was the first modern revolver adopted by the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
. It was developed at the
Koishikawa Arsenal and is named for its year of adoption in the Japanese dating system (the 26th year of the
Meiji era
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
, i.e., 1893). The revolver saw action in conflicts including the
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
,
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
It is an amalgamation of design features from other revolvers made during the time period. The revolver has a design flaw in that the cylinder freewheels when not engaged, so during movement (such as in combat) it may rotate to an already fired chamber. Five distinct phases of production have different markings depending on the time and individual Type 26 produced. The
9mm Japanese revolver
The 9mm Japanese revolver, also known as the 9×22mmR Type 26, was a cartridge similar to the .38 S&W. These cartridges are not interchangeable. The rim diameter is thinner and the chamber pressure is lower than most .38 S&W loads.
The cartridge ...
ammunition used is unique to the weapon. The Type 26 has a
double-action only mechanism and is therefore difficult to aim accurately. The Type 26 was replaced by the
Nambu pistol
are a series of semi-automatic pistols produced by the Japanese company Koishikawa Arsenal, later known as the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal.Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World 4th Edition'' (2004) p. 191. The series has three variants, the Type A, the ...
in the first half of the 20th century.
History
Known as the ''Meiji 26 Nen Ken Ju'' (meaning 'Pistol, pattern of the 26th year of the Meiji era'),
[Hogg, Ian, ''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century'', 7th Edition, (2000) p. 66] the Type 26 revolver was the first indigenous revolver adopted by the Japanese military.
[Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 7] The Type 26 was produced to replace the aging
Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3[Kinard, Jeff. ''Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact'' (2003), p. 161] and was officially adopted March 29, 1894.
[Derby, Harry L. ''Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945'' (2003), p. 15] The design is widely believed to be a mixture of features taken from other revolvers.
[Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World'', 4th Edition, (2004) p. 190] The
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
is similar to
Galand designs, the hinged frame is similar to Smith & Wesson designs, and the hinged side plate covering the lock is similar to the
Modèle 1892 revolver
The Model 1892 revolver (also known as the "Lebel revolver" and the "St. Etienne 8mm") is a French service revolver produced by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne as a replacement for the MAS 1873 revolver. It was the standard issue sidearm f ...
.
The cartridge was loaded with
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
until 1900 when the cartridges began to be loaded with
smokeless powder
Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...
.
The Type 26 is considered a remarkable leap in Japanese pistol development despite the international influence, with the
matchlock
A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Before ...
being the most common domestic Japanese handgun 40 years earlier.
[Kinard, Jeff. ''Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact'' (2003), p. 162] Production stopped after 1923 when much of the Koishikawa Arsenal was destroyed in the
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...
, with assembly continuing until the exhaustion of stockpiled parts.
[Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World'', 4th Edition, (2004) p. 191] Approximately 59,000 Type 26 revolvers were produced and an additional 900 revolvers were made in pre-production.
Restoration and re-issue of revolvers that had been removed from service because of damage or wear, was carried out on an as-needed basis over a period of many years.
[Derby, Harry L. ''Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945'' (2003), p. 20] The original Type 26s are missing the external markings of later produced revolvers and are identifiable by numbers stamped on internal parts.
Type 26s were still being used in 1945 which, according to firearms expert and author
Ian Hogg, is considered a testament to their original workmanship and a much more suitable combat weapon than later Japanese produced pistols.
Design
The Type 26 revolver is 231 mm (9.09 in) in length and 130 mm (5.12 in) tall, weighing 880 g (1 lb 15oz) unloaded.
It has an octagonal barrel, with the foresight blade being embedded directly into the barrel. The rear sight is incorporated into the top of the frame.
[McNab, Chris, ''The Great Book of Guns'' (2004) p. 113] A hinged sideplate allows access to the mechanism for lubricating and servicing.
[Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 20] The weapon was opened by lifting the top latch, after which the barrel was swung downward, activating the automatic ejector.
The notch that allows access to the cylinder is at the top rear of the frame.
The revolver is
double-action
Double action (or double-action) refers to one of two systems in firearms where the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer.
* Double-action only (DAO) firearms trigger: The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. There is no single-action ...
only because of the absence of a
cocking spur, intended to avoid snagging on clothing and firing accidentally.
The lock was self-cocking and was slow to respond.
The delay in response made accurate shooting virtually impossible.
The cylinder contains a serious design flaw, with it only notching while the hammer is cocked. This allows the cylinder to revolve by being brushed against an object or the inertia from a sudden sideways motion.
