Japanese Type 3 IJA Shin Gunto

[Sporter90]

I wonder where did the name "Type 3" come from originally? Why wasn't it called Type 2 or Type 4?

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Also, it occurred to me that the middle position of the locking button suggests this type of sword was an early design rather than late. The Rinji type sword was contemporary of those Type 98 swords with the locking button in the middle position. And correct me if I'm wrong. I think it was around 1940 or 1941, the Type 98 had the locking button moved to the low position. The design of the Rinji type sword must be earlier than that time frame.

[Nick Komiya]

Ohmura-san a believer in the Type 3 myth was told by a Mr. Shindo that it was written in a post war antique magazine called "Ranru (meaning rags)" that the sword was sold as a Type 3. Thus he believes it must have gotten officially type approved in 1943. Unfortunately he has little knowledge of the army's weapons development process and thinks it was impossible for the arsenal to produce a sword not officially type approved and thus misses the whole point of the meaning of Rinji Seishiki. Anyway, the whole myth is only based upon flimsy hearsay taken from one post war magazine.

The full history of the 1938 Rinji Seishiki Sword concept is here https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/japan...ersion-584796/