The Arisaka Type 38 Rifle: Connecting the Threads Between Two World Wars

World War II saw a vast number of different types of weaponry unleashed on the world.  Every country had their own preference and goals they set out to accomplish.  This propelled weapons into the modern era.  It gave rise to the mid-tier cartridge in the STG-44, or the piston system from the M1 Garand that would culminate in the AK-47.  Innovations that drove firearms forward were plentiful throughout the conflict.  However, the Japanese main battle rifles were one of the few through backs in the war.

The Type 38 Arisaka Rifle, chambered in 6.5x50mm, was the same rifle the Japanese used in World War I in aid of the Allies.  While this rifle would become synonymous with the Second World War, that conflict was just the middle run of wars and revolutions it would find itself in.  Like many World War II era guns, it would find a second life in various countries after surrender of Japan in September of 1945.

Developed in 1905 by the Tokyo Arsenal it was an updated version of their Type 30 rifle from 1897.  Those rifles had serious design flaws and the Type 38 fixed all of them.  The end result was a highly effective combat rifle arriving just in time for global conflict.  From the Mexican Revolution to the First World War these Type 38 rifles found themselves on the Allied side of the Global conflict.

A lost footnote to history is that the Empire of Japan came to the aid of Britian, France, and America during the Great War against their future allies in Germany.  Upon the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the West refused to see the young empire as a growing power in the East.  The traditional powers, instead, treated the Japanese as second class citizens and even left them out of the peace talks entirely.

This short sightedness would come back to bite the West just 30 years later.  The Japanese, feeling insulted by the very allies they came to assist, would return home and build a war machine that would become unstoppable. They started ramping up production and industrialization in all facets of their military.  As Europe divided up the former empires of the Ottomans, Austrian Hungarian, and Germans, the Japanese set their sights on expanding their own.

Conquering their neighboring lands would not be easy.  They would need a well-equipped and well-trained army capable of brining Japan the respect they felt they earned.  The Type 38 would be the instrument that they would wield against many Eastern foes, and eventually, the United States.  More than four million of these rifles would be produced from 1906-1945 and would come in different configurations for the different uses and branches of the Japanese Military.

This particular one, is the Carbine variant.  One of the rarer variants is that only a little less than 600,000 of these would be produced.  Still chambered in the same cartridge, they would have a 19.2-inch barrel down from the 31.4-inch barrel of the main rifle.  While this would make it easier for soldiers to carry in and out of boats upon their conquest of islands, and to carry, it increases the recoil of the rifle.

This causes some discomfort in use, and the longer option was utilized with greater effectiveness.  The Type 38 Arisaka rifle would eventually be replaced by the Type 99 rifle that had a shorter overall length and an updated 7.7mm cartridge more in line with the ammunition of the time.

Despite this, the Type 38 still played a vital role in the successful conquests the Japanese Empire would enjoy up until the turning of the tide at the Battle of Midway in June 1942.  At the conclusion of the war, the United States would once again face off against this familiar foe in the French-Indochina conflict that would become the Vietnam War.  The North Vietnamese, desperate for arms, would employ many familiar weapons from World War II against both the French and American Armies throughout the conflict.

Today, it is coveted collectors’ piece that showcases the improvements in Japanese arms manufacturing.  This weapon would expand an Empire, and thrust the world into conflict.  The Type 38 rifle is a testament to a different time and the Greatest Generation.  We are fortunate enough to have this rifle and many other historical time capsules come through our shop here at 2 If By Sea Tactical and feature them on our “From the Vault” series on Youtube.