Arisaka Type 38 - Tokyo Arsenal - 6.5x50 Jap

This arisake 38 is cpomplete with sling. Apart from the split in the butt stock this Type 38 arisaka is complete and includes a sling with japanese markings on it. It has the chrysanthemum with 16 petals (the symbol of the Japanese Emperor) stamped on the receiver, signifying this rifle was manufactured for the Imperial Japanese Army, indicating that the rifle belonged to the Emperor. The markings on the reciever and sling are japanese for "Type 38" marking on the reciever indicate this was manaufactured at the Koishikawa (Tokyo) Arsenal probably in early 1930's The Japanese manufactured over 6.4 million rifles and carbines in the 40 years from 1906 to 1945. Most of these rifles were still in use during the Sino-Japanese War of the 1930s and the Pacific War of the 1940s. During the war and subsequent American occupation of Japan, thousands of these rifles found their way to the United States as war souvenirs, making them one of the most common foreign military firearms available in the country. The Arisaka rifles are named for Colonel Nariaki Nariakira Arisaka, who headed a commission during the 1890s which was charged with developing a new rifle to replace the earlier models such as the Murata. The Arisaka rifles were designated with the year of the current emperor's reign. Thus, the Type 38 rifle was designed in the 38th year of the reign of Emperor Meiji (1905).