Nariakira Arisaka
| Lieutenant General Arisaka Nariakira | |
|---|---|
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| Born | April 5, 1852 Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Suo province, Japan |
| Died | January 12, 1915 (aged 62) Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Army
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| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | Army Technical Bureau |
Baron Arisaka Nariakira (有坂 成章?, April 5, 1852 – January 12, 1915) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and as the inventor of the Arisaka Rifle, is regarded as one of the leading arms designers in Japanese history, alongside Kijiro Nambu.
Arisaka was born in Iwakuni, Suo province (currently part of Yamaguchi prefecture) as the 4th son of a samurai retainer of Chōshū Domain. At the age of 11, he was adopted by firearms craftsman Arisaka Nagayoshi, from whom he took his family name. After the Meiji Restoration, he enlisted in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. In 1891, he caught the attention of General Murata Tsuneyoshi, designer of the Murata Rifle, the standard Japanese Army rifle, and was appointed to a position in the Tokyo Arsenal.
In 1897, Arisaka completed work on the Type 30 Rifle, an improvement on the Murata Rifle, which was adopted by the Japanese Army as its standard weapon in time for the Boxer Rebellion. In 1898, he also completed design work on the Type 31 75mm Mountain Gun, and his name became known in the world of artillery as well as small 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 lacked recoil buffers and had poor accuracy.
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