Posted on 08/08/2018 9:24:38 AM PDT by Simon Green
A Tokyo suburb is working on clearing a cache of long-buried ordnance unearthed while working on a local elementary school.
The Nishitokyo Municipal Government has released details of stacks of seriously deteriorated military rifles, machine guns, swords, and grenades found last week during construction at Tanashi Elementary School. The vintage hardware came to the surface when crews performing drilling work started running into the items at a depth of 3-7 feet on July 27. Since then, an estimated 1,400 firearms, 1,200 “swords” and eight practice grenades have been cataloged.
From the images, most of the well-decayed weapons are pre-1945 vintage and, judging by what is left, appear to be a mix of various models of Arisaka rifles, Type 11 and Type 96 light machine guns, Type 3 heavy machine guns, grenade throwers, and bayonets.
Both local police and Japanese military authorities were called in to render the area safe. The weapons were characterized as “training guns” in a statement.
The city government has temporarily relocated school operations while they conduct further excavations. While some may be kept as historical pieces, most, according to a release “will be disposed of appropriately based on consultation with the police station.”
The Mainichi daily noted that, while unexploded ordnance and WWII-era weapons are still sometimes found in the country, “it is rare for weapons used by the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army to be recovered in such a large quantity at one time.”
It is not clear if the site of the current Tanashi school was a campus during the war, but Japanese Army officials made it a point to impart military training to students as part of their regular curriculum at the time.
Following the surrender of Japan in September 1945 and the demilitarization of the Imperial forces under the watchful eye of Allied troops, much of the arms and equipment turned in was scrapped, exported as trophies, or simply dumped at sea.
Sucks all the weapons appear to be rusted out.
A few vats of Metal Rescue might help some.
Hmmmmmm, some would call them Gunsmith Specials, priced cheap.
Weapons were stashed in many places in preparation for the American invasion of Japan.
So THAT’S where I put them!
Nishitokyo …The literal translation is “Western Eastern Capital”. Funny construct, and it would not exist if the city were still called Edo.
As a collector (even though not of WWII Japanese items) it makes me sad.
“Japanese Army officials made it a point to impart military training to students as part of their regular curriculum at the time”...
Sounds like going to that school would have been a hoot to practice with machine guns. All we had was .22 bolt action rifle teams.
Looks like the small arms of a whole infantry battalion.
There would have been larger mortars too, I would expect.
Funny the ammo isnt there.
...makes me Sad
A little cosmolene,,,
Call me in the morning.
This is quite close to where I live. I’m going to need to get out more with the metal detector. I’ve been salivating for a find like this. I’m stepping up my game from now.
The coolest things I dug up so far we’re three .50 BMG shell casings on Takao mountain from a Des Moines armory, and stamped with ‘44 and ‘45. Worthless, but an awesome find. Still trying to figure out how they got there. Shot down plane, dumped from an injured plane...no idea still...
Makes a great pen holder for the desk.
WWII U.S. fighters generally dump ammo casings out of ejection ports in the wings when firing. In bombers, I think the casings just pile up in the fuselage.
Sounds like going to that school would have been a hoot to practice with machine guns. All we had was .22 bolt action rifle teams.
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You weren’t going to be invaded by 50-60 American army divisions.
If only they had been buried properly for use later on. Cosmolene in containers may have preserved them. Even so, 80 years buried is a stretch.I own a WWII M1911 that was stored wrapped in cosmolene and is in mint condition.
That said, it is sad that it is ruined...😥
These are clearly weapons that were hidden for use if the US invaded...and they’d have likely been used to kill a bunch of our men. Thanks, Harry, for that bold decision you made - while not many of those men are still alive 73 years on, their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids ARE.
True but I meant to say was going to a school with that...
I understand. Thanks.
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