Not WW1. WW2. Type 99 Arisaka. Japanese. Caliber 7.7 Jap. Has the mum, which increases value. But without more and better pictures, that's all I can give you.
Please post very clear pics of serial on receiver. Especially the small symbol preceding the serial number. This is the "Series mark". And include the larger symbol located after the serial number. This is the arsenal mark.
I'm having a hard time seeing your series mark clearly enough to ID. It does appear that you have a mid war Kokura Arsenal rifle.
While I would caution you against aggressive cleaning and or refinishing of this rifle, I wou;ld ask that you gently clean the rust off the receiver serial number area using Fine steel wool and light (gun) oil. Remember, it is a war rifle, it is supposed to look used and abused, Because it was. And originality is KEY to collector value. Which may be several hundred dollars. DO NOT attempt to take it apart! The action screws (unless already dinked with) are staked at the arsenal. And should remain so to retain max collector value
The Mum being present (as opposed to ground off which is common) indicates probable battlefield pickup. The Mum represents ownership of the Emperor of Japan. Whom the Japanese believed was divine (a God). No Japanese soldier would willingly allow a rifle with an intact MUM to be captured. If a Japanese soldier believed his death and his rifles capture imminent, he would deface the Mum by whatever means present. Usually by chop marks using a bayonet. After the war ended, as part of the surrender agreement, the Mum's on all surrendered weapons were removed (ground off). So an intact Mum means this rifle was likely acquired on the battlefield, and brought or sent home prior to wars end. Which makes it possibly in highest collector value range.
But this is HIGHLY dependent on one more unknown aspect. Which it having matching numbers. Check the bottom side of the bolt handle to see if the 3 digits match the last 3 of the serial number on receiver (022) . There may be other numbered parts as well. Which could include the barrel bands, the safety knob (inside) and the extractor. If your numbers match, you have a desirable piece.
So clean those marks up and check those numbers. Looking forward to seeing future pics.
Also: You CANNOT "DE-COCK" an Arisaka in the manner of most bolt action rifles. (Pulling trigger while closing bolt). To do so will likely lock up the action. Either dry fire it or leave it cocked. I leave the bolt open in mine for storage.
I agree with the above, solid info. The value for Arisaka rifles has risen over the years and depending on the damage from rust, serial #s and bore it has a value range of 150-300. I would suggest cleaning it or at least wiping it down with oil; there may be more severe rust below the wood so depending on your abilities perhaps take it to a gunsmith for cleaning ONLY.
Quite a few of these rifles were sportered or modified which has made the unaltered guns more valuable; if you want to sell it do not change a thing beyond cleaning.
They are good shooters and had a chrome bore that was quite advanced for the times, heavy rust or pitting in the bore will reduce accuracy and the value of this gun.
My .02 only and I admit that I do like these rifles. Good luck.
DO NOT TAKE IT APART. It will detrack from value. The underside of the action is greased at the arsenal prior to final assembly and is generally much less rusted than visible areas. And if your rifle is both Mumed AND matching, IMO it's value is $300+.
The mums were not removed by soldiers in the field.
From Wikipedia.
The Imperial Ownership Seal, a 16-petal chrysanthemum known as the Chrysanthemum Flower Seal (菊花紋章 Kikkamonshō or Kikukamonshō) stamped upon the top of the receiver in all official Imperial-issue rifles, has often been defaced by filing, grinding, or stamping on surviving examples. There are conflicting claims that this was done on the orders of the Imperial Japanese Military prior to surrender, however it is generally accepted by most historians that the Imperial Chrysanthemums were ground off the rifles on the orders from General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of occupation forces at that time.[3] To date, no documentation from either Japanese or U.S. forces has been found that required the defacing. Most of the Arisakas with surviving insignias are in Japan, though there are a few remaining on samples taken as war trophies before the surrender, and those captured by Chinese forces. Some of the captured Sino Arisakas were later exported to the United States, examples including a number of Type 38 carbines rebarrelled and rechambered for the 7.62×39mm round. Some Type 38 rifles captured by the Kuomintang forces were also converted to fire the 7.92×57mm Mauser round.
Many of the Chrysanthemum Seals were completely ground off, but some were merely defaced with a chisel, scratch or had the number "0" stamped repeatedly along the edges. The latter was usually done with rifles removed from Japanese military service (and thus no longer the Emperor's property), including rifles given to schools or sold to other nations, such as the British Royal Navy's purchase of many Type 38s in World War I to free up SMLE rifles for their land forces.
The mum on this gun HAS beendefaced. If you click on the pic in the OP's original post, you can see that it has had a large "O" stamped over the chrysantmum 2-3 times. You might also check for a duffle cut under the barrel band. Although mismatched and with a defaced mum AND missing the dust cover, monopod, and sling it still has collector value because this condition is generally what you find. Even though defaced, it is more desirable than those that have been totally ground off.
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