Bruce Pennington

Dang, Rob, good eye! That looks like a Type 95 blade with officer tsuba/tsuka! Kaz, have you brought that one to the group for discussion? At first glance, it could be one of the 95 blades bought by an officer in the sword shortage and fitted out with officer koshirae. But after a closer look, I can see the bohi was cut more closely to the mune than a 95 bohi. I'll pipe down and wait to hear about it from you!

No date, Aliaksandr?

If only they could pull that off for photos of mei! Thanks for the tip Barry!

Yes, mine is 1.05in (26.7mm) at the edge of the habaki. At the yakote: 19.05mm Bohi begins: 2.9mm from mune and is 7.38mm wide.

My chromed blade is 1.05 in. (26.7mm) at the edge of the habaki.

I'm not familiar with the Ren Wax, so I can't comment on that, but as to the oil, it's only supposed to be applied quite thinly. Most care and cleaning sites say to even go over the blade after oiling with a dry cloth, removing standing oil. The oil is only coating the steel on an almost microscopic level. But with your display, whatever is absorbed by the cloth will still right there, against the steel of the blade! When you see museum displays and fancy store displays, the blades are always on white cloth. Now, mine, on the other hand, are all in their saya and standing upright in my gun cabinet, so it's a personal choice that only you can make.

Thanks George! Another 1940 Showa stamped blade in the database.

On the display, I'd put white cloth under each of the blades. It's a respect thing, and it will prevent metal-to-metal scratches and electro-driven rusting.

Excellent representation of Japanese war gunto, Kaz! I'm with Stegel - the kaigunto are gorgeous and part of the war history. I'd also add a Kyugunto, single-handed or double-handed (they were made pre-WWII but carried by some all the way to 1945); and a copper-handled NCO. If you want to go further, make sure you have both sizes of the Type 32, Ko & Otsu. If you're crafty when you get your kaigunto, make sure to get one with the leather covered saya, so you have a good representation of that. NOW the biggest, most important question of the day ................. Do I already have photos of your Mantetsu nakago, both sides, and the full serial number on the back edge?!?!?!?

Thanks guys! Another one for the Stamp Survey. And I'm going with 1940 on that date, unless you see more than that.

Correct. Although, in the Japanese culture both the heirloom and the WWII gunto carried the same meaning and significance. Some of these WWII blades were made better than some of the 600 yr old blades made in a hurry during huge battles.

Do you already have a translation of the date and smith name? Kane "something" and made in the '40s, but can't see enough to get the full date. The Showa stamp puts it likely in 1940, 1941.

That worked just fine Josh, thanks! So it is a Showa stamp, which puts it's odds of manufacture 1941 or before. So, like John says, likely a 98. Masaru - thanks for that reference! I hadn't heard that term before, and after a quick google search found that the surrendered/confiscated swords at war's end were collected at the US. 8th Army Weapons Depot at Akabane, Kita Ward, Tokyo, hence "Akabane swords". I'm curious, though, about your source of the info on the painted number? It makes a bit of sense, as it's labeled "military sword" which would have mattered at some stage of the occupation, as they were having to distinguish between weapons and "art." But I would really like to hear where your info came from, if you could share that. It's a pretty significant piece of history on these gunto!

Thomas, It is not sharp, though it feels as if the unfinished blade was made with a good edge, the chrome finish has dulled it. It seems to match the couple of chromed 95s in other discussions, like maybe this was done in that rare year of peacetime ('37-'38?) when blades were required to be dull. The hamon appears to be artificial, as you can see a section where it is rubbed smooth by sliding in and out of the saya. But as that's applied to the chromed surface, there is no way to know if the actual steel was hardened prior to plating. The overall length is equal to my Mantetsu, but you can see the tsuka is a bit smaller. The blade is only very slightly slimmer than the 98, with weight, in hand, only barely perceptibly lighter. It feels like a weapon, in hand. Nothing like the flimsy Type 19 dress sword. So, I think you're onto something with your thoughts about an attempt at economy and/or speedily mass produced, that could be used if needed. It is the only thing that explains the massive wear on the saya, to me. Would a dress sword see so much external wear? So, it's not one of the slim-line swords I had thought it to be.

Very cool, thanks! That's a new one one me. Another question - are the other metal fittings stamped with "617"?

Photos added for posterity

Josh, Could I get a clear picture of the small stamp at the top? It's likely the Showa stamp, but I can't quite tell. Also, you mention Type 94 - does the saya have the double haikan (belt hanger loops)? How about more pictures of the over-all sword and fittings?

Could you do me a favor and say what the last two painted kanji say " 6 1 7 ? TO"?

No, it’s a legit Type 95. Not fake.

I actually wipe down my handles with the oil also. As long as you keep it from moisture and high humidity, it should not get any worse. Be sure to wipe down both blade and handle with a dry cloth after oiling, you don’t want to leave sick oil. The idea is just to coat the metal with a thin layer of oil.

Thanks for the added pics Waren! Stegel's date is going to be the most accurate. If you don't already know how to take care of your gunto, this site has instructions in the FAQs, or you can find several pages on the web. Don't try to sand the rust off the blade. It will never be the same. Get a Japanese sword cleaning kit with uchiko ball. I've tried pure alcohol. It will add to the shine but it won't remove the black marks. I haven't found anything that will do that. Your main goal is to stop the active rust, clean and oil it for future preservation.

My dad's Mantetsu had several metal fitting pieces stolen while he was in the Marines. He said they were "hoping to find jewels." Took me 2 years to replace the parts!

People are asking $800 to $1,500 on fleabay. I haven't kept up with current pricing, but in good condition, they sell for $1,000-1,200 pretty much.

Waren, It looks right to me. Obviously seen better days, but legit. Care to share more pics of the rest of the gunto? Serial number, blade tip, other end of tsuka?

Sorry to say, that nakago mark is something square and indistinguishable, not a "NA" like I thought originally. What looked like something square on the seppa was just a shadow of some hammer-work or imperfection: The only thing I found identifiable on the nakago was an "11" matching the numbers on the fittings. I haven't had time to get any dimensions, but these pics should give some perspective. I really don't think this was a re-purposed 32. The sori is deeper than the 32; the bohi begins and ends differently and the blade is simply much smaller.