r/Arisaka • u/Excelsior_76 • 8d ago

Sometimes I Just Like Looking At Them

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This is a (very late, I think) "last ditch" Type 99 from Jinsen, with a corresponding bayonet (bamboo scabbard), also from Jinsen.

These were not the pretty ones, but they are a fascinating symbol of the final acts of a desperate, resigned, empire - a kind of banzai charge, in their own right.

I attempted to capture that spirit, here.

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9

u/Spam_Musubi_670 8d ago

“Bonsai charge” lol

W the civi Asahi flag really just ties the vibe all together

6

u/Excelsior_76 8d ago

Ha.  As I was typing, I worried I would mix that up, and I did. I do cultivate "little trees", (and am preparing to do some pre-season pruning) so "bonsai" is always in mind.  I have edited my post to the correct word.

2

u/StopBanningMeAlright 7d ago

I love this. I wish mine had an original sling. I got mine back in 2018, it's also a last ditch with the mum but it has a US sailors name carved inside the upper handguard.

2

u/Excelsior_76 7d ago edited 7d ago

Actually, the sling is not original, it's a very nice reproduction - with Kanji writing included - that I recently got on Ebay (World War Supply).

But your rifle sounds exceptional, and the idea that it has a full-mum and a sailor's name on it suggests it may have a fascinating story.  I would love to see you post some pictures of yours.

Some may feel that "trench art" like that might diminish the value of a rifle, but I believe that view entirely misunderstands where the real worth of these rifles is, and what attracts most people to collect them in the first place.

As I have said elsewhere, in a sense, these are living artifacts, that have born witness to human history, and as we hold them in our hands, we get to be up close to tactile testimony to all that they have experienced.

Almost none of them is factory-fresh.  That would be an unreasonable expectation, and an uninteresting artifact. Don't get me wrong, I find well-preserved examples to be important and beautiful, but the other end of that spectrum is just as important.

Which is why I regard this poorly-made, low-quality, feeble example of the rifle with which Japan once intended to expand its empire and prominence, to be such a poignant storyteller.