Nambu
World: Terifs WWII Japanese Handgun Website
This website has pictures and information
regarding Japanese handguns used in World War II. Here is a representative
sampling of my collection. Top row:
Type 26 revolver, Papa Nambu, Baby Nambu. Bottom row:
small and large trigger guard Type 14 pistols and a late wooden slab-grip Type
94. Nambu World aims to be your one-stop source on
Japanese handguns; if it isnft here, there is probably a link to it. Nambu World is also gradually becoming a virtual museum of
pre-1945 Japanese military artifacts of all kinds, from firearms to medals and
flags. My dream is to establish the g
**To see Japanese handguns and related
material, please stay on this page and just scroll down.
**To see Japanese weapons other than handguns
(everything from rifles and machine guns to edged weapons), please click
here: Other Japanese Weapons
**To see other non-weapon Japanese militaria (everything from medals and flags to documents), please click here: Other Japanese Militaria.
Whatfs
New
Hi Folks! Ifm back!
After six very difficult years due to work and family obligations, during which
I was only able to make three updates (and none for over three years!) I
retired July 10, 2015 and have been working ever since on various hardware and
software issues, getting ready to post a continuous stream of updates as I work
towards my goal of making Nambuworld a virtual museum
that is a one-stop information centre for all things
relating to Japanese militaria and Canada in the
Pacific War. Please be patient as I work through the site to eliminate outdated
material, dead links, inconsistencies, etc.
During the period when
I was unable to work on the site, I continued to build my collection at a
prodigious rate, so there is enough material for years to come.
See you again soon!
There will be lots more updates
coming as soon as I can find the time. To find out what is in the pipeline,
check here: comingsoon.htm
(to
accommodate growth, some parts of this site now appear with nambuworld,
nambuworld2, ursacki or stevebryant
instead of tju in the URL)
Researching, Valuing
and Selling Your Japanese Handgun
If
you are looking for how to research a Japanese handgun you have just inherited,
purchased or been given, this is the place to start to find out such things as
what model you have, where and when it was made, how much it is worth, how to
sell it, etc. Please click here: Nambu
World: Researching Your Japanese Handgun
About Me:
I
am a 57 year-old
university professor whose work relates to Japan (the photo is about 14 years
old). I have long had an interest in
My Gun Show Displays
In April,
2009 I won an award for my display of Murata rifles at the AACCAfs Easter Gun
Show. To see my display, please click here: Nambu
World: Easter 2009 Murata Rifle Display
In April,
2007 I won Best in Show-Militaria at the AACCAfs
Easter gun show. To see the display, please click here: Nambu World: 2007 Calgary AACCA Display.
In
February, 2007 I won the Peoplefs Choice Award for most popular display at the
Canadian Historical Arms Society gun show in
In August,
2006 I won Best of Show at the annual national convention and show of the
Military Collectors Club of Canada. To see my display of Japanese militaria, please click here: MCC 2006 Display
In April,
2006 I won Best in Show at both the
In February
& May, 2005 I won Best in Show at both the
The first
public display of my collection in 2004 won an award at the
I try to do
one or two new shows every year, but the one I always try to display at is put
on by the Alberta Arms and Cartridge Collectorsf Association on Easter weekend
each year. For details about this show and other AACCA activities, please see: Calgary Gun Show
To
see my first cartridge show display, please click here: 2006
Cartridge Show Display. To see my most recent cartridge show display,
please click here: Nambu World: Cartridge Show 2007
To
see the small display I worked up for one-day shows when I have minimal time
for set-up, please click here: Nambu
World: One Day Show Display Oct
2007
To
see the display I created to accompany my lecture at Calgaryfs military museum,
please click here: Nambu World: Museum Lecture Display January 2008
About Japanese Handgun
History:
Donft
know Nambu from bamboo? Who is this guy in the photo?
Hopefully this very brief history will give you enough background to make sense
of it all.
Click
here: briefhistory.htm
As
noted above, there are lots of sites with more history—see below for links to
some, or better yet, consult one of the books listed below, especially the
Derby & Brown and Honeycutt ones).
Photo Galleries:
Type 26
revolver photos: t26gallery.htm
Grandpa Nambu
photos: grandpagallery.htm
Papa Nambu photos: Papa
Gallery
Baby Nambu photos: babygallery.htm
Type 14
photos: t14gallery.htm
Type 94
photos: t94gallery.htm
Foreign
Private Purchase Pistols: Foreign Handgun
Photo Gallery
Japanese Flare Guns: Nambu World: Japanese Flare Guns
Accessories (Including
Holsters):
Collectors
do not live by guns alone. They need accessories, too! For info on accessories,
click on these hot links:
Type 26 Revolver: t26accessories.htm
Papa Nambu: papaaccessories.htm
Baby Nambu: babyaccessories.htm
Type 14: t14accessories.htm
Type 94: t94accessories.htm
Bring-Back Documents: bringbackdocs.htm
Japanese Handgun Markings:
A common question is: what do the
markings on my Type 14 pistol mean? This section will answer this question for
over 99% of Type 14s.
Please
click here: Nambu World: A Brief Overview of Type 14 Markings
How Many Japanese Handguns Did
They Make?
Production
figures for Japanese handguns are amazingly low. By special arrangement with
Mr. Dan Larkin, this site now presents the most detailed and up to date data
available on Japanese handgun production based on reports of surviving speciments. For details, please click here: productionfigures.htm
Japanese Handgun Ammunition:
The
single question that seems to come up most often is: where can I get 8mm Nambu ammunition?
