Rare Antique Japanese Type 25 Cavalry Sword Meiji c1896 Tokyo Artillery Arsenal Four Cannonballs Stamp 37" LS#119

Type 25 Cavalry Sword (Meiji 25) — Tokyo Artillery Arsenal, “Four Cannonballs” Mark
四連砲刻印（1896–1899）

An authentic Imperial Japanese Type 25 cavalry sabre manufactured by the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal for non-commissioned officers and enlisted troopers. The sword is a late production example, blade serial no. 16240, carrying the Tokyo Arsenal “four cannonballs” inspection stamp on the guard—a mark applied only from 1896 to 1899. Based on specialist research, the stamp appears on numbers roughly 13121–16416, placing this piece near the end of the Type 25 run just before adoption of the Type 32 in 1899. Total production of the Type 25 is believed to have been under 17,000, making stamped late-series examples distinctly rare.

Specifications and features
• Date: Meiji 29–32 (1896–1899)
• Maker: Tokyo Artillery Arsenal (Tokyo Hōheishō Kōshō)
• Role: Cavalry sabre for NCOs and enlisted soldiers; also used by cavalry cadets in officer schools
• Dimensions: overall length 37.5 in; blade length 31 in
• Construction: steel blade with long fuller; brass guard and brass backstrap with spring-loaded scabbard-lock button; wood grip scales secured by screws and pin-spanner pommel nut; steel scabbard with single suspension ring; leather sword knot present
• Markings: blade serial no. 16240; guard struck with Tokyo Arsenal four-cannonballs stamp (stamp used 1896–1899 only)

Historical context and significance
The Type 25 was the standard sabre of Japan’s cavalry in the 1890s, bridging the transition from traditional sword forms to modern military patterns. When the Type 32 replaced it in 1899, many Type 25s remained in service or reserve stores and would have been carried by troopers, gendarmes, and training units into the early 1900s—contemporary with Japan’s rapid military modernization and the lead-up to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Swords from this late, stamped subset are prized by collectors for their scarcity and for representing the last evolution of the Type 25 before the Type 32 became ubiquitous.

Condition
Honest service wear consistent with age; bright blade with scattered marks; brass hilt with pleasing patina; functional spring catch; steel scabbard with ring and period repair/spotting typical of field use. A complete, late-issue example retaining its leather knot.

A rare, well-marked Type 25 from the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal—an excellent addition for collectors focused on Meiji-era cavalry arms and the formative years preceding the Russo-Japanese War.

LS119