Type 30 bayonet produced by Chinese Nationalists at Mukden arsenal

[bestmsdt]

Got this one a week last Sunday. I was intrigued, as I knew it wasn't a standard Japanese Type 30 bayonet. However, the blade was definitely not a training one, so I took a punt. As soon as I got home, I found it in Raymond Labar's book.

The bayonet was produced in the Mukden Arsenal between 1946 and 1948. The Russians took the arsenal from the Japanese in 1945, but didn't destroy it. Under American pressure, the Soviets turned over the arsenal to the Chinese Nationalists in 1946 (as they were the recognised government of China). The Nationalists then recommenced weapon production at the old Japanese arsenal, as they had great need due to the civil war with the communists, and were using lots of Japanese weapons. In 1948 the communists pushed the nationalists out in this area.

The logo on the bayonet is for the 90th North China Arsenal (and is made up of the 90). This was a nationalist arsenal name.

The scabbard is also probably original, as only Mukden produced this version under Japanese control. It has a ball finial, but a flat band for the frog, so combining attributes found on the earlier and later standard patterns of Type 30 scabbard.

So the bayonet has quite a story to tell of very turbulent times.

Cheers,
Tony

[Shabadabada]

Nice find !
Just a minor correction : Hoten Arsenal was not the only maker which used this scabbard variation. But yeah, it was the main user.

[bestmsdt]

Just a note regarding the names for this arsenal, in Japanese times located in the state of Manchukuo.

Mukden is the name of the city in the Manchu language. The Japanese had their own name for the city, Hoten. I found this information:

"The arsenal was officially renamed Mukden Army, Inc. and owned 50% by the puppet Manchukuo government, and two 25% splits by the Japanese companies Mitsui and Okura. In 1938, the Japanese government took over 100% of the shares and renamed the entity Hoten Arsenal. In English-language documents, the Mukden name was still used.

Quite surprisingly, the Czechoslovak company Skoda invested in the arsenal during the 1930s and showed some interest in buying the facility from the Japanese government. This hope ended in 1938 when Germany dismembered Czechoslovakia."

In 1948 after the communist take over of the city, it reverted to its old Chinese name, Shenyang. The arsenal continued to produce weapons under the name of 'Shenyang Dawn Arsenal'.

Cheers,
Tony