To find out where you can get it and other Japanese calibers and how to
reload them, as well as to learn about these cartridges, click here: Ammunition
& Reloading
WWII Japanese Handgun Manuals:
The
Japanese published manuals for their handguns, but they are now much rarer than
the guns themselves. So far I have obtained reprints of a Type 14 and Type 94 manuals,
and an original Type 14 manual. I have translated the T14 manual and will be
publishing it as soon as I get it polished up a bit. I also have an original
Japanese manual on shooting techniques that I will post here.
To
check out the Type 14 manual, click: t14manual.htm
To
check out the Type 94 manual, click: t94manual.htm
Shooting
techniques manual: (to come)
WWII Allied Manuals on
Japanese Handguns:
Several
manuals printed by the Allies to teach their forces about the Japanese had
sections on Japanese handguns. I have four such original WWII manuals and have
posted the extracts so you can see what the Allies knew about Japanese handguns
during the War.
To
view these and a WWII US Army poster on Japanese Infantry Weapons, please click
here: Allied WWII
Manual Extracts on Japanese Handguns
Books
on Japanese Handguns:
The new
Derby & Brown book Japanese Military
Cartridge Handguns, 1893-1945, updating the
For a
review, info on how to get it, and an evaluation of the other books on the
topic and where to get them, please click here: Books on Japanese Handguns
Periodicals Covering Japanese
Handguns:
There
is a newsletter devoted to collecting Japanese guns and militaria
called BANZAI. I subscribe. Although the production is a little rough, the
content is excellent and it seems a good way to network into the circles of
those in the know (a valuable thing in itself). Their website reproduces
several past articles of interest and has other neat stuff on Japanese guns.
Check it out at:
Articles on Japanese Handguns:
I
have now found quite a few articles in various publications such as American Rifleman, Guns & Ammo and Shooting
Times regarding Japanese handguns. I am compiling a list of these with full
bibliographic citations. If I have missed any, please let me know. Better yet,
e-mail me (see below) for my postal address and send me a copy. I will gladly
reimburse mailing and photocopy costs.
Click
here to go to the list: somearticles.htm
Videos Covering Japanese
Handguns:
So
far I have only found one. It is a documentary called gJapanese Guns of WWIIh.
I saw it on the History Channel International while in Dallas-Fort Worth in
August, 2003. It took two months to arrive, but it was worth waiting. It is
rather padded with general WWII footage and has a few errors (e.g. it gives the
Type 14fs mag capacity as seven rounds). It also covers only the basics (e.g.
the only handguns covered are the Type 14 and Type 94 pistols), but is still
enjoyable. It shows close-up footage of many Japanese guns being fired, both
archival WWII material and fresh footage of a guy from the
please
click here: video.htm
Bulletin Boards:
Want
to find others gsufferingh from Nambu-mania? Try one
of these bulletin boards:
Gunboards
Public Message Forums - Firearms Of The Rising Sun
Castle-Thunder.com Japanese Militaria :: Index
The
Japanese & East Asian Firearms Forum
Parts for Japanese Handguns:
Old
guns get tired and need help. Where can you get it? Click here: parts.htm
It
seems there are a lot of counterfeit Type 14 grips about being passed off as
original. Here is a little study of what I have seen: t14grips.htm
Japanese Handguns and Canadafs
Gun Laws
If
you are not Canadian you may be wondering why I keep talking about guns I have
bought but donft yet have in my possession. Click here to find out about the
complications of handgun ownership in
Here is an article on what Canada's firearms registry reveals about the number of Japanese guns in Canada: Nambu World: Japanese Military Firearms in Canada.
@
Buying Japanese Handguns:
How can you tell if the gun you are
looking at has been refinished or faked in some way? This section has tips—some
general to buying any old gun, and some specific to these ones. Click here: buying.htm
My Experiences Shooting
Japanese Handguns:
For
reports on what itfs like to shoot these things, please click here: shooting.htm
Be
sure your gun is in safe condition
before shooting it!
Disassembling Japanese
Handguns:
Many
of these guns have been damaged by people trying to get them apart without
knowing how. Others have never tried to do so for fear of damaging them.
However, instructions with step-by-step photos are readily available in
standard reference books. You probably already have these books or know someone
who does. Please click here to find out: disassembling.htm
Photos and Information on
Japanese Handguns:
For
a selection of links to other sites with photos and information on Japanese
handguns, please click here: photoinfolinks.htm
Japanese Handguns in the Movies & Trivia
Did
you know James Bond uses a Japanese handgun in one of his movies? What model is
it, where does he get it, and what does he do with it? For the answers to these
and other trivia questions, please click here: movies.htm
Identification of Japanese
Handgun Variants:
As
soon as I get a chance I will post here a summary of the dates when different
variations were introduced (e.g. large trigger guard, mag retention spring, different
grip styles, etc.). There was often overlap but I will just put the basic dates
here.
Vocabulary for Japanese
Handguns:
This
section will have a brief Japanese-English glossary of gun-related terms with
the kanji (characters), pronunciation and English translation (to come)
Terifs Travels:
I have posted here some accounts of
my travels that are directly related to Japanese military history and militaria.
To read
about my February, 2006 tour of the battlefields and caves of
To read
about Japanese military museums, please click here: Nambu World: Military Museums in Japan
My Wish List:
To find out
what things I am looking to add to my collection, please click here: wishlist.htm
E-mail me:
(PLEASE NOTE: I CAN
NO LONGER ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT VALUES/PRICES. Please donft ask. There is a
section at the top of the page on gResearching Your Japanese Handgunh and also
lots of detailed photos with explanations in the gallery section if you are
looking to identify where and when your gun was made)
Counter:
(to come)
The contents of this
website are copyright Teri, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 unless otherwise indicated, and may not be
reproduced without her prior written consent.
Created May 25, 2003.
Last updated November 28, 2015.