is a Japanese machinery manufacturer. The company is known internationally for their production of military and civilian

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

. However, they also manufacture products such as

machine tools A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. Al ...

, sweeping vehicles and

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent mat ...

s and

door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...

History

The was established by

Sakichi Toyoda was a Japanese inventor and industrialist. He was born in Kosai, Shizuoka. The son of a farmer and sought-after carpenter, he started the Toyoda family companies. His son, Kiichiro Toyoda, would later establish Japan's largest automaker, Toy ...

in February, 1907. In 1941, Toyoda's Loom Works merged with and was renamed . The company was renamed to its current name at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and restarted manufacturing textile machinery.

Weapon manufacturing

Military use

Toyoda's Loom Works began manufacturing armaments in 1932.

During World War II

Since 1940, Howa has been heavily involved in the Japanese armaments industry, and was involved in manufacturing the famous

Arisaka The Arisaka rifle ( ja, 有坂銃, Arisaka-jū) is a family of Japanese military bolt-action service rifles, which were produced and used since approximately 1897, when it replaced the Murata rifle (, ) family, until the end of World War II ...

rifle series including

Type 99 rifle The was a bolt-action rifle of the Arisaka design used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. History During the Second Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s, the Japanese soon found that the 7.7mm cartridge being fired by their Type ...

, parts of

Type 38 rifle The is a bolt-action service rifle that was used by the Empire of Japan predominantly during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Second World War. The design was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1905 (the 38th year of the Meiji period, henc ...

, artillery pieces, airplane parts, and ammunition. Many of their World War II-era weapons are highly sought after collectors' items.

Post WWII

Howa created copies of the US

M1 Garand The M1 Garand or M1 rifleOfficially designated as U.S. rifle, caliber .30, M1, later simply called Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, also called US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1 is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S Army during World W ...

and the M1 carbine for the

Japanese Self Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

during the early days of the Cold War. Howa also designed and manufactured firearms for JGSDF use, including the following types (models): *

Howa Type 64 The , is a Japanese battle rifle used exclusively by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Japanese Coast Guard. It is a gas-operated, selective fire weapon which is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round and uses a detachable 20-round box maga ...

* Howa Type 89 *

AR-18 The ArmaLite AR-18 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, Eugene Stoner, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an alternative t ...

(licensed production for Armalite Inc.) *

Howa Type 96 The is a Japanese automatic grenade launcher made by Howa since 1996. History With the need of a heavy fire support weapon in Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also infor ...

Howa Type 20 The , referred to as the , is an assault rifle developed for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force by Howa. The first examples were purchased in 2019, and it is intended to eventually replace the Howa Type 89 in general service. Development In Aug ...

* Howa 84mm Recoilless Rifle (licensed copy of the Swedish Carl Gustaf 84 mm Recoilless Rifle) * 12.7mm Spotting rifle mount for Type 60 recoilless rifles. * Mortar mount for Type 96 mortar carrier During the early 1970s, Howa produced the

and AR-180 5.56mm assault rifle as a license from Armalite Inc. of Costa Mesa, California, which marketed the rifle to various military forces. Japanese government restrictions on the sales of military small arms to foreign countries eventually forced Howa to cease production of the AR-18/AR-180, moving production back to Armalite.

Civilian use

Howa has produced a long line of civilian hunting and target practice rifles in a range of calibers. Howa has also manufactured products or components for other firearm companies, such as Mossberg, Smith & Wesson, and

Weatherby Weatherby, Inc. is an American gun manufacturer founded in 1945 by Roy Weatherby. The company is best known for its high-powered magnum cartridges, such as the .257 Weatherby Magnum, .270 Weatherby Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, .340 Weather ...

. The Smith & Wesson Model 1000 shotgun of the 1970s and 1980s was designed and manufactured by Howa.

Howa M300

The Howa M300 or Howa Carbine is a small semi-automatic rifle for consumer use (carbine) developed by Howa Industries. Based on the M1 / M2 carbine military automatic rifle designed in the United States, it was developed for hunting and sports. Produced between 1960-1996.

Howa Golden Bear

Howa Golden Bear is a bolt-action rifle that was once manufactured by Howa Industries between 1967-1979.

Howa M1500

The

Howa M1500 The Howa 1500 or is a bolt-action rifle produced in Japan by Howa Machinery. Introduced in 1979, it has been used by hunters as a hunting rifle with various cartridge offerings. It is also utilized by military and law enforcement elements as a s ...

, a

bolt-action Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). Most bolt-actio ...

rifle, is produced in

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

ing, varmint and

heavy barrel is a 1987 overhead run and gun arcade game by Data East. Gameplay left, Arcade screenshot Terrorists have seized the underground control complex of a nuclear missile site, and it is up to the player to infiltrate the base and kill the enemy le ...

configurations, which are sold in the U.S. via Legacy Sports International. In Canada, various retailers stock Howa rifles, including Prophet River, Cabela's, and North Pro Sports. In the United Kingdom, Highland Outdoors imports the Howa rifles.

Sources

External links

*
Official Website
*

*
Howa Rifles in UK
{{Authority control Firearm manufacturers of Japan Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Manufacturing companies established in 1907 Companies based in Aichi Prefecture Machine tool builders Japanese companies established in 1907 Japanese brands