Translation help

[kleber75]

Translation Assistance

Good day,

I have an official document here about the required armament of individual military units from the year 1933. I need help with the translation for the following units:

Transport, Engineers, as well as the various artillery divisions.

Thank you very much

 

 

[John C]

Here is a google translation for the regs on the left side:

Translation

1. The long sword, trumpet, and cavalry equipment (excluding the sabretache) are to be carried by the cavalry.

2. Officers at government offices, schools (excluding the self-funded car school), headquarters, material depots (excluding air corps material depots and maintenance units), military police, and corporals are to carry the Type 32 Model B sword (non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the headquarters non-commissioned officer committee and air corps maintenance units are excluded from this table).

3. Chief mechanics, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of all units, and heavy artillery special duty personnel are to carry the Type 30 bayonet.

4. Non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the balloon corps are to carry the Type 30 and Type 14 weapons.

5. Students of the Army Signal School are to carry the Type 30 bayonet.

6. Students of the Army Aviation School are to carry the Type 30 bayonet.

7. Students of the Army Cadet School are to carry the branch insignia of their assigned branch. (Including acting paymasters, acting medical officers, acting veterinary officers, and acting engineering officers) Acting officers are to carry the officer's sword.

8. Students of the Army Youth School are to carry the Type 30 bayonet.

9. Students of the Army Engineering School are to carry the Type 30 bayonet.

10. Students of the Military Music School are to carry the Type 30 bayonet.

11. The Type 38 cavalry rifle is to be carried in addition to this table by the Chief of Military Police in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and the high-ranking military police chiefs.

 

John C.

[Bruce Pennington]

11 hours ago, John C said:

. Officers at government offices, schools (excluding the self-funded car school), headquarters, material depots (excluding air corps material depots and maintenance units), military police, and corporals are to carry the Type 32 Model B sword (non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the headquarters non-commissioned officer committee and air corps maintenance units are excluded from this table).

Quite interesting to see "Officers at government offices" and "military police" being assigned the Type 32 Otsu!  Hmmm

[kleber75]

Indeed – the Japanese army does not make it easy.
On the right, for example, it says that in general all the 7th and 8th field artillery regiments and antiaircraft artillery units had to be armed differently. For whatever reason.
So NCOs in these units carried a Type 30 bayonet and the Type 14 pistol instead of swords and pistols or just swords in other units.
You would need a native speaker to translate the columns on the right, because it is printed so poorly that the technology fails.

[Bruce Pennington]

Who did the translating on this chart? Did you do this, or is it something from Nick Komiya?

[kleber75]

The document and the red notes are from Nick Komyia when he was still alive. He had a detailed report on the development of Japanese equipment, etc. But he only briefly mentioned the most important aspect. Namely, the way equipment and armament were carried. (For example, some units carried the bread bag on the opposite side, as did the field flask.) I am interested in the Taisho era; unfortunately, this document is the only one that is generally applicable to that time, but it says nothing, for example, about the use of backpacks (e.g., artillery only until 1924) and personnel of the light machine gun appeared in parades at the time without weapons, only with ammunition. Everything is very complicated...

[Bruce Pennington]

Ah, I thought I recognized the red annotations.  If you don’t get help here, I recommend taking the chart to Akira Komiya, Nick’s brother who is currently active on Warrelics.  Or I can post it for you.

[Bruce Pennington]

@Scogg after the translating is complete here, how about moving this over to the military section. I think it would be of interest to the guys that collect Type 32s.

[kleber75]

If you did that, it would be a good idea. Also for all other collectors. If his brother wants to do that, it would be really nice of him.

[Scogg]

Hi Jens and Bruce,

I'd be happy to move it when we get some more translated. I very frequently refer to Nick Komiya's threads and his red font translated documents. I'm going to share a couple links below, the later, on the Type95, containing most of them. If you have an interest in Military Sword of Japan, these are must reads. 

