Ultra Rare Japanese Hamada Type Pistol With Holster

Description

8/27/25 - For the first time, Legacy is offering a Japanese Hamada Type pistol for sale. Designed by Bunji Hamada, a peacetime maker of custom sporting arms, the Hamada Pistol, aka the "Type 1", was ordered in 1941 in response to wartime activity cutting off access to the foreign pocket pistols that were typically private, purchased by Japan's military officers. Reportedly, every Hamada was shipped directly to units in the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and very few headed to the Pacific Theater as their owners were transferred resulting in few of them being captured.  The total production run is estimated at 5,000 pistols, but the known serial range represents only ~700 pistols with only 20-30 reported examples.  This pistol is original and correct with minor thinning along the edges of the slide, and a little more pronounced finish loss on the grip straps.  Unfortunately, a previous owner did lightly scratch their initials on the left side slide.  The slide features a milled disc that was originally intended to be marked with final acceptance stamps, but later variations were only inspected via random sampling so it is common to see later serial numbers with no marking in this space.  Correct and original grips and magazine, and the listing even includes an original Hamada pattern holster, which is similarly impossible to find.  The holster fits the pistol like a glove and appears to have been together for many years, but it is missing one of the closure buttons and the mag pouch.  Clean, shiny bore with strong rifling.