Type 26 Revolver

Type 26 Revolver

The Type 26 or Model 26 "hammerless" revolver (二十六年式拳銃, Nijuuroku-nen-shiki kenjuu?) was the first modern pistol adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army. It was developed at the Koishikawa Arsenal and is named for its year of adoption in the Japanese dating system (the 26th year of the reign of the Meiji emperor, i.e., 1893). The revolver saw action in conflicts including the Russo-Japanese War, World War I and World War II.

It is a conglomeration of design features from other revolvers made during the time period. The revolver has a design flaw that allows the cylinder to over-rotate and align the wrong chamber. Five distinct phases of production have different markings depending on the time and individual Type 26 produced. The 9mm Japanese revolver ammunition used is unique to the weapon. The Type 26 has only a double-action mechanism and is therefore difficult to aim accurately. The Type 26 was replaced by Japanese semi-automatic pistols in the first half of the 20th century.