Nambu
World: Type 14 Rubberized Canvas Holster-JMCH IX
I
have four of these holsters, which are made of rubberized canvas (layers of
canvas with latex sandwiched in between). They are often called the gtropical
modelh holster, but this is a misnomer. The Japanese were just running short of
leather and so started making these ones for issue wherever they had troops,
not just in the tropics. Of course, by that time a lot of the fighting was in
the tropics rather than
Letfs
look at these holsters in chronological order. This is an early one dated 1942.
The clamshell flap is a bit darker and more orange than the body. I got it as
part of a purchase of a collection of several guns and holsters in early 2005.
Here is the back, showing the standard
black-lacquered steel shoulder strap rings.
A
view of the holster open to show the interior ammo pouch and, to the right of
that, the spare striker pocket made of rubberized canvas. You can see the
small, black arsenal markings in the centre of the inside of the clamshell flap
(see the close-up photo lower down).
Here
is a close-up of the closure strap. It is in reasonable shape, with a slight
tear in the fine leather over one of the springs inside the closure strap (left
spring). The leather here is a little darker and browner than usual because the
previous owner used a high grade leather preservative on it. This made the
leather more flexible, but at the cost of darkening it. I do not recommend
using anything on holsters unless there is a serious problem of deterioration.
Just be gentle with them.
In this close-up you can see the spring on the
left through the small tear.
Here
are the arsenal markings. The blurry character in the upper left is the sho in Showa, the name of Emperor
Hirohitofs reign. Next to that is the kanji for ten (it looks like a plus sign)
and the kanji for seven (looks a bit like a plus sign except the vertical
stroke is slanted and curves to the right at the bottom). Together these three
characters signify that the holster was made in Showa 17, i.e. 1942. Below to
the left of the second row is a circular symbol which is the mark of Nagoya
Arsenal. There are traces of another symbol to the right of that. It was
probably the kanji na,
as in
Rubberized
canvas tends to get rock hard after a while, and this is a problem with parts
of the holster that are intended to flex, like the flap on the ammo pouch. The
flap on this one is still very soft and supple, however. I think the reason is
that the latex between the two layers of canvas used to make the flap is
thicker than on later holsters. If the flap on your holster is stiff, donft
force it. The layers will likely separate. I do not know of any way to soften
this material once it goes hard.
The
ammo pouch and spare striker pocket on this holster show very unusual wear. I
can see why the top of the striker pocket might get worn this way if the
striker were inserted and removed many times. However, the rounded notch in the
right edge of the ammo pouch does not seem explicable by normal wear patterns.
Perhaps it was deliberately done to facilitate removal of the ammo boxes that
were kept inside (two boxes of 15 rounds each).
This
next rubberized canvas holster was the first Japanese holster I ever purchased
(in 2003). I chose it to start because I was not very knowledgeable and I
figured people would be unlikely to try to make replicas out of this unusual
material. It also had interesting markings.
This
photo shows the holster with the clamshell open so you can see the ammo pouch
and spare firing pin pocket just to the right of it.
This
shot of the inside shows the block in the middle to separate the gun from the
spare mag. Itfs made of several layers of leather. It also shows the loop to
retain the cleaning rod at the bottom (i.e. the back of the holster when it is
worn on a belt).
Here
is the back of the holster showing the fittings for the belt and shoulder
strap. Straps are quite scarce and add substantially to the value of a holster,
but most of the rubberized canvas ones have gone hard and begun to delaminate
in areas where people have tried to flex them after they hardened..
Here is a close-up of the closure mechanism,
which consists of three small coil springs with a thin leather covering.
I
bought this holster in an eBay
auction on
First
the top one:
Underneath that one is this tag. You can just see a bit of the second row of markings below the tag (the Nagoya Arsenal mark and an inspection mark). Since later holsters had only one simple stamp, the fact that this one has two rows means it is probably an early one, 1942 or 1943, even though the tag covers the bulk of the area where the markings are.
The
top tag has the word bango, meaning
number, in the upper left, presumably referring to the serial number given next
to it, 19904 in red. This word is represented by the characters:
In
the lower left of the top tag is the word shimei,
meaning name. This is represented by the characters:
In
the lower right of the top tag is the soldierfs name. The family name is
gSayamah. The given name, which comes last in Japanese, is a character with
several readings (pronunciations), but probably gToruh or gSusumuh. These are
the characters:
The
bottom tag has the same information except the soldierfs rank is given instead
of his given name, i.e. Sayama jotohei,
meaning roughly gsuperior private Sayamah.
These are the characters:
The
body of the holster is very stiff. I am not sure how hard they were when they
were new. If you look carefully at the edge of the clamshell you can see that
it was made of four layers of canvas with liquid rubber applied in between.
There are rows of little beads at the edge where pressure squeezed out some
excess. The flap covering the ammunition pouch is still nice and flexible.
I
also have two later holsters of this variation. The later ones are
distinguishable because they have only a single inspection mark stamped inside
(see below). It came with the Toriimatsu Showa 20.5 Type 14 pistol I bought
from a gentleman in
Here
is the back.
A
shot of the holster wide open reveals the one little inspection mark in the centre
of the inside of the clamshell flap.
The
closure strap is in excellent shape.
Here
is a tight shot of the critical part, the leather on the springs.
The
back of the spring-loaded part of the strap (the three vertical compartments
each hold a small spring about the size of the ones in ballpoint pens.
That
single inspection mark in the centre of the inside of the clamshell flap is the
kanji na as
in
The
ammo pouch flap is quite stiff and here in this shot of the edge you can see
that the latex has dried out and cracked.
The
tip of the pouch shows wear but has not yet started to delaminate. If your
strap is stiff and does not want to bend, donft force it!
This
shot shows that the clamshell flap is made of four layers of canvas, while the
body is made of three.
This
last holster came with the Tokyo Arsenal Papa Nambu serial number 4480 that I
bought from the son of a veteran in
The back.
The
holster shown open. The ammo pouch flap is quite
stiff. It should go through the loop on the front of the pouch and close on the
stud on the bottom of the stud, but both the loop and the flap are too stiff to
put them in that position.
The
single Nagoya Arsenal inspection mark, na as in
The
closure strap is reasonably sound, as you can see here.
If
you get in really close, however, you can see that there is a bit of loose
thread at the top of the spring compartments.
Viewing
this area from the back you can see why: the top of the leather here should be
tucked in and sewn down, but it has come out.
It
may be a little easier to see in this shot.
Here
you can see the shape in which the ammo pouch flap is frozen.
Like
the body of the holster, the shoulder strap ring retaining loops on the back
are made of three layers of canvas.
Same thing with the belt loop.
I
have given a lot of close shots of the small flaws in these holsters so that
you will know what to look for if you are thinking of buying one. To recap, the
key points to check are the leather on the springs in the closure strap and the
degree of flexibility of the ammo pouch flap. Any shortcomings in these areas
can be bargaining points if someone tries to sell you one they say is gminth.
However, do not expect to find one of these that is
entirely as supple as a leather holster, or you will end up never buying one.
That would be a shame, as these holsters are very interesting due to the use of
this unusual material.
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Last updated: June 29, 2006. All contents are copyright Teri unless otherwise specified and may not be
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