Mister Gunto

True, but I've found it works surprisingly well.

Really nice rescue work, Dan! I've come to value Frog Lube for many of my knives and bayonets.

Link to a steel handled version. These were based (I believe) on the Mid-19th Century French Style Short Sword issued to Artillery Troops) : https://www.jjmilitaryantiques.com/Home.aspx/Catdet/21234?nm=Japanese-meiji-26-wood-handle-artillery-sword-w-s&category=bayojap&bread_last=%2FHome.aspx%2FCatpage%2Fbayojap%3Fpsize%3D10%26sortseq%3DName&category_desc=Bayonets%2C%20etc.%20-%20Japanese#.XKjreVVKiUk Big Choppas!

Definately.

I'd go with it being a Chinese fake. That blade and the fittings, and the number stamped into the habaki all scream repro. My guess is the leather's either been aged, or they found some old sword leather and put it on to make it look more authentic.

Why do I have a feeling that the seller's "100% money-back gaurantee" is about authentic as that sword?

Am I bad for being really interested in that M2 Carbine in that one photo?

Heck of a sori on that one!

Aaaaaand he's back : https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Rare-Japanese-used-in-WW2-Sword-Signed-On-Both-Sides-Of-The-Tang/153415772305?hash=item23b84ae891:g:6EIAAOSw~SJcioik&frcectupt=true I now withdraw my earlier benefit of the doubt for the seller.

It looks like a typical WW2-era made blade in typical late-war mounts. I don't see anything older or more "rare" than that. It might be potentially be a gendaito, but without better pics of the hamon, I can't say. And isn't the inscripted date something like "March 1944? I think the seller is either going off bad information he has gotten previously from someone, or he's just trying to make more out of what the sword actually is.

Beautiful blade, regardless.

Really gorgeous work! I'm impressed!

You're gonna need a lot more alcohol to clean all that up! Cool article, BTW.

Benno, As mentioned above, we'd need photos and any documentation you have to assist your further. Here's a couple links on how to properly dissassemble (and care for) a Japanese sword: https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/care/handling.htm https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/care.htm There are also lots of tutorials on YouTube.

Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark....oh, wait, nevermind. It already did.... Obviously, the Kamikaze weren't planning on bailing out. But from what I've read, many Japanese pilots, especially the veterans, weren't too enthusiastic about becoming part of the Divine Wind at the end of the war. Much of the Kamikaze were made up of newer recruits towards the end of the war. And think about it. If you were a pilot, flying along on a routine patrol or training flight, and your plane had a serious mechanical failure, would you ride it down to a pointless death? Or bail out to fight for the Emperor another day?

That's just awesome. I love it!

Nice! I love the detail in that kabutoagane. Interesting to see how it differs from the Type 98's. Do you have any pics of the blade?

Check out page 174 of Slough's book. Similar to a marking on a March 1930 dated blade by Horii Toshihide. Minus the Battleship Yamato silliness.

Trev, Very nice piece and a decent price. That early war-period pierced tsuba is quite a nice example. It's really something you and your son will want to keep in the family. As mentioned above, please empahsize to your son to keep a light coat of oil on the blade to prevent rusting. (Choji oil is traditional, but any good gun oil will work fine) . And make sure he's not tempted to test the blade on a tree branch or a 2x4. It was designed to cut soft things (like people!) Abusing it like that will ruin the edge very quickly. I found that out the hard way, with an old bayonet, when I was younger....DOH!

I'd think most pilots, and especially if they owned an expensive or an old family blade, wouldn't want to bring them along on their flights. Both as it'd be in the way in what was often a tight cockpit, and the risk of losing it if they had to bail out due to combat damage or mechanical failure. Makes more sense to leave it safe at their base, and wear it when walking around there.

The fact that the colors of the sarute and the handle wrapping so often match is what makes me think at least some of these were done by the people making the koshirae. I'm sure others were simply expiedent field replacements too. The more I look at Shin and Kai-Guntos, the more certain it seems to me that they were working around a general pattern, and not an absolute standard. (Unlike, for example, the Type 32 or Type 95 swords.) Blades vary greatly in length, sori, and hamon. Koshirae show a lot of minor differences and personalization. Some were sold through the offical Army/Navy Officers Clubs. Others through private companies. I'm guessing a lot of that had to do with the fact these were Officer's swords, and many of them were Ancestral or Family blades. Allowances in the offical patterns had to be made to accomodate these, and things just evolved from there.

The seller of that Kai-Gunto in John's earlier post accepted my offer, and it arrived today. Takayama Forge made blade by Hattori Masahiro.(I think the seller made a post here last year to get the translation.) All the koshirae, including the handle and scabbard, are numbered and matching (#19). So it seems completly original. I took a couple photos of the cord sarute. It's a single piece, not joined inside the handle. The color matches the handle wrapping. One little detail I didn't notice until I had it in hand is that each of the cord ends are each tied off with a very small thread, probably to prevent fraying. It seems like rather delicate work. Again, it makes me wonder if at least some of these Naval cord sarutes were an option when originally purchasing the sword? Anyway, some pics...

Very solid piece, I like it!

No arguments there, Neil. I'm just speculating if having a long fabric sarute instead of a metal one could have been an option when the Officer originally purchased the sword? Its interesting that we see so many of the fabric sarutes in the same color as the handle wrap, on both Army and Navy swords. That makes me think they may have been put on when the sword was first assembled. If they were all replacments for metal sarutes broken while in use, I'd expect to see a lot more variance in the fabric colors.

Using a soft fabric sarute makes sense from the point of view of the Officers who had to carry a sword around with them a lot during their daily duties. To me, the typical metal sarute would be prone to cause wear and tear on the tassel. (Ever notice how many original examples show a lot of little rips around the area where they'd have been knotted to the sarute? ) Since the tassel was an indicator of one's rank, having to walk around the unit with it all ragged looking wouldn't be considered very proper. And getting a replacement in the field probably wasn't cheap or easy. Another advantage would be the user could adjust the knot to lengthen or shorten the tassel's hang to suit himself. Having it on the long side would also allow for it to be cut back and retied easily if it got frayed or worn.