Kai Gunto Help

[Ben G]

Hi all,

 

I have recently been handed down what looks to be a WW2 Kai Gunto. I have never owned a Japanese Sword before however have been to Japan and have Japanese family so am looking forward to exploring this piece and Japanese Swords in general.

 

My Great Grandfather was a UK Merchant Navy captain and came back with this after the war. Nothing is known about it or how he came across it other then the anecdote that my Grandmother used it for some time to edge the lawn!

 

As can be seen it is not in great condition however seems to be all original. From initial research it seems to be made early on in the war (With the two hangars) and has good quality fittings with the 8 seppa and all matching nunbers.

 

I was wondering if anyone can tell me anything further or point me in the right direction regarding the company name stamp and swordsmith.

 

I will try get some better pictures but with the condition and not wanting to alter or damage it in any way it is a bit hard to see.

 

Any help greatly appreciated, this forum seemed to be one of the most active and informative in my early research thanks!

 

https://imgur.com/a/IQilZIQ

[Geraint]

Dear Ben.

 

Welcome to NMB.  Please add your name to your posts as we all do.  Your research is correct,this is a Kaigunto and although it has had a hard life it is interesting.  Most importantly do not attempt cleaning or restoration.  Check out the FAQ link at the top of the page for care guidance.  Your sword appears to be signed Sadanao saku which means made by Sadanao.   The only possible man by this name is a Shinshinto smith so the sword is quite interesting.  Have a good look at the nakago, (tang) to see if you can see any stamped marks.  If so then we are looking at a showato or wartime sword but I think this is a bit better than that.

 

Enjoy.

 

All the best.

[Bruce Pennington]

The stamp on your tsuba (hand guard) is of the Gunto Sei Sako Co, who made the fittings for the blade:

[Ben G]

Thanks Geraint & Bruce,

 

As mentioned in my first post I am not going to attempt any kind of cleaning at this stage until much further down the track when I have more information or meet someone in person who can show me the basics. Luckily my initial research led me to this exact statement many times and watching videos of taking it apart before I tried this was mentioned as well.

 

I hope to just halt any further deterioration and keep as original as possible to display and enjoy as being handed down by family this has more sentimental value. From looking around it seems harder to find with all original matching markings, knot etc so I don't want to ruin that.
 

Another collector got the 'Nao' and 'Saku' part but not the first character so thats great although he was of a mind as well that this is not a Showato piece due to the markings just being different then others of the era. I have uploaded more pictures of the nakago below but I cannot see a stamp anywhere or reverse side. I had a feeling that tsuba was that Gunto Sei Sako Co but wasnt sure, will the stamps on the holder opposite the 884 stamps then confirm this?

 

Lastly a quick search for Sadanao came up with Markus Sesko's index of Japanese Swordsmiths and this showed, other then 2 in the 12th and 14th century, someone who was active between 1848-1854 is this the correct possible person?

 

https://imgur.com/a/GX3QU3M

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hi Ben, complete Kai Gunto with family blades are quite desirable as Kai Gunto in general are harder to come by than Shin Gunto, let alone complete ones with history behind them. While the mounts and blade aren't in the best of shape, everything is there. If you have money you're willing to put into the blade there is a fully qualified Togishi in Melbourne : https://touken-togishi.com/restoration-services/   I would recommend getting an appraisal done beforehand. You would have a real family Heirloom once the sword is polished and displayed in shirasaya with the mounts like so:

 

[Ben G]

Thanks for the input John,

 

I actually spent much of the day going through various links, info and videos and came across Andrew's site which was great. For the couple of hundred $ I think it could be worthwile just to meet and have a chat with him with such an interesting career, let alone the insight into the Kai Gunto and possible options. I had dismissed it upon first reading due to the statement of only working on traditionally made Nihonto which I took to mean the higher value items but I guess an email cant hurt.

 

Again I understand the money put into it may not match the 'market value' but being handed down I aim to just look after it the best I can for the next generation and if I can better preserve and enhance it without sacrificing the historical value or originality then all the better.

 

I hope to look further into the possible name, era and prefecture then I look forward to mounting it and giving it proper display as well as searching for another to start a real collection!