Japanese 105mm Howitzer Type 91 (1931)
Technical Information

Background
The Impeial Japanese Army 105mm (10 cm) Howitzer Type 91 (1931) 九一式十糎榴弾砲 was designed and built by Osaka Arsenal in Osaka, Japan. Designed between 1927, the Japanese howitzer was largely based on the French Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider howitzer that Japan imported in the late 1920s. It was intended to supplement and eventually supersede the largely obsolete Type 38 15 cm howitzer in service since the end of the Russo-Japanese War. Early models of the Type 91 had wooden spoked wheels. Later versions had steel wheels with pneumatic tires for towing behind motorized transport and weighed an additional 250 kilograms (550 pounds).

Wartime Usage
Type 91 10 cm Howitzer was used in large numbers in line combat service from during the invasion of Manchuria, Soviet-Japanese Border Wars, Second Sino-Japanese War and during the entire Pacific War. The Type 91 was typically assigned to field artillery regiments together with 75mm field guns.

Production
1,100 guns were built starting in 1931 plus roughly 100 motorized models

Technical Details
Caliber  105mm (10cm)
Muzzle Velocity  1,791 ft/s
Shell  35 lb / 15.7 kg
Rate of Fire  6-8 rpm
Maximum Horizontal Range  11,779 yard / 10,771 meters
Total Weight  3,300 lbs / 1,500 kg
Ammunition  HE, Chemical, AP and shrapnel shell