M5 Bajonett med balja, Kiffe Japan

KNIFE BAYONET, US M5 for M1 Garand, Kiffe

Japan 1953: Japanese-made export M5 bayonet for the M1 Garand rifle

The Japanese-made M5 bayonet is a copy of the American M5 bayonet of the 1953 model for the M1 Garand self-loading rifle. The Japanese version replicates the prototype in its main design solutions, differing in minor finishing details, markings, and the more meticulous manufacturing quality characteristic of the Japanese arms industry.

History
Plastic grip scales of the M5 bayonet on two screws
KIFFE JAPAN marking on the ricasso of the M5 bayonet blade
Plastic scabbard of the M5 bayonet with canvas hanger
M5 bayonet crossguard with the gas cylinder stop
Production was organized in the third quarter of the 20th century on order from the American company Kiffe. It is not reliably known whether these bayonets were supplied exclusively to the US civilian market and the second-hand military weapons sector, or whether part of the batch went to arm the armies of third-world countries that were actively purchasing surplus M1 rifles from the United States. Occasionally, specimens are found in converted American M1 scabbards — evidence of their actual field use.

Construction
The blade is asymmetrically double-edged. The grip is formed by two plastic scales fastened to the tang with two screws. The pommel features a short T-shaped slot, with a spring catch in the lower part. The straight steel crossguard carries a short rod with which the bayonet, when fixed, rested against the end of the gas cylinder of the Garand rifle. The scabbard is plastic, with an iron throat and a canvas hanger strap with a rotating swivel. The mark «KIFFE / JAPAN» was stamped on the ricasso of the blade.

Rifle: M1 Garand
Blade type: asymmetrically double-edged

Japanese M5 Kiffe bayonets are distinguished by consistently high quality of execution and retain their presentable appearance well, making them a desirable item in collections devoted to the postwar fate of the M1 Garand rifle. Authenticity is determined by the characteristic «KIFFE / JAPAN» mark on the ricasso and the quality of the finishing work. Specimens in their original Japanese plastic scabbards are valued higher than those in converted American M1 scabbards, although the latter are interesting as rare evidence of actual combat use.