Turning Japanese....

[PlaceOfBayonets]

I don't get the Japanese collecting bug offten but it's bitten again. I want to pick up a bayonet for my rifle seen in photo below.

I am looking at Ebay and I see them on he E stand. I noticed some have straight cross guards and some have a curved part on it.

Is there any informational sites that can tell me what type would best go with the rifle and what the major differences are? What I should look for in a Japanese bayonet and what I should pass by?

So far I think I want to hold out for a bayo scabbard with a frog.

William

PS, here's a song re done by a local band from my area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zeg3CgPnYQ

[blinky]

Very simply, the bayonets with the curved part generally earlier than those with the straight crossguard. You'll also notice the pommel (the metal butt at the end of the bayonet) has a shape similar to a birds head in the earlier bayonets. As time went on this was also simplified and became more rectangular and squared off. The blades also changed from having a groove to the last ones not having a groove. And, the scabbards changed from metal with a ball tip, to metal with a straight tip, to wood and bamboo. These are just very general comments, there were many different companies making these bayonets and each had their own characteristics.

For your rifle, a Type 99 you're fairly lucky because just about any bayonet will be appropriate. Generally however I think you should find one with a straight crossguard and metal scabbard. Your rifle isn't a late Type 99 so this type of bayonet would be closer to the time your rifle was manufactured. It's not a really late war piece so you don't need the most simplified late war bayonet. It's also not a pre-war made rifle so the early bayonet with the curved crossguard wouldn't really be the best match (though you do see them, they still saw use throughout the war). One thing to keep an eye open for is that you don't get a training bayonet. These can look like regular bayonets but are generally less solid feeling than a regular bayonet and the blades usually are not marked with the manufacturers stamp (which you will find on almost all "combat" bayonets). Trainers also don't have a serial number which is found on the end of the pommel or on early bayonets on the back strap.

Since these usually aren't that expensive I would go for one with a frog as well. If you plan to keep it on your rifle and have the scabbard on it you'd have to remove the frog which can be tricky if the leather is dry, the small strap on the front can be delicate and might tear. If you do want a bayonet just to display on the rifle and want the blade covered as well then you might as well pick one up without a frog. There are hundreds of different patterns of the same basic bayonet.....different fittings, different finishes, different scabbards.....there is a giant book devoted just to the Type 30 bayonet and even though it's loaded with almost every imaginable variation there are still odd ball Type 30s that pop up. Take your time, you can find the perfect bayonet and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.

[RussellM]

Here's a good site.

http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_100.htm

Regards

Russ

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Thanks you two. Between the posted info and the web site looks like I a set.
W.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Well I picked one up. Can you guys comment? It's a early war one but since they sometimes were matched with my later war rifle and because they bayonet is a nice piece alone I liked it and won it.

My max bid was only 10 bucks more then I won it for. I saw a site selling the frogs and they were a few hundred alone! bayonets.com I think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT