This is probably going to be a long thread, provided the subject is discussed properly. My former contact at the Heirinkan Firearms KK, Mr. Shoji Ueda, retained notes belonging to his father-in-law, and former Heirinkan president Mr. Kamata, which indicated 36 Japanese companies made training weapons of various designs.

The companies of which I have personal knowledge are, as follows: (1) Izawa, (2) Heirinkan, (3) Nambu, (4) Kaneyama, (5) Suzuki, (6) Nippon Special Steel, (7) Hasegawa, (8) Hayashi, (9) Iwasaki, (10) Nihon Kogaku, (11) Nihyo Hyoteki, (12) NTK Tokyo, (13) Heiwa, (14) Sakai, (15) Shibata, and (16) Sugimoto. Additionally, there are about 10 or so training rifles that were produced by currently unknown manufacturers that are identified solely by receiver trademark.

With reference to the initial post, I'm not previously aware of the Oyama Manufacturing Company. Since their sole product was training bayonets, they may well have been a private subcontractor to many training weapons makers. I know for a fact that Nambu, for example, subcontracted manufacture of receivers for their 7/8 Child's Training Guns to a presently-unknown company in Osaka.

C/

 

I know for a fact that Nambu, for example, subcontracted manufacture of receivers for their 7/8 Child's Training Guns to a presently-unknown company in Osaka.

Offhand I do not know what company that could be in Ōsaka. However, in 1935, two other companies were listed as making Nanbu items. The two companies are listed below.
東洋機器製作所 (Tōyō Kiki Seisaku-Jo) located in 東京市 (Tōkyō City) made 南部式銃 (Nanbu Type Rifles).
岩田鑄工所 (Iwata Chūkōjo) located in 埼玉県川口市 (Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture) made 南部銃附屬品.

 

This thread has PDF written all over it!

Thanks in advance! :thumbsup:

 

Thanks Kiipu for the additional subcontractor information. I'm not familiar with either of these companies. My notes indicate an additional two training rifle makers that were not mentioned above, however, I'll need to confirm the names of both. More later.

C/

 

合資會社･東洋銃器製作所 = Gōshi Gaisha Tōyō Jūki Seisaku-Jo

Tōyō Small Arms Manufacturing, Limited Partnership, was established in May 1934 昭和九年五月 and was located in Nagoya City 名古屋市東區矢田町. As of 1937, the company could make 5,000 training rifles 三八式訓練銃 and machine guns 機関銃 a year. This company should not be confused with another training rifle company with a similar name, 東洋機器製作所 (Tōyō Kiki Seisaku-Jo), that was mentioned above.
1937 factory representative: 小林近太郎.

 

Two additional training rifle companies that we noted in our Type 99 Naval Special book are: Japan Firearms Manufacturing Co. (日本銃砲製作所) of Hamamatsu, and the Imperial Japanese Scientific Arms Co., Ltd (大日本科学兵器KK) of Takazaki/Tokyo. While nothing other than a company name was found in Mr. Kamata's notes for the Japan Firearms Co., the Imperial Japanese Scientific Arms Co. was headed by Mr. Kumtaro Endo, a prolific inventor of carbide-powered facsimile weapons. Other than many Japanese utility model patent documents, nothing more is currently available on this company.

Do you have any additional corporate information on Japan Firearms Co.? I'm working to confirm the name of one more training rifle company that was located in Nagoya and will post that information when available.

C/

 

Do you have any additional corporate information on Japan Firearms Co.? I'm working to confirm the name of one more training rifle company that was located in Nagoya and will post that information when available.

I have no additional information on this company at this time. I will keep my eyes open though in the future. I am currently working on translating the training rifle companies located in Nagoya City.

 

加藤製作所 = Katō Seisaku-Jo = Katō Manufacturing

Katō Manufacturing was established in 1906 明治三九年 and was located in Nagoya City 名古屋市. They made training rifles and light machine guns 教練用銃及軽機関銃等. Note that the business and factory locations were in different areas. The company had 25 factory workers in 1937.
1937 factory representative: 加藤庄吉.

