Kijirō Nambu

Kijirō Nambu
General Kijirō Nambu
Native name	南部 麒次郎
Born	(1869-09-22)September 22, 1869 Saga prefecture, Japan
Died	May 1, 1949(1949-05-01) (aged 79)
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1889 -1924
Rank	Lieutenant General

Kijirō Nambu (南部 麒次郎, Nanbu Kijirō^?, September 22, 1869 – May 1, 1949) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the founder of Nambu Arms Manufacturing Company, manufacturer of many of the firearms the Japanese military would use in World War II. A prolific small arms designer, he was sometimes called the "John Browning of Japan". He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (2nd class) in 1914.

Nambu was born as the younger son to a former samurai retainer of the Nabeshima clan, in Saga domain in 1869 (present-day Saga prefecture). His mother died soon after he was born, and as his father had financial difficulties, he was sent out to be raised by a local merchant. Through hard work and determination, he secured a place in the 2nd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy at the age of 20. At age 23, he was commissioned a lieutenant of artillery.

In 1897, Nambu was assigned to Tokyo Arsenal, where he was assigned to work under noted weapons designer Nariakira Arisaka on the Type 30 rifle project followed by the Type 26 revolver. He was then promoted to major and ordered to develop a semi automatic pistol for the Japanese military. This design, an 8mm pistol, was the earliest version of the famed Nambu pistol, and was completed in 1902. Nambu built a smaller and lighter 7mm version in 1907. The design was praised by then Army Minister Terauchi Masatake, but the Japanese army did not place it into production due to production costs. The larger version was eventually adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy's Special Naval Landing Forces, and the smaller version was sold commercially to private customers.