Bruce Pennington

Very nice addition to the collection Matt! You are officially doomed with the rest of us now! Ha! Enjoy!

Looks like somebody used it for a cane! You're guess is as good as anyone's on the 94/98 question. If this was in the field the removable ashi could have been lost early on. Nice find!

That's really worn alright! So a 94! I'm assuming it has 2 ashi, can we see? I've never seen one other than in books, or Ohmura's site.

Yes, nice gunto!

Chris, the red seems to be a thin undercoat. Looking in the dented areas, therefore unrubbed, the top coat is the dark IJA green.

Sorry about the size, Stephen, but when I try to upload full sized pics, the NMB software tells me it's too big. So I downsize them to get them posted.

I've taken better picutres and compared it to a Type 95 blade. It's definitely different and not made the same way. It is more koshi sori than the NCO, slightly shorter, slightly narrower. The weight feels quite close, with the difference only due to the dimentional differences. The bo-hi goes under the habaki, and stops sooner than the NCO. Obviously the nakago is shorter. So, while this may have been made from a single piece of steel, like the NCO, it was made specifically to be this kind of gunto.

Chris, a real beauty! The stamps on the fuchi are the Nagoya Arsenal, and Nagoya inspector stamps. There is probably one more there, like Itme 9 in this picture. It should be the 関刀劍株式会社 (岐阜県・関町) Seki Tōken Co,Ltd. You can read more here: http://ohmura-study.net/794.html

Sorry for the bad pics, guys! It arrived as I was heading out for a work trip, so I snapped a few shots and posted before I had to head out. I'll do a better job when I get back, which means it'll be Sun/Mon before I can do it. Dave, I don't know how to tell if the chrome was done post-war. Is there a way? I kind of doubt it, though, since the blade in style and weight feels like a Type 95 in manufacture, and it looks idendical to the one in Dawson.

The one in Dawson:

I was excited to pick up this item because it's almost identical to the one depicted on Dawson's book, pages 156-158! Sadly, the chrome is coming off in isolated spots. Nakago has small inspector stamp, probably a Seki. My impression is that these were made during the gunto shortage of the mid-to-late '30s. It seems to be made by the same process as the NCO Type 95 blades, but chromed to "officer-ize" it, and obviously no serial number. The whole thing seems to have quite a bit of wear as the tsuka ito is fully darkened by hand oil and the saya paint is heavily worn off in most areas.

Looks like a repair to me, but I'm using my phone right now.

Chris, I think that stamp is a "Seki" stamp, pictured below. Neil, I am researching the fuller question!

The stamp is there in front of the number, and is probably Nagoya, but it's a little fuzzy on the bottom and I can't tell for sure. The seven is definitely a seven. Nagoya stamps are notoriously weak and very finely imprinted so that makes it harder to read.

Chris, I can't make out the stamp either, but everything else about this looks right!

I'm sorry, the blade isn't mine. It's owned by Edward Tinker, and being discussed here: http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?816970-Police-Sword&p=7329522#post7329522

That is a beautiful blade Brad, congrats!

Update: Just found this "W" on the ricasso of a Type 19 dress sword:

February 1945

Here's my fix: a brass 10-24 1" screw. I spray painted it with some Japanese helmet color paint.

Yes, I was thrown off too! The "occupied lands" gunto tend to use inferior metals and/or forging (I don't know the metalurgical science), and corroded must faster. Also, the nakago is always poorly formed which sets them up to look just like a fake.

Ok, learned something more! After examining mine, on two of them, while shining a light throught the mekugi ana, I can see a sheet metal on the other side between the tsuka wood and the ito with a hole for the screw! It's very thin. On the other where where I cannot see it, it's possible it has simply slid down out of view.

I'm stumped that I didn't think of that before, as I've defended a few of these over the past 3 years, but for some reason, it never occured to me this time! I'm searching for past examples and have a couple over on Warrelics (even with the same katakana): http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/appraisal-some-Japanese-swords-please-sword-number-3-a-398208/ a couple here: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20284-my-friends-gunto-looking-to-identify-as-much-info-as-possible/?hl=%2Boccupied+%2Blands&do=findComment&comment=207650 http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20876-island-made-gunto/?hl=%2Boccupied+%2Blands&do=findComment&comment=212799 And at Gunboards: Stegel Jo Saku Members 160 posts LocationAustralia Posted 30 March 2016 - 04:53 PM Back to the OP and topic of this thread, there was a lot of discussion over at Gunboards with this subject, opinion appears to be equally divided. Here's a few links if you are interested : http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?473825-2nd-sword-what-is-it and this one has pictures of Indonesian and Chinese collaborators with Japanese style swords: http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?385909-Senior-NCO-Sword&highlight=SENIOR+SWORD

Neil, I just learned something today! I'm new to collecting Rinji model gunto (tip-o-the-hat to Nick Komiya!) and have 3 - all missing the lower "peg" but having the upper mekugi. I just assumed the lowere mekugi was missing. When I switched the mekugi to the lower position, the hole in the same' was ugly, it was so large. Now I know why - it was cut for a larger headed screw! Would you do me a favor and pull one out and give me a good set of pictures? Also, exactly WHAT are the threads imbedded into - the nakago ana? or the tsuka wood?

Neil, You always amaze with the unusual, and beautiful, things you find! The only reference I've ever found that discussed cost/style variations is the Ohmura site. He shows one, which I've never seen except for his site, that he calls an expensive upgrade. So cost clearly may have been a reason for some variants.