Mid-War Type 30 bayonet with highly polished, blued, fullered blade; straight crosspiece, contoured wraparound grips, fastened with rivets; and, flat birds-head pommel.

These bayonets were produced along with Mid-War 7.7 mm. Type 99 Short Rifles, during the transition from standard designs to substitute-standard manufacturing simplifications. The scabbard is also the wartime pattern with tubular end (instead of ball).

Made by Matshusita National Denki, under Kokura Army Arsenal supervision. Matshusita National Denki translates to Matsushita National Electric Co. They were founded in 1918 to make consumer household electric apppliances and have evolved into the present-day Panasonic Corporation.

95th Series, late-war substitute-standard or "last-ditch" Type 30 bayonet. These bayonets were produced along with the 7.7 mm. Substitute-Standard Type 99 Short Rifle, although they will mount to any of the Japanese infantry rifles.

This example was made by the Hikari Seiki Seisaku-jo KK, under Kokura Army Arsenal supervision, in 1945. The 95th series was the final series produced by Hikari Seiki.

This bayonet exhibits the simplified manufacture typical of late-war substitute-standard bayonets:

Crude, unfullered blade;
Straight crosspiece;
Rectangular pommel; and,
Riveted, slab-sided grips.

The scabbard is made of wood, with minimal steel mounts, held together with string.

Crudely made training bayonet for use on the school training rifles used for military drill and training, which was a normal part of high school curriculum from the early 1930s through the end of World War II.

School rifles were made of scrap rifle parts, soft steel and cast metal, firing only blanks, caps, or were non-firing "clicker" models. 

"Trainer bayonets" were made in local workshops of soft steel and cast metal.  The fit and finish of these bayonets is inferior to the Army issue pieces, as they weren't expected to stand up to the rigors of service use.

This example exhibits rather good workmanship for a trainer. Common characteristics that differentiate trainers from service bayonets include:

Shallow, sloppy fuller;
No arsenal markings
Thin crosspiece; and,
poorly fitting press stud.

Military bayonet training was carried out using regular service bayonets.

Another example of a trainer bayonet, that is crude in the extreme. 

This example will not mount on a service rifle, due to the smaller muzzle ring (.560-.570 diameter was typical for a standard Army-issue bayonet).

This scabbard has a simple welded frog loop and integral throat. In his book, Bayonets of Japan, Ray LaBar indicates that this scabbard is a late-war type most often observed with trainer bayonets.

Leather belt frog for carrying the Type 30 bayonet used on the Type 38 and Type 99 rifles.

The frog measures 8.00 inches (203 mm) long x 2.25 inches (57 mm) wide. Carter classified this frog as #351.

According to Carter, this type frog was probably made post-1940.  An oval opening in the frog was to allow a cloth strap on the tunic to pass under the belt, through the frog opening, to a button on the uniform. This was supposed to keep the weight of the bayonet from pulling the soldier's belt down at the side.

Composition belt frog for carrying the Type 30 bayonet used on the Type 38 and Type 99 rifles.

The frog measures 7.75 inches (197 mm) long x 2.875 inches (73 mm) wide. Carter classified this frog as #361.

The frog is made of layers of cloth, impregnated with glue, as a substitute for leather. The frontpiece is attached with stitching and reinforced with rivets.  However, the belt loops are formed using glue alone.

Although in quite good condition, the frog is stiff as wood and can no longer be removed from the scabbard without damage.