Kiipu

I think that is a fold of blue background cloth overlapping the blade?

German Small Arms Price for both is US$99 including shipping to United States, shipping overseas add about $45. Heidler, Michael. Deutsche Gewehrgranaten und ihre Abschussgeräte bis 1945 [German Rifle Grenades and Their Launching Devices up to 1945]. Aufsätze zu Geschichte+Technik, Band 9. Verlag W. Sünkel, 2003. Autographed by author. German Language. Softcover, 8.25 x 11.75 inches, 152 pages, black & white illustrations. Weight 1 lb 3 oz, printed in Germany. The Japanese Type 2 Grenade Launcher was based upon the German Gewehrgranatgerat. Visier: Das internationale Waffen-Magazin (August 2005). Published by Vogt-Schild Deutschland GmbH. German language. Softcover, 8.25 x 11 inches, 148 pages, color illustrations. German language. Weight 0 lb 11 oz, printed in Germany. The magazine has several articles on historic firearms besides modern ones. The End

Grenade Launchers & Ammunition Price for both books below is US$150 including shipping to United States. Babich, Gregory A., and T. Keep. Imperial Japanese Grenade Rifles and Launchers. Dutch Harlow Publishing Company, 2004. New, dust jacket, hardcover, 8.5 x 11 inches, 248 pages, color illustrations. Weight 3 lb 6 oz, printed in USA. The book covers the launchers & accessories (pouches, wrenches, etc.), grenades, and propelling cartridges. US$85. United States. Departments of the Army and the Air Force. Japanese Explosive Ordnance: Bombs, Bomb Fuzes, Land Mines, Grenades, Firing Devices, and Sabatage Devices. Army TM 9-1985-4. Air Force TO 39B-1A-11. March 1953. Beige softcover plus side stapled, 7.75 x 10.25 inches, 264 pages, grayscale illustrations. Weight 1 lb 3 oz, printed in USA. Condition is excellent except the cover has separated from the text. The glue hardened and became brittle. I have l left it as is but it can be repaired. No writing or highlighting, no tears or missing pages (still stapled). Not a reprint. US$85 including shipping to United States, overseas shipping is about $45.

You could try and can send him a private message via this forum. brannow @brannow

See the NMB post below for more information about Minamoto Yoshiharu 源義治. The Mysterious "w" Stamp!

The bottom sword by Yoshinao 義尚 looks to have a "昭 within a cherry blossom" stamp?

Japanese Type 99 7.7mm Rifles Both books sold together for US$99 including shipping to the United States. White, Doss H., Bill S. White, Frank A. Knapp, and George H. Taylor. The Japanese Type 99 Arisaka Short Rifle. Shoestring Publications, Ltd., 1985. Autographed by Doss White (AKA Arisaka Fats). First edition, first printing. Copy 291 of 300. Beige softcover, centerfold stapled, 8.5 x 10.5 inches, 80 pages, text, charts, tables, no pictures. Weight: 0 lb 8 oz, printed in United States. The cover is detached from the top staple while the center sheet is loose. See pictures below. This was the forerunner of the Banzai Special Projects. With the updated tables sold in combination, still a useful book for collectors. Purchased this directly from Doss back in 1991. Team Arisaka. Arisakas Tables: Type 99 and Type 30. Banzai Special Report 3. Lodestone Publication, 1999. Softcover, 8.5 x 11 inches, 46 pages, tables, no illustrations. The side-stapled binding converted to 3-ring binding. Weight 0 lb 5 oz, printed in USA. Anyone who contributed rifle data was considered a member of "Team Arisaka." This is a spreadsheet showing the changes in component parts. The two publications above are sold together and the total cost for both is US$99 including shipping to US.

Japanese Rifles The books below cover Japanese rifles in both 6.5mm & 7.7mm caliber. All three Japanese rifle books below for US$150 including shipping to US. Honeycutt, Fred L., Jr., and F. Patt Anthony. Military Rifles of Japan, 1897–1945. Honeycutt, 1977. First edition, used, dust jacket, red hardcover, 6.25 x 9.25 inches, 224 pages, black & white illustrations. Weight 1 lb 6 oz, printed in USA. Comes with the letter from the author that was included with the book. This was the first book devoted to just Japanese rifles. Some of the pictures are larger than the later editions. Has a chapter on bayonets. I recommend having this book if one is an advanced Japanese militaria collector. US$80. McCollum, Duncan O. Japanese Rifles of World War II. Excalibur Publications, 1996. Autographed by author. First edition, first printing. Softcover, 8.5 x 11 inches, 64 pages, black & white illustrations. Weight 0 lb 8 oz, printed in USA. A nice little primer on Japanese rifles. US$30. Team Arisaka, Victor Soto, and Linda Soto. Articles from Banzai on The Japanese Sniper Rifle with Sniper Rifle Serial Number and Telescopic Sight Manufacturer Tables. Banzai Special Project No. 7. Lodestone Publications, Inc., 2001. First edition, first printing. Softcover, unbound, 8.5 x 11 inches, 50 pages, tables, black & white. The comb binding converted to 3-ring binding. Weight 0 lb. 7 oz., printed in USA. This was the first Banzai project on snipers. US$50.

Japanese Handguns There are two editions of the Derby & Brown handgun book, the original edition from 1981 and a later revised edition from 2003. I find the older edition easier to read while the newer edition has some color pictures. I strongly recommend that gunto collectors have a copy of at least one of these books on the bookshelf. Price for both books is US$160 including shipping to the US. Derby, Harry. The Hand Cannons of Imperial Japan. Charlotte, N.C.: Derby Publishing Company, 1981. Stamped and autographed by author. Hardcover, 8.5 x 11 inches, 284 pages, drawings, tables, black & white illustrations with 8-page color insert. The back endpaper/flysheet has completely split at the fold and is only held together by the fabric backing. As the book is damaged, it is no longer a collectors book but merely a reading copy. US$40 including shipping to US. Derby, Harry L., III, and James D. Brown. Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns, 1893–1945. Schiffer Military History, 2003. Stamped & autographed by both authors. Dust jacket, hardcover, 8.5 x 11 inches, 384 pages, color illustrations. Weight 5 lb 0 oz, printed in China. The book is currently out of print and the senior author has passed away. This particular book is a contributor's copy. All that means is that I was given a courtesy copy because of my contributions. That is the reason it is signed and stamped by both authors. US$140 including shipping to US.

Monthly Bump

新案特許 = shin'an tokkyo = patent on a new device. 二二四〇六 = 22406.

Mal, wake up!

Yes, concurrent production in the beginning. However, at the end Tōkyō 1st was only making Variations 4 & 6. The brass crossguard was finally dropped by Tōkyō 1st by Fiscal Year 1944. Blocks of serial numbers were assigned to the different makers by the supervising arsenal.

Are you referring to this crossguard design below? If so, this was a modification done after manufacture. Type 95 Gunto - Transitional Tsuba

Collecting Notes A collector who only wants to own one Type 95 should look for either a Variation 3 or 4. A very common sword and thus easier to find in decent shape. For a collector who would like just a small sampling showing the major changes over time, a Variation 1 (copper) followed by either Variations 3 or 4 (aluminium) and lastly a Variation 8 (wood). A beginning collector should focus on Patterns 1 to 6 while an intermediate collector could aim for Variations 1 to 9. An advanced collector might consider marking variations, paint colors, and small changes in parts design within Patterns/Variations. As this category is currently outside my ballpark, I would defer to what an advanced collector has to say about it.