 

Size: 20 1/2 x 1 in. 

The Type 30 bayonet (sanjūnen-shiki jūken) was designed in 1897 for the Imperial Japanese Army’s Arisaka Type 30 rifle and later used with Type 38 and Type 99 rifles, Type 96 and Type 99 light machine guns, and the Type 100 submachine gun. About 8.4 million were produced, remaining in front-line service from the Russo-Japanese War to the end of World War II. All Japanese infantry were issued the Type 30 for its reliability. It is a single-edged sword bayonet with a 16-inch blade, about 20 inches overall, and weighs roughly 25 ounces. Early versions had a J-shaped quillon guard, removed by 1942 to save materials. Scabbards evolved from metal to vulcanized fiber and later wood or bamboo, often painted black and nicknamed “burdock sword” (gobo ken). Production continued until Japan’s surrender in 1945, primarily at Kokura, Koishikawa, and Nagoya Arsenals, with private contractors Matsushita and Toyoda also manufacturing the bayonets.

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