“I always thought the Japanese ordered it because the chrysanthemum was the symbol of the royal family and it should not fall into enemy hands.”
I believe YOU’RE correct; in any case, the only ones with mums intact were brought back by vets as souvenirs, and they’re a bit tough to find.
When I was a kid, our Scout Master who served in the the invasion of the Philippines and then in the occupation force in Japans after the war, had two Jap rifles he brought home after he was discharged.
I handled them, -- they looked cheap from what I considered to be a rifle, and seemed heavy as hell at least for me at 12 year old, but I really can't recall if they had the chrysanthemum. I didn't know to even look for something like that then.