As the cylinder can move freely, an empty or already-fired chamber can rotate into position instead of the next shot, a dangerous event for the user during combat.
Later Type 26 revolvers have grips with lateral serrations in place of an earlier knurled pattern as well as differences in external finish, depth, and look of die stamped markings.
The
bluing of the steel is excellent, even though the steel used is soft compared to Western standards.
The 9 mm Japanese revolver ammunition used by the Type 26 is unique to the weapon.
Both the Type 26 revolver and the ammunition used was later replaced by
semi-automatic pistol
A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actuall ...
s such as the
Nambu in the beginning of the 20th century.
Five production periods
Differences in markings and appearance across surviving Type 26 revolvers, has led to the categorization of production runs into five categories.
Limited early production with no markings
Early production Type 26s have no external markings.
The revolvers have markings that indicate they were arsenal re-worked and believed to have been produced in late 1893 or early 1894 before official adoption.
It is possible that around 300 revolvers with no external marking were produced. No known examples of Type 26 revolvers have duplicate serial numbers.
Limited early production
A small number of revolvers are known to have the external arsenal symbol stamped but without the external serial number stamped on the frame.
The revolvers are interspersed among revolvers with standard production markings for unknown reasons.
This production range has examples reported to chamber
.38 S&W ammunition but this could be because of later modifications.
[Derby, Harry L. ''Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945'' (2003), p. 21]
Standard production
All standard production Type 26s have checked pattern grip panels as well as original finished characteristics.
Most standard production revolvers have a serial number that is between 1,000 and 58,900.
Many of the standard production models suffered from extreme wear because of the long military service the revolvers served.
Limited final production
The final production revolvers were possibly produced after the Great Kantō earthquake and possibly only 325 of these revolvers were produced.
Known examples have serial numbers ranging from 58,903 to 59,227.
Arsenal reworked
Arsenal reworked Type 26s lack the bright charcoal blue finish or standard checked patterned grip panels.
Serrated grip panels are common among reworked Type 26s and the marking of the
Nagoya Arsenal indicate repairing of the Type 26 past its production at the Koshikawa Arsenal.
Two existing arsenal reworked Type 26s show stampings of Siamese numerals on the front grips indicating official procurement by the Thai government.
Two additional reworked Type 26s have a five-pointed star stamped on the side plate of the revolver indicating Indonesian service after World War II.
Accessories
Holster
The Type 26 revolver was issued with a clamshell
holster
A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be att ...
similar to the French Modèle 1892 revolver.
[Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 30] The earliest Type 26 holsters were black, and the cotton lanyards issued with them were a dark blue color known in Japan as ''kon''.
[Derby, Harry L. ''Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945'' (2003), p. 24] A leather pocket for the cleaning rod was provided, sewn onto the forward edge of the holster body.
Most examples of holsters are stamped on the inside of the clamshell flap with the maker's identification and arsenal inspection markings with the year of manufacture.
Very early holsters, issued in the late 1890s and early 1900s, were of a slightly different size and shape and without a pocket for the cleaning rod.
[Derby, Harry L. ''Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945'' (2003), p. 25] A few holsters developed in 1943 have been noted to be all black lacquered hardware, missing the brass and galvanized steel fittings.
Holsters produced towards the end of World War II have a last ditch fabric similar to late production
Type 94 Nambu pistol
The Type 94 Nambu 8 mm pistol (Type 94 handgun, in ja, 九四式拳銃, Kyūyon-Shiki Kenjū) is a semiautomatic pistol developed by Kijirō Nambu and his associates for the Imperial Japanese Army. Development of the Type 94 pistol began i ...
holsters, with no shoulder straps or pouches for cleaning rods and ammunition.
Grenade launcher
The Type 90 tear gas grenade launcher was developed to be fired with the Type 26 revolver.
[Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 31] Gas grenades could be fired by a special 9x22 mm cartridge in place of the regular ball ammunition.
Users
*
* : Used by some warlord armies.
[Chinese Warlord Armies 1911-30 by Philip Jowett, page 21.]
See also
*
List of Japanese military equipment of World War II
The following is a list of Japanese military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels, and other support equipment of both the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from operations conducte ...
Notes
References
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External links
{{Japanese WWII infantry weapons
Revolvers of Japan
Military revolvers
Russo-Japanese war weapons of Japan
World War I Japanese infantry weapons
World War II infantry weapons of Japan
Early revolvers