This was a Japanese version of
the Hotchkiss 6.5 mm Model 1900 machine gun, which had proved very successful
during the Russo-Japanese War. The Japanese version was adopted by
the Army in 1914 as the Type 3 Kikanhô (or Kikanjû) with the
Navy following on 6 December 1916. The Navy designated this weapon
as 3rd Year Type 6.5-mm Kihô (machine gun).
The Japanese version had a slightly
modified ejector mechanism and additional cooling fins on the barrel and
was chambered to use standard 6.5 mm Japanese rifle cartridges. Magazines
were metal strips holding 30 rounds each.
This gun was considered to be both strong
and reliable, its main drawback being that the cartridges had to be oiled
before firing.
