Stumper of an Arisaka Bayonet

[Aragorn243]

Found an Arisaka bayonet at a flea market today. It is a bit unusual and I can't make heads or tails of it.

I have some photos of it next to a standard training bayonet. As you can see, this is short. The blade is 13 inches instead of the normal 15 inches. It has not been shortened. The fuller ends proportionally to the end of the blade. The blade is sharpened part way as is normal for regular Type 30 bayonets. There are no markings on the blade that I can see. The metal has black paint on it. The top center of the hilt is well marked with what appears to be a circle, a series mark, a second series mark, a three digit number and an unusual three lobed mark. The quillion is also of an unusual shape. I've check Japanese, Chinese and Korean variations with no luck. It does have the "look" of a trainer aside from the blade being sharpened, short and heavily marked although not in the normal location. The blade is slightly narrower than the training blade but quite a bit thicker. The scabbard is welded at the top holding the loop and the bottom looks welded also. This could be a shortened scabbard. It does fit a Type 99 rifle although the muzzle ring seems looser than normal.

It is too long to be a paratrooper bayonet. Suggested possibility by another individual is that is was made for a machine gun. I've found little information on that but it appears they took the standard Type 30 bayonet also.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Aragorn243]

My research seems to be leading me toward a Chinese made bayonet although nothing firm has come up and nothing with the length of the blade. There are two markings that resemble Chinese Arsenal markings, Tietsin and Shanghai and the quillion is shaped like those produced at Mukden. There is a possible marking on the blade which is not clear at all which also resembles a Chinese mark.

[browningautorifle]

The scabbard appears to have been pieced together. That doesn't explain the bayonet though...neat find.

[Aragorn243]

I know a guy that is a very serious collector of Japanese items. He identified this as a Chinese manufactured bayonet made for captured T38 and T99 rifles. Beyond that, there is not a lot of information on them. The markings are suspected to be from the Tientsin Arsenal which would indicate post WWII manufacture as I expect it was occupied by Japan during the war. He said however that no one knows when or where exactly they were made and could have been made during the war. He also offered to buy it so I also consider it a "neat find". Not selling it. He said these came into the US when there was an import of Chinese rifles which included captured Arisakas. Only paid $40 for it so this became the third good bayonet this spring/summer I've gotten a good deal on.

[Aragorn243]

Examined this further this afternoon and determined it is not black paint but petrified cosmoline or tar of some sort so I'm cleaning that off. No pitting anywhere, just some light surface rust which I'm taking care of also. This bayonet would be considered crude compared to a Japanese one. Heavy grinding marks all over it. I did find a possible light strike mark on the blade but inconclusive at best. Very remotely looks like a Chinese arsenal mark. It also appears heavier than a Japanese one, possibly because they didn't polish it to any great extent.