 

On the additional training rifle maker in the Nagoya area, my notes indicate a company named "Nippon Firearms KK" (日本銃砲KK) was actively producing training rifles and related implements until 1943. Nippon Firearms KK was the successor of another company named "Owada Firearms KK" (大和田銃砲KK), formerly located in Kasugai-shi. I deem this information reliable as it was passed along to me by Mr. Tsunesaku Ichimura, a former youth employee of the Nagoya Army Arsenal. He wrote a book, all in Japanese, about his wartime experiences entitled "少年軍属の教育史" (Educational History of a Youth Army Civilian Employee).

Also, I'm pretty sure the weapons division of Hitachi made at least some training rifles, ostensibly under the "Nissei Type" (日制式) and other trademarked brands. Please see the attached logo. Plenty of research remains to be done, however.

C/

 

Also, I'm pretty sure the weapons division of Hitachi made at least some training rifles, ostensibly under the "Nissei Type" (日制式) and other trademarked brands. Please see the attached logo.

日立兵器株式會社 Hitachi Heiki KK (1939-1945), the former TGE, used a slightly different logo on weapons. Hitachi Arms Corporation was owned by Hitachi Manufacturing Corporation (Hitachi Seisaku-jo KK) which in turn was a part of the Manchuria Heavy Industry Development Corporation (Manshū Jū-Kōgyō Kaihatsu KK). The Ōmori Factory of Hitachi Arms Corporation was located in Tōkyō City. Between 1943 and 1944, Ōmori transferred some weapons production to the Mito Factory. The Mito Factory was located in Katsuda Town, Ibaraki Prefecture.

日制 could be an acronym for 日本制式 [Japanese official pattern] and not a company name or trademark. I have run into this usage of 日制 in various documents and that is the way I interpreted it. Is this 日制式 trainer based upon a Type 38 by chance?

 

I'm fairly certain there was a connection between the Nissei Shiki trainers and those ostensibly made by Hitachi. The bolthead designs and methods of serialization (two-digit sequence stamped at front of floorplate/triggerguard unit) are identical. See the attached photos.

Yes, the Nissei Shiki trainer is based on a Japanese Type 38 receiver (two gas ports) design.

C/

 

Below is an advertisement showing the logo used by 日本特殊鋼株式會社 = Nippon Tokushu-Kō KK = Japan Special Steel Co., Ltd. It looks like "three disks slightly overlapping". This leads to the question as to why the training rifles with a totally different logo, "Misc./Other C." on the Japanese Training Rifle Data Sheet, are credited to them in other publications. I wonder then, who made the "Misc./Other F. NTK Tokyo" trainers?

Link to an illustration of "Misc./Other C."
Arisaka marking - not a mum. What is this?
https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?1117519-Arisaka-marking-not-a-mum-What-is-this

See the post below for an illustration of "Misc./Other F."

Edit: Updated the illustration of the logo at post #52.
https://forums.gunboards.com/showth...1156585-Japanese-Military-Training-Small-Arms-Companies&p=10487997#post10487997

 

I have no real idea as to the apparently different logos used by Nippon Tokushu-ko KK. I've never been able to obtain much in the way of definitive information on Nippon Special Steel, although the trainers they supposedly made are of excellent quality.

On the "NTK Tokyo" trainers, it's very possible that we're speaking of a completely different company than Nippon Tokushu-ku KK. Attached is a trainer with the "NTK Tokyo" trademark stamped on the barrel step.

C/

 

深道鐵工場 = Fukamichi Tekkō-Jo = Fukamichi Ironworks

The Fukamichi (or Fukado) Ironworks was established in March 1905 明治三八年三月 and was located in Ōsaka City 大阪市天王寺區. As of 1929, the company made bolts for Nanbu Type Trainers 南部式教練用圓筒. In 1934, the company was listed as making receivers for Nanbu Type [Trainers] 南部式尾筒.
1934 factory representative: 深道丹太郎.

 

Thanks Kiipu on the Nambu subcontractor information. This fills in one of many blanks.

C/

 

加保製作所 = Kaho Seisaku-Jo = Kaho Manufacturing

Kaho Manufacturing was created in 1933 昭和八年四月 in Nagoya City 名古屋市中區. They made training rifles 訓練銃 in 1935. For reasons unknown, this company does not appear to show up in later directories, especially the detailed city directory of 1937.
1935 factory representative: 加保庄吉.

