Arisaka Nariakira | |
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| Born | April 5, 1852 Iwakuni, Yamaguchi,Suo province,Tokugawa shogunate |
| Died | January 12, 1915(1915-01-12) (aged 62) Tokyo,Empire of Japan |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Army Technical Bureau |
| Awards | Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class, 1906) Order of the Sacred Treasure (1st class, 1910) |
BaronArisaka Nariakira (有坂 成章, April 5, 1852 – January 12, 1915) was alieutenant general in theImperial Japanese Army. The inventor of theArisaka rifle, he is regarded as one of the leading arms designers inJapanese history, alongsideKijirō Nambu.
Arisaka was born inIwakuni,Suo province (currently part ofYamaguchi prefecture) as the 4th son of asamurai retainer ofChōshū Domain. At the age of 11, he was adopted by firearms craftsman Arisaka Nagayoshi, from whom he took his family name. He served during theBoshin War and participated in theBattle of Toba–Fushimi. After theMeiji Restoration, he enlisted in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. In 1891, he caught the attention of GeneralMurata Tsuneyoshi[citation needed], designer of theMurata rifle, the standard Japanese Armyrifle, and was appointed to a position in the Tokyo Arsenal.
In 1897, Arisaka completed work on theType 30 rifle, an improvement on the Murata rifle, which was adopted by the Japanese Army as its standard weapon in time for theBoxer Rebellion.[1] In 1898, he also completed design work on theType 31 75 mm mountain gun, and his name became known in the world ofartillery as well assmall arms. However, his earlier designs were not well received by combat troops. The Type 30 Rifle was regarded as underpowered and lacked lethality. The Type 31 guns lackedrecoil buffers and had poor accuracy.
In 1903, Arisaka was appointed head of the Army Technical Bureau. He oversaw a committee charged with improving older models, including the Type 30 rifle. The chief designer on the project was CaptainKijirō Nambu, who would later attain fame as a weapons designer on his own. The result of this project was the famousType 38 rifle, otherwise known as the "Arisaka rifle", which was issued to front lineinfantry troops just in time for the end of theRusso-Japanese War of 1904–1905.[2] The ruggedness of the Type 38 rifle was praised by combat troops, although the issue of its small caliber was not addressed until much later.[3] The Type 38 rifle, and its various modified versions, continued to be used by the Japanese military until the end ofWorld War II.
Throughout the Russo-Japanese War, Arisaka continued to work on improvements and variations to his rifles, and at the request ofChief of the General StaffYamagata Aritomo, he also worked on designs for largecaliber siege weapons and fortress guns[citation needed]. In 1906, Arisaka was awarded with theOrder of the Golden Kite (2nd Class) and promoted tolieutenant general. In 1907, he was further elevated to thekazoku peerage when he was made abaron (danshaku). In 1910, he was awarded with theOrder of the Sacred Treasure (1st class).
Arisaka died in 1915, and his grave is at theYanaka Cemetery in Tokyo.
InCyberpunk RED andCyberpunk 2077, Sasai Arasaka is regarded byMike Pondsmith to be heavily inspired by Arisaka. The name of the Arasaka Corporation in the associated games is simply a modified version of his name; the corporation also began by selling firearms to the post-World War II "Federation of Japan".
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