I picked this up recently - it came tucked inside a Type 14 holster, and have never seen a lanyard(?) in the same configuration as this one and wanted to throw it out to see if anyone has seen one like this or has an idea of what it is or might be.
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It is 5cm (might be 6cm) thick. It is approximately 70cm (27 1/2 ") long. Unlike the "standard" Nambu pistol lanyards, this one has 3 pieces of leather - 1 slider and 2 keepers on the ends, vs 2 pieces of leather - 1 slider and 1 keeper. The "slider" (middle) piece of leather is not stitched at all. Both ends can slide back/forth and the 3 pieces of leather come together when the lanyard is full extended.
My lanyard (left) vs Typical "standard" lanyards (right)
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I did the black light test and no threads or materials obviously jumped out at me as glowing. Having this piece in hand, it doesn't have the look or feel of being modern reproduction and in fact, all of the Nambu reproductions that I have seen attempt to mimic the exact specifications of the "standard" lanyards (i.e., 2 pieces of leather). I have never seen a reproduction lanyard that was in any other sort of configuration (they may be out there, but I personally have not seen one - plus if I was going to make a reproduction of any item, I would try to make it as close as possible to the original and not create something in a completely different configuration - makes no sense).
Seller of the T-14 was no expert on these and really didn't promote any part of the gun other than it being a T-14, so he wasn't highlighting the fact that the set had a lanyard in hopes of increasing the sales price. He actually didn't even mention anything about the lanyard other than showing that he had it.
I am not saying that it is not a reproduction, but I think there is enough evidence to strongly suggest that it is a legitimate piece of WWII Japanese military equipment. If not made for a Nambu pistol, could it be for something like a compass? (I think the Brits had a lanyard for their sidearms, a different/shorter one for a whistle and even a smaller/thinner one for items as small as a jackknife). If you have any thoughts other than simply dismissing this as a reproduction, I would appreciate your thoughts and input in hopes that we can enlarge the knowledge base of the general collecting community.
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
It is 5cm (might be 6cm) thick. It is approximately 70cm (27 1/2 ") long. Unlike the "standard" Nambu pistol lanyards, this one has 3 pieces of leather - 1 slider and 2 keepers on the ends, vs 2 pieces of leather - 1 slider and 1 keeper. The "slider" (middle) piece of leather is not stitched at all. Both ends can slide back/forth and the 3 pieces of leather come together when the lanyard is full extended.
My lanyard (left) vs Typical "standard" lanyards (right)
I did the black light test and no threads or materials obviously jumped out at me as glowing. Having this piece in hand, it doesn't have the look or feel of being modern reproduction and in fact, all of the Nambu reproductions that I have seen attempt to mimic the exact specifications of the "standard" lanyards (i.e., 2 pieces of leather). I have never seen a reproduction lanyard that was in any other sort of configuration (they may be out there, but I personally have not seen one - plus if I was going to make a reproduction of any item, I would try to make it as close as possible to the original and not create something in a completely different configuration - makes no sense).
Seller of the T-14 was no expert on these and really didn't promote any part of the gun other than it being a T-14, so he wasn't highlighting the fact that the set had a lanyard in hopes of increasing the sales price. He actually didn't even mention anything about the lanyard other than showing that he had it.
I am not saying that it is not a reproduction, but I think there is enough evidence to strongly suggest that it is a legitimate piece of WWII Japanese military equipment. If not made for a Nambu pistol, could it be for something like a compass? (I think the Brits had a lanyard for their sidearms, a different/shorter one for a whistle and even a smaller/thinner one for items as small as a jackknife). If you have any thoughts other than simply dismissing this as a reproduction, I would appreciate your thoughts and input in hopes that we can enlarge the knowledge base of the general collecting community.