Type 32 :
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/system-kaizen-behind-type-32-gunto-production-1930s-788442/#post2154241

 

And for the Type 95 (with a lot of these documents, some also about the Type32):
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/short-development-history-type-95-gunto-676112/

I will follow along and move it when the time comes.
All the best,
-Sam

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Maybe we can get your answers from @Kiipu @BANGBANGSAN and/or @SteveM?

In addition to Jens' question, could I get a double-check on the google translate John provided concerning officers in government buildings and police officers being assigned the Type 32 for wear?

[John C]

On 11/20/2025 at 12:28 PM, kleber75 said:

about the use of backpacks

Jens:

Guten Tag. Here is an auction for a Japanese field manual. This may answer questions about how equipment was supposed to be carried. Of course, everyone who has been in the military knows you carry things they way it works best for you once you leave the parade grounds.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116890492694?

 

John C.

[kleber75]

"Item does not ship to Germany"

But Iwill try

[kleber75]

No. They do not ship to germany and they do not send a copy or a scan or photos

[Bruce Pennington]

Jens,

Here is Akira-san's answer to your original questions.  Also note, the Google translation incorrectly stated "officers working in government offices...".  It said NCOs, which now is perfectly understandable.

 

"However, the gist of it is that sergeant majors in artillery units other than those in Heavy Field Artillery Regiments 7 & 8, Antiaircraft Artillery and Heavy Artillery units carried the Type 32 Otsu sword and the Type 14 pistol, whereas those in the Heavy Field Artillery Regiments 7 & 8 and Antiaircraft Artillery wore the Type 30 Bayonet and the Type 14 pistol while Sergeant Majors in Heavy Artillery Units only wore the Type 32 Otsu Sword. I believe the reason sergeant majors in Heavy Field Artillery Regiments 7 & 8 and Antiaircraft Artillery wore the bayonet instead of the sword was probably because these units were motorized units which used tractors to pull their artillery pieces.
Sergeants and below in artillery units except mounted artillery just carried the Type 30 bayonet while NCOs in Mounted Artillery regiments carried the Type 14 pistol in addition to the bayonet.

Sergeant Majors in all other units except Transportation, Military Police and Motor Transport School carried just the Type 32 Otsu sword, while the excluded units carried in addition to the sword, also the Type 14 pistol. Sergeants and below in Transportation units also carried the Type 32 Otsu sword in addition to the Type 38 Carbine. Note has to be taken that in transportation units there used to also be uniformed coolies designated Transportation Special Duty Soldiers who were only issued the bayonet.
Interestingly, of the pioneer branch units, sergeants and below in sapper units carried the Type 38 rifle and Type 30 bayonet while Railroad Units and Communication Troops which also belonged to the Pioneer Troops carried the type 30 Carbine.

As for military policemen, all ranks (the lowest rank in the Military Police was superior private, who, unlike enlisted men in other branches except musicians, held the position of a government employee) carried the Type 32 Otsu Sword. In addition, it is stated in the notes that those military policemen stationed in Korea, Taiwan and Kwangtung be also issued the Type 38 carbine in addition to the Type 32 Otsu Sword and Type 14 pistol.

I think the portion Bruce-san refers to in his post is Note 2 on the chart's margin which states that NCOs attached to 官衙 government offices, headquarters, materiel depots, etc. were to carry the Type 32 sword.
The higher echelons in the army such as the Army Ministry, Army General Staff and the various administrative offices in the army were categorized as government offices.

 

I forgot to mention in my previous post but on note 7 of the chart it is stated that the equipment of students 生徒 in the military academy is to be the same as enlisted men in the infantry, i.e., Type 30 bayonet and Type 38 rifle. Students in the first 2 years of the Military Academy prior to service in units were referred to as “students”, 生徒 whereas once they returned after having served for 6 months in units were referred to as “candidates”, 候補生. This tradition continued after the first 2 years was spun off as the Army Officer Preliminary School, 陸軍予科士官学校 dispelling the theory that the sword with the mei 予士63 in this thread was issued to students in the Army Officers Preliminary School: Mei: "Cadet 63"?"

[Scogg]

@Bruce Pennington @kleber75

 

Now relocating to military swords of Japan section for a new set of eyes