In excellent condition, all matching except the dust cover which is not numbered, we have an early production Kokura Arsenal made 23rd Series Japanese Type 99 Service Rifle. This was the standard 7.7 m/m Japanese rifle of the Pacific War. Although it never fully replaced the 6.5 m/m Type 38 rifle In the Japanese Army it was the most commonly encountered rifle outside of the the China Theater. This is a very early production rifle and has all of the early features such as the monopod and the antiaircraft craft sights. This is exactly what you are looking for if you want a main line Japanese Army battle rifle. Of course you never have to worry about a bad bore on one of these rifles as the bore was chrome plated. The Type 99 rifle was a very innovative design for a bolt action rifle, and while it may have been a dated and obsolete design by the standard of the semi auto rifles such as the Garand, it was very well suited for tropical service in harsh jungle conditions and it was a prized war trophy. This is a great example of an early production Type 99 from one of the main arsenals.
This rifle was a USMC wartime bringback and was said to have been brought back from Tarawa. Indeed, the sling is 2 USMC issued camo straps that were tied together to make a sling. Still on the rifle after nearly 80 years.