 

Thank you Kiipu for the information on Kaho Seisakusho. Although not in the Nagoya area, attached is a short ad from Suzuki Juho, located in Tokyo. They were involved in a very limited way in the production of Type 99 Naval Special rifles.

Perhaps your records have some information about Suziki?

C/

 

Although not in the Nagoya area, attached is a short ad from Suzuki Juho, located in Tokyo.

Nothing for Suzuki Firearms Factory 鈴木銃砲製造所 appears in the 1929 to 1935 time frame. A 1938 Tokyo business directory also yields no information.

 

Kiipu,

Do any of your directories list a company or principle with the name "Shibata?" Both Type 38 and Type 99 short rifle trainer variants with the logo "Shibata Type" (柴田式) are known, but have remained unidentified.

Please see the attached photo.

C/

 

Do any of your directories list a company or principle with the name "Shibata?" Both Type 38 and Type 99 short rifle trainer variants with the logo "Shibata Type" (柴田式) are known, but have remained unidentified.

I enjoyed reading your recent Shibata article by the way. Alas, I have already looked into this trainer marking with no concrete results. Companies starting with Shibata are common in Japanese directories. So far, none are listed as making training rifles. However, there is a company in Nagoya called Shibata Ironworks that is listed as making ordnance 兵器. Do you by chance have any inspection marks that are associated with this maker to help narrow down the possible location?

 

長谷川銃器工業所 = Hasegawa Jūki Kōgyō-sho

Hasegawa Jūki Kōgyō-sho was created in May 1928 昭和三年五月 (another source states March 1929) and was situated in Nagoya City 名古屋市南區. The company made a variety of training weapons such as training rifles, bayonets, and light machine guns. The business and factory location were one and the same as of 1937. This company is well known and further information can be found in several English and Japanese language collector publications.
1937 factory representative: 長谷川正一.

See also the post below.
Type 38 "'Peace" type training rifle.
https://forums.gunboards.com/showth...php?1036785-Type-38-quot-Peace-quot-type-training-rifle&p=10337387#post10337387

 

平和製作所 = Heiwa Seisaku-Jo = Heiwa Manufacturing

Information on this company can be found at the link below.
Type 38 "Peace" type training rifle.
https://forums.gunboards.com/showth...php?1036785-Type-38-quot-Peace-quot-type-training-rifle&p=10337387#post10337387

It is possible this company made the training rifle depicted at the link below.
https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?351691-Strange-Arisaka

 

It is not much, but 日夲銃砲製造株式會社 in Hamamatsu 浜松 appears to have been damaged during the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake 1944年東南海地震. This is the only online reference that comes up so far.
http://www.histeq.jp/kaishi/HE34/HE34_155_165_Aoshima.pdf

And another document about same. See frame 3, factory number 33. The link goes straight to a PDF download.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...m_id=10309&item_no=1&attribute_id=31&file_no=1&usg=AOvVaw1tKFHtJ_ecLsnutS8ouPXq

 

銃砲販賣部

Ran across this 1943 advertisement yesterday while browsing through a yearbook. It shows that even in 1943, training weapons were still in demand. This particular store was located in Ōgaki City (大垣市), Gifu Prefecture. The name of the store is a bit confusing to me at the moment so hopefully someone will come along down the road and figure it out for us.

 

Looks to be related to Asahi.

C/

 

Kiipu, that ad as Seinen says is from Asahi Firearms (アサヒ銃砲) that had a shop in Ogaki City, Gifu.
販売部 means Sales Dept.

 

Interestingly, the ad has a disclaimer saying that "due to scarcity of materials to please confirm with the shop before placing orders". Steel, wood and other strategic material mostly went to the military by 1943 and private companies had a tough time with material procurement.

 

Thanks Takehito for your input on this topic! Great having you back with us on the forum.

C/

 

Thanks 江戸っ子! If you have a minute and do not mind a headache, care to take a crack at the name in post 15? Alas, it is uncommon enough for the dictionaries not to bother with it!
深道鐵工場

 

Sure thing ! 深道looks like a surname and can be read either Fukamichi or Fukado, but probably the former with this case.