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Johnny Barracuda

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Everything posted by Johnny Barracuda

  1. The shark skin on the scabbard is lacquered, and, I am not mistaken, the lacquer is cracked along the seam. It is rather common, and due to différences in temperature. There is nothing you can do about it, no treatment possible of the skin, because it is lacquered. Do not worry, shark skin is very tough, and even tougher when lacquered. It is just a bit old!
  2. I arrive late to the battle. It is the parade version of the 1883 Navy sword. The blade could be either German, Japanese but made with overseas steel or Japanese made with non traditional steel. It is most likely nickel plated. The combat version of this sword is the Navy kyu gunto. Solingen is not a manufacture, but a city where there used to be a few weapons manufactures. The most famous still in activity is WKC, whose famous stamp in the 1900's was the Ritterhelm, aka Knight's helm. Actually the first Naval sword, if I remember correctly, is from 1877 and its handle has no back strap. Cheers Thibault
  3. Hello, I was also a bit thrown off by the bright gold and what appears to be a machine made blade. As Hamish pointed out, this would be an admiral sword, a 1883 flag officer type, if genuine. This type was discontinued after 1914, when all naval kyu gunto were standardised on the 1883 officer type, which meant the suppression of both the petty officer and flag officer types. A rare sword. However, I have the same questions as other board members: why, specially on a sword for flag ranks, would the blade be non-ferrous? I would also be rather curious to see Richard Fuller's certificate. Regards, Thibault
  4. Hello there, Long time no see! I have a kyu gunto with battle scars, probably a clash between two officers between the Russo-Japanese war, because the blade is slightly chipped. Cheers
  5. Very original indeed. However, it looks handmade rather than factory-made. Maybe an experimental system that did not see production? In any case, a rare piece.
  6. Thomas, I am once again admirative of your collection of naval swords and paraphernalia.
  7. Indeed. Moreover, due to the knuckle bow, kyu-gunto look bad when displayed edge up.
  8. Certainly, but you are talking about high-quality swords that were fire-gilded using mercury, which was extremely efficient, albeit lethal to the craftsmen. Using this process, you can have old swords whose gilt remains quasi-perfect and very shiny. On ordinary pièces, such as this one, electrical guilding would have been used. It is cheaper, healthier and efficient. The downside: it is not a durable as the mercury process and the gilding becomes less shiny when it ages, even kept from the sun.
  9. # Bruce: And also during the last 70 years. If it was the case, the aging of both the gilt and the same would have been slowed. However, in my experience, even very well protected from light and wear, gilt tends to become paler with age and leather tends to darken. Unless of course it is solid gold! # Geoffrey: the naval dirk with a backstrap would be the first type (1873). From 1883, the backstrap was suppressed on naval dirks. However, the design was retained for some civilian administrative bodies, including forestry administration. The same happened with the naval flag rank sword: it was abolished for the Navy in 1914, but its hilt design was retained for higher ranks in colonial administration. These civilian administration dirks and Swords, apart from some specific floral ornaments that you pointed out, are virtually identical to the original early naval patterns from which they originate.
  10. The modern naval cadet dirks are comparable to the modern naval parade swords: the saya is always leather-covered and never same-covered. If you look at the attached link, at 2:15 you will see an officer with the current dress sword (yes, this is a JMSDF fashion show! You really have to watch it to believe it!). It is vitulally identical to the old one, down to the sword knot. But the saya is always leather-covered. See also the attached picture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRXA1mVk7HU Furthermore, since the official use of dress weapons is very limited in nowadays' Japanese armed forces, I would be very surprised if civil forestry officials would get any.
  11. It does indeed. It looks like a modern high quality reproduction. Alternately it could have been was re-gilded and the same changed (or artificial).
  12. The cavalry sword has arrived, here is a first batch of pictures of the "kyu-gunto family". All three bear family mon: - 1886 Army company grade officer kyu-gunto: Hachisuka [swastika] (with unidentified arsenal blade) - 1883 Navy kyu-gunto: Matsunaga [floral five-leaves pattern] (with Naohiro Taisho stamp arsenal blade) - 1886 Type 19 cavalry officer company grade sword: Kobayakawa [triskell-like pattern] (with mumei Meiji era traditional blade)
  13. Geraint, very nice and elegant blade, and I think that a Kogarasumaru blade mounted as a one-handed kyu-gunto is rather unusual. I like it.
  14. @Ray: great piece, I concur on the fact that the mounting was a special high-end order (same-covered saya is a good clue). As previously said, almost certainly pre-war. Upon examining the saya, do you notice faint traces of a second ashi, that would make it a Type 94? @Reeder: nice kyu-gunto, quite similar to mine, but with a better blade. @Hamish: I will receive the cavalry sword in a few days, as it was sent today from Japan. When I receive it, I will make and post pictures of my three Meiji era officer swords: Type 19 Army kyu-gunto, Type 1883 Navy kyu-gunto, Type 19 Cavalry officer sword. The main three variants of the "kyu-gunto family".
  15. Due to the colour and finish of the saya, I think might be indeed a Type 94, with the second removable ashi removed. Or at least an early Type 98. A nice shin-gunto from what is to my opinion the best period, i.e. pre-WWII. Later mountings, due to circumstances, could not retain such refinement and quality. Nearly as good as Meiji era kyu-gunto! Being completely ignorant at kanji, I would also be interested if one of our learned colleagues could take the time to translate the mei.
  16. Geraint, it sad because I would have been very interested by a picture. I have the opposite: a beautiful XVIIIth century dha mounting with a bland and probably more recent Burmese blade. You have the better combination!
  17. Hamish, To fulfil your request, one actually needs to own such a sword! I have a Type 19 company grade cavalry officer sword with a mumei Meiji gendaito blade coming my way. The combat sword, not the parade one. I have been spoilt by family and friends for my 40th birthday. It is not very high class but it is very rare. Will post pics when it arrives.
  18. I actually use the shortened version a lot with a Japanese friend, but it is strictly on the basis of a mutual berating agreement.
  19. As previously said, it does not bear any police insignia, therefore it should have belonged to another civil administrative institution.
  20. Solid gold is shiny and inalterable by definition. I you want to avoid reading the over-technical unpalatable other topic, try model weathering: light brown washes that can be obtained from model shops including Games Workshop. Another solution is light brown shoe polish. Both work great for model making.
  21. Colonial administration, for a start, but their Swords were different from yours.
  22. The pommel design is the usual cherry blossom instead of the police insignia. Therefore it may not be a police sword